Writers Membership in Literature
by John Steinbeck
I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.
About thr Author
John Steinbeck at Amazon
Dedicated to the classic books on fiction writing. Learn to write short stories, novels, and plays by studying the classic how-to books. I believe fiction writing is a Craft. In the hands of a writer who has mastered the Craft, it can become more than that. It can become Art. Art = Talent + Craft But the bedrock is Craft. There are fundamental techniques to be studied, unfamiliar tools to be mastered, tricks of the trade to be learned. And it all takes time. (Writing Mastery) (Writing Craft)
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Sunday, April 30, 2023
Writers Membership in Literature by John Steinbeck | Writing Quote
by John Steinbeck
Picturing Your Storyworld by Randy Ingermanson | Advanced Fiction Writing
Picturing Your Storyworld
by Randy Ingermanson
Advanced Fiction Writing
Maps bring a storyworld to life. If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings, you’ve probably spent a fair bit of time poring over the map of Middle Earth that J.R.R. Tolkien created. The map helps you make sense out of the very complicated story.
I’ve always wished I could draw like that, but I just haven’t ever developed my drawing skills, so it’s not possible right now.
The novel I’m currently trying to finish up is set in the world of first-century Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. I’ve been to modern Israel several times and I’ve spent many days on-site in various locations where my story is set. I have more than 10,000 pictures of my storyworld, and I know the geography pretty well.
But it’s very hard to put that geography into words. Very hard.
A Picture Really Is Worth 1000 Words
It’s a worn-out cliche, but in the case of geography, it’s absolutely true. A map is worth a whole lot more than 1000 words.
Several months ago, I decided to hire a graphic designer to draw some maps for me.
Then I realized how hard that was going to be. None of the maps I’ve found in books is anything close to what I want. So I can’t just hand a graphic artist a map and say, “Draw me something a bit like this, only different.”
The horrible truth dawned on me that trying to tell an artist how to draw my maps would end up taking a lot of words. To really explain what I wanted, I’d need to draw them a picture. But if I had the skills to draw them a picture, I wouldn’t need a graphic artist in the first place.
I did a little research online and found some cool map-drawing tools. Some of them are web-based. Some are Windows-only. One is Mac-only.
They all have different features, and I finally settled on the Mac-based tool, a fairly pricey program named Ortelius. Fortunately, Ortelius lets you download a trial version to test.
A Learning Curve
Ortelius is amazingly powerful. But like most powerful tools, the learning curve is steep. I thought it was important, so I took a week and worked through the entire tuturial for Ortelius.
At the end of that week, I felt confident enough to start drawing my maps. And it’s going very well. I had a list of 7 maps I wanted drawn. I’ve now got 4 of them done, and they came out much better than I would have expected.
Now that I’m well into this project, I wish I’d tackled it years ago. I’ve always known that geography matters a lot to a story. Drawing my own maps forced me to make many hard decisions to get rid of all ambiguity. (When you have 20 different maps and they all disagree in one way or another, you have a lot of ambiguity.)
How Maps Affect Your Story
Already, I can see that a good map helps you think out your story.
In my storyworld, people walk everywhere. Walking takes time, so you need to be able to estimate how long it takes to get between any two places.
But you can’t walk where there aren’t roads, so you also need to work out where the roads are. That puts constraints on your story, which helps in two ways:
- It tells you when your characters don’t have a choice, which is useful to know. Sometimes, they’re forced to go through some particular town. When you know that, it suggests ideas for what must happen along the way.
- And it tells you when they do have a choice, which can help generate conflict. Sometimes, all choices have downsides. When you know that, you have a meaningful dilemma, and that’s good for your story.
Visualizing Your Action
Action is a crucial part of any scene. If you want to visualize the action in your scene, it’s crucially important that you know what the stage is like.
A fair bit of my story happens in the small village of Nazareth. The archaeology of Nazareth is poorly understood, which means that there aren’t any good maps of the village. Without a map, it’s easy to write a very generic scene with very generic action.
What I discovered when I made my own map of Nazareth was that the act of making a map forced me to remove all the fuzziness from my mental picture of the place. It brought everything into focus for me. And once I had it in focus in my own mind, it was vastly easier to put it into focus on the page.
