About this title: Janet Burroway, a former student of versatile fiction writer Robert Olen Butler (who won a Pulitzer for his story collection A GOOD SCENT FROM A STRANGE MOUNTAIN), extracts lessons in the art of writing from transcripts of the classes Butler has taught. Emphasizing sense impressions over mental gymnastics, Butler advocates that writers get in ...
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: 1st paper
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Grove, New York
Date Published: c2005
ISBN-13:9780802142573ISBN:0802142575
Description: G. Mergenthaler cover. Near fine, trade paper, blue covers. Clean, tight. 269 pgs, ISBN: 0-8021-4257-5. Edited, with intro, by Janet Burroway. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Grove Press, NY
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780802117953ISBN:0802117953
Description: Fine in fine dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 269 p. Audience: General/trade. 1st printing of original 1st edition, FINE in FINE dust jacket (not price-clipped), no remainder marks read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Grove Pr, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780802117953ISBN:0802117953
Description: Very Good. Very Good Jacket. A few pages have penciling, otherwise Clean and tight, a nice copy. 6 X 9" Good packing, prompt shipping. Member, Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
Date Published: 2005-03-10
ISBN-13:9780802117953ISBN:0802117953
Description: Very Good. About 17 Pages of Highlighting out of 269 Pages, About 7% of the Book, No Remainder Mark, Tight Square Binding, Minimal Wear on Dust Cover, Priority Shipping 5-7 business days recommended for prompt delivery in time for the holidays by USPS when offered, Delivery Confirmation included on all domestic items where available. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Grove Press
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780802142573ISBN:0802142575
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Grove Press
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780802142573ISBN:0802142575
Description: Good. We will ship best available copy. All our used books are in 100% re-useable condition, guaranteed! Some copies may contain markings/highlighting. Please note extras (CD's, Infotrac, Access Codes) may not be included. Choose expedited to receive in 3-5 business days. Buyer will receive confirmation email with tracking information. RELIABLE SELLER! ! read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Pgw
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780802142573ISBN:0802142575
Description: New. Burroway introduces her edited transcripts of Butler's thought-provoking lectures to tell writers how to achieve the dream space necessary for composing honest, inspired fiction. read more
"Forget everything you think you know about writing. Throw all the information you've obtained in school about how to write. All of that is useless. Writing doesn't come from your logical, thoughtful brain. It's really out of your control and it's only when you let go of that control that you can write.
"So far, I've found his spin on the writing process one of the best I've seen since Writing Down the Bones. Very similar intuitive approach but with a layer of craft to bring it down to earth.
1. His special form of journaling - very much akin to Nat's writing practice. See pp. 28-29
I got some good ideas out of this book. In Part I, The Lectures, I found useful points in the sections: The Zone; Yearning, and A Writer Prepares. In Part II, The Workshop, I thought a few suggestions were valid, mainly in the section, The Written Exercise. Part III, The Stories Analyzed, is when I put the book down. I picked it up again later, long enough to skim the rest of the text. Overall, I found about one-seventh of this book worthwhile.
The book is based on a semester's worth of Butler's lectures about the methods he employs in his own writing. The tone is therefore casual, but Butler still manages to toss out lines like, "...all the fiction you've written is mortally flawed."
Although I did find useful tidbits in Part II, I found it painful reading. The four student volunteers completely opened themselves up to Butler in order to better learn their craft, but even as a reader I cringed for what he put those students through. To be fair, Butler believes he's doing a good service, and he believes that through his Method, the use of "dreamspace" -- you must achieve a trancelike state in order to write from your unconscious, in order to write inspired fiction -- is based on his assessment that literary fiction is the exploration of the human condition, and yearning its compass.
In the section Yearning, he says, "...of the three fundamentals of fiction, there are two that aspiring writers never miss: first, that fiction is about human beings; second, that it's about human emotion ...but the third element, which is missing from virtually every student manuscript I've seen, has to do with the phenomenon of desire." To me, this statement epitomizes the messages that run through this book: there are things to learn, and there is the author's attitude towards his students.
Perhaps this book just wasn't all that useful for me, personally. But I would still recommend that before spending money, you borrow this book from your local library, and then decide whether or not you think it would be worthwhile as a permanent addition to your bookshelf."
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