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Creating Fiction: Instruction and Insights from Teachers of the Associated Writing Programs
Visit the workshops of twenty-three of the best fiction-writing teachers in the country. Learn how to revise from Pulitzer Prize-winner Jane Smiley. Find new ways to evoke time and place from Richard Russo, author of Nobody's Fool. National Book Award - winner Charles Johnson offers a passionate discussion of the writer's apprenticeship. Lan Samantha Chang, author of the acclaimed story collection Hunger, presents strategies for structuring stories. John Barth, one of the most influential writers and theorists of the past forty years, explores elements of storytelling.
Creating Fiction is a partnership between Story Press and the Associated Writing Programs, an organization of nearly three hundred college and university writing programs. The contributors, members of the AWP, have taught thousands of students the art and craft of telling stories. Now their experience and wisdom can be found in one comprehensive book.
Creating Fiction is a partnership between Story Press and the Associated Writing Programs, an organization of nearly three hundred college and university writing programs. The contributors, members of the AWP, have taught thousands of students the art and craft of telling stories. Now their experience and wisdom can be found in one comprehensive book.
294 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 1999
About the author
Julie Checkoway
4 books12 followersJulie Checkoway is an author and documentary filmmaker. She graduated from Harvard College, the Iowa Writers Workshop, and the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts individual artist grant and fellowships at writers’ colonies, including Yaddo. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Salt Lake Tribune, and Huffington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 27, 2018
It's been a while since I read a good book on writing! This collection of essays on creative writing, compiled and edited by Julie Checkoway, doesn't disappoint. There's much to like:
1. It's a very accessible and hands-on book. It should easily get the beginning and motivated writer to write.
2. From the simpler to the more complex topics of narrative fiction, writers like Joan Didion, Charles Baxter, Jane Smiley... discuss techniques of the craft.
3. Loads and loads of writing exercises for beginners (each contributor has exercises based on their topic).
4. Some topics covered like Tone and Pitch, or The Rules of Magical Realism don't often appear in other writing books and are well-handled here.
5. Especially nice to see how different authors approach the teaching of the craft in one book.
Beginners should definitely grab a copy and read it for insight and inspiration.
1. It's a very accessible and hands-on book. It should easily get the beginning and motivated writer to write.
2. From the simpler to the more complex topics of narrative fiction, writers like Joan Didion, Charles Baxter, Jane Smiley... discuss techniques of the craft.
3. Loads and loads of writing exercises for beginners (each contributor has exercises based on their topic).
4. Some topics covered like Tone and Pitch, or The Rules of Magical Realism don't often appear in other writing books and are well-handled here.
5. Especially nice to see how different authors approach the teaching of the craft in one book.
Beginners should definitely grab a copy and read it for insight and inspiration.
December 16, 2010
This book was assigned for the first-ever creative writing class I took, and it's now pretty well dog-eared and worn. (And we didn't even go all the way through it in class!) It's chock-full of great essays: lessons, exercises, examples, and especially inspiration; it's written by teachers of the Associated Writing Programs and edited by Julie Checkoway. I absolutely loved working from this book and plan to go through it again and again and again!
July 30, 2015
This book is DENSE. Full of essays from writers who are academics, it was a bit of a slog, but I took pages upon pages of notes from it, learned a lot, and have to say that I feel like it's as close to a mini-course in getting your MFA as you're gonna get if you're a serious writer who's interested.
June 10, 2020
My first contact with Creating Fiction, edited by Julie Checkoway, was in one of my “Writing the Novel” classes while I was earning my master’s degree in English. As so often happens in an academic setting, we did not read all of the essays in the book, so I thought that, over 10 years later, it would be a good idea to reread the ones I had read before and read the rest for the first time.
While I’m not sorry I did, some things became clear as I read it.
The most important point is that the book is not really written for the working writer. The nearly two dozen essays were written by writers who also teach at colleges or universities around the country, all of which are members of the Associated Writing Programs. As a result, most of the essays are directed at other college writing teachers, particularly those teaching undergraduates. This reduces the book’s value for the working writer.
