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CREATING FICTION STORY by William H. Coles
CHARACTER, PLOT,
DIALOGUE, NARRATION +++
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I had never realized the importance of a word choice in stories before reading this. Characterization, starting from the name of the character, is also something that holds significance in causing an impact on the reader. William Coles did an excellent job to help writers improve!
What I liked most about the book was how straight-forward and honest the advice was. The author did not miss a beat to talk about what will be the downfall of a writer. I also liked that he mentioned humour and how it can be tough to please every reader. The appendix of the book includes the motivation and desire a writer should have to write a successful story. Getting the message across is harder than it looks!
There was nothing to dislike about this work. The author empathized with the writers and has explained the contents of literary fiction from the reader’s side as well. I only spotted one grammatical error, which caused no hindrance to my reading experience.
I rate this work 4 out of 4 stars as it met my expectations and went above them as well. I will definitely be coming back to it every time I want to improve my writing. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in writing literary fiction!
interested in romance and history. I will also recommend it to people who are interested in themes like war.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
He introduces the book with an important definition of the term “Literary Fiction”, he clarifies that it is distinct from general fiction, memoir, creative non-fiction, auto biography and non-fiction. Further definitions and explanations give the readers insight into what authors do, and why they would prefer a certain literary work more than another. Some chapters educate the reader on commonly misused terms.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is concise and straight to the point, has minimal use of “Literary Jargon”, and is easy to follow and understand. It was clearly edited professionally with no errors. This book is good for anyone who loves to learn, especially, fiction writers, and those interested in the inner workings of literary fictional stories. Considering the positive aspects of this book discussed above, I rate Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles 4 out of 4 stars.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I loved and enjoyed various things in the book. I liked how the author incorporated examples from famous literary works, such as Little Red Riding Hood and works of William Shakespeare like the famous play Hamlet, to illustrate themes in a way that is easy to grasp. I also loved how the author explained how to avoid repeating common mistakes with the help of comparisons and deep analysis. In a nutshell, I believe that the book has a wealth of information for aspiring authors. It is also beneficial for the ones who like to read fiction. This book will help them understand the quality of the fiction books they read.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I’m excited to have read this book. I’m keen to find out more about his other works. He anticipates that a novel should be well written without being compromised to the nature of the writer’s belief and environment. Inspiring writers would definitely find this book helpful. Coles gives sound counsel to the reader which is interesting throughout and he further shares this book as a self-improvement guide through inspiration and motivation. I would twice recommend this book to all inspiring writers, and even writers who are looking forward to grow and write good novels, flourishing in the business will be a plus.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I really enjoyed almost every aspect of the book. As an aspiring author, I really benefited a lot from the many teachings that were there. I learnt how to begin and end a fictional story in a captivating way, how to use humor and suspense in the story, and also how to best express abstract feelings like love and hate in your story. The best part of this book is that the author not only told us what to do but also showed us how to do it using relevant examples from famous literary works such as Emile Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights. William Coles has shown us what not to do at the beginning and end of a story. We have been shown what not to do in contrast to what to do so that we can identify the mistakes.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
The book is well-formatted and arranged. It is exceptionally edited because I found no errors in the book. The author delivered the book in simple and plain English that a pure beginner can easily understand the concepts explained. Perhaps, because it is the content I have been looking for, I was never bored while reading the book. The use of case studies to buttress his points gave a better insight into his explanations and credibility. The author is an experienced author with 23 books to his name: in my opinion, he is a master in the field and worth listening to.
I found no reason to dislike this book, and because of the earlier highlighted reasons, I will rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I will gladly recommend this book to aspiring writers and writers who want to improve their writing skills.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
Many people enjoy reading literary stories because they get to experience various adventures through the characters in the book. A great story takes the readers to a different world where they are entertained and they become one with the characters in the book. An author must therefore be able to write a book that captures the heart of its readers and one that is remarkable. However, most times authors fail to express ideas in their stories well and end up frustrating the readers.
