Focusing on the big picture as well as the crucial details, Bell examines twelve stories by both established writers (including Peter Taylor, Mary Gaitskill, and Carolyn Chute) and his own former students. A story's use of time, plot, character, and other elements of fiction are analyzed, and readers are challenged to see each story's flaws and strengths. Careful endnotes bring attention to the ways in which various writers use language. Bell urges writers to develop the habit of thinking about form and finding the form that best suits their subject matter and style. His direct and practical advice allows writers to find their own voice and imagination.

Author Biography

Madison Smartt Bell, author of eight novels and two story collections, teaches at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland

Preface	p. xi
Unconscious Mind	p. 1
Linear Design	p. 23
Depth Charge by Craig Bernardini	p. 33
Analysis	p. 45
Plot	p. 45
Character	p. 47
Tone	p. 47
Time Management	p. 48
Dialogue	p. 48
Suspense	p. 49
Point of View	p. 49
Imagery	p. 50
Design	p. 50
Theme	p. 51
Notes	p. 52
A Wife of Nashville by Peter Taylor	p. 61
Analysis	p. 80
Plot	p. 80
Character	p. 81
Tone	p. 84
Point of View	p. 84
Time Management	p. 86
Design	p. 88
Notes	p. 90
Daisy's Valentine by Mary Gaitskill	p. 98
Analysis	p. 114
Plot	p. 114
Character	p. 115
Tone	p. 117
Point of View	p. 118
Time Management	p. 118
Dialogue	p. 119
Suspense	p. 120
Imagery and Description	p. 120
Design	p. 121
Notes	p. 123
Hear That Long Train Moan by Percival Everett	p. 132
Analysis	p. 136
Plot	p. 136
Character	p. 137
Tone	p. 138
Point of View	p. 138
Dialogue	p. 139
Symbolism	p. 139
Design	p. 141
Notes	p. 143
Oh, Man Alive by Holden Brooks	p. 147
Analysis	p. 154
Plot	p. 154
Character	p. 155
Tone	p. 156
Point of View	p. 156
Dialogue	p. 157
Imagery and Description	p. 157
Design	p. 159
Notes	p. 160
The Sky Is Gray by Ernest J. Gaines	p. 165
Analysis	p. 188
Plot	p. 188
Character	p. 189
Tone	p. 193
Point of View	p. 194
Dialogue	p. 194
Imagery and Description	p. 195
Time Management	p. 196
Design	p. 197
Notes	p. 200
Modular Design	p. 211
Signs of Life by Miriam Kuznets	p. 217
Analysis	p. 221
Plot	p. 221
Character	p. 222
Tone	p. 222
Point of View	p. 223
Dialogue	p. 223
Imagery	p. 224
Design	p. 224
Notes	p. 227
Lizzie, Annie, and Rosie's Rescue of Me with Blue Cake by Carolyn Chute	p. 232
Analysis	p. 243
Plot	p. 243
Character	p. 244
Tone	p. 245
Point of View	p. 246
Dialogue	p. 246
Imagery and Description	p. 247
Design	p. 248
Notes	p. 251
The Child Downstairs by Marcia Golub	p. 257
Analysis	p. 263
Plot	p. 263
Character	p. 264
Tone	p. 266
Point of View	p. 267
Dialogue	p. 267
Imagery and Description	p. 268
Design	p. 269
Notes	p. 270
Red Hands by William T. Vollmann	p. 276
Analysis	p. 282
Plot	p. 282
Character	p. 283
Tone	p. 284
Point of View	p. 285
Time Management	p. 287
Dialogue	p. 288
Imagery and Description	p. 288
Design	p. 291
Notes	p. 293
Comic Strip by George Garrett	p. 300
Analysis	p. 312
Plot	p. 312
Character	p. 314
Tone	p. 316
Point of View	p. 317
Dialogue	p. 317
Time Management	p. 318
Suspense	p. 319
Imagery and Description	p. 319
Design	p. 323
Notes	p. 326
Little Red by Gilmore Tamny	p. 336
Analysis	p. 346
Plot	p. 346
Character	p. 348
Tone	p. 349
Dialogue	p. 349
Imagery and Description	p. 351
Design	p. 352
Notes	p. 356
A Philosophy of Composition	p. 363
Glossary of Terms	p. 371
Contributors	p. 375
Permissions Acknowledgments	p. 377
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.