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Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction
Distilled from decades of teaching and practice, this book offers clear and direct advice on structure, pacing, dialogue, getting ideas, working with the unconscious, and more. Newly revised and expanded for this Third Edition, Creating Short Fiction is a popular and widely trusted guide to writing short stories of originality, durability, and quality. Celebrated short-story author and writing instructor Knight also includes many examples and exercises that have been effective in classrooms and workshops everywhere.
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
231 people are currently reading
1,308 people want to read
About the author
Damon Knight
539books93followersDamon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic.
Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.
Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
May 13, 2012
I've wanted to attend the Clarion Writing Workshop since I was fourteen. I'm sure books by the Clarion instructors are no match for the actual experience, but they'll have to do for now. And, well, this one will have to do for always, since Damon Knight passed away a few years ago and therefore isn't on the current list of Clarion instructors.
As with any writing guide, there are parts that are more and less useful depending on where the reader is as a writer. For me, the most interesting parts of this particular guide were the annotated story, in which Knight broke down everything he had done in a short piece and why, and the section on controlling a story. Knight compares the experience to that of a stage magician, and proceeds to break down those skills. He says the writer needs to command, to focus attention, to hypnotize, and of course, to create illusions. "There is no such thing as a story. The words on paper are only instructions used by each reader to create a story. The story itself exists in the reader's mind and nowhere else. And it is different for each reader, because no two people have the same experience, background, training, interests, and so on." These aren't exercises: they're psychological tools.
As with any writing guide, there are parts that are more and less useful depending on where the reader is as a writer. For me, the most interesting parts of this particular guide were the annotated story, in which Knight broke down everything he had done in a short piece and why, and the section on controlling a story. Knight compares the experience to that of a stage magician, and proceeds to break down those skills. He says the writer needs to command, to focus attention, to hypnotize, and of course, to create illusions. "There is no such thing as a story. The words on paper are only instructions used by each reader to create a story. The story itself exists in the reader's mind and nowhere else. And it is different for each reader, because no two people have the same experience, background, training, interests, and so on." These aren't exercises: they're psychological tools.
January 18, 2016
بستگی دارد که خواننده کجا ایستاده باشد و چه‌مقدا� درباره� عناصر داستان شناخت کسب کرده باشد. به همین مقدار کتاب مفید/ معمولی/ پیش‌پ� افتاده/ تکراری و ... است. به نظرم باید نویسنده‌ها� این دست کتاب‌ه� از همان ابتدا خواننده‌های‌شا� را مشخص کنند. اگر قرار است تکنیک‌ها� کوچک اما کاربردی را بنویسند پس لازم نیست مسائل ابتدایی را ذکر کنند. اما قسمت جذاب برای من ارتباط نویسنده با ذهن/ ناخودآگاهش بود که دیمن نایت برایش یک اسم گذاشته بود؛ فرِد. و حتما هر کسی تجربه� نوشتن� داشته باشد این ارتباط را با ذهن و یا فرِد خودش به یاد می‌آور�.
September 30, 2007
Among the few practical and practicable writing books, this is a classic.
Knight was a fabulous short writer. With many authors that doesn't translate to writing good writing advice, but Knight as also introspective, insightful, and interested in theory. The book contains both cognitive models to help organize thinking and steps/processes to help get stories done.
The book begins with a great introduction on "Three Reasons I Should Not Have Written This Book" two being myths/half-truths about whether writing can be learned and one being the belief that learning about writing stifles creativity. Knight addresses them without dismissing them entirely. He admits to his personal dogmatism without claiming either to be right or to have minimized it in the text. And he gives several practical and practicable techniques for reading a book on writing.
After those incredibly educational three pages, we get to the actual material :-)
The sections of the book are interesting:
1. Developing your talent as a writer (21 pages, 5 exercises)
Motivation, stages of development, observation
2. Idea into story (75 pages, 2 exercises)
Getting ideas, research, constraints, conflict, plot types, theme, meaning, some excellent and detailed examples
3. Beginning a story (47 pages, 4 exercises)
Five questions about your story, four decisions to make
4. Controlling a story (29 pages, 9 exercises)
Being interesting, compression, surprise, tone, voice, style, dialog
5. Finishing a story (9 pages, 1 exercise)
What to do when stuck, targeting a market, working with editors
6. Being a writer (16 pages)
Bylines, work habits, drugs and alcohol, reading, networking, spouses/partners, etc.