I recommend this book to anyone who is considering writing a good literary story. I also recommend this book to writers who are struggling with constructing the perfect kind of literal stories that will be enjoyed by their audience.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I picked this book since I had an interest in writing, and it did not disappoint. The book was enlightening and opened my eyes to how to write catchy literary stories. I also found it educative as well as entertaining. There was nothing to dislike in this book. As a lover of fiction reads, I found it a masterpiece as it offers insights on the professional formulation of a fiction story.
The book teaches fiction writers how to navigate through the exciting field of writing to deliver useful content to their readers. The extensive knowledge the author has poured into this book shows that he is well experienced in this field. Thus, the content of this book can be relied upon by any aspiring writer. Also, it would be a great resource to those who teach people writing stories.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
Conclusively, this book is a very interesting piece which serves as a comprehensive guide for fiction writers. I hereby recommend this book for fiction and non-fiction writers. I also recommend it for poets, dramatists, and literary critics. While it may look like a piece for literary fiction writers on the surface level, it is undoubtedly relevant for writers of all literature genres. This is because one, two, or even more of the things discussed in the book may be beneficial to other writers of literature.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
William H. Coles explained this writer’s literary fiction guide very well. All ideas are well-informed and are equipped with examples of wrong, right, and good writings. So it enlightens me as a reader because I am not just reading pages of theories about good characterization, dialogue, conflict, and motivation without practicing it. Reading this book enables me to point out excellent characterization, the best point of view to use, how to serve a good dialogue, adding humor, how important it is to add conflict, desire, and emotions. This book is a very helpful guide for every amateur, beginner, or even advanced writer to polish out their literary writing.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I also liked how clear and concise the guide was. Every new topic was initially introduced by the author through either a short description or dictionary definitions. That allowed the reader to learn standardized definitions of certain words and avoid any misunderstandings. After the general introduction, the author provided an in-depth analysis of different parts of a fictional story. The topics were illustrated with examples from well-known books and movies. The reader could also easily learn how to use the knowledge in practice. The author devoted a whole section to explaining how to start writing a story and continue until the ending. He provided us with ideas on how to improve and avoid common mistakes. All the pieces of advice were conveyed in an easy to grasp way, with plenty of examples.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
The book taught me a lot of things. I learned how valuable and important good characterization is. I also learned that imagination allows for the growth of characterization in a book.
I enjoyed the author’s presentation of the guidelines and principles. The author used simple words that helped me flow well with the book. I love the part of the book that explains why literary stories fail. It will help me to have a picture in mind while writing my fiction stories so that I won’t write a story that fails.
The book was well-edited. There is nothing I disliked in the book. I recommend the book to anyone interested in writing literary fiction as it would be helpful to them. The book also explored the necessity of structuring stories in a meaningful way. I also recommend it to authors who want to brush up on their writing skills. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I enjoyed this book so much that I did not observe any negative aspect in it. The writer gave diligence to details while writing this informative and educative piece. Obviously, this is coming from an authority in this noble field.
This book covers every aspect of storytelling that will make a writer more competent after reading it through regardless of his/her level of accomplishment. It was exceptionally edited and thoroughly formatted. Hence, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
This book is loaded with ideas from the wealth of experience of William H. Coles, an award-winner who is into creative writing. Therefore, I recommend this book to every everyone whose dream is to become a great writer.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
This book is very useful for people who are just starting to make fiction stories, because of the basic and principal things in this book.
There are no negative aspects to this informative book. Everything is professionally edited. I didn’t find any typos or grammar errors in this book.
This book deserves to get a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. Because this book really opens up knowledge about writing fiction stories. Each chapter in sequence and detail is very helpful for improving writing skills. Other than that the tips from this book are very easy to apply directly to our own stories.
I recommend this book for people who are learning to write fiction and want to improve their writing skills.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
One of the best aspects of this book is that it is simple to read; the author tried to use simple language throughout the book and define every term that you may encounter while reading. As a result, this book is suitable for readers of all backgrounds, whether experienced writers or first-time writers.
