How fiction works
by James Wood · first published 2008
7mentions
3recommended by
4HN commenters
2008–2024first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% critical
Provides a somewhat academic approach to a discussion of the main elements of fiction using examples (good and bad) from literature.
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…one or two books about writing, you'll be much better off. A handful I consult regularly: 1) Write Right! (a simple, ~90 page book on grammar and rules that will see you through 99% of situations); 2) How Fiction Works, by James Wood (which is mostly about noticing what you read); 3) On Writing Well by William Zissner (a perennial recommendation); 4) On Writing by Steven King (which is so fun to read that it's hard…
on “How to get better at writing” ↗…a human. For a better, and still technical, approach to understanding how and why sentences and paragraphs work with us or against us, it's better to read Strunk and White, and even better to read "How Fiction Works" by James Wood. If there is a way to incorporate at least those two books into conditional statements, I would be excited to see it. [1] http://imgur.com/k9hsHfj
on “Hemingway makes your writing bold and clear” ↗…an editor. Here are more specifics: https://jseliger.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/the-very-very-begi.... Here's something specific: I'd like to get better at using metaphor Read Metaphors We Live By and How Fiction Works.
on “Why I Left Medium” ↗Yes, this definitely counts as criticism! I think the best critics are the ones who can tell you specifically how and why something is great. As an example, James Wood's book "How Fiction Works" is basically a compendium of paragraphs and sentences Wood thinks are wonderful, which he cracks open to inspect and explain. It's really impressive whenever a critic can pull this off; I often struggle…
on “The Healing Buzz of “Drunk History”” ↗You can do it! https://writeofpassage.com/ In books about writing, I like: How Fiction Works Reading Like a Writer Writing With Style There are many others of course. Perhaps the most important part is finding an editor. (I wound up marrying one, which is not uncommon.) I've seen recs for…
on “20 Years of Blogging on my own website” ↗…But I don't think neither is all that obscure or all that direct, as both words seem to be synonyms for the same ideas expressed along the axis of "nature" and "artifice" that James Wood describes in _How Fiction Works_.
on “Where is science fiction leading us and what does it concern? ” ↗James Woods is among my least favorite writers. His previous book "How Fiction Works" was condescending and pretentious. This essay collection is no different. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/books/review/Kirn-t.html
on “The Joy of Text: James Wood’s Inspired Reading” ↗