That's an interesting layout: it's both structured/linear/small-chunk (idea, beginning, "controlling," and finishing) as well as theoretical/cognitive and large-chunk/big picture (developing talent, "controlling" as a metaphor, "being a writer"). That's both part of Knight's talent as a writer and part of his message for writers, that the small and cognitive details are equal to the larger structure and more fuzzy concepts like voice, style, structure, and character. The exercises, examples, and suggestions complement this.
The book is written in very small sections, many no more than a page, that pack a lot of training into a small number of words--sometimes almost covertly.
A major part of the value of the book is in Knight's rare ability to cover multiple elements of the process of writing at once. In his classes on managing a school classroom and in his classes on public speaking, Michael Grinder uses the "ABCs" of kinds of teaching: teaching Attitide, teaching Behavior (or skill), and teaching Cognition. Very few teachers do all three well and extremely few combine them into one. Knight does that here.
In a TusCon panel on writer's block, I presented the model that a writer needs five things: motivation to write, conviction that the story is worth writing and they can write it, decision to write the story and about the elements of the story, creativity to create the story, and a process to write. Most writing books cover one or two (Writing Down the Bones covers motivation and conviction, the Fundamentals of Fiction Writing series cover decision and process, etc). Knight covers each of these both explicitly in their own sections and implicitly/covertly in his presentation.
Highly recommended.
Knight was a fabulous short writer. With many authors that doesn't translate to writing good writing advice, but Knight as also introspective, insightful, and interested in theory. The book contains both cognitive models to help organize thinking and steps/processes to help get stories done.
The book begins with a great introduction on "Three Reasons I Should Not Have Written This Book" two being myths/half-truths about whether writing can be learned and one being the belief that learning about writing stifles creativity. Knight addresses them without dismissing them entirely. He admits to his personal dogmatism without claiming either to be right or to have minimized it in the text. And he gives several practical and practicable techniques for reading a book on writing.
After those incredibly educational three pages, we get to the actual material :-)
The sections of the book are interesting:
1. Developing your talent as a writer (21 pages, 5 exercises)
Motivation, stages of development, observation
2. Idea into story (75 pages, 2 exercises)
Getting ideas, research, constraints, conflict, plot types, theme, meaning, some excellent and detailed examples
3. Beginning a story (47 pages, 4 exercises)
Five questions about your story, four decisions to make
4. Controlling a story (29 pages, 9 exercises)
Being interesting, compression, surprise, tone, voice, style, dialog
5. Finishing a story (9 pages, 1 exercise)
What to do when stuck, targeting a market, working with editors
6. Being a writer (16 pages)
Bylines, work habits, drugs and alcohol, reading, networking, spouses/partners, etc.
That's an interesting layout: it's both structured/linear/small-chunk (idea, beginning, "controlling," and finishing) as well as theoretical/cognitive and large-chunk/big picture (developing talent, "controlling" as a metaphor, "being a writer"). That's both part of Knight's talent as a writer and part of his message for writers, that the small and cognitive details are equal to the larger structure and more fuzzy concepts like voice, style, structure, and character. The exercises, examples, and suggestions complement this.
The book is written in very small sections, many no more than a page, that pack a lot of training into a small number of words--sometimes almost covertly.
A major part of the value of the book is in Knight's rare ability to cover multiple elements of the process of writing at once. In his classes on managing a school classroom and in his classes on public speaking, Michael Grinder uses the "ABCs" of kinds of teaching: teaching Attitide, teaching Behavior (or skill), and teaching Cognition. Very few teachers do all three well and extremely few combine them into one. Knight does that here.
In a TusCon panel on writer's block, I presented the model that a writer needs five things: motivation to write, conviction that the story is worth writing and they can write it, decision to write the story and about the elements of the story, creativity to create the story, and a process to write. Most writing books cover one or two (Writing Down the Bones covers motivation and conviction, the Fundamentals of Fiction Writing series cover decision and process, etc). Knight covers each of these both explicitly in their own sections and implicitly/covertly in his presentation.
