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The Art Of Fiction by John Gardner

Posted by Samia, 2 years ago

The Art Of Fiction: Notes On Craft For Young Writers by John Gardner

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The basic idea for The Art Of Fiction by John Gardner seems to be that writers should not do “things that distract the reader’s mind from the fictional dream.”

The following are a few points that I found useful:

-Fiction that ends up nowhere, with no win or loss, makes us think we are in a hurry, and later we discover that there was nothing to be in a hurry about.
-Fiction cannot have any real interest “if the central character is not an agent struggling for his or her own goals but a victim, subject to the will of others.” (65) This is a common mistake for beginners. It is important for the central character to act because the readers then care about what will happen, the character’s desires, and their values.
-To make the character’s motives convincing, the origins must be shown throughout the plot. Thus, a lot of what goes into a story is because the writer needs it there to justify a later action, show the source of motivation, or to reveal a character trait.
-Don’t use ‘that’ or ‘which’ to stretch out your sentence because it causes the sentence to have an anticlimactic ending.
-"Dig out the fundamental meaning of events by organizing the imitation of reality around some primary question or theme suggested by character’s concern." (176)
-"Theme ... is not imposed on the story, but evoked from within it..." (177)
-Research the theme to make fiction a serious thought. For example, if nakedness is the theme, then discuss if openness is a virtue or defect, what is said in Christianity and pagan myth about it, and how naked should people be. Search for connections between images.


Read my review for some more details:
www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Art-Of-Fiction-Notes-On-Craft-For-Young-Writers-John-Gardner/978067973403-571512-Review.html

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