So after drawing my map of Nazareth, I went through my entire novel and checked every scene. I found that a handful of scenes could be put into sharper focus, now that I had a map. So I tweaked those scenes. It would have been smarter to do that before I wrote the novel. But now that I’ve got good map-making software, I’ll do better in the future.
Homework
- How well can you visualize your storyworld?
- Are there fuzzy parts of your mental image of your world?
- Would it bring things into focus if you drew a map on paper? (Even a rough sketch.)
- How long would it take to sketch out a quick map?
- How much value would that have for your project?
About The Author
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Classic Fiction Writing Books That You Can Read For Free Online
Classic Fiction Writing Books That You Can Read For Free Online
Writing Books Index
Fiction Study
- A Manual of the Art of Fiction by Clayton Hamilton (1919)
- A Study of Prose Fiction by Bliss Perry (1902)
- Fiction as Art and Life by Robert Saunders Dowst (1919)
- Forces in Fiction and Other Essays
- How to Study The Best Short Stories by Blanche Colton Williams (1919)
- Materials and Methods of Fiction by Clayton Hamilton (1911)
- The Importance of the Single Effect in a Prose Tale by Edgar Allan Poe (1842)
- The Two Supreme and Highest Arts by Oscar Wilde
Fiction Writing
- Analyzing a story's plot: Freytag's Pyramid
- An Important Quality of the Writer's Mind is Sympathy by Elinor Glyn (1922)
- Anton Chekhov’s “Gun Theory” of Writing
- Caroline Gordon Advice on Fiction Writing to Flannery O’Connor
- Composition-Rhetoric by Stratton D. Brooks and Marietta Hubbard
- Fiction Writing: Characterization by Robert Saunders Dowst (1918)
- Figures of Speech by F. V. N. Painter (1903)
- Fundamentals of Fiction Writing by Arthur Sullivant Hoffman
- How do I get my Start as a Writer?
- How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays by Mark Twain
- Kinds of Description by Lewis Worthington Smith
- Learn to Write Short Stories Studying the Classic How-To Books
- Many Who Attempt To Write Can Never Succeed
- Notes On Writing Weird Fiction by H.P. Lovecraft
- Talks on Writing English by Arlo Bates
- The Art Of Fiction by Henry James
- The
Art of Story Writing : Facts and Information about Literary Work of
Practical Value of Both Amateur and Professional Writers by Nathaniel
Clark Fowler Jr.
- The Art of the Story-Teller by Marie L. Shedlock
- The Art of Writing by George Randolph Chester
- The Art Of Writing Fiction by Mary Burchard Orvis (1948)
- The Author's Craft by Arnold Bennett (1914)
- The Craft of Fiction by Percy Lubbock (1921)
- The Philosophy of Composition. By Edgar Allan Poe
- The Prince of Storytellers Tells His Own Story by E. Phillips Oppenheim
- The Subjective and Objective Writer by Lewis Worthington Smith (1902)
- The Technique of Fiction Writing by Robert Saunders Dowst (1918)
- The Technique of the Mystery Story (1913) by Carolyn Wells
- The Technique of the Mystery Story by Carolyn Wells (1913)
- The Writer, Volume VI, April 1892. by Various
- Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti
- Prefaces to Fiction by Boyce, Argens, Derrick, Manley, Scudéry, and Warburton
Literary Criticism
- Confessions and Criticisms by Julian Hawthorne
- Criticism and Fiction by William Dean Howells
- Masters of the English Novel: A Study of Principles and Personalities by Richard Burton (1909)
- The English Novel and the Principle of its Development by Sidney Lanier (1883)
Novel Writing
- A Model Lesson in Novel Writing
- A Novelist on Novels by Walter Lionel George
- Fiction Writing: The Novel by Robert Saunders Dowst (1918)
- How I Write My Novels by Margaret Wolfe Hamilton (1897)
- How to Write a Novel: A Practical Guide to the Art of Fiction
- The Responsibilities Of The Novelist, And Other Literary Essays by Frank Norris (1903)
- The Novel v. The Short Story by Anonymous (1901)
- The Novel; What It Is by F. Marion Crawford
- The Study of a Novel by Seldon Lincoln Whitcomb (1905)
- The Technique of the Novel. The Elements of the Art, Their Evolution by Charles Francis Horne (1908)
- Writing the Atmosphere / Tone of a Story by Robert Saunders Dowst (1918)
Play Writing
- Gustav Freytag's Dramatic Technique by Gustav Freytag
- How to Write a Play by William Gillette and Dudley H. Miles
Poetry Writing
Short Story Writing