Highly recommended.
July 13, 2015
Too many books on writing are written by people who aren't primarily known as good writers. This is not one of them. Damon Knight was a well-respected and prolific writer, as well as a teacher of writing over many years at the highly-regarded Clarion workshops.
His depth of knowledge and insight are on display on every page of this book. Though a lot of the advice is foundational and suitable for beginners, as an intermediate writer I found plenty to learn. Occasionally, it feels like a collection of thoughts around a theme rather than an argument that flows throughout a section, but each portion contains valuable gems.
Although Knight was a science fiction author, very little of the advice is specific to SF. Most of the advice would also be just as useful for novelists as for short story writers. However, the section on short story structure provides confirmation of something I'd begun to suspect, but have never seen taught anywhere else. A lot of writing advice tends to assume that a short story is just like a novel, only in miniature, and needs to have what Knight calls the "plot skeleton" (five-act, or at least three-act, structure). Knight's opinion--and mine, based on reading a great many successful short stories that don't have that structure--is that a short story can have any of a number of structures, as long as it does have a structure, a unity, and a sense of completion. (Many of today's short stories seem to dispense with the sense of completion, but personally I find those stories unsatisfying.)
Even though it's now several decades old, most of this book--apart from a couple of things about technology and the industry at the very end--has aged well, and the advice remains useful and relevant. Surprisingly, much of it hasn't been repeated endlessly in other people's advice books, either.
Definitely worth reading, especially if you write short stories.
His depth of knowledge and insight are on display on every page of this book. Though a lot of the advice is foundational and suitable for beginners, as an intermediate writer I found plenty to learn. Occasionally, it feels like a collection of thoughts around a theme rather than an argument that flows throughout a section, but each portion contains valuable gems.
Although Knight was a science fiction author, very little of the advice is specific to SF. Most of the advice would also be just as useful for novelists as for short story writers. However, the section on short story structure provides confirmation of something I'd begun to suspect, but have never seen taught anywhere else. A lot of writing advice tends to assume that a short story is just like a novel, only in miniature, and needs to have what Knight calls the "plot skeleton" (five-act, or at least three-act, structure). Knight's opinion--and mine, based on reading a great many successful short stories that don't have that structure--is that a short story can have any of a number of structures, as long as it does have a structure, a unity, and a sense of completion. (Many of today's short stories seem to dispense with the sense of completion, but personally I find those stories unsatisfying.)
Even though it's now several decades old, most of this book--apart from a couple of things about technology and the industry at the very end--has aged well, and the advice remains useful and relevant. Surprisingly, much of it hasn't been repeated endlessly in other people's advice books, either.
Definitely worth reading, especially if you write short stories.
May 14, 2020
Excellent guide to writing. Perfect for anyone who wants to improve their craft.
Read
August 18, 2024A little dated in some respects, but I actually really liked some of the exercises here, especially when it comes to mining your experience to put things that really matter to you in your writing. The interplay between the unconscious and conscious mind was also interesting. Also, his thoughts on a “story-writing computer� were also amusing considering the present world we now live in.
Big Takeaway:
As a microfiction writer, I also found his delineation between a sketch, an incident, an anecdote, and a story to be interesting. (The story involves emotional involvement and impediment.) And his thoughts on contrast also resonated. (That even grim stories must have viscerally light moments and vice versa)
Of the craft books I’ve read in the last two weeks, I think this is the one I would most recommend so far.
Big Takeaway:
As a microfiction writer, I also found his delineation between a sketch, an incident, an anecdote, and a story to be interesting. (The story involves emotional involvement and impediment.) And his thoughts on contrast also resonated. (That even grim stories must have viscerally light moments and vice versa)
Of the craft books I’ve read in the last two weeks, I think this is the one I would most recommend so far.
August 21, 2012
The funniest thing about this book was, while reading it, I became absorbed in its advice so much so that I didn't pay attention to how old it was. I came across a line about "new technology" and following that, home word processors. I was floored to say the least. But the advice is just that good, the advice is without restraint in the realm of time. Highly Recommend it!