The ideas in the book are also well organized, with detailed information on each topic, examples to illustrate each point and a summary or thought at the end of most chapters. All of these are positive aspects of the book.
If you ask me what I didn’t like about this book, I can’t think of anything. The book is easy to read and suitable for readers of all backgrounds, as I previously stated. In addition, the book was professionally edited, as I found no grammar or spelling errors in it. As a result, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I liked the division of the book into two parts, and both focus on different components. Furthermore, the best thing is that the author has mentioned relevant content under headings and sub-headings. It will help readers to find the content they are looking for. I liked how the author chose a step-by-step approach to write the entire book and carefully organized the chapters. For the readers who want to understand where they lack and why their literary story fails, the author has talked about such concerns too. Moreover, I liked how the author invested his efforts into providing details and thoroughly explaining concepts. Also, he mentioned examples within various chapters, such as the passages from the tale ‘Red Riding Hood’ to describe the component of characterization.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
What I liked most about this book is how useful and valuable it is in serving as a guide for writers. Coles draws on an abundance of experience (including his published fiction and non-fiction books) and clearly understands the requirements for exceptional and original literary fiction. His tone is authoritative yet patient, and he remains respectful to other literary domains. The book succeeds in providing the correct tools for creating a quality story. Without a basic understanding of the many fundamentals essential for great narration, or mistaken motivation, one is destined for either failure or inferior work. I also liked that the author included comparative examples of writing (segments from his books included) to show what he means, instead of just telling. I particularly liked that the author advocates an altruistic purpose for literary fiction, especially during a time in history when humanity appears to need it most.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
The first thing I like about the book Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is, it evokes the writer within a person. Even a person who has not much interest in writing seems to gain interest while reading the book. The book has many examples from short stories to Shakespeare’s novels to compare and understand the subject matter discussed by the author. Some chapters have a one-line definition at the beginning for some basic terms like fictional, desire, motive, etcetera. As the book title says, it is a brilliant guide for creating and writing fictional stories. Being an experienced author, he did a great job by sharing his fiction writing knowledge with people.
I recommend the book Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles to teens, adults, and older adults. Also, I suggest this book to people whom all are planning or willing to write fiction novels. This book would be a good read for authors who are willing to develop their fiction writing skills.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
While reading the book, I liked and enjoyed very many things. Firstly, I liked the fact that William H. Coles has introduced the book by giving us some of the definitions of the different vocabularies used in fiction writing. Secondly, enjoyed how the author has used several examples from various literary stories such as Emily Brontë’s, Wuthering Heights in explaining some concepts to help us easily understand. I liked the fact that the author has explained to us the reason why some literary stories fail by giving us examples and shows us how we can avoid such mistakes. There are also many other lessons to be learnt for aspiring authors.
I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. This is because the book was professionally edited and hence I did not find any spellings or grammatical errors. Also, the author managed to capture my attention such that from the moment I started reading it, I could not let go.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
The chapters flow easily and with ease. Descriptions are clear and in plain language. William H. Coles writes with an ease that is hard to find anything at fault. At no point did a discussion about character, emotions, narrations, or point of view become boring or irrelevant. The writer kept the reader engaged the whole time. The book is written with a positive mindset. Nowhere is it assumed that the subject manner is outside of the reader’s abilities or understanding. Throughout it is evident that the writer expects the reader to try his or her hand at writing literary fiction. William H. Coles doesn’t gloss over difficulties and makes it clear that in most instances practice is needed to succeed at any given technique.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book is for everyone who loves to read. If you are a writer or aspiring writer, this book is a must-read and reference book. Buy it, read it and refer back to it. You will not be disappointed.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
Have you ever thought of how to create literary stories? Is learning how to do it even a thing? Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is a book, which aims at guiding writers on how to write an effective literary fictional work.
It encompasses the key elements to writing a story that grabs the audience’s attention. The book is somewhat like a textbook. With it, you can learn how to create a plot, create fully developed and complex characters, add more life to your story, work on your dialogue, and so on and so forth.
