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 Fictionis 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. Damon Knightearned his reputation as a modern master of the short story with such classics as "I See You," "The Handler," "To Serve Man," and "The Country of the Kind." He and his wife, Kate Wilhelm, taught short-story writing at the Clarion Workshop for almost thirty years, during which time he worked with many of today's prominent writers. Knight has also received the C.E.S. Wood Award and the SFWA Grand Master Award for his writing. 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 Fictionis 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. "To those who hunger to be writers I recommend this book without reservation."Harlan Ellison "What Knight doesn't know about writing the short story cannot be put into expository prose anyway."Algis Budrys "Knight is one of the preeminent teachers of writing in this country. [This book] should be considered essential for all beginning writers . . . not to mention a few others, who've forgotten the valuable information it contains."Lucius Shepard, author ofThe Jaguar Hunter

Damon Knight earned his reputation as a modern master of the short story with such classics as "I See You," "The Handler," "To Serve Man," and "The Country of the Kind." He and his wife, Kate Wilhelm, taught short-story writing at the Clarion Workshop for almost thirty years, during which time he worked with many of today's prominent writers. Knight has also received the C.E.S. Wood Award and the SFWA Grand Master Award for his writing.