February 9, 2020
Most writing craft books focus on the novel, few on the short story. This book purports to guide us through the writing of short stories, but in reality it is more general than that, which is my major disappointment with the book. I had hoped for deeper insight into short story creation. That said, the brief but exemplary description of viewpoints and person was worth the price of the book alone. Knight's diagram explains the intersections of person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), viewpoint (omniscient, detached, etc.), the central character, and other characters. I admire anyone who can create such clarifying diagrams: this is one to scan, print, and pin to your monitor.
A second outstanding feature is the annotated short story within the book. Having read it, I wish other craft writers would follow this example. Many of the lessons of the book are demonstrated in the short story and carefully explained by Knight, the author.
Your unconscious—whom Knight calls “Fred”—creates stories all the time in your head. Are you conscious enough to capture them? This concept and explanation I found helpful, fun, and inspiring.
There are numerous other sections, most less than a page long, that will interest many people, depending upon where they are in their writing education.
I’m glad I read this book and recommend it.
A second outstanding feature is the annotated short story within the book. Having read it, I wish other craft writers would follow this example. Many of the lessons of the book are demonstrated in the short story and carefully explained by Knight, the author.
Your unconscious—whom Knight calls “Fred”—creates stories all the time in your head. Are you conscious enough to capture them? This concept and explanation I found helpful, fun, and inspiring.
There are numerous other sections, most less than a page long, that will interest many people, depending upon where they are in their writing education.
I’m glad I read this book and recommend it.
January 28, 2018
Er. Well. Classic indeed.
This made me think of old college professors mouthing lectures they'd written back in the 1970's--the most modern storytelling reference was to the movie Alien, and almost every writing example used was by a white male author who hasn't published anything for 50 years.
But there are a lot of nuggets in this lesson, and it's worth a read if you're in the mood for good textbook stuff. I was struggling not to skim three-quarters of the way in, but this is more likely my old study habits kicking in rather than the quality of the book.
One line that I jotted down:
When the demands of one person rise to a level that another person can't tolerate, there is conflict.
ETA: Just discovered the author died 15 years ago. An introduction explaining this might have put the dated material in better context. I'd have been less frustrated.
This made me think of old college professors mouthing lectures they'd written back in the 1970's--the most modern storytelling reference was to the movie Alien, and almost every writing example used was by a white male author who hasn't published anything for 50 years.
But there are a lot of nuggets in this lesson, and it's worth a read if you're in the mood for good textbook stuff. I was struggling not to skim three-quarters of the way in, but this is more likely my old study habits kicking in rather than the quality of the book.
One line that I jotted down:
When the demands of one person rise to a level that another person can't tolerate, there is conflict.
ETA: Just discovered the author died 15 years ago. An introduction explaining this might have put the dated material in better context. I'd have been less frustrated.
October 31, 2020
Short, clear and to the point advice.
November 3, 2022
Damon Knight is most famous for being the author of the short story To Serve Man, which most people know because of TV adaptation of it on a very memorable episode of The Twilight Zone. He also has written a lot of other short stories, mostly in the science-fiction genre, and he has years of experience teaching writing.
As someone who would like to explore and improve my writing abilities, I thought this book might be a good one to help me learn a few new techniques and brush up on some of the fundamentals. It was successful in that regard. I definitely have several ideas on how I can improve my writing.
As someone who would like to explore and improve my writing abilities, I thought this book might be a good one to help me learn a few new techniques and brush up on some of the fundamentals. It was successful in that regard. I definitely have several ideas on how I can improve my writing.
December 30, 2021
Good guidelines for writing not only short stories
October 8, 2023
Pas l'essai le plus intéressant que j'ai lu sur l'écriture mais pour des écrivains vraiment débutants, il y a des conseils et des concepts pas mal du tout et bien expliqués.
