Movies in the Mind: How to Build a Short Story

A Writer's Digest Book Club featured selection, Movies in the Mind brings her celebrated workshops to the page. A must for every writer of fiction from novice to novelist. This indispensable tool for tapping creativity and moving through writer's block contains inspiring exercises and a recommended bibliography.

Writing teacher and novelist Rae (Perchance To Dream, A Press of One's Own, 1992) urges would-be writers to "tap the well," "dig the clay," and ultimately "give birth" to a story. One entire chapter is devoted to Rae's own development of a story from the idea germ to the finished product, complete with daily jottings in her notebook. She acknowledges early on that she merely is "serving as a guide" and that her process may not work for everyone. Indeed, her discussion of voice is quite good, as is her concept of "continuum trait" and her admonition about critics, but Rae relies too much on her personally effective methods to have broad appeal. The book's bibliography lacks publication information, and the index is amateurish. Perhaps the next book planned for this series will have more to offer.?Cathy Sabol, Northern Virginia Community Coll., Herndon
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.