- A Manual of the Short Story Art by Glenn Clark (1922)
- Climax and Conclusion by Charles Raymond Barrett
- Elinor Glyn System of Writing (1922)
- Fiction Writing: The Short Story Robert Saunders Dowst (1918)
- Hints on Writing Short Stories by Charles Joseph Finger (1922)
- How to Write a Short Story: An Exposition of the Technique of Short Fiction (1906)
- How To Write Fiction, Especially The Art Of Short Story Writing : A Practical Study Of Technique (1896)
- How To Write A Short Story
- How to Write Short Stories by L. Josephine Bridgart, (1921)
- Narrative Forms by Lewis Worthington Smith (1902)
- Requirements of the Short Story by Rosa M. R. Mikels (1915)
- Short Story: its Principles and Structure by Evelyn May Albright, (1907)
- Short Story Writing: A Practical Treatise on the Art of The Short Story by Charles Raymond Barrett (1900)
- Short Story Writing : an Art or a Trade? by Nathan Bryllion Fagin
- Short Story Writing And Free Lance Journalism by Sydney A Moseley
- Story Composition by Sherwin Cody (1897)
- Studying the Short Story: sixteen short-story classics, with introductions, notes and a new laboratory study method for individual reading and use in colleges and schools. (1918)
- The Contemporary Short Story, a Practical Manual by Harry Torsey Baker, ( 1916)
- The Character Interest by Lewis Worthington Smith
- The Elements of the Short Story by Edward Everett Hale and Fredrick Thomas Dawson, (1915)
- The Plot of the Short Story by Henry Albert Phillips (1912)
- The Writing of the Short Story by Lewis Worthington Smith (1902)
- Writing the Short-Story: A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK ON THE RISE, STRUCTURE, WRITING AND SALE OF THE MODERN SHORT-STORY by J. Berg Esenwein
Writing
Writing Tools
Writing Quotes
- Ernest Hemingway’s “Iceberg Theory” or "Theory of Omission" of Writing
- Fiction Writing Having Artistic Quality
- Fiction Writing: What About Dialect?
- Fiction Writing Quote by Ralph Henry Barbour: Story Idea
- Not Born With The Novel-writing Gift by Mark Twain
- Quote from Anton Chekhov to Maria Kiselyova, January 14, 1887
- Three Ideas to Telling a Tale by W. E. B. Du Bois
- The Ability to Create Life with Words by Flannery O'Connor
- The Three Factors of [ a Writers'] Success
- You Can’t Do That In Fiction by Flannery O’Connor
Free eBooks
The Art of Story Writing : Facts and Information about Literary Work of Practical Value of Both Amateur and Professional Writers by Nathaniel Clark Fowler Jr. (PDF)
.jpg "The Art of Story Writing : Facts and Information about Literary Work of Practical Value of Both Amateur and Professional Writers by Nathaniel Clark Fowler")
The Art of Story Writing : Facts and Information about Literary Work of Practical Value of Both Amateur and Professional Writers
by Nathaniel Clark Fowler Jr.
A WORD AT THE START
The writing of stories of every class and of any length, and of every kind of literature, whether or not published in book form, is a distinct art or profession, may be considered as a trade, and cannot be accurately weighed or measured unless subject to both ethical and commercial consideration.
To refuse to discuss the making of literature commercially, or from a business point of view, would be unfair and unprofitable.
It is obvious that the majority of writers con- sider their pens as remunerative tools, and that they produce literature, or what resembles it, not wholly for fame and for the good that they may do, but because of the money received, or expected, from their work.
The making and marketing of literature, then, are not removed wholly from the rules or laws which govern the manufacture of a commodity. If literature was not a commodity, in some sense, at least, it would not have a market and be paid for. Any analysis of it, therefore, must take into account its commercial or trade value.
In this country, many thousands of men and women depend entirely upon their pens for a livelihood, and ten times as many thousand write wholly for fame or for the good they can do, with or without expectation of receiving a financial return.
Several books have been written claiming to contain rules, regulations, or instructions for the writing of every class of literature. While none of these books are valueless, I think that most of them are altogether too technical, and that some of them pretend to do the impossible.