May 8, 2023
Les étoiles sont pour la couverture
August 16, 2014
Actually, I'd give this one more like 2-1/2 stars. It gets pretty Oregonian in places (and all that business with the pronouns and such started to come off sounding vaguely anti-male), and it's also rather snobby and pedantic at times. But I did after all make it through the whole thing, which is more than I can say for most writing manuals. Anyway, the stuff about the stages in a proto-writer's career was illuminating, especially his account of his own fumbling efforts in that direction. And at least the guy has written some worthwhile stuff in his career; it's not like all he writes is writing books. However, all that talk of "students" soon grew pretty dreary; it's especially annoying when one of them points out something that everyone else missed yet still continues to be relegated to that ghetto classification. It all seems rather inbred and artificial, as most college things do. Anyway, I doubt if I really got much out of all of this beyond the usual inane injunctions (like "Be observant!" or "Omit needless words!"). So would I (like Harlan) "commend this book without reservation"? Nope. A more interesting matter is: I wonder if Damon would've bought it himself had he been the reader and not the writer... ;)
March 29, 2013
خلق داستان کوتاه نوشته دیمن نایت ؛ بنیادی ؛101 مرحله ؛ دستور العملی که احتمالا شما بدنبال ان بودید، مخصوصا اگر علاقمند به نوشتن در سبک تخیلی می باشید. این کتاب به شما آموزش میدهد که بهتر بنویسید.
برای کسانی که ناآشنا با نایت هستند، او یک نویسنده،ویرایشگر و منتقد بود.کتاب نقدش به نام "به دنبال شگفتی" که در دهه پنجاه نوشته شد،از طرف منتقدان تمجید و برنده جایزه هوگو به خاطر بهترین کتاب غیر داستانی سال در زمینه علمی تخیلی شد.از موسسین کارگاه نویسندگی میلفورد و کارگاه نویسندگی کلاریون، او در کارگاه کلاریون بیست وهفت سال تدریس کرد.کتاب او مجموعه ای است که برخی روش هایی را که به عنوان معلم آنها را گسترش داده بود، نشان میدهد و توضیح اصولی است که به شاگردانش ارائه میداد تا آنها بتوانند به کیفیت بالاتری از نویسندگی دست پیدا کنند.
در میانه دهه شصت بود که او بنیان انجمن نویسندگان علمی تخیلی امریکا را گذاشت.
جایزه استاد بزرگ که از سال ۱۹۷۵ توسط «انجمن نویسندگان علمی‌تخیل� آمریکا» اعطا می‌شد� از سال ۲۰۰۲ میلادی، به افتخار دیمون نایت بنیان‌گذا� این موسسه به یادبود دِیمون نایت تغییر نام داد.
هاین‌لای� نخستین کسی بود که در سال ۱۹۷۵ این جایزه به وی اعطا شد. آرتور سی. کلارک در سال ۱۹۸۶، آیزاک آسیموف در سال ۱۹۸۷ و ری بردبری در سال ۱۹۸۹ از دیگر برندگان این جایزه بوده‌ان�.
برای کسانی که ناآشنا با نایت هستند، او یک نویسنده،ویرایشگر و منتقد بود.کتاب نقدش به نام "به دنبال شگفتی" که در دهه پنجاه نوشته شد،از طرف منتقدان تمجید و برنده جایزه هوگو به خاطر بهترین کتاب غیر داستانی سال در زمینه علمی تخیلی شد.از موسسین کارگاه نویسندگی میلفورد و کارگاه نویسندگی کلاریون، او در کارگاه کلاریون بیست وهفت سال تدریس کرد.کتاب او مجموعه ای است که برخی روش هایی را که به عنوان معلم آنها را گسترش داده بود، نشان میدهد و توضیح اصولی است که به شاگردانش ارائه میداد تا آنها بتوانند به کیفیت بالاتری از نویسندگی دست پیدا کنند.
در میانه دهه شصت بود که او بنیان انجمن نویسندگان علمی تخیلی امریکا را گذاشت.
جایزه استاد بزرگ که از سال ۱۹۷۵ توسط «انجمن نویسندگان علمی‌تخیل� آمریکا» اعطا می‌شد� از سال ۲۰۰۲ میلادی، به افتخار دیمون نایت بنیان‌گذا� این موسسه به یادبود دِیمون نایت تغییر نام داد.
هاین‌لای� نخستین کسی بود که در سال ۱۹۷۵ این جایزه به وی اعطا شد. آرتور سی. کلارک در سال ۱۹۸۶، آیزاک آسیموف در سال ۱۹۸۷ و ری بردبری در سال ۱۹۸۹ از دیگر برندگان این جایزه بوده‌ان�.