I highly recommend this book to any writer who specializes in or who is into writing literary fictional stories. I also recommend it to those who are just starting out as writers and are curious to find out the basics, or to improve where necessary. I wish the newbies the best of luck! I hope this book helps you in achieving what you want in your writing journey.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a gem. A book worth sharing. I found it immensely rich with knowledge and insights. I have always been a fan of storytelling and I had no idea of starting the journey until I read this book. I loved how he used fictional examples to explain some concepts in his book. This was really appreciated because someone who has no prior experience in writing or storytelling will find this easy to understand.
I have always been a writer that fancy using a second-person’s point of view to narrate my stories. But this book has been a revelation to me as I discovered that the second-person’s point of view narrative did not have much impact on the readers. He emphasized that using a third-person’s point of view narrative gave the reader a chance to understand every character’s perspective in fiction. Each chapter was written in simple English and it was quite engaging. Every term was deliberately and separately explained.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
William H. Coles does a wonderful job of making the lessons clear and easy to grasp. The writing feels very technical and sometimes I got the feeling I was reading a school textbook – grabbing pen and paper is a must -, which in my opinion is an awesome way to provide this kind of information. In addition, at the end of the chapters, there are summaries and guidelines with a few questions that make it easier to apply the teaching in your work, thus, proving that the book does a great job as a guide on improving the craft of writing. Also, I was really happy with the examples he used as it made things clearer in my mind.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
There were so many lessons to derive from this short yet power-packed book. Such lessons include the mastery of plot development and the principles of characterization andhow to write captivating literary fiction and I enjoyed every part of it.
In general, the book was really great. It was short, straight to the point, captivating, knowledge loaded and above all, its plot was properly developed and it was professionally edited. For these reasons, I give it 4 stars out of 4 stars.
I recommend it firstly to potential literary fictional writers who want to learn about what it takes to write a successful literary fiction story and then to literature students. The reason for my recommendation is that it contains updated guidelines and lessons which literature students and literary writers will find very useful.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I would recommend this book to a wide variety of people. I think high school teachers would be able to dramatically improve their student’s grades if the syllabus included this manual for creative writing. College students studying creative writing would benefit greatly from following this manual as well. New authors could really improve their writing by reading this manual before starting their respective novels or short stories. Even seasoned and successful authors may find it extremely worthwhile to go over their work with the knowledge of this guide. I think that young aspiring writers would benefit most from Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide , as they would be starting their writing careers with the right tools to develop beautiful, interesting novels that would keep readers wanting more.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I really loved this book Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer`s Guide by William H. Coles very much. I found quite a number of built stories as Coles tries to explain his guide to writers on how good fiction could be given weight.
There was nothing I found not to dislike about this book. For instance, under the sub-topic, Fundamentals of Telling a Literary Story, it is clear to say the author Coles is using his time to educate. I like learning new things every day.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer`s Guide shows how good writers and storytellers could overcome the pros and cons of a good and bad fiction narrative. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
For me, the most exciting factor in Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is gaining the insight of an award-winning author. William H. Coles’ expertise shows through his informative interpretation of the writing process and concepts. His experience as a writer shines through in this book. The ideas in the book are well explained and demonstrated. The author applies each concept in examples from classical stories and books excerpts. For example, the author uses Little Red Riding Hood to explain character-based plots. He gives different possible variations of the story to show the use of characterizations in driving and developing the plot of a creative story. The examples simplify complex ideas.
Another thing I liked was the author’s style of writing. The flow was easy and understandable. Also, it was nice that the author took the time to explore different ways to write in different points of views. There was nothing I disliked about the book.
The content is well-thought-out and educative. The author manages to make relatively boring content captivating and engaging. I could also see aspects of the ideas he is teaching in the book. I do not dislike anything about the book because it is well-edited and informative. I rate the book a perfect four out of four stars.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I chose this book to review because I write for fun and wanted to see ways I could make myself better. My expectations were met and I was completely satisfied. The book was concise. Straight to the point yet not in the least bit boring and tiresome. Reading this book was enlightening. I like the fact that a lot of terms in the book were broken down so that anyone can understand them. There were a lot of concepts in writing that I had not properly grasped before reading this book.
