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BarcodeComment: Selgin-cunning-craft-barcode-make-literary-284375808
A trustworthy path throught the forest, February 27, 2007
By Cunning & Craft: Sound Advice and Practical Wisdom for fictio..
By Cunning and Craft: Sound Advice and Practical Wisdom for Fiction WritersThe cover of By Cunning & Craft promises us "sound advice and practical wisdom for fiction writers." Author Peter Selgin makes good on this with a lively and insightful book that respects its readers' intelligence while offering clear, crisp guidance. With the opening Fitzgerald quote of "All good writing is swimming underwater and holding your breath," Selgin plunges right in. His style is both scholarly and playful (referencing The Wizard of Oz, James Joyce and Hamburger Helper within lines of each other) and never looses sight of its purpose. As clever and colorful as Selgin's presentation is, he is obviously respectful of his subject matter. The abundance and variety of his literary references keep things moving at a good clip and make for a fun journey. And, as all instructional books make claim to (but not all deliver) By Cunning & Craft leaves us feeling that we actually gained something of value along the way. Selgin knows his stuff. And, as a happy aside, the volume itself...
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| Author: Lila Penn (Philadelphia).. | This is one of the best books I've ever read on fiction writing. I think even for non-writers it would be a fun read. I'm an aspiring novelist and as I read this book I started sticking post-its on the pages with ideas and points to take straight to my writing. But I stopped doing that since almost every other page was getting a post it. Selgin's writing is rich and full of detail and makes you feel like you're hanging out with someone who's really excited about his subject -- writing fiction. Here's what he wrote about authentic details when writing description: "Think of those shots in movies when the camera lingers on a broken windowpane...or does a slow sweep of someone's dresser top, showing us the cufflinks a character wears, the brand of cigarettes he smokes, and how he treats loose change. These are authenticating details. Consider lingering on such details yourself, if only for a sentence or two." The "10 Lessons" are entertainingly documented and supported with lots of... | 6 | |
| Author: Michael Nethercott - Se.. | The cover of By Cunning & Craft promises us "sound advice and practical wisdom for fiction writers." Author Peter Selgin makes good on this with a lively and insightful book that respects its readers' intelligence while offering clear, crisp guidance. With the opening Fitzgerald quote of "All good writing is swimming underwater and holding your breath," Selgin plunges right in. His style is both scholarly and playful (referencing The Wizard of Oz, James Joyce and Hamburger Helper within lines of each other) and never looses sight of its purpose. As clever and colorful as Selgin's presentation is, he is obviously respectful of his subject matter. The abundance and variety of his literary references keep things moving at a good clip and make for a fun journey. And, as all instructional books make claim to (but not all deliver) By Cunning & Craft leaves us feeling that we actually gained something of value along the way. Selgin knows his stuff. And, as a happy aside, the volume itself... | 13 | |
| Author: Esther Singer - See all.. | This book is fun to read. Better than that, it will teach aspiring writers, practicing writers, and people who just love to read a lot about the machinery beneath a novel's surface that makes it go. The author shares his considerable wisdom about characters, point of view, structure, dialogue, description, style, and, most challinging of all, revision and publication. "Good dialogue isn't realistic," he warns; the author must control the release of information, he reveals, and "keep your notebook handy," he advises. This book's great charm and readability speak for itself. | 8 | |