One may receive specific instructions in stenography, typewriting, book-keeping, and other concrete work, depending upon experience for proficiency ; but it is difiicult, if not impossible, to tell any one how to write so that he may become proficient in this art largely from the instructions given.
I do not believe that it is possible for any one, not even an experienced writer, to impart an actual working knowledge of composition, which will be of more than preliminary benefit to the reader.
Instead of loading this book with instructions, and attempting to tell the would-be writer what to do and what not to do, or to build a frame which he may use as a model, I have devoted many of my pages to the giving of information which I hope will not fail to assist the reader.
I am entirely unbiased, and have no ax to grind at the reader's expense. I am telling him the truth as I see it, and am using the eyes of others as well as my own.
Personal opinion, even if given by an expert, has little value, unless it is based upon the composite.
What I have said, then, is of the little I know, combined with the much which I think I know about what others know.
I have attempted neither to skim the surface, nor to bore into the depths. Rather, I have chosen to present typographical pictures of literary fact, starting at the beginning and ending at the result.
CHAPTER I
Entering a Literary Career 1
CHAPTER II
The Writing of Novels 6
CHAPTER III
The Writing of a Short Story 20
CHAPTER IV
The Story of Adventure 28
CHAPTER V
The Mystery Story 31
CHAPTER VI
The Detective Story 33
CHAPTER VII
Stories for Children 35
CHAPTER VIII
Humorous Writing 39
CHAPTER IX
Special Stories or Articles 45
CHAPTER X
The writing of stories of every class and of any length, and of every kind of literature, whether or not published in book form, is a distinct art or profession, may be considered as a trade, and cannot be accurately weighed or measured unless subject to both ethical and commercial consideration.
To refuse to discuss the making of literature commercially, or from a business point of view, would be unfair and unprofitable.
It is obvious that the majority of writers con- sider their pens as remunerative tools, and that they produce literature, or what resembles it, not wholly for fame and for the good that they may do, but because of the money received, or expected, from their work.
The making and marketing of literature, then, are not removed wholly from the rules or laws which govern the manufacture of a commodity. If literature was not a commodity, in some sense, at least, it would not have a market and be paid for. Any analysis of it, therefore, must take into account its commercial or trade value.
In this country, many thousands of men and women depend entirely upon their pens for a livelihood, and ten times as many thousand write wholly for fame or for the good they can do, with or without expectation of receiving a financial return.
Several books have been written claiming to contain rules, regulations, or instructions for the writing of every class of literature. While none of these books are valueless, I think that most of them are altogether too technical, and that some of them pretend to do the impossible.
One may receive specific instructions in stenography, typewriting, book-keeping, and other concrete work, depending upon experience for proficiency ; but it is difiicult, if not impossible, to tell any one how to write so that he may become proficient in this art largely from the instructions given.
I do not believe that it is possible for any one, not even an experienced writer, to impart an actual working knowledge of composition, which will be of more than preliminary benefit to the reader.
Instead of loading this book with instructions, and attempting to tell the would-be writer what to do and what not to do, or to build a frame which he may use as a model, I have devoted many of my pages to the giving of information which I hope will not fail to assist the reader.
I am entirely unbiased, and have no ax to grind at the reader's expense. I am telling him the truth as I see it, and am using the eyes of others as well as my own.
Personal opinion, even if given by an expert, has little value, unless it is based upon the composite.
What I have said, then, is of the little I know, combined with the much which I think I know about what others know.
I have attempted neither to skim the surface, nor to bore into the depths. Rather, I have chosen to present typographical pictures of literary fact, starting at the beginning and ending at the result.
