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Post by cristina on Jul 25, 2006 8:31:14 GMT -5
"The Art and Craft of Poetry" by Michael Bugeja is very helpful. I'd also recommend "Master Class in Fiction Writing"; I just forgot the author.
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Post by giotto on Jul 25, 2006 9:47:24 GMT -5
Is it Adam Sexton? What specifically did you learn from them?
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Post by cristina on Jul 27, 2006 9:14:03 GMT -5
Yes, I think the "Master Class in Fiction Writing" is by Adam Sexton.
I learned a lot from the book of poetry -- how to conceptualize ideas for poems, the effects of line lengths and stanza lengths, how to use a rhyming dictionary so that the rhymes you come up with don't sound contrived, how to write specific poetic forms. The author even has a step-by-step formula on how to write difficult poetry forms like villanelles and sestinas. I especially like his chapter on free verse where he says that he wants to make believers of two opposite camps: on the one hand, one that does not believe free verse is poetry, and on the other hand, one that believes it is poetry but throws away structure altogether.
"Master Class on Fiction Writing" teaches its readers how to read books with the eye and mind of an aspiring writer. He teaches readers how to look out for techniques in the various elements of fiction used by writers who are masters of the craft. The author also teaches the basic story elements, what makes a good story, what works and what does not work in characterization, dialogue, plot development, and the strengths and drawbacks of the different POVs.
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Post by bengeorge on Jul 27, 2006 15:44:57 GMT -5
Thank you for the book recs. I think it's pretty daring for anyone to write poetry nowdays. It seems almost impossible (for me) not to sound contrived or maudlin etc. I am always in awe of people who can still pull it off.
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Post by cristina on Jul 28, 2006 7:09:55 GMT -5
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Post by shypony on Oct 19, 2006 10:31:04 GMT -5
I may be a little late to the party, but I'd also suggest John Gardner's heartfelt On Becoming a Novelist and his more practical The Art of Fiction. I haven't read his On Moral Fiction, but it was apparently influenced by Alasdair Macyntire's After Virtue and as such might resonate particularly strongly with any Catholic authors out there. Wherever you are.  |
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Post by pierregambotsky on Oct 21, 2006 13:38:03 GMT -5
Are you a Catholic author yourself?
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Post by shypony on Oct 22, 2006 15:53:02 GMT -5
Hi Pierre, I'm working on it.
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