Second, while all of the authors are published, many are award winners or New York Times best-sellers, and a few are big names in literary fiction (John Barth, Alberto Ríos, Richard Russo, Jane Smiley), because of their literary backgrounds, they pay scant attention to the genres besides “literary.” Further, the essayists assume that readers will be familiar with the predominantly literary stories and novels they refer to. Academics likely are, but writers in other-than-literary genres may not be, which makes the references less valuable.
Third, the authors tend to focus on short-story writing, with an occasional aside regarding poetry or novels. This is also not a surprise, given that academic schedules are not well suited to teaching students how to write book-length works. There simply isn’t time in a single semester, to say nothing of a quarter, to work on more than a few chapters of a long work. And in my experience, each class will insist on students starting at the beginning of a piece, even if the student writer is multiple chapters into their draft.
Finally, because the book was written in the late 1990s, before the advent of Web 2.0, there’s no discussion of electronic publishing, doing research online, etc. The final essay, on submitting pieces for publication not only focuses (again) on literary magazines, it can’t help but give what is now outdated guidance on how to find markets and submit queries and stories. And the author’s advice to go to literary parties to meet editors, and/or have a big-name author suggest your work to one of those editors, is simply unreasonable for many writers.
On the plus side, the book does focus on matters of craft. Major sections include articles on characterization; point of view; plot, structure, and narrative; and style and voice. There are even a couple pieces on revising and editing.
So while Creating Fiction is certainly not a bad book, especially when compared with some of the others I’ve read and reviewed, its value is significantly limited for many authors.
While I’m not sorry I did, some things became clear as I read it.
The most important point is that the book is not really written for the working writer. The nearly two dozen essays were written by writers who also teach at colleges or universities around the country, all of which are members of the Associated Writing Programs. As a result, most of the essays are directed at other college writing teachers, particularly those teaching undergraduates. This reduces the book’s value for the working writer.
Second, while all of the authors are published, many are award winners or New York Times best-sellers, and a few are big names in literary fiction (John Barth, Alberto Ríos, Richard Russo, Jane Smiley), because of their literary backgrounds, they pay scant attention to the genres besides “literary.” Further, the essayists assume that readers will be familiar with the predominantly literary stories and novels they refer to. Academics likely are, but writers in other-than-literary genres may not be, which makes the references less valuable.
Third, the authors tend to focus on short-story writing, with an occasional aside regarding poetry or novels. This is also not a surprise, given that academic schedules are not well suited to teaching students how to write book-length works. There simply isn’t time in a single semester, to say nothing of a quarter, to work on more than a few chapters of a long work. And in my experience, each class will insist on students starting at the beginning of a piece, even if the student writer is multiple chapters into their draft.
Finally, because the book was written in the late 1990s, before the advent of Web 2.0, there’s no discussion of electronic publishing, doing research online, etc. The final essay, on submitting pieces for publication not only focuses (again) on literary magazines, it can’t help but give what is now outdated guidance on how to find markets and submit queries and stories. And the author’s advice to go to literary parties to meet editors, and/or have a big-name author suggest your work to one of those editors, is simply unreasonable for many writers.
On the plus side, the book does focus on matters of craft. Major sections include articles on characterization; point of view; plot, structure, and narrative; and style and voice. There are even a couple pieces on revising and editing.
So while Creating Fiction is certainly not a bad book, especially when compared with some of the others I’ve read and reviewed, its value is significantly limited for many authors.
November 25, 2011
Creating Fiction edited by Julie Checkoway
This isn’t a blog-worthy review, since it’s just my own personal notes on things to read or look into. This was, though, one of the best pedagogical books I’ve read on fiction-writing, and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone genuinely interested in, well, creating fiction.
The essays are written (on everything from plot to revision, from character to style) by all of these great writers you’ve probably heard of, and they often quote other great writers—so there’s a wealth of insight from writers on writing. Plus, they include exercises at the end of their essays, and they’re good ones. I’ve never used this book in the classroom, but I hope to do so.
