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thechanelmuse's review against another edition
3.0
“Poetry is the heart of all writing. Passion, detail, music, just the right word, a sense of play, and a sense of tragedy that take us beyond even the pale of death. Without poetry in our words, our songs, our love lives, life would become impossibly dull, calcified, and worthless. […] You need poetry in your life or your words will never sing with the divinity of the ordinary.”
3.5 rating
3.5 rating
keyradiator's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
A dense and informative book that leads by example, with examples. It doesn't overstay its welcome, each chapter has a great takeaway, and the some of thr content couls apply across other crafts too.
Definitely recommend this short read!
Definitely recommend this short read!
allie8973's review against another edition
Very basic almost just like a journal entry
redpineapple's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
The book was different from most of the how-to fiction books in the market. Most of the other books take a "scientific" perspective informing readers that a novel should be written in such and such way. Those books are important. But not enough.
This book wasn't prescriptive in the least. Mosley treats writing a novel like the craft that it is. He tells us about the elements that he believes are important like characters, narration, voice, etc. But he also asks the reader to experiment and live the process of writing the novel.
I loved the reframe that characters are how the plot unfolds. It was the most important lesson that I am taking away from the book.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley.
The book was different from most of the how-to fiction books in the market. Most of the other books take a "scientific" perspective informing readers that a novel should be written in such and such way. Those books are important. But not enough.
This book wasn't prescriptive in the least. Mosley treats writing a novel like the craft that it is. He tells us about the elements that he believes are important like characters, narration, voice, etc. But he also asks the reader to experiment and live the process of writing the novel.
I loved the reframe that characters are how the plot unfolds. It was the most important lesson that I am taking away from the book.
I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley.
karenreads1000s's review against another edition
3.0
My favorite tips were the improv idea and asking questions of your characters and plot.
biblionerd62's review against another edition
5.0
This little book is packed with gems. It may become my new "read when I need inspiration" book.
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Elements of Fiction is a guide/tutorial/master-class on elements of writing aimed at writers (or would-be writers) by well known author Walter Mosley. Released 3rd Sept. 2019 by Grove Atlantic on their Grove Press imprint, it's a concise 128 pages and available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats.
I've been a fan of Mr. Mosley's crime- and science- fiction for many years and although I don't really have any definite desires to be a writer myself, it's always enlightening to get to see some of the nuts-and-bolts of the process going on behind the scenes. I was hoping for some step-by-step tutorials or hand holding 'start HERE and do this or that' type teaching. This is emphatically not that book. What it is, however, is a conversational treatise on the philosophy of the craft and scattered nuggets of real salient wisdom about what makes a good novel good and sometimes great.
As an almost(?) neurotically active reader, I've often experienced having positive or negative feelings about a narrative and not easily being able to articulate precisely why. There were several gut-punch moments in this book which, for me, shone a light on some of those visceral reactions. I'm tempted to go back and re-read some of those books which confused me with an eye toward deconstructing them in terms of the information in this book.
As a straight up how-to-write-a-novel tutorial, this isn't This Year You Write Your Novel. This book is much less focused on the writing process and more a long conversational essay on writing philosophy. The chapters are very loosely tied together, some of them segueing into the next chapter, some exploring a theme and then petering out. This is not a book with a logical layout and bullet point lists of information. Readers who are looking for easily found info-points, graphs, marketing or any related items will be disappointed. Those who are open to guidance from a lifetime of experience by a gifted writer will find much to assimilate in this book.
Four stars. This is an information rich book, but in a philosophical manner. There are no easy opt-ins for the wisdom Mosley shares, we have to think about what he writes. I recommend it for readers who want to know the 'why' more than the 'how-to' of writing fiction.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Elements of Fiction is a guide/tutorial/master-class on elements of writing aimed at writers (or would-be writers) by well known author Walter Mosley. Released 3rd Sept. 2019 by Grove Atlantic on their Grove Press imprint, it's a concise 128 pages and available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats.
I've been a fan of Mr. Mosley's crime- and science- fiction for many years and although I don't really have any definite desires to be a writer myself, it's always enlightening to get to see some of the nuts-and-bolts of the process going on behind the scenes. I was hoping for some step-by-step tutorials or hand holding 'start HERE and do this or that' type teaching. This is emphatically not that book. What it is, however, is a conversational treatise on the philosophy of the craft and scattered nuggets of real salient wisdom about what makes a good novel good and sometimes great.
As an almost(?) neurotically active reader, I've often experienced having positive or negative feelings about a narrative and not easily being able to articulate precisely why. There were several gut-punch moments in this book which, for me, shone a light on some of those visceral reactions. I'm tempted to go back and re-read some of those books which confused me with an eye toward deconstructing them in terms of the information in this book.
As a straight up how-to-write-a-novel tutorial, this isn't This Year You Write Your Novel. This book is much less focused on the writing process and more a long conversational essay on writing philosophy. The chapters are very loosely tied together, some of them segueing into the next chapter, some exploring a theme and then petering out. This is not a book with a logical layout and bullet point lists of information. Readers who are looking for easily found info-points, graphs, marketing or any related items will be disappointed. Those who are open to guidance from a lifetime of experience by a gifted writer will find much to assimilate in this book.
Four stars. This is an information rich book, but in a philosophical manner. There are no easy opt-ins for the wisdom Mosley shares, we have to think about what he writes. I recommend it for readers who want to know the 'why' more than the 'how-to' of writing fiction.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
indigo78180's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Smooth to read, but I'm not sure that I really learned very much from it.