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Summary: Honest and relevent. These are the words of a great writer.
Review: After reading many of John Gardner's works of fiction, I happened upon this book in a used bookstore and bought it without only a moment's hesitation. I paused because, before this book, I had not found a writer who could effectively write about the process of writing in a way that was encouraging and honest. This book has proven to be far more than I had expected, and, like Gardner's other work, it was completely satisfying.
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Summary: Excellent Book on the Craft of Writing Fiction
Review: Although there are more "accessible" books on writing available, nevertheless _The Art of Fiction_ is one of the finest. Gardner goes beyond discussing plot, scene, character development, and dialog; indeed, he forces one to think about how words fit together on a page and synthesizes the so-called elements of story writing. His advice reveals the true difficulty of creating an excellent story, but he encourages one to struggle through them. Especially helpful are the mind-bending exercises at the back of the book. _The Art of Fiction_ was an epiphany for my writing--and for me.
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Summary: An excellent guide if you already know a whole lot
Review: Although there is much to be learned from Gardner's classic, when I've used this text in my college intro to fiction-writing courses, it doesn't fly too well. My students are put off by Gardner's insistence that the young writer is always male, and they usually haven't read many of the works to which he refers. Because Gardner is so exacting about what good fiction is, many students feel paralyzed after reading *The Art of Fiction*--they feel it's impossible to do anything even remotely correctly. But if you can get past those problem areas, then this book is a gold mine. The exercises are provocative and, yes, educational.
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Summary: Unique, helpful writing reference book
Review: As a writing instructor and literary agent, I am a regular visitor to writing reference sections. John Gardner's book is sometimes hard to read and follow, but it does explain the basics. And I haven't found any other writing reference book that discusses psychic distance (a very important beginner concept, *not* ESP!) and word rhythms (an advanced concept) quite as well as this one does. This should probably be the third or fourth book a writer should buy, after Stein on Writing, Getting the Words Right, and perhaps Valerie Storey's The Essential Guide for New Writers.
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Summary: Wordy - not very helpful
Review: For fans of John Gardner or experienced writers who might enjoy an articulate critique of their craft, this book is fine. But for a "young writer" looking for guidance its value is questionable. It reads like a narcissistic tribute from a self-satisfied college professor who likes to hear himself speak. There are plenty of other books available dealing with the fundamentals of writing that should prove far more helpful for beginners.
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Summary: Must read for serious writers
Review: For once, something truly sincere and educational. With powerful criticisms and such gentle encouragement, I finally found a truthful teacher. Must buy, must study thoroughly.
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Summary: This is not a how-to for newbie hacks.
Review: Gardner makes more good points in any given chapter of this book than are found in most college courses. He writes about the production of serious literature, and for those of us foolhardy enough to mount that horse, his prose is full of wise, kind advice.
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Summary: a good book, it could be better
Review: I agree with some of the reviewers who gave this book less than a five star rating. First of all the good side. Gardner gives excellent advice on how to write. He says that a great writer is one who has achieved mastery of his craft. He is right in this. Many writers think that if they knew some tricks to the trade, they would be great writers. There are no tricks or secrets, there is only mastery. He has excellent chapters on achieving word rhythm, plot and a very good section on practical writing exercises. The book is very practical and I would suggest any writer to read and work at his book. Now the negative side. Garder suggests that one should take some university courses in writing and at least have some formal college education, although this isnt strictly necessary. How then does Gardner explain Shakespeare, who had very little formal education? Its this very fact that leads to so much speculation that Shakespeares plays and poetry were written by Francis Bacon and God knows who else. Shakespeare is proof positive of the proverb that "practice makes the master." While praising the virtue of objectivity, Gardner does not show this for most of his book. For example, he claims that there are many writers who work 12 to 14 hours a day. If that were true, we would have more Shakespeares and Poes, which of course we do not. The literary field is full of hypercriticism and psuedo masters who claim a great deal, but show little in actual fact. Some of what Gardner writes can be discouraging to beginning writers. A beginning writer for instance who read that most writers work 12 to 14 hours a day, may come away with the conclusion that he would never reach the status of master, and so he gives up. Gardners work is good but it should be taken with a grain of salt. The sword of skepticism should be applied to his work and one should find the truth out for himself. I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but his elitist writing in parts forbids it.
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Summary: This Book is Embarrassing
Review: I am astounded that someone who plans on teaching us how to write has subscribed so wholeheartedly to the two cardinal rules of bad writing:
1) using big words and fancy language where smaller, simpler language can be used in a transparent attempt to sound smart and
2) dropping lots of obscure names so that the reader will assume Mr. Gardner is smart.
Well, neither attempt has succeeded. If the purpose of writing is, in the end, the communication of ideas, then this book can just barely be considered writing. Yes, there are some fine points hidden in here. And, if you're familiar with all the 19th-century literature that's referenced, then perhaps you can, with the aid of a thesaurus and multiple readings, discover them. But if you are an intelligent person interested in finding help in becoming a more serious writer, and don't care how many syllables Mr. Gardner can pack into a sentence, I suggest staying away from this book, and perhaps destroying any copies you come near. To tell the truth, I'm embarrassed for this man.
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Summary: Comment about a previous review (with 23 'This helped me')
Review: I am sorry! A previous review had this to say: "...when I've used this text in my college intro to fiction-writing courses, it doesn't fly too well. My students are put off by Gardner's insistence that the young writer is always male, and they usually haven't read many of the works to which he refers...they feel it's impossible to do anything even remotely correctly." My opinion is that a good teacher will show his(or her :->)students the value of great tools that they can learn from, and put away their cheap opinions (bred by current politics and ideas) about very stupid little points in the style of writing. If we can't teach our kids this, then they will head in the direction of spoiled people who want everything on a silver platter. UGH to this reviewer. YEAH to this book
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