CONTENTS
A WORD AT THE STARTCHAPTER I
Entering a Literary Career 1
CHAPTER II
The Writing of Novels 6
CHAPTER III
The Writing of a Short Story 20
CHAPTER IV
The Story of Adventure 28
CHAPTER V
The Mystery Story 31
CHAPTER VI
The Detective Story 33
CHAPTER VII
Stories for Children 35
CHAPTER VIII
Humorous Writing 39
CHAPTER IX
Special Stories or Articles 45
CHAPTER X
The Writing of Poetry 47
CHAPTER XI
Play Writing 58
CHAPTER XII
Motion-Picture Plays. 84
CHAPTER XIII
The Name of a Book or Story. 87
CHAPTER XIV
Literary Schools 91
CHAPTER XV
Literary Agencies or Bureaus 94
CHAPTER XVI
The Preparation of a Manuscript 98
CHAPTER XVII
Manuscript Paper 108
CHAPTER XVIII
Copying Manuscripts 110
CHAPTER XVIII:
The Number of Words in a Manuscript 118
CHAPTER XX
Revising Manuscripts 115
CHAPTER XXI
How To Send a Manuscript 120
CHAPTER XI
Play Writing 58
CHAPTER XII
Motion-Picture Plays. 84
CHAPTER XIII
The Name of a Book or Story. 87
CHAPTER XIV
Literary Schools 91
CHAPTER XV
Literary Agencies or Bureaus 94
CHAPTER XVI
The Preparation of a Manuscript 98
CHAPTER XVII
Manuscript Paper 108
CHAPTER XVIII
Copying Manuscripts 110
CHAPTER XVIII:
The Number of Words in a Manuscript 118
CHAPTER XX
Revising Manuscripts 115
CHAPTER XXI
How To Send a Manuscript 120
CHAPTER XXII
Rejected Manuscripts 126
CHAPTER XXIII
The Size of a Book 129
CHAPTER XXIV
The Number of Words in a Book 188
CHAPTER XXV
How A Manuscript is Received and Handled
By a Book Publisher 186
CHAPTER XXVI
Terms for the Publication of Books 148
CHAPTER XXVII
Contracts with Book Publishers 149
CHAPTER XXVIII
Disreputable Publishers 168
CHAPTER XXIX
Copyrighting 172
CHAPTER XXX
Quoting from Copyrighted Matter 177
CHAPTER XXXI
The Danger of Libel 179
CHAPTER XXXII
The Price of a Book 182
CHAPTER XXXIII
Illustrations 185
Rejected Manuscripts 126
CHAPTER XXIII
The Size of a Book 129
CHAPTER XXIV
The Number of Words in a Book 188
CHAPTER XXV
How A Manuscript is Received and Handled
By a Book Publisher 186
CHAPTER XXVI
Terms for the Publication of Books 148
CHAPTER XXVII
Contracts with Book Publishers 149
CHAPTER XXVIII
Disreputable Publishers 168
CHAPTER XXIX
Copyrighting 172
CHAPTER XXX
Quoting from Copyrighted Matter 177
CHAPTER XXXI
The Danger of Libel 179
CHAPTER XXXII
The Price of a Book 182
CHAPTER XXXIII
Illustrations 185
CHAPTER XXXIV
Thb Reading of Proofs 195
CHAPTER XXXV
Books Published at the Author's Expense 204
CHAPTER XXXVI
Complimentary Copies of Books 206
CHAPTER XXXVII
Books in Libraries 208
CHAPTER XXXVIII
The Advance Publication or Republication
Of Books Stories and Articles 210
CHAPTER XXXIX
The Linotype, Monotype, and Typesetting
Machines 213
CHAPTER XL
Electrotyping and Stereotyping 215
CHAPTER XLI
The Value of Experience and Timeliness . 217
CHAPTER XLII
Syndicate Writers 225
CHAPTER XLIII
Paper-Covered Books 282
CHAPTER XLIV
The Selling Value of Reputation 286
Thb Reading of Proofs 195
CHAPTER XXXV
Books Published at the Author's Expense 204
CHAPTER XXXVI
Complimentary Copies of Books 206
CHAPTER XXXVII
Books in Libraries 208
CHAPTER XXXVIII
The Advance Publication or Republication
Of Books Stories and Articles 210
CHAPTER XXXIX
The Linotype, Monotype, and Typesetting
Machines 213
CHAPTER XL
Electrotyping and Stereotyping 215
CHAPTER XLI
The Value of Experience and Timeliness . 217
CHAPTER XLII
Syndicate Writers 225
CHAPTER XLIII
Paper-Covered Books 282
CHAPTER XLIV
The Selling Value of Reputation 286
CHAPTER XLV
The Incomes of Book Workers
CHAPTER XLVI
The Income of Magazine and Newspaper
Writers 244
CHAPTER XLVII
The Remuneration Received by the Favorite
Few 247
CHAPTER XLVIII
Records of Manuscripts 251
The Incomes of Book Workers
CHAPTER XLVI
The Income of Magazine and Newspaper
Writers 244
CHAPTER XLVII
The Remuneration Received by the Favorite
Few 247
CHAPTER XLVIII
Records of Manuscripts 251
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Friday, April 28, 2023
The Plot of the Short Story by Henry Albert Phillips (PDF)
The Plot of the Short Story
by Henry Albert Phillips
(1912)
The Plot of the Short Story:
An Exhaustive Study, Both Synthetical and Analytical, with Copious
Examples, Making the Work a Practical Treatise by Henry Albert Phillips
I.-MISLEADING FORMS OF NARRATIVE 1
Illuminating Comparisons of the modern Short Story with (1) the
Anecdote; (2) the True Story; (8) the Fable; (4) the Allegory; (6) the
Character Sketch and the Character Study; (6) the Humorous Story; (7)
the Playlet; (8) the Novel; (9) the Novelette.
