The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Writing Fiction and Nonfiction

A beloved writing teacher compiles fifteen years of her expertise, exercises, and examples in a new primer for creative writers. The Making of a Story is a fresh and inspiring guide to the basics of creative writing—both fiction and creative nonfiction. Its hands-on, completely accessible approach walks writers through each stage of the creative process, from the initial triggering idea to the revision of the final manuscript. It is unique in combing the three main aspects of creative writing instruction: process (finding inspiration, getting ideas on the page), craft (specific techniques like characterization), and anthology (learning by reading masters of the form). Succinct, clear definitions of basic terms of fiction are accompanied by examples, including excerpts from masterpieces of short fiction and essays as well as contemporary novels. A special highlight is Alice LaPlante's systematic debunking of many of the so-called rules of creative writing. This book is perfect for writers working alone as well as for creative writing classes, both introductory and advanced. .

I have read several books, read numerous articles and taken courses on writing. This author truly seems to get to the heart of what creative writing is all about. She dispells many "truisms" and "rules" of creative writing, and in the process, substitutes the proper technique and balance of writing in their place. I found it eminently helpful. I expect her writing classes are just as wonderful.

I purchased this book a few years ago and fell in love with her philosophy on writing fiction. She explains the necessary aspects and offers comprehensive exercises to complement each element.
The examples of published works are easy to obtain and relate to the message for each chapter.
I consider this book my thesaurus because I return again and again and always discover something I missed the first time around.
It's a keeper for any serious fiction writer.
D. Kent

Alice LaPlante pours her fifteen years of experience as a writer and educator into The Making of a Story, a solid and instructional guide to writing, from inspiration to the process of getting ideas on paper to editing and refining one's work. Presented in a format that lends to being read straight through or used as a reference tool in response to specific issues, The Making of a Story is accessible, user-friendly, packed with examples and an all-around solid pick for aspiring writers everywhere. "One good way to think about openings is to think in terms of balance. Either things are out of kilter, or they will soon be; there's an imbalance, or a missing link, some mystery about what is happening that draws us into the story. It can be subtle... but it has to be there."

It has it all - from the start to the finish- with great examples of great writing on each topic.

This book has great insight into what it takes to be a creative author. My only complaint is the content of some of the sample stories. I realize they are very well written and serve the intended purpose. However, when limited pieces of suspense and crime stories are included it leaves the readers (who are simply trying to to get an education) with a terrible feeling in the pit of their stomach.