Guide to Fiction Writing

Phyllis A. Whitney was one of my first favorite authors. Back in the day, I could hardly wait for her new releases to show up in my dad's monthly book club mailings. He would always buy them for me because, of course, he wanted to encourage a lively interest in books. Phyllis Whitney fueled my love of reading then, and now, years later, she fuels my love of writing. Her "Guide to Fiction Writing" covers all of the basics including plot, characters, outlines, research, conflict, suspense, revision, etc. She delves into the craft of writing and expounds on the finer points such as "show, don't tell." The whole book is written in a comfortable, casual style, as though she is having a private discussion with the reader-who she clearly respects as a fellow writer. She's not sitting on a high horse looking down her nose at all of us. It feels more like she's sitting on the other end of the sofa. What I like best about this book is the way the author projects enthusiasm for the business of writing and stays positive about finding success. "Good fortune and opportunities are always coming along," she writes. "Perhaps opportunity is like a train on an endless track. Now and then it makes a stop at your station, often without fanfare, and without warning...When the breaks came for me I was doing the right thing. I didn't know it was the right thing, but even when there was no opportunity in sight, I was working. You, who may be just beginning: What you do now counts. Never mind the rejections, the discouragement, the voices of ridicule (there can be those too). Work and wait and learn, and that train will come by. If you give up, you'll never have a chance to climb aboard." Although it was written over twenty years ago, this book is timeless...as is Phyllis Whitney herself.

I got this book when I was 12 or 13 for Christmas...and it is still my most valuable writing tool. Some people can just write without planning and outlining, but I'm not one of those people. If I don't outline, I can't get through the first chapter.I have a lot of discipline to develop...but the projects I've gotten the farthest on have been because of using this book's methods! And I'm quite sure when I finally do publish a novel...that it will be because of the organizational techniques I learned in this book!

What do you want your book to say? That's your premise. This work is money well spent, to develope your premise. You'll get soem great ideas, and the work will take your thoughts into new directions.

The step-by-step directions, along with helpful hints, make this a wonderful book for the beginning writer. Whitney designed this book as a textbook for writing classes she taught. I have enjoyed using this book as a guide for my own novel.