Ron Carlson is a prolific writer of fiction - novels and short stories. In this little volume, "Ron Carlson Writes a Story," he invites the reader and prospective writer inside his mind as he constructs one of his own short stories. It is a bold and very transparent gesture. He walks us through how the germ of the idea for his story, "The Governor's Ball" originated, and then describes each step along the way until the final sentence has been written and edited.
What he offers is his own process as a template for others to follow - not as a simplistic formula for how to write a short story. This is a fine, but important distinction. One of his most helpful hints is to block out any and all outside distractions while in the writing process. No checking e-mails, no looking up definitions or synonyms. Just write - and then take some serious time to edit and cut and re-write.
This book is a wonderful additional to any writer's tool kit.
Enjoy!
Al
No comments:
Post a Comment