Another thing I liked was the author’s style of writing. The flow was easy and understandable. Also, it was nice that the author took the time to explore different ways to write in different points of views. There was nothing I disliked about the book.
This is not a book I would recommend anyone into creative writing to miss out on. I found no grammatical error, and the book seemed to be professionally edited and proofread. I rate this book four out of four stars because it encompassed a lot of important and helpful knowledge in a few pages.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
The author’s enthusiasm to teach people about how they can be better writers is infectious. He walks us through the theoretic elements of writing and how to put them into practice. He offers guidelines that teach aspiring writers how to give life to characters and arrange scenes in order to build a whole world inside their stories. The author uses his years of experience to breaks down the components of writing interesting literary fiction. The information offered in this book is broad enough to also help already established authors to elevate their writing skills.
The knowledge shared in this book is detailed. The author arranged his chapters perfectly in a way that he starts with the simple things and strongly shifted to the more complex ones. This helped the book grow in me as a reader. The examples given were very significant in driving the points home. For instance, there is a part in the book where he explains how excessive description makes a story static, and he gives two contrasting scenarios as vivid examples.
There is nothing I disliked about this book. It was well-edited. I give it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I highly recommend this book to anyone aspiring to be a fiction writer. It can also offer supplementary knowledge to already established Fiction writers.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
What I like most about this book is the detailing of every section that he mentioned. It is easy to understand the language that he used. As I want to become a writer, I felt this book provided me with information that is required to start a book. He mentioned both positive and negative examples for each category so that readers find the difference between them. He discusses various perceptions and problems with that.
This book is highly recommended to all people who want to become successful writers. This book is also helpful for the beginners to start a story.
In conclusion, I rate this book four out of four stars. You will get the required confidence to write a book for sure.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
This book is thought-provoking, capacity building and creativity shaping for writers. William’s way of writing leaves a reader with a greater desire to improve and correct the mistakes in their literary fiction work. He challenges the status quo in style of writing for the fiction story. This opened my eyes to start considering writing a literary fiction story. Though he does not give a step-by-step guide, he offers a great help in content, structural and key elements of fictional writing.
This book is a masterpiece manual for all writers. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book is well edited overall. I recommend this book to all academic teachers, writers, and students interested in writing. Authors and writers will sharpen their skills of writing through this handbook.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
We’ve all been in this situation where we get tired after a few pages of a story and decide to put it down, whereas another story we can’t put down since it’s engaging. But what makes us feel bored or entertained while reading stories, and are there truly ingredients for a story’s success? Why are some stories, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and others, adored and told generation after generation, while others fade and disappear? In this book, you’ll discover why some literary fictional stories fail and others flourish.
I’d like to point out that this book is loaded with information despite its modest page count. It is very useful for fiction writers because it guides them on their path to writing literary fictional stories that are loved and remembered. I recommend that they read this book, as well as anyone else who wants to write a fiction story, and I am confident that they will benefit from it.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
Coles does a better job of teaching and explaining what goes into a story than any writing class I’ve ever taken. All of his points are concise and well explained.
One thing that I particularly liked about this book was how it is laid out and organized. At the beginning of each chapter, there are definitions of terms that are used throughout the rest of the chapter. This helps make sure that everything is very clear and understandable when he goes into more complex ideas. Coles lays out each aspect of writing in order of how you should be writing your story. He starts with explaining characters and how to create them, then moves on to other topics such as conflict, point-of-view, and time. He also does a great job of using examples where they are needed, but not including them too often and congesting the book.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
As a lover of fictional stories, this book has opened my eyes to things I ought to look out for in any literary fiction. The author highlighted different reasons behind some words used by writers, and how these words are meant to make readers feel, which I thought was amazing. The vocabulary used was also something I enjoyed about this book because of its simplicity.
There is absolutely nothing I dislike about this book because it delivered in every sense of the word. This book is meant to enlighten and educate its readers, and I believe it would do just that to anyone who reads it.
