A Poetics of Fiction

by Tom Jenks

Composed from nearly forty years of experience of editing and teaching, A Poetics includes:
An introduction explaining the principles underlying the book: how writers read and teach themselves to write.
Six Chapters on the Formal Elements of Fiction: Diction, Point of View, Characterization, Patterns of Imagery, Plot, and Theme.
Many practical examples from American Short Story Masterpieces, edited by Raymond Carver and Tom Jenks, and from other works by well-known writers.
Advice on Beginnings, Endings, Narration, Dialogue, and other useful topics.
A Bibliography as a guide to readers for further study.
A Poetics contains a detailed and comprehensive pattern for study of creative writing, including a great deal of practical knowledge not generally available elsewhere. Students who have received their MFA degrees and/or attended prestigious writing conferences around the country routinely find that the information gained from this pattern of study goes far beyond any other approach to the study of creative writing.

410 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015