A Poetics of Fiction

Composed from nearly forty years of experience of editing and teaching, A Poetics includes:An introduction explaining the principles underlying the book: how writers read and teach themselves to write.Six Chapters on the Formal Elements of Fiction: Diction, Point of View, Characterization, Patterns of Imagery, Plot, and Theme.Many practical examples from American Short Story Masterpieces, edited by Raymond Carver and Tom Jenks, and from other works by well-known writers.Advice on Beginnings, Endings, Narration, Dialogue, and other useful topics.A Bibliography as a guide to readers for further study.A Poetics contains a detailed and comprehensive pattern for study of creative writing, including a great deal of practical knowledge not generally available elsewhere. Students who have received their MFA degrees and/or attended prestigious writing conferences around the country routinely find that the information gained from this pattern of study goes far beyond any other approach to the study of creative writing.