II.— THE MODERN SHORT STORY ... 11
A Comprehensive Definition; the Name a Misnomer.
III.— THE PLOT 14
What It Is ; Its Importance and Relationship in the Modem Short Story; the Obstacle; Logic and Plausibility.
IV.— LAWS GOVERNING THE PLOT ... 19
The Dramatic Unities with an Additional Unit; Care; Compression; Simplicity; Dispatch; Completeness.
V.— PLOT ANALYSIS 23.
"Mrs. Knollys" and "The Necklace" as Examples; the Triangle Plot
VI.— INSPIRATION 80
Mood; Stimulants; the Powers and Employment of Imagination.
VII.— THE PROCESS OF PLOTTING . . . 36
Important Differences between that of Plotting and of Narrating the Story.
VIII.— THE PROGRESSIVE STAGES IN PLOTTING 40
The Plot Germ; the Plot Skeleton; the Plot Scenario; Examples.
IX.— ARRANGEMENTS OF EVENTS ... 46
Chronological and Logical Orders; Natural Sequence; Story Interest.
X.— PLOT DEVELOPMENT 58
The Laws of Movement and Action ; Supreme Moment; Climax; Conclusion;
Denouement; Necessity for Complete Action; the End; the Effect.
XI.— THE TEN POSSIBLE PLOT MANIFESTATIONS 69
Each Illustrated by an Example.
XII.— PLOT GENEALOGY 74
God's Plot in the Book of Creation, showing the Resemblance of All Plots
Since; the Basic Plot for All Stories; the Five Elemental Plots Deduced
there from; Man's Relationships.
XII— CLASSIFICATIONS AND VARIATIONS OF PLOT . . 79
A Categorical Classification and Comprehensive Catalog of Plot Material.
XIV.— PRACTICAL PLOT SOURCES ... 92
Employment of Facts ; the Daily Newspaper ; Pregnant Paragraphs; Fertile
Phrases; Use of Fiction; General Reading; Observation; Dangers;
Propriety; Originality.
XV.— A STORE-HOUSE FULL OF PLOTS . . 108
A Novel Method of Storing a Practically Inexhaustible Supply of Plots;
the Importance of Taking Notes; How to Take Notes; How to Keep them
Systematically.
XVI.— A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION IN PLOT BUILDING 112
How a Plot is Conceived and Carried thru every Process.
XVII.— THE PLOT-BUILT STORY .... 120
Administrating the Relationship of Plot and Finished Story; "Arden— The Village of Despair."
XVIII.— RECAPITULATION AND REVIEW . 148
A Syllabus Designed for
the Use of Teachers and Students in the Study of the Plot of the Short
Story; 207 Vital Questions Taken from the Text Itself and Covering the
Whole Subject.
Download the PDF >> The Plot of the Short Story
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Thursday, April 27, 2023
The Elements of the Short Story by Edward Everett Hale and Fredrick Thomas Dawson, (1915) (PDF)
.jpg "The Elements of the Short Story by Edward Everett Hale and Fredrick Thomas Dawson")
The Elements of the Short Story
by Edward Everett Hale and Fredrick Thomas Dawson
(1915)
INTRODUCTION
The method of studying the short story here presented is
based upon two ideas. The first is that the well-equipped student of the short
story should have in mind a number of standard examples which exhibit in
concrete form the chief elements and principles of importance. The second is
that the best way to see in those examples the elements and principles in
question is by some very definite and systematic method of analysis.
