By Cunning & Craft

by Selgin, Peter

• ISBN13: 9781582974910
• ISBN10: 1582974918
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-02-23
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books

Summary

*Covers every aspect of novel writing: inspiration; character development; point of view; structure and plot; theme and premise; dialogue; description; scenes, summary, and flashback; voice and style; and revision.*Features practical, smart, applicable combined with examples from bestsellers that will appeal to fiction writers of all skill levels and genresBased on the belief that writing successful fiction is a balance between making the right conscious choices and trusting one's own instincts, By Cunning & Craft shows readers how to combine the instinctive process of creation with sound technical ingenuity.Whether readers are facing the blank pages of their first drafts or struggling to revise completed drafts, this book provides them with the guidance they need to finish their novels and pursue publication. Author and writing instructor Peter Selgin combines informative lessons on mastering the 10 core elements of fiction writing with examples from a diverse array of published fiction to show readers how to learn from the masters while simultaneously encouraging them to trust in their own instincts. Destined to become an essential novelist's handbook, By Cunning & Craft is at once rigorous and wise, written with the tough-love accessibility fiction writers of all levels need to produce quality work.

Author Biography

Peter Selgin teaches writing at Gotham Writers' Workshop and at the MFA writing program at Western Connecticut State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Case for Cunning & Craft	p. 1
People	p. 19
Point of View	p. 40
Structure and Plot	p. 63
Dialogue	p. 92
Description	p. 116
Scene, Summary, and Flashback	p. 137
Voice and Style	p. 157
Theme	p. 181
Revision	p. 202
Inspiration, Perspiration, Publication	p. 234
Selected Bibliography: Books on Craft	p. 256
Index	p. 258
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