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."
Gardner does not believe in a secret formula to writing a good work
of fiction, thus he explains common errors, technique, and
plotting. He also explains different forms of fiction writing: the
novel, novella, and short story; and discusses a few different
types of stories one can write: the energeic novel, lyrical novel,
and architectonic novel. He examines the limitations to different
points of view, such as the first-person, third-person, and
third-person limited point of view. There were also several group
and individual exercises at the back. I fount that what was stated
was quite helpful, much more than what many other writing books
offer.
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-initially an intuitive but finally and intellectual act on the
part of the writer." (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.
-Create connections: our minds return to images and events, thus if
the hero meets a person in the graveyard, then that "character's
next appearance will carry with it some residue of the graveyard
setting." (192)
3.5/5