July 10, 2019
Caveat up front: I studied with Damon Knight a lifetime and a half ago.
This was a fascinating read for me as I could hear Knight speaking throughout. Is it a worthy book?
Not convinced it is. There’s a lot in it and Knight provides plenty of exercises. What is not provided is clear, concise examples of technique. There’s lots of “Some people do it this way, others do it that way, you find your own way.�
I’m not an advocate of that “find your own way� school until you’ve learned the basics. In traditional Japanese martial arts, there’s a concept of “cutting� and if there’s anything demonstrating that 10,000 hour rule, “cutting� has to be it. My point is (and all my teachers might agree), once you’ve got “cutting� down, everything else just happens. I prefer books that help you perfect your cutting then let you find your own way.
I’ve written more on my .
This was a fascinating read for me as I could hear Knight speaking throughout. Is it a worthy book?
Not convinced it is. There’s a lot in it and Knight provides plenty of exercises. What is not provided is clear, concise examples of technique. There’s lots of “Some people do it this way, others do it that way, you find your own way.�
I’m not an advocate of that “find your own way� school until you’ve learned the basics. In traditional Japanese martial arts, there’s a concept of “cutting� and if there’s anything demonstrating that 10,000 hour rule, “cutting� has to be it. My point is (and all my teachers might agree), once you’ve got “cutting� down, everything else just happens. I prefer books that help you perfect your cutting then let you find your own way.
I’ve written more on my .
February 10, 2011
A good general guide to writing short fiction (although much of the advice could be applied to any type of fiction). I particularly found the description section useful as this is something I struggle with, also helpful was the annotated breakdown of a short story talking through the reasoning behind each part - it's always much easier to understand the process with a good example.
I was hoping to gain a better understanding about the structure of a short story, though (particularly as I'm far more used to novel structure) and felt that section could have been better developed.
I was hoping to gain a better understanding about the structure of a short story, though (particularly as I'm far more used to novel structure) and felt that section could have been better developed.
May 15, 2017
This book immediately feels invaluable to me as I am trying to navigate my way into writing more short fiction. This book is practical and filled with great exercises, as well as plenty of useful advice. I will be returning to this book frequently in the coming years.
January 14, 2011
Probably the best book I've read on writing short fiction and one that helped me think about the smaller details, which helped my longer works.
March 1, 2016
Wonderful book on short fiction.
September 29, 2011
A great practical manual of the craft of writing.
January 16, 2012
love this book, especially the clever way the author sneaks in references to his wife kate's work as though she is just another writer out there ....
February 26, 2012
Fabulous book, with tons of useful advice presented in an accessible style with humour and common sense. One of my favourite writing books and one I re-read regularly.
July 19, 2014
عالی عالی عالی! خیلی این کتاب رو دوست داشتم و خیلی ازش استفاده بردم و می دونم بازم می خونمش.
November 5, 2015
Probably, the most helpful craft book I've read yet. I recommend it highly for learning how to write the short story.
February 5, 2017
There's a lot of great information in this book, even if some of the references are a bit dated due to the advances of technology.
August 21, 2017
A concise book about writing short stories. Focuses on very practical advice. I especially liked the section on how to diagnose issues in a story, and how to go about fixing them.
October 29, 2022
Publishing short stories is as daunting as publishing novels. In the final chapter of his book, Creating Short Fiction, SFWA Grand Master Damon Knight suggests that the number of stories submitted annually to a magazine may be as high as four thousand. Of that, only forty are selected for publication (1%). This might be an overestimate or more to do with the times during which Damon Knight lived and worked. These days, the chances of publication are even lower, and if you exclude the magazine contributions of established/ popular authors, your novice chances at publication are even lower. Damon Knight does, however, suggest one secret to success. A writer should compose his work with a "sense of the transaction between the author and the reader." This is apparently what editors combing through a slush pile are looking for.
Knight, however, gives very little advice on how to cultivate this in your stories. He learned it by working as a slush pile reader in the fifties and sixties; most of us have not had such an experience. What Knight does give is the usual information about creating artistic excellence: well-developed characters, non-digressive plots and stories, evocative settings, interesting themes, deep meaning, established mood, an authorial tone, well-chosen language, etc. Much of this information can be obtained for free through writing blogs that proliferate on the internet. And while I paid six dollars for this book, I don't regret purchasing this book. Damon Knight's Creating Short Fiction is upfront about being an opinion book. I happen to share many of his opinions, and so in a way, I think I found a new author to explore.
What I didn't like was the Jung mumbo jumbo. Knight thinks creativity is a pas de deux between the writer and his unconscious. The latter he calls Fred, but he might as well call it his genius. Then again, as he states upfront that this book are his opinions on the subject, I tried not to mind.
Another good reason to write short stories: "If a short story doesn't sell, you've lost a week or so; if a novel doesn't sell, a year or more may have gone down the drain."
Knight, however, gives very little advice on how to cultivate this in your stories. He learned it by working as a slush pile reader in the fifties and sixties; most of us have not had such an experience. What Knight does give is the usual information about creating artistic excellence: well-developed characters, non-digressive plots and stories, evocative settings, interesting themes, deep meaning, established mood, an authorial tone, well-chosen language, etc. Much of this information can be obtained for free through writing blogs that proliferate on the internet. And while I paid six dollars for this book, I don't regret purchasing this book. Damon Knight's Creating Short Fiction is upfront about being an opinion book. I happen to share many of his opinions, and so in a way, I think I found a new author to explore.
What I didn't like was the Jung mumbo jumbo. Knight thinks creativity is a pas de deux between the writer and his unconscious. The latter he calls Fred, but he might as well call it his genius. Then again, as he states upfront that this book are his opinions on the subject, I tried not to mind.
Another good reason to write short stories: "If a short story doesn't sell, you've lost a week or so; if a novel doesn't sell, a year or more may have gone down the drain."
November 26, 2019
Guidebooks that have something to recommend them typically come in two flavors. Those with good, general information that may or may not be of use to the novice, and those that stress the granular details of whatever craft is being explained. The very best books manage to mix the right amount of information about the big picture and the small picture, to give the reader something more comprehensive and rewarding. "Creating Short Fiction" belongs to this smaller canon of masterworks on creating short fiction. The writer shares his wisdom on every page, in language that everyone from a freshman in high-school to a post-doctoral student can quickly apprehend yet still find rewarding.
Subjects include understanding different voices and viewpoints (a common theme for teachers, but rarely if ever treated as well as it is here), how to edit and submit fiction, and how structure a story (with the caveat that you don't over-structure it and thereby undercut the creative process, or stifle "Fred" as Mr. Knight calls the muse who lives in the back of his brain).
Some of the information is dated, but charmingly so. The author speaks of various resources to use, like yearly almanacs, dictionaries, and texts that undoubtedly took up quite a bit of space on his own shelf but could now probably fit onto a single flash-drive with room to spare. And one can't help but feel a flash of nostalgia when hearing the author expound on the advantages of the newfangled word processors versus the merits of those typewriters of yore. On the other hand, there is some eternal wisdom in the book, stuff that not only won't date, but can't, as it is part of our collective DNA when it comes to the need to tell stories and to hear them told. Perfection arguably doesn't exist, but reading this book will get you closer, regardless of whether you've never written a word of fiction or you're a bestselling author. Highest recommendation.
Subjects include understanding different voices and viewpoints (a common theme for teachers, but rarely if ever treated as well as it is here), how to edit and submit fiction, and how structure a story (with the caveat that you don't over-structure it and thereby undercut the creative process, or stifle "Fred" as Mr. Knight calls the muse who lives in the back of his brain).
Some of the information is dated, but charmingly so. The author speaks of various resources to use, like yearly almanacs, dictionaries, and texts that undoubtedly took up quite a bit of space on his own shelf but could now probably fit onto a single flash-drive with room to spare. And one can't help but feel a flash of nostalgia when hearing the author expound on the advantages of the newfangled word processors versus the merits of those typewriters of yore. On the other hand, there is some eternal wisdom in the book, stuff that not only won't date, but can't, as it is part of our collective DNA when it comes to the need to tell stories and to hear them told. Perfection arguably doesn't exist, but reading this book will get you closer, regardless of whether you've never written a word of fiction or you're a bestselling author. Highest recommendation.
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