Elements Of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint

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This book made me stop writing for a couple of days because I couldn't put it down. Not only is it very informative, it's entertaining too and presents the information in very lucid way. I've yet to read Card's fiction, but even the examples he provides in this book are intriguing enough to make me wish the story went on from there! He definitely knows what he's talking about. I felt like after reading the book I had a much clearer understanding about what I was doing in my own characterization. Just being aware of things like the difference between presentational and representational stories, levels of narrative penetration and so forth really help demystify the writing process. I've read a fair number of writing reference books and was pleasantly surprised to find that even in the most basic chapters, like the point of view sections, there was new information for me or information that was presented in a different light. I think this book could be helpful to writers of all skill levels. If you're a novice, the amount of information and number of choices he presents might at first seem intimidating, but even if only a tenth of the book sinks in the first time you read it, you will be a better writer for it. And if you're already pretty comfortable with your level of expertise, I think you'll find the breakdown helps you become more consciously aware of what you're doing. Another thing I liked about it was that it provides examples of bad characterization. I've read writing books that don't give any bad examples, and find it frustrating; I like having references to check myself against, as well as those to which I can aspire. Also, he doesn't give the reader specific writing exercises to do, for which I'm grateful. Does anyone actually do these exercises? I'd rather apply the information to projects I'm already working on, or go back to old stories and improve them.

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