Here’s my own reading list derived from reading this book:
John Gregory Brown: DECORATIONS IN A RUINED CEMETARY (his essay was especially insightful about writing fiction which incorporates autobiographical emotional truths)
Truman Capote: “My Side of the Matter” (beginning “in medias res”)
Raymond Carver: “The Train” (read it with Cheever story, as it picks up where he left off)
John Cheever: “The Enormous Radio” (magical realism)
John Cheever: “The Five-Forty-Eight” (read with Carver; consider unsympathetic characters)
J.M. Coetzee: THE MASTER OF PETERSURG (uses third-person unified pov with the voice of Dostoyevsky)
Stuart Dybek: “Paper Lantern” (uses a frame story)
Alice Hoffman: PRACTICAL MAGIC (magical realism)
Shirley Jackson: “The Lottery” (I guess I should already)
Randall Kenan: “This Far” (written in the second person)
Steven Millhauser: MARTIN DRESSLER (magical realism)
Alice Munro: “Friend of My Youth” (uses a frame story, flashback)
Alice Munro: “Prue” (about a surprising character)
Tim O’Brien’s “The Magic Show” (his nonfiction essay on fiction-writing)
Mary Ann Taylor-Hall: COME AND GO, MOLLY SNOW (has a strong narrative voice)
Some other thoughts:
• John Gregory Brown’s essay seemed especially relevant to me—as he wrote about how he incorporated certain autobiographical truths into his fiction.
• Philip Gerard wrote a great essay on structuring the novel and story collection. I found this one and the others on structure and plot helpful. I feel like my own study of these things has been slightly negligent.
• Alberto Ríos wrote about the importance of punctuation and style manuals. He affirmed my punctuation protests, though I do selectively use some British spellings.
• Stephen Dixon’s essay on submitting work did strike me as slightly outdated. It was interesting nonetheless, but his success and the tactics he advocated seem unlikely to work for the likes of me.
This isn’t a blog-worthy review, since it’s just my own personal notes on things to read or look into. This was, though, one of the best pedagogical books I’ve read on fiction-writing, and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone genuinely interested in, well, creating fiction.
The essays are written (on everything from plot to revision, from character to style) by all of these great writers you’ve probably heard of, and they often quote other great writers—so there’s a wealth of insight from writers on writing. Plus, they include exercises at the end of their essays, and they’re good ones. I’ve never used this book in the classroom, but I hope to do so.
Here’s my own reading list derived from reading this book:
John Gregory Brown: DECORATIONS IN A RUINED CEMETARY (his essay was especially insightful about writing fiction which incorporates autobiographical emotional truths)
Truman Capote: “My Side of the Matter” (beginning “in medias res”)
Raymond Carver: “The Train” (read it with Cheever story, as it picks up where he left off)
John Cheever: “The Enormous Radio” (magical realism)
John Cheever: “The Five-Forty-Eight” (read with Carver; consider unsympathetic characters)
J.M. Coetzee: THE MASTER OF PETERSURG (uses third-person unified pov with the voice of Dostoyevsky)
Stuart Dybek: “Paper Lantern” (uses a frame story)
Alice Hoffman: PRACTICAL MAGIC (magical realism)
Shirley Jackson: “The Lottery” (I guess I should already)
Randall Kenan: “This Far” (written in the second person)
Steven Millhauser: MARTIN DRESSLER (magical realism)
Alice Munro: “Friend of My Youth” (uses a frame story, flashback)
Alice Munro: “Prue” (about a surprising character)
Tim O’Brien’s “The Magic Show” (his nonfiction essay on fiction-writing)
Mary Ann Taylor-Hall: COME AND GO, MOLLY SNOW (has a strong narrative voice)
Some other thoughts:
• John Gregory Brown’s essay seemed especially relevant to me—as he wrote about how he incorporated certain autobiographical truths into his fiction.
• Philip Gerard wrote a great essay on structuring the novel and story collection. I found this one and the others on structure and plot helpful. I feel like my own study of these things has been slightly negligent.
• Alberto Ríos wrote about the importance of punctuation and style manuals. He affirmed my punctuation protests, though I do selectively use some British spellings.
• Stephen Dixon’s essay on submitting work did strike me as slightly outdated. It was interesting nonetheless, but his success and the tactics he advocated seem unlikely to work for the likes of me.
September 11, 2008
This is the best craft book I've read yet. I keep going back to it over and over again.
