How Fiction Works - Softcover

Writing Magazine Practical book will help you use words more powerfully and effectively --Writing Magazine

Oakley Hall, writing teacher emeritus, invites readers as his apprentices to study the inner workings of fiction, the foundation upon which all good stories depend. Inside, readers will find the elements of fiction examined and illuminated, with insights into how each element must interact to create a distinctive story. Hall covers every fictive technique, from plot and characterization to word choice, voice and style. The key to Hall's teaching method is his brilliant use of examples. Throughout the book, he emphasizes the importance of reading and evaluating fiction with an eye toward craft. To this end, he offers more than one hundred excerpts from literature, illustrating through analysis and advice how fiction works. With Hall's guidance, readers will learn to craft fiction that is tuned like a precision timepiece.