The study of the short story has developed of late into diverse
lines. There have been excellent studies of the history of the matter, which
have exhibited the development of the form from very early times. There have
been critical analyses which have taken their illustrations of principles or
qualities from whatever examples might be found in the broad field. There have
been guides to the writing of the short story which have given such practical and
theoretical help as was possible to those who wished to write short stories
themselves.
We have followed none of these methods. Any treatment of the
short story will include a good deal of general material, and much within our
pages will be familiar to all who have followed the development of the study.
But our particular course is different from those just mentioned.
We have presented a limited number of well-known standard
stories. In the study of any phase or form of art, the student should have well
in mind a few classic examples. Then he can pursue with intelligence a broad reading
which will present to him all the possibilities of the art in which he is
interested. We have selected our chief examples from American literature,
partly because it was in America that the modern short story was first developed
and partly because in a limited field we can indicate something of the actual
development, which we do not treat in detail.
In the study of these examples we have followed a very definite
method, because it seems the case that in the study of fiction, at least, a student's
attention is especially likely to become diffused over a broad field, so that
he often neglects the very thing that would be useful to him at the time, while
gaining perhaps something that would be better at another time. We have made
these exercises very specific, not because all literary study should be of this
specific sort, but because at the beginning of a study like this, one wants to
get correct ideas to measure by. We by no means feel that we are pointing out
ways in which one should always study the short story. We are pointing out ways
which will train the mind to look at short stories so as to perceive
instinctively certain things. After such study the mind should work naturally
in certain ways, as we may say. The student will know the main things that have
been done with the short story, and he will turn to the current short story
with the ability to compare and enjoy.
One or two minor points may be noted. We have put the work
in such form as will make the student think things out for himself. That, of
course, calls for no comment. We have laid stress on the importance of getting the
author's own standpoint. That may be a little original, but everybody will
agree that if we can see a story as the author saw it, we shall certainly have
one sort of appreciation. (We have tried to make it clear that in literary
study, there is not only opinion but fact. This is something that everybody
knows, but present methods have rather tended to put the facts in the
background. Some facts, however, may be more important than some opinions.
Poe's own opinion of one or another of his works is probably more valuable to
the student than the opinion of one or another of his critics, which may be
better in itself. But Poe's opinion is a matter of historic fact to be determined
by the methods of history, if we know them, or if we do not, by whatever way we
can.
We have, however, gone beyond the limits of our particular
method in offering with every exercise suggestions for further reading and
study. Any method of study, however excellent, should give some opportunity for
the student to read and think on his own account.
Any teacher may find in the suggestions for work offered in
these exercises more than can be included in such a course as he wishes to give.
We have thought it worthwhile to provide material for a variety of interests.
It will be easy to make a selection from the suggestions for further work which
shall suit any particular class. The main thing of importance is to keep in
mind the definite and systematic kind of work to be done. Then, whether much
ground be covered or little, the student will have in mind a method of work, a way
of looking at his subject, which is the principal end to be attained.
CONTENTS
EXERCISE PAGE
I. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. . .Washington Irving
II. Rip Van Winkle. . .Washington Irving
III. Irving as a Story Writer
IV. The Great Stone Face. . .Nathaniel Hawthorne
V. Ethan Brand. . .Nathaniel Hawthorne
VI. Hawthorne as a Story Writer
VII. The Fall of the House of Usher. . .Edgar Allan Poe
VIII. The Murders in the Rue Morgue. . .Edgar Allan Poe
IX. Poe as a Story Writer
X. The Diamond Lens. . .Fitz-James O'Brien
XI. The Man Without A Country. . .Edward Everett Hale
XII. The Outcasts of Poker Flat. . .Francis Bret Harte.
XIII. Some Recent Stories
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Wednesday, April 26, 2023
The Elements of Surprise by Randy Ingermanson | Advanced Fiction Writing
The Elements of Surprise
by Randy Ingermanson
Advanced Fiction Writing
Picture this scene from the movie STAR WARS:
Luke Skywalker is approaching the thermal exhaust port of the Death Star. He's got a proton torpedo ready to go, and the only problem is that Darth Vader is right behind him in a Tie Fighter, locked on his tail and almost close enough to take a shot.
Luke can't fire yet. He's not close enough. Darth Vader is gaining on him rapidly. Luke is going to lose this race. Darth Vader is ready to fire. He's closer. Closer ...