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Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I like the organized structure of the book. There are definitions and discussions of terminologies, which have tremendous educational value. I appreciate that the author could explain the most fundamental aspects of storytelling in a short book instead of a long textbook for creative writing. I admire how William H. Coles used different writings from the same plot to describe how the change in words and phrases can completely change the way readers perceive the story.
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Review from Readers’ Favorite FIVE STARS
In Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide, author William H. Coles says that a work of literary fiction is a story that “has a character-based, character-driven plot, with carefully developed and sequenced motivations . . . presented through scenes structured with conflict, action, and resolution.” He then elaborates on various themes. What is a character? How is one developed and molded from the stereotypical to something outside the norm? Why might a reader care? Coles also introduces and covers topics such as narrative perspectives, the use of dialogue, conflict, humor, and more. In the portion titled Book Two: Creating a Literary Fictional Story, Cole provides further details about prose, plot, setting, imagery, and drama. Finally, he provides a sturdy discussion regarding how and why a writer needs to revise their work, and he presents a series of questions a writer might consider that may allow them to hone their skills so as to write better stories.
Although I am a writer myself, my only “study” of literary fiction has been by way of reading the classics and other great works. Thus, I found the discussions in Creating Literary Stories informative, encouraging, and challenging. I especially appreciated concepts that William H. Coles covered regarding character development, including how one might express a character in a manner that will leave a lasting impact. I also enjoyed his discussions on such matters as using “animate” words when providing descriptions, adding humor, and the importance of making dialogue fit a scene so that it feels genuine. Finally, I know that I will find the questions presented in the Appendix a helpful tool when reviewing and revising my works in the future, and I trust that others—whether their works are deemed to be works of “literary fiction” or of genre fiction—will, as well.
Review from Readers’ Favorite
William H Coles is an accomplished author, having written several novels, many short stories, and several instructional texts for writers. He knows what makes for good literary fiction. Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide delivers a wealth of helpful information for the would-be author, and for established authors who wish to improve, or who perhaps want to migrate from genre fiction to literary fiction. Coles begins by pointing out that ‘literary means writing that is important and memorable, with permanent artistic (creative) value’. He then stresses that a literary story is imagined. It is not a memoir or description of events that have occurred.
Creating Literary Stories provides a wealth of sound advice for writers. In Book One, Coles breaks the work into chapters that explain the proper techniques of creating and managing characters, writing dialogue, adding humor, choosing the most appropriate point of view, and managing desire, motivations, and emotions in the story. Book Two departs from dealing with specific techniques used in writing and focuses on creating a literary fictional story: the fundamentals and essentials of story writing, building characters, writing for the reader, and bringing a literary story to life. I found Book Two far more useful in that it delved more deeply into plotting, the essentials for good writing, transitioning, and the core principles of dialogue, voice, action, and language. I also appreciated the way Cole explained the key ingredients for a story with a strong appeal to readers.
Coles delivers a wealth of useful information and advice in Creating Literary Stories, delivering a text that any serious writer should find valuable. I found it heavy going in parts, and I felt using simpler language and clearer analogies and examples would improve readability and comprehension, but overall this text has great merit. I recommend it to any writer who wants to write literary fiction or who already writes in that genre and wishes to improve their skills. It may also be of use to some serious readers who wish to better understand literary fiction and more accurately assess the quality of writing in literary classics. It’s a text I, as an aspiring author, will add to my bookshelf.
Review from Readers’ Favorite FIVE STARS
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a book dedicated to the must do’s and mustn’t do’s when writing fiction. It’s separated into subjects and strategies: characters, narration, points of view, emotions, motivation, dialogue, writing in scene, humor, and more. This is an essential guide for anyone who wants to write fiction. William H. Coles, an award-winning and multiple novels and short stories author, brings to the world a complete and enjoyable guide to writing good fiction; his examples and strategies are the basis for every well-thought-of character, dialogue, and overall story. His guide will be the gateway to successful fiction writing for any amateur, professional, and beginner writers out there.