April 5, 2019
Wish it were possible to give more than five stars! Gifted author Kristina Bak (Nowever and From Here to Argentina) generously suggested I give this lavish collection of writing insights a once over. Well, I have, and I can guarantee once won't nearly be enough! Anyone interested in the magic and mystery of storytelling won't want to miss this one.
January 20, 2017
I picked this up for a measly dollar and lo, it turns out to be one of the best writing books of its kind (and I've read my share). Thoughtful essays, practical advice, and many worthwhile exercises. Highly recommended for beginning and intermediate writers.
December 13, 2018
Helpful. You connect with some authors teachings, others not so much. I learned some really great things and some great exercises. Not life changing or anything, but worth reading for sure if you want to improve your fiction writing.
March 2, 2024
I had to track down a secondhand copy of this book in order to read it, but it was definitely worth it. I took pages and pages of notes while making my way through this fabulous collection of essays. Highly recommended.
February 4, 2019
Some essays are useful some are not as this type of book tends to be. Section on revising was the most practical.
April 15, 2012
A collection of essays on why and how certain writing devices work, along with at least one prompt for the subject of each essay. There are also additional prompts in the last few pages of the book.
The essays are all written by prominent writers and writing teachers of fiction. Richard Russo's essay “Location, Location, Location: Depicting Character Through Place” gets a handle on what it means to have place as character and the importance of place in a story. “The Conjurer's Art: The Rules of Magical Realism and How to Break Them” by Carrie Brown shows how magic may work in the genre, noting that the magic in the story must have either an “emotional or psychological foundation” (221). She also offers examples of magic at work in magic-realism, including in classical texts.
This text is useful for teachers of fiction writing.
The essays are all written by prominent writers and writing teachers of fiction. Richard Russo's essay “Location, Location, Location: Depicting Character Through Place” gets a handle on what it means to have place as character and the importance of place in a story. “The Conjurer's Art: The Rules of Magical Realism and How to Break Them” by Carrie Brown shows how magic may work in the genre, noting that the magic in the story must have either an “emotional or psychological foundation” (221). She also offers examples of magic at work in magic-realism, including in classical texts.
This text is useful for teachers of fiction writing.
May 18, 2012
A collection of articles by famous writers about the different aspects of writing fiction, including structuring stories in multiple ways, revealing and withholding information masterfully, creating sympathy for negative characters, and revising to understand the true heart of the story. Very specific, detailed, filled with good examples and useful exercises. My upper-level Creative Writing undergraduate students (4th year) at the University of Houston love this book.
December 3, 2014
An Associated Writing Program publication that was a standard textbook back in my MFA days. A collection of 23 essays. Seemed quite good then, when I was immersed in elevating my writing chops, but looking at it again now, I think you'd need to be serious, MFA- serious, to survive working through this book as a writing text. The one essay in this collection that I do return to from time to time is Robin Hemley's "Sympathy for the Devil: What to Do About Difficult Characters."
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December 17, 2012Good advice for the novice writer, I suppose, but too many of the essays foolishly posit ideas as the only way to write, which can be misleading/disheartening for the novice writer and all of them, honestly, are too simplistic and lacking in sophisticated for the experienced writer. I honestly couldn't recommend this. It isn't bad so much that it isn't very good.
March 26, 2008
This is one of my favorite writing books. It's a collection of essays by contemporary writers, most of whom also teach writing workshops. Instead of being a strict "how to" book, it presents several in-depth perspectives on the craft of fiction writing.
August 16, 2013
A great idea for a compilation: essays by leading teachers of creative writing on subjects of particular interest to them. John Barth's essay on plotting is the best explanation of 'beginning, middle and ending' I have ever found.
April 12, 2008
This book is excellent if you need writing exercises. Put it on your desk and when you're stuck, flip open to a chapter...same with Three AM Epiphany.
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November 10, 2008Great collection of essays on the art and craft of writing fiction.
March 6, 2013
Some very handy articles. Others that weren't as helpful. On the whole a good read.
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August 11, 2016Adviezen over diverse (technische) aspecten van fictieschrijven, van een stuk of twintig verschillende schrijfdocenten van de Associated Writing Programs.
January 5, 2014
A great read. Only one or two essays were uninteresting and too boring to be helpful. On the whole, this is a great book on the craft of writing fiction.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews