Creating Short Fiction

CREATING SHORT FICTION by Damon Knight is a foundational, 101-level, instruction book that you've probably been looking for, especially if you are interested in writing genre fiction. This book will teach you to write better short stories and get them sold.For those who are unfamiliar with Knight, he was an author, an editor, and a critic. Knight was a Hugo Award winner, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. SFWA's Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement was renamed after him. In other words, Knight the real deal.CREATING SHORT FICTION begins by describing the four stages of a writer's development. If you are not yet making sales, this list gives you an idea of how close you are. Knight then works through all the elements of writing a short story, so that you may progress from one stage to the next.He teaches developing writers how to select and develop ideas, offering a checklist of all the elements a story must contain for it to be able to stand under its own weight. Knight then provides an annotated version of one of his short stories as an introduction behind the curtain, to see those elements at work. The remainder of CREATING SHORT FICTION helps writers decide how to begin a story; how to select and develop a character, his motivation, and his viewpoint; how to maintain a reader's attention; and how to finish a story. Always the good teacher, Knight then concludes his book by offering some advice on what writers should expect as their career develops, offering tips and highlighting traps to avoid.Nearly every page of CREATING SHORT FICTION contains great advice that is all but guaranteed to improve the quality of your short stories. Do not mistake its brevity for lack of substance. It is a powerful tool that will reward re-reading, so long as you put Knight's advice to work.

This was the textbook we used at USF's Creative Writing Course back in the late 80s. I recommend it to any person interested in writing professionally. It won't make you a writer, but it could help you to be a better one.

I just started writing fiction stories in 2008. I've never gone deep into the subject of 'writing' in general. I am currently studying: Grammar, Vocabulary, Style, ect....This book is the BEST book I've read to this date! I keep it next to me daily, and I've read it now at least a couple dozen times. When I get nervous; especially creatively... I break open this book, and read one chapter. The outcome: THOUGHTS FLOWING FROM MY HEART TO MY BLOOD TO MY VEINS TO MY HAND; DIRECTLY INTO MY PEN, AND ONTO THE PAGE!I do still write ALL my stories out using the 'pen to paper' method. I think typing them directly into an electronic device... ? I have no words as to how I feel about this method, but whatever works for the writer.There is only ONE other book that has hit me as hard and deep as this very book; I will mention it here; "Writing Down the Bones" by: Natalie Goldberg. Now, she does mention poems a lot. Nonetheless, if you replace the word poem, with story, it will all make perfect sense.In closing: My writing studio is decorated on either side with orange sticky notes; they all contain direct quotes from this book: "Creating Short Fiction" and "Writing Down the Bones" Not only do these books instruct/teach; they also inspire, and break writer's block! Trust me; I had writer's block for also three years!!!

I've been writing non-finction professionally and recreationally for several decades, but fiction was always a bit of a puzzle. I looked at a number of fiction writing guides, but I kept hearing working writers say that THIS was the book that really told you how to write. Damon Knight came out of the great era of fiction writing, a time when there were dozens of popular magazines buying short fiction. There was Colliers, the Saturday Even Post, and of course the Sci-Fi mags like Amazing Stories. Knight is best known as a sci-fi writer, but his lessons apply to any genre. Knight was writing long before the popularity or MFA creative writing programs, and he's not interested in exploring new forms, or extended navel gazing, or challenging the reader's preconceptions, or their patience. He's here to tell you how to tell a story that will interest the reader, and he does that very well.

I found this book to be a succinct, balanced and practical guide to writing fiction. Damon Knight writes with the authority of a dedicated and accomplished author. The book offers practical exercises that complement the theory. Although most parts of the book are clear, I felt that the section on point of view lacked clarity. I enjoyed the passages about the life of a professional author, such as ways to cope with slumps and writers’ block. Damon Knight even offers suggestions about spouse selection for an author. The writing advice is generally timeless; however, some sections reflect the passage of time: recommendations of traditional print reference materials (such as a dictionary and encyclopedia set) and the merits of electronic versus manual typewriters. There is even a section on an emerging technology: word processors. I recommend the book to all aspiring authors.

Over the last ten years I have read many books in writing. As I did this, I wrote, and as I grew in the stops and starts of any writing career, I learned a lot.Most if the books I've read before this one had some solutions to certain problems, but none of them nailed it like this book. Having experienced much of what is discussed in here, I can say truthfully that if you get this book, you can save yourself a lot of heartache.As writers, though we feel alone, we are not. Many have struggled as we do, and wouldn't it be better to know how to write well, so that the struggle has been worth it?

A handy little book, written in plain language which manages to break down all area's of "how to" into bite size chunks, there are some nice little exercises which get you thinking and more importantly kick starts the writing process instead of just reading about starting to write

Bought alongside 'The Road to Somewhere' - a great companion with tips and tricks to improve not only your writing but thought process' as well. A good read.

The best discussion for short story writers. I keep coming back to this because it's sensible, and yet inspiring.Highly recommended for those seeking to improve their shorts.

A great introduction to writing short fiction. It is clearly written and informative. I'm sure I'll refer to it often.

Useful and concise advice from an experienced writer of fiction, not just someone who pumps out how-to-write books but is yet to make it.