Wham! Darth Vader's ship is hit by a blast from Harry Potter's wand. Vader spins away crazily out of control. Luke is free to launch his proton torpedo. And the Death Star goes up in smoke.
Does that sound about right? Great surprise, wasn't it?
No and no.
Sure, this plot twist is a surprise, but it's a stupid one. Harry Potter came out of nowhere. He's not part of the movie. We've got no foundation for Harry entering this movie.
In a word, Harry's appearance at the crucial moment is IMPLAUSIBLE.
Injecting him into the story to save Luke is a terrible, ridiculous surprise.
Okay, fine, so let's backtrack a bit and try that again.
We still see Luke zooming toward his target, armed with the proton torpedo. And we still see Vader on his tail, ready to knock him out. And this time we also see Han Solo on Vader's tail, closing in on Vader even faster than Vader is converging on Luke.
We watch as Solo closes in and fires his laser cannons.
Wham! Darth Vader's ship is hit by a blast. Vader spins away crazily out of control. Luke is free to launch his proton torpedo. And the Death Star goes up in smoke.
Better this time? A somewhat more plausible surprise, right?
No and no.
Sure, this plot twist is more plausible. But there's no surprise at all. We saw it coming. We watched Han Solo all the way in. When the WHAM came, we were expecting it.
Surprises are good in your fiction, but a surprise needs to be two things to be a true surprise:
- Plausible
- Unforeseen
When you fail to provide any sort of foundation in your story for a surprise, then it's implausible.
When you telegraph what's going to happen, then when it actually does happen, it's foreseen.
Here's how the surprise actually plays out in the movie:
Before the final battle, Han Solo and his trusty Wookiee friend Chewbacca leave with enough money to pay off Jabba the Hutt. Han has a price on his head, and he won't rest easy until his debt is paid. Luke calls him a coward, but Han just laughs him off and leaves. Because he values his life, and he knows he won't live long if he doesn't pay off Jabba.
But we also know that Han Solo is no coward. He thinks of himself as a cowboy. He does crazy things for his friends. We've seen him do so the whole movie. So if he were to come back and join Luke for the battle, that would be plausible.
We just don't expect him to do that, because we saw the man leave. Then we saw a long, brutal battle, in which several of Luke's comrades are blown to bits. We've seen Darth Vader arm for battle. We've seen Luke make his first attempt with the proton torpedo and fail. We've seen Vader close in on him.
It's a long battle scene, an exciting one. It's long enough that we've forgotten about Han Solo.
And the story focus now zooms in tightly on Luke and Vader. It's a race to the death. One of them will win and one will lose. These two fill our entire attention. Nobody else exists.
So when the WHAM! hits Vader's ship, we've forgotten
about Han Solo. But an instant later, we realize that we should have
seen it coming.
Solo's reentry into the fight is plausible, AND it's unforeseen.
It's a surprise.
Surprise is good in fiction, but it's like perfume. A little goes a long way. A few great surprises in your story are probably better than a thousand small ones that become so regular that your reader starts expecting them.
Now let's look at the current story you're working on right now. Is there a major surprise somewhere in your novel? How well is it working for you? Is it both plausible and unforeseen?
If it's not plausible or if it’s too foreseeable, then you have a problem.
How do you fix it?
You make your plot twists more plausible by putting in all the key facts earlier in the story. Preferably, a LOT earlier.
J.K. Rowling is a master at seeding in the key facts for her big surprises very early in her stories. In her novel HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, she gives you all the crucial facts about Sirius Black, Severus Snape, and Peter Pettigrew early in the story. Yet at the end, she gives you a massive surprise by combining all those facts in a way you don't foresee.
That's quite a trick, because readers are smart and if you highlight those facts too much, some readers are going to put things together and see exactly where you're going.
So you make your surprise unforeseen by using misdirection. You throw in a ton of other facts. You focus your reader's attention on those. You don't lie to your reader, but you give her facts that she will put together to make a wrong prediction about what's going to happen next.
If you cheat here, then your reader gets angry. Cheating means that you hide crucial information. Or you give wrong information.
When you put all the information in plain sight but misdirect the reader's attention and then hit her with your surprise, she likes that. Because you fooled her. And when you do that in a way the reader can respect, she thinks you're a genius.
And maybe you are.
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