Lie That Tells A Truth PA

by Dufresne,John

• ISBN13: 9780393325812
• ISBN10: 0393325814
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

Finally, a truly creative'”and hilarious'”guide to creative writing, full of encouragement and sound advice. Provocative and reassuring, nurturing and wise, The Lie That Tells a Truth is essential to writers in general, fiction writers in particular, beginning writers, serious writers, and anyone facing a blank page. John Dufresne, teacher and the acclaimed author of Love Warps the Mind a Little and Deep in the Shade of Paradise, demystifies the writing process. Drawing upon the wisdom of literature's great craftsmen, Dufresne's lucid essays and diverse exercises initiate the reader into the tools, processes, and techniques of writing: inventing compelling characters, developing a voice, creating a sense of place, editing your own words. Where do great ideas come from? How do we recognize them? How can language capture them? In his signature comic voice, Dufresne answers these questions and more in chapters such as "Writing Around the Block," "Plottery," and "The Art of Abbreviation." Dufresne demystifies the writing process, showing that while the idea of writing may be overwhelming, the act of writing is simplicity itself.

Author Biography

John Dufresne is the author of three novels, including Deep in the Shade of Paradise. Louisiana Power and Light and Love Warps the Mind a Little were both named New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Dufresne teaches at Florida International University and lives in Dania Beach, Florida, with his wife and son

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION	xiii
The Process
GETTING IN SHAPE	3	(8)
AS A MATTER OF FACT	11	(10)
WRITING AROUND THE BLOCK	21	(10)
BECOMING A WRITER	31	(16)
PICK YOURSELF UP	47	(10)
SITTING ALONE IN A QUIET ROOM	57	(12)
GETTING BLACK ON WHITE	69	(12)
DOING IT AGAIN (And Again [And Again])	81	(14)
THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO SEE	95	(14)
CLISHMACLAVER	109	(10)
The Product
GETTING HER UP THE TREE, GETTING HER DOWN
Beginnings and Endings	119	(14)
THE QUEEN DIED OF GRIEF
Plot	133	(26)
PLOTTERY
Plot	159	(10)
THE HEART OF FICTION
Character	169	(14)
THE METHOD
Character	183	(14)
"LET'S TALK," HE SAID
Dialogue	197	(24)
MAY I ASK WHO'S CALLING, PLEASE?
Point of View	221	(22)
YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING IF YOU'RE NOWHERE
Place	243
THE ART OF ABBREVIATION
The Very Short Story	237
Other Matters
READING TO WRITE	267	(6)
THE WRITER READS	273	(16)
SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS	289	(8)
GO FORTH AND WRITE	297