Gotham Writers' Workshop has mastered the art of teaching the craft of writing in a way that is practical, accessible, and entertaining. Now the te...
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reviews
Sep 28, 2011
Joshua
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An excellent primer to the world of Creative Writing! Each chapter is written by a different GWW teacher, and covers a different element of fiction(Character, Plot, Description, Theme, Voice, etc.). These chapters are informative, entertaining, and from the perspective of actual writers, giving it life. The book does a fantastic job of demonstrating what makes fiction good, and the key concepts that an aspiring writer should adhere to as they dive into the rabbit hole of fiction.
The fi More...
The fi More...
Mar 18, 2011
Phil
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After publishing my first novel, I wanted to achieve a deeper understanding of writing fiction. You never stop learning, no matter your stature as a writer. This book is very informative and has helped to make the outline and first draft of my second novel much stronger. There are wonderful exercises and great explanations and examples for such topics as character, dialogue, POV, plot, story and the sometime nebulous theme. I would recommend this book as invaluable asset to all those looking to
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Jun 10, 2011
LAnn
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When I expected a book for writing, I expected a long list of tedious grammar rules and endless lectures about good versus bad, great versus crap, good versus evil - the writing guide cliches. Instead, this writer's guide touches on anything and anything there really is about writing, from characters to story to plot development to publishing. Even formatting a manuscript can be found hidden in these pages.
This writer's guide takes the reader from the normal typed nonsense of a guide w More...
This writer's guide takes the reader from the normal typed nonsense of a guide w More...
May 07, 2010
Matthias
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This is a very helpful book. It breaks it all down into bite-sized pieces, letting you see what all the tools available for a writer are. There's so much material, though. Much of it isn't complicated, but there is a good amount that is. Point of view, for instance. Many different possibilities. Overall a good and helpful read. Some of the things I learned I already knew but wasn't putting into practice.
Aug 25, 2011
Christie
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A good overview of the basics. Nothing I hadn't heard or read before. I appreciated the conversational tone but did feel as if it could have been more concise overall (like when someone tells you a story in fifteen minutes that should only have taken five). This made the "cheat sheet" in the back a welcome addition - basically the entire book pared down to a few pages.
Oct 07, 2009
I think I must be experiencing a steep learning curve again, things seem difficult. I like the 'your turn' exercises. I do wish there was a simple answer for voice and point of view though.
Jan 01, 2012
Anais
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This book is very helpful in getting me started on my stories. If only I could stick to my writing schedule; everything would be perfect.
Sep 09, 2009
Carmen
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Great book to read if you are interested in becoming a fiction writer.
Aug 03, 2011
Rachel
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If you can't affoard creative writing classes, pick this book up. Its worth a skim.
Jul 19, 2011
T.C.
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Having shopped and sampled dozens of books on the craft this one stands out. I also liked a similar book by Josip Novakovich, but here each chapter has a different author, and here there is only one short story whereas for Novakovich stories are half the book, so there seems to be less content. The writing exercises are good. Not that I do them per se, but they do ruminate in my consciousness. And another thing: There's a $40 coupon for writing classes at GWW.
Aug 21, 2008
Nascha
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It took me awhile to actually sit down and read this book from beginning to end. Oh, I started it a few times, but I think I was overwhelmed by the wealth of advice it gives and at the time I was procrastinating on some of the stuff I'd been writing.
Nevertheless, I was very pleased with this book. I think it's an excellent guide to the nuts and bolts of writing fiction. It's definitely a book I'll be returning to again and again. I highly recommend it.
Nevertheless, I was very pleased with this book. I think it's an excellent guide to the nuts and bolts of writing fiction. It's definitely a book I'll be returning to again and again. I highly recommend it.
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Feb 26, 2008
MB
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Every once in a while, I'll pull this out and reread all or part of it. It gets me into a writing mode, and it broadens my creative thinking. I really like the non-stuffy tone it's written in, and it's one of those books I can pick up, turn to a random page and find a little gem of information or an exercise that I need at the moment.
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Nov 14, 2008
Jen
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This is sort of like a class, where you read a little, then do some homework before reading and writing some more. I think I would do better in a class, where you have to write something, and you can all talk about it. I just don't seem to enjoy it very much.
Apr 27, 2008
The
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I like this book cause it works as a class would. You learn about some things and then they give you a specific task to complete to help you understand what you are learning even further.
Apr 17, 2008
John
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I hated this book. We used it as a textbook for a writing class. I would have rather had a real textbook. I think I used some of the pages as toilet paper when I ran out one time.
Oct 23, 2007
Jen
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I highly recommend this book if you are teaching an intro to creative writing class, or if you are looking for an introduction to the elements of writing fiction.
Dec 10, 2008
Christine (AR)
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Each chapter is written by a different contributor, so the quality is uneven, but I picked up a few tips here.
Nov 06, 2011
Niela
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I love this book. Its helpful and the activities really give me ideas on new material to write about.
Oct 31, 2008
Sarah Beth
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A useful reminder about the core elements of novel writing, illustrated by interesting exercises.
Jan 18, 2008
Kirk
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Halfway through and it has been very helpful although I disagree with the author's thoughts on subplots
Feb 18, 2012
