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Review
Anyone who sets out to write scintillating narratives but consistently finds the results flat and uninspiring probably needs this book. Storytelling, dramatic storytelling in particular, contains a high craft element that needs to be learned and mastered. Most mortals can't just sit down with no background whatsoever in dramatic form and spew out spine-tingling prose. A gripping dramatic story goes way beyond a good idea in a brain. It needs evocative characters, rising tension, and a unifying theme, or what this book calls "Character, Conflict, and Premise." Without these a story will remain flat and lifeless. No one's pulse will rise after reading a story about two people who agree about everything and then go off to have tea. But lock a Republican, a Democrat, and a gun in a room, have them argue fervently over politics and life and make the tension gradually rise to breaking point. Kaboom! Drama.
The Constant Art of being a Writer: The Life, Art, and Business of Fiction provides an incredible and accessible introduction to dramatic form. If you wish to write like James Joyce or Virginia Woolf and create experimental, symbolic, philosophical, or psychological novels that eschew the dramatic form, this book is not for you. That said, one must know what something is before eschewing it. If someone wishes to eschew dramatic form, they can learn all about it here first. Then they can confidently eschew to their heart's content. Not only that, dramatic form pervades culture, television, movies, theater, and even sensationalist journalism. Those wanting to simply learn about the mechanics, effects, and influence of this ubiquitous process can also benefit from this effortless read.
The foundations of dramatic storytelling receive more than adequate coverage: creating vivid characters; keeping characters in conflict or in "the crucible;" having a solid premise that helps determine what gold to keep and what dross to cut; how to "begin before the beginning," using a step sheet to plot and determine a story's events; creating a satisfying climax; which viewpoint to choose; writing great indirect, sensual, and clever dialogue; the painful necessity of rewriting; how to use, or misuse, writer's groups; good habits. Integrating many of these elements, the book defines a story as "a narrative of consequential events involving worthy human characters who change as a result of those events." Throughout, passages and plot lines. Many times a story gets constructed from scratch as an example. The concepts get drilled in, not merely discussed.
This is a great book for the beginner author or the professional author who is always looking for great ideas. This book has wonderful tips on how to find a literary agent for your book, self-promotion, crafting a bestseller, the ins and outs of a successful author tour, and much more.
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