Writing from Start to Finish: The 'story Workshop' Basic Forms Rhetoric-Reader

Reviews of Writing from Start to Finish are bound to end up as referendums on the Story Workshop(r) writing pedagogy itself, because the two tend to be interlinked. So that readers know where I'm coming from: I studied in traditional creative writing workshops in my undergraduate years, then entered Columbia College Chicago's MFA program and felt the Story Workshop classes opened up my writing process and the kinds of stories I could tell. I have studied the pedagogy and become an instructor as well. About the book itself: First, the forms (journal, letter, how-to, monster story, model telling, folktale, parody, instances, essay, etc.) presented are useful in and of themselves--at least half of them could work in nonfiction and/or journalistic modes as well as in fiction. Once the basic forms are mastered, writers can build longer works (e.g., a novel) from them through extending or combining forms. Because the emphasis is on form instead of content, writers following assignments tied to the text can pursue any subject matter that interests them and often find themselves burning to write something matters keenly. Frequently subject ideas and images arise for ("from" might be a better word) writers as they consider the demands of the form. Because you're given a framework (a letter story, a folktale, etc.) to play with instead of a topic (e.g., "What I did on my summer vacation," "Three pages regarding a piece of driftwood"), your only limit is your own imagination and willingness to take risks. Second, a variety of excellent models illustrate each form. Authors drawn upon for excerpts scattered throughout the book include Kafka, Flaubert, W.E.B. DuBois, Katherine Anne Porter, Herman Melville, Robert Penn Warren, Charles Darwin, Christina Stead, Larry Heinemann, Jane Goodall, Tom Wolfe, Bruno Bettelheim, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, the Brothers Grimm, and Upton Sinclair. These are supplemented with examples of work from successful form assignments by (now former) students who also add to the diversity of voices and subject matters that might not otherwise find a place in the traditional literary canon. Third, (and this may be what rankles authors of the angry reviews) this book and the method that it employs are process-driven, not end-result driven. One of the underlying assumptions is that when a writer develops a solid process (of varied journaling, of reading, of writing, of using forms, of rewriting...all accompanied with a sense of audience), a writer will have a good sense of direction toward solid writing. Granted, there are spots where the book seems dense--particularly the "Process of Writing" chapter. Considering the breadth and depth of valuable information it contains, this is no surprise. It is worth the time and trouble. The examples offered throughout the book are pleasureable to read and have been juxtaposed with an eye toward variety. While the book contains alot of useful examples and discussions of for

While the Story Workshop method is not perfect, it is hardly crippling. I have found that it is a great way to generate material to work on, though since I write a lot of things besides prose, not all of it can be turned in for my Fiction Writing classes. The main weakness of the Story Workshop method is that while it does give you a lot of leeway in terms of voice and content, you will not get feedback on what you are doing that is good or bad, or what works and does not work. This can be good for some people but not for everyone. Also, I have had mixed results doing straight genre work with it. Overall though, it is a very useful book to keep on your shelf, though I add the caveat that very few books are the end all be all of how to write (and most of the people who make that claim are lying). I recommend this if you are trying to write straight literary (as opposed to category) fiction and work on your literary voice rather then pushing your content. I personally find that it helps more with third person work then first person also. From my experience it also works better with slightly more autobiographical content. I have to say that the parody is one of the most useful tools to learn about the structure of a story that you can find anywhere. I finished one that actually turned out longer then the original story. If you can get a copy cheaply then it's probably worth picking up just for that. Besides the parody though, there really is not a lot about structure, though there is quite a bit on form (or at least the forms used in the program). It is not for everyone though, I know of at least one other talented writer (other then Shane who I've never met) that felt that it was useless.