Rating: 
Summary: Most Useful
Review: I'm trying to turn myself into a writer. I have eight 'how to write' books on my desk. This is the one I refer to most often for practical advice and information. Card's other 'How to' book on characters and viewpoint is also excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Most Useful
Review: I'm trying to turn myself into a writer. I have eight 'how to write' books on my desk. This is the one I refer to most often for practical advice and information. Card's other 'How to' book on characters and viewpoint is also excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Uncle Orson explains how to create and explore new worlds
Review: If you are familiar with Orson Scott Card's Hatrack River site, you know that there is nobody in the field of science fiction and fantasy who is more committed to helping new writers. If that is news to you then certainly his resume as a writer is well known to any one interested in writing in this field. This is one of the thinner books on writing you are going to fine and that is because Uncle Orson is extremely focused in explaining his craft. Consequently, there are but five sections to this volume in The Writer's Digest Genre Writing Series. (1) The Infinite Boundary looks at the spectrum covered by science fiction and fantasy with some attention to the distictions between the two as well. (2) World Creation details how to build, populate and dramatize your new world, including working out all the necessary elements such as history, language, geography and customs. (3) Story Construction deals with finding the right character for an idea or the right idea for a character (and do not forget about "the MICE quotient"). (4) Writing Well is a collection of fundamental tips, otherwise known as the "don't do this at home" section. (5) The Life and Business of Writing deals both generally with the business but also the specifics of science fiction and fantasy. I find his use of examples, especially when he lays out a series of variations on a theme, to be helpful because they demonstrate in practice what his theoretical points and show how many additional ideas each idea generates. Perhaps most importantly, Uncle Orson is having a conversation with you; he is neither lecturing nor pontificating. His non-fiction is as readily as his award-winning fiction, and that should come as a surprise to no one. There are other books better suited to getting into the nuts and bolts of constructing brave new worlds, but I have yet to find a better book at covering the basics than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Uncle Orson explains how to create and explore new worlds
Review: If you are familiar with Orson Scott Card's Hatrack River site, you know that there is nobody in the field of science fiction and fantasy who is more committed to helping new writers. If that is news to you then certainly his resume as a writer is well known to any one interested in writing in this field. This is one of the thinner books on writing you are going to fine and that is because Uncle Orson is extremely focused in explaining his craft. Consequently, there are but five sections to this volume in The Writer's Digest Genre Writing Series. (1) The Infinite Boundary looks at the spectrum covered by science fiction and fantasy with some attention to the distictions between the two as well. (2) World Creation details how to build, populate and dramatize your new world, including working out all the necessary elements such as history, language, geography and customs. (3) Story Construction deals with finding the right character for an idea or the right idea for a character (and do not forget about "the MICE quotient"). (4) Writing Well is a collection of fundamental tips, otherwise known as the "don't do this at home" section. (5) The Life and Business of Writing deals both generally with the business but also the specifics of science fiction and fantasy. I find his use of examples, especially when he lays out a series of variations on a theme, to be helpful because they demonstrate in practice what his theoretical points and show how many additional ideas each idea generates. Perhaps most importantly, Uncle Orson is having a conversation with you; he is neither lecturing nor pontificating. His non-fiction is as readily as his award-winning fiction, and that should come as a surprise to no one. There are other books better suited to getting into the nuts and bolts of constructing brave new worlds, but I have yet to find a better book at covering the basics than this one.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book by someone who knows how to write
Review: If you've ever read any of Orson Scott Card's fiction, you'll understand why he's the perfect author to teach others how to write. Card is a writer's writer, a master at what he does, a person you know without a doubt is giving you good advice. Toss out anything else you've got on your bookshelf about writing and replace it with this one. It's all you'll need, besides maybe his "Characters and Viewpoint"
Rating:
Summary: An excellent beginning/intermediate writing book
Review: Mr. Card has focused on writing science fiction well. However, the book is as much about writing well as it is about writing science fiction. I don't write science fiction, but I enjoyed and learned from this book. Thank you Mr. Card.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for a beginner.
Review: Orson Scott Card is a master story teller, quite possibly the best in his field. In this book he imparts expert wisdom and advise. It's a bit lacking concrete "how to" info, but that's the best part. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: The most helpful book on writing fiction
Review: Orson Scott Card is an amazing individual; he taught me to judge writing, develop storylines, make characters more real than reality and gave more information than any writing course ever could. His simple descriptions and instructions on how to develop ideas, characters and plots are as insightful as any writer can hope to find. This book is probably all anyone will ever need; it is complete, thorough and easily understood. I never put the book down while I was reading, and afterward never had to refer to any more instructional material. For any writer of any genre, even beyond science fiction or fantasy, this book is a must.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good read
Review: Orson Scott Card tackles many sides of writing, and not just of Science Fiction or Fantasy. He is an admirable writer, both of fiction and writing books. You can read this book with half a mind, and get ideas which will soon devellop into stories, or you can read it with all your attention, and learn more of the craft of writing. A very good buy. I really enjoyed reading it several times.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Primer For Beginning Writers
Review: Orson Scott Card, who is a fairly successful writer of science fiction/fantasy, has written a good small book on how to write in the genre. He includes topics such as defining the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and the more-encompassing "speculative fiction"; how to write about magic and the supernatural in a way that creates internal consistency (the rules of the magical universe are different from ours but there must be rules to avoid deus ex machina and other inane problem-solutions); how to create a fictional universe; the different emphases a story can take (character, action, setting, specific event); and the basic rules of good writing.One of the best aspects of this book is Card's frequent use of referring to specific authors and specific books as prime examples of concepts. One of the best examples is his reference to Octavia Butler's "Wild Seed" as a prime example of packing meaning into every word and every line of a book; nothing is wasted. I read "Wild Seed" because of Card's reference; I not only loved it, but did indeed find it to be as rich an example of deep, complex, meaning-laden writing as any book I've read. "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" is also a technically well-written book, with good flow, coherent structure, no wasted space, and solid logic. It reads quickly while teaching much. Writers who are one or more steps beyond "Beginner" will learn something, but Beginners are the prime target. That target is solidly hit.
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