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Product Description
Book Description
What If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction. With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse.
From the Back Cover
An essential to any writer's library, What If? is comprised entirely of specific exercises intended to help the reader master the art of writing fiction. The exercises isolate the various elements of fiction - dialogue, plot, characterization, point- of-view, etc. - and present specific problems to solve through writing. Directed toward both beginners and professional writers, this book addresses topics such as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. For those interested in writing fiction.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
NEW WRITERS OFTEN FIND BEGINNINGS DIFFICULT-WHETHER they're starting a story or a novel-because they take the word "beginning" too literally. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
NEW WRITERS OFTEN FIND BEGINNINGS DIFFICULT-WHETHER they're starting a story or a novel-because they take the word "beginning" too literally. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful tool in the classroom,
By A Customer
This review is from: What If? (Paperback)
I like What If quite a lot. Although you can't design a class around the book, the exercises contained therein are useful supplements in the creative writing workshop. Something for everyone.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for a college class,
By
This review is from: What If? (Paperback)
I teach short fiction writing at a college in Michigan. I've used the first edition of this book for four semesters, and I just had a chance to peruse the second edition. Great stuff! The exercises in this book teach the elements of story writing, but they do it in an interesting and interactive way. Students will learn about Starting in the Middle, Strong Dialogue, Conflict, Endings, Titles, Naming Characters, the Internal Life of Characters, and much more. I use the text in an introductory course, so I don't get to all of the exercises. Some cover more advanced issues than others, but this book is helpful to almost any level of fiction writer. I am a writer too, and every time I use the book with my students, my own stories get a little stronger. If you're a fiction teacher, try this book. If you're a writer looking to advance your skills, this book could also be a big help. You'll find stuff that goes beyond the routine fiction-writing advice.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for advanced writers,
By KTB "KTB" (NYC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: What If? (Paperback)
I bought this book hoping to find some new exercises that would help me expand my skills. But I found most of them too basic for my tastes. This book might be good for people who are just learning to flex their writing muscle. But for anyone who has been writing for a few years, don't bother.
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