The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing

Because I'm busy I shop at Amazon. In fact, I shop almost exclusively online, though mostly at Amazon, and books comprise a fair percentage of my purchases. I guess it's been thirteen, fourteen years now that cyberspace has freed my time from harm's way where the ravages of everyday errands erode one's gossamer vision of life and eventually become the hat rack of dreams awaiting to be vested and taken on a stroll. I'm still busy, only my time is invested on the playground of my passions. I've read a number of extraordinary books over the years, too many to name, but you know the titles, as you've read them, too. By word of mouth--by Amazon ratings--the magic of their stories became widely known, pulling in readers from diverse corners of the world. Immersed in their pages, I've laughed and cried among other things, though no response was casually lent to the work in my hands. The inner critic who reads over my shoulder demands authenticity, searches and savors the artistry when it's found, and I, the recreational reader, must be wrestled from the critic's grasp to escape into a character's skin and experience his or her emotional plight. In Kite Runner, for example, the critic didn't stand a chance. I'll have to reread the book because my inner critic travels a path with emotional potential equal to the surrender yielding to an author's magic. Still, all the same, not once have I rated a book. It strikes me suddenly as selfish. But no, I stand by my disinclination. You see, I've never felt the need to rate the pages that have passed through my hands, as you already knew. You beat me to the book and were a part of the cognoscenti whose reviews brought it to my attention. However. Perhaps I have beaten you to "the making of a story". The book has won my willingness to diverge from my obsessions if only to say, this is one you do not want to miss. Not if you're a student of writing, a teacher of writing, a critic.... Not if you are a writer. For two decades, I have been all three of these and in some fashion I will remain all three for the duration of my life. And though forever a student of writing, it has been eons since I have purchased a book on the craft. "the making of a story" is a large volume--a resource to turn to, right? Well yes, it is that. I will return again and again to thumb through the pages and pick and choose according to timely interests. By the look of the volume, that's all I assumed I'd ever do. The assumption was made upfront at the time of purchase, something I didn't intend in the first place, as the classics from back in the day when I took up the craft equipped me with the tools, a rather defined set of tactics--wielding active voice, strong verbs, detail, showing verses telling, avoiding wordiness, the rhythm of the written word and the imitation of speech, parallel expression and pattern variation, usage, style, originality, imagery, editing--that transform correct writing into captivating snapshots of life. But I had in my hands a copy of Alice LaPlante's book. No, I didn't dribble away my time at a brick and mortar (sorry Borders). I attended the San Francisco Writer's Conference and waiting to meet with an editor, I visited the book table. Again, I didn't intend to purchase the book. I simply picked it up. I'm a writer, which is to say I'm curious. I picked up nearly every book on the table and rustled each of their pages in quick survey. What sold me on Ms. LaPlante's book was a heading, a single heading. That's all I read, the bold print line that said, Write what you know about what you don't know. Hunh? The angle started spinning plates in my head, one of them saying that if there are just a few similar nuggets in this text, which is 1¾ inches thick, then I've struck gold. Since I had to fly home, I didn't buy the book on the spot. I wrote down the name, went to my meeting, and returning home, now seated at my computer, I clicked on the blue "e". Good old Amazon delivered "the making of a story" to my door a few days later. Again, I flipped through it, thinking, Voila! I found a nice addition to my reference library, and decided that I'd set aside my novel and read a bit before tucking it away on its shelf. That was a week ago, and like a good novel, I can't put the book down. Can you imagine? An instructional book? A reference? And you can't drag yourself away? Unheard of! I write about ten hours a day. As I'm trying to finish a novel, I'm at my keyboard seven days a week. I haven't put a dent in Ms. LaPlante's book, but I can tell you that it's already made its way to my pages. Just moments ago, I was showing what a character saw when, instead, I "showed" by describing what he heard. Yes, I knew to draw from all the senses, but Ms. LaPlante raised what I knew to a new level. I am certain my writing will follow. This book is a rare find. Whatever stage in your writing career, you will profit immeasurably from the insights, examples, and inspiration contained in its 650-plus pages. Enjoy! The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing

Alice LaPlante's "the making of a story": A Norton Guide to Creative Writing is a substantial book for creative writers. At 677 pages, this book offers writers a reference book worthy of consideration. Chapters include: Chapter 1: The Basics Chapter 2: Writing as Discovery Chapter 3: Concrete Details as the Basic Building Blocks of Good Creative Writing Chapter 4: Defining the Short Story Chapter 5: The Importance of Narration Chapter 6: Introduction to Point of View Chapter 7: How Understanding Point of View Affects Our Understanding of a Story Chapter 8: Crafting Effective Dialogue Chapter 9: Figuring Out What Happens Next Chapter 10: Creating Surprising Yet Convincing Characters Chapter 11: Beginning Your Story, Novel, or Nonfiction Piece Chapter 12: The Art of Transferring True Emotions into Sensory Events Chapter 13: On Revision Chapter 14: Some Final Thoughts on Creative Nonfiction Each chapter is divided into three sections: The first is focused on some specific element of writing (see list above). The second section focuses on writing exercises. The third, titled, "Reading as a Writer" provides short stories for the writer to consider. In this volume, the short stories include: "On Keeping a Notebook" by Joan Didion; "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien; "Brownies" by ZZ Packer; "The Lady with the Little Dog" by Anton Chekhov; and "The Swimmer" by John Cheever among them. While LaPlante's book is not the only book out there on creative writing, this book is helpful for a beginner or someone in search of a reference guide to review parts of what makes a good story. The exercises are helpful and the short stories are varied and sensitively chosen. While the stories will not appeal to all persons, LaPlante selects provocative stories with difficult themes and encourages good reading to bring about careful and considered writing.

The reason I love this book is Alice backs all her lessons up with examples of great writing. If you want to be a great writer, or even just a published writer, you must be willing to put in the hours studying and pouring through the work of great writers and deconstructing why their work is so successful. Otherwise you are only spinning your wheels and building your foundation on your own work, ensuring it will never get any better. I remember going to the University of Kentucky basketball camp when I was in 8th grade. One of the lessons I still learn from today was when a former UK point guard said, "Practice against people who beat your ass. Then you will keep getting better. If you're the best on the court, you aren't learning, they are." The principle is the same here. The amazing thing about this is that Alice undoubtedly had to pay a lot to have all of that work in the book. This is why most writing manuals are full of the opinions and axioms you've heard from nearly every writing manual out there. The authors don't have to go through the hard work of reprinting the work of others and can just grab the money the book will generate. When you fill your manual full of great work, you share the wealth with all of them and spend a lot of time attaining the rights to reprint. What does this tell us about this book? It tells us that Alice LaPlante is more interested in helping writers improve and reach their goals than making as much money as possible. I respect her immensely for this. This manual, if you will take the advice to heart and pour through and not only skim the examples will absolutely make you a better writer. I have no doubt. Highly recommended.

Loved the book reread parts of it frequently

Chock full of tips, readings, examples, anecdotes and writing exercises and encouragement. Highly recommended.

This "How To" manual for creative writer wannabee's, is a vividly written and superbly produced introduction to the basics of developing a story for publication. It is extraordinarilly comprehensive in scope and seems to cover everything in any way relevant to the storyteller's craft. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular theme or topic and illustrated with stories by established and often multiply published authors. It is easy to read and reflects the author's many years experience as an esteemed and prize winning teacher of creative writing at a prestigious college. If there were only one book you needed to become a successful writer, this would be it.

It's not an academic book. It feels written by a writer who has been through the euphoria and depression of writing fiction (and non-fiction) who is also an effective teacher.

Love this book. Many prompts for writing and easy to follow as I am dyslexic.