Beyond the First Draft: The Art of Fiction

Casey, John

ISBN 10: 0393241084 / ISBN 13: 9780393241082

Published by W. W. Norton & Company, 2014

About this Item

Fast Free Shipping â Very Good condition book with a firm cover and clean pages. Shows normal use and some light wear or limited notes markings. A solid, nice copy to enjoy.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Beyond the First Draft: The Art of Fiction
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393241084
• ISBN 13: 9780393241082
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: very_good

About this title

Synopsis

For students and writers alike, a brilliant guide to the craft of writing by the National Book Award–winning author of Spartina.

National Book Award winner John Casey is a masterful novelist who is also an inspiring and beloved teacher. In Beyond the First Draft he offers essential and original insights into the art of writing―and rewriting―fiction.

Through anecdotes about other writers’ methods and habits (as well as his own) and close readings of literature from Aristotle to Zola, the essays in this collection offer “suggestions about things to do, things to think about when your writing has got you lost in the woods.” In “Dogma and Anti-dogma” Casey sets out the tried-and-true advice and then comments on when to apply it and when to ignore it. In “What's Funny” he considers the range of comedy from pratfalls to elegant wit. In “In Other Words” he discusses translations and the surprising effects that translating can have on one’s native language. In “Mentors” he pays tribute to those who have guided him and other writers. Throughout the fourteen essays there are notes on voice, point of view, structure, and other crucial elements. This book is an invaluable resource for aspiring writers and a revitalizing companion for seasoned ones.

About the Author

John Casey (1939―2025) was the author of six works of fiction, including Spartina, winner of the National Book Award, and Compass Rose, as well as nonfiction and translations.