William H. Coles’ history as a successful author is more than enough to label this book as triumphant. His experience in writing has allowed for this guide to come to life. His advice and strategies are compelling and, most important of all, they are backed up with examples, which is something that helps writers to see the changes he proposes and why certain strategies work best. I am an aspiring fiction writer, and this book has come in very handy for future projects. I cannot recommend this book with more enthusiasm; it is a complete and thorough guide to one of the most complicated things there are, creating people and stories out of thin air. Double thumbs up for this one! I enjoyed it and cannot wait to use what I have learned.
Review from Readers’ Favorite FIVE STARS
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is a handy tool for all those writers who want to embark on fiction writing because of the detailed information it gives when it comes to writing fiction. Writers must always have a clear idea of what words mean when it comes to successfully narrating a story in fiction The author discusses the three POVs (points of view) from which one can deliver a story; the ‘I’ approach, the ‘you’ and ‘we’ approach, and the ‘he’ and ‘she’ approach. This book is a good guide to understanding the complexities of narration and developing narrative skills through practice, and that is a good way to start on the path to great storytelling.
Creating Literary Stories is informative and helpful, and William H. Coles has a unique approach that is fresh and interesting. The author tackles the subject methodically and extensively, making it easy for writers to use his tips and suggestions when deciding to write a book and also as they go through the actual process of writing. The telling of fiction stories can often be ruined by bad writing but reading this book is a good way to help writers construct their stories carefully. The author also gives details that will create images and ideas in the minds of readers. For all those who are interested in writing a book, Creating Literary Stories will be of great help when it comes to creating memorable stories with great characters.
Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars since it is well-written and has no errors or mistakes and I personally enjoyed it very much and recommend it to any fiction writer out there who wants to strengthen his literary knowledge and ability to write fiction books. You don’t need any previous knowledge in order to read this book and understand (except for knowing how to read in English of course). Even if you can’t read a full book like this, you will have the ability to chose what chapters to read, since it is a very well organized book. I feel that this book has helped me learn how to write fiction, and I believe it can help whoever reads it.
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“Knowledge is available everywhere,” what needs to be done is the will to crave it. This book will prod the interest of any author or student to know more about story-writing. There isn’t anything I find off in this book, even the author’s proficiency is evident in the lack of grammatical error, devoid of profane words, well-edited, and crafted in an academic sense — simple words that are easy to understand. For this, I will rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Accordingly, this book is a must-read for writers, authors, students, and even readers to stay abreast of the rudiments of fiction writing.
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Each chapter explains the many aspects of fiction writing, with examples that help explain the points made. I could find no mistakes, the book is well edited. It has no foul language. There were no grammar mistakes i found while reading the book. The thing I liked most about the book is how every element of fiction writing is well outlined, with the author going a step further to illustrate using examples on how to apply this elements.
I would recommend this book to anyone aspiring to be a writer as well as those seeking to improve their writing skills. It a great book full of wisdom defining the relevance of fiction writing. It’s the kind of book to keep close for referral while writing. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Read the entire review here…
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What I liked most about the book was how straight-forward and honest the advice was. The author did not miss a beat to talk about what will be the downfall of a writer. I also liked that he mentioned humour and how it can be tough to please every reader. The appendix of the book includes the motivation and desire a writer should have to write a successful story. Getting the message across is harder than it looks!
I rate this work 4 out of 4 stars as it met my expectations and went above them as well. I will definitely be coming back to it every time I want to improve my writing. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in writing literary fiction!
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For anyone getting fumbled on how to formulate dialogue, characterization, in scene descriptions, finding your own voice, and so much more this is a book to treasure. Here is an excerpt from the story that I thought was so simple yet quite on point. “Feelings in a story can be told. “He was angry with her.” Although necessary at times, this lacks energy and taxes reader interest. (“Angry” is abstract.) Although it is much more strenuous to write and takes up more storytime, authors can show feeling far more effectively through action and dialogue: “‘You are the worst, most degenerate liar I’ve ever known,’ he shouted.” This shows anger (“shouