The Craft of Fiction

by Bill Knott

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Genres: Writing

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

William Cecil Knott, Jr. is an American writer of mystery and sports novels for children, westerns for adults, and books on the study of writing techniques. He wrote a few books under his full name and 125 more under the names Bill Knott, Bill J. Carol, Will C. Knott, Bryon Swift and some series books under the publishing house name of Tabor Evans. He was employed as an assistant professor of English at the State University of New York at Potsdam from 1967 to 1982. He served as president of the Western Writers of America in 1981-82.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although many of the suggestions about publication in this book are quite dated, the general writing principles are still sound. I recommend readers by-pass Part One, as much of his advice no longer applies, and skip ahead to Parts Two and Three, which include in-depth discussions about the craft of writing. The exercises and guidelines throughout these sections are clear and helpful. I only suggest reading Part One if you’re interested in laughing at Knott’s overtly sexist language and reclusive stance (I know this was published in the seventies, but it still makes me bristle). Here are a few choice excerpts:
On submitting your manuscript to a publishing house and moving it up the editorial ladder:
“Usually it is the first reader, some young girl fresh out of college with a degree in English literature, hoping that it is your manuscript that will help her make it big in the editorial world….If it remains alive, it finally arrives on the desk of the senior editor; and from there—if he likes it…”
On marriage and family:
“You will find that everything has to be subordinated to this consuming preoccupation…for this reason it is best if you don’t marry, since this sort of monomania is notoriously hard on wives and offspring….This will make you a pest to those who know you and a distinct annoyance to your wife.”
“Do you plan to get married and still become a writer? If you are already married, does your writing take a back seat to your activities as a married man?”

[Elizabeth Houseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this. The only reason I gave it four stars rather than five is because it has some outdated information on publishing that no longer applies. Other than that, this book was encouraging and interesting. It was filled with great writing advice and truths of the writing life. While this is designed for a classroom, it is completely applicable to the lone writer. I'd definitely recommend reading this book!

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was OK. Parts of it about the state of the marketplace are pretty badly dated now, but the details about character and plot and narrative are still true.

[Peggy Leavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful book for the beginning to mid-career writer.

[Lance Greenlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for beginning fiction writers: It covers the basics well, and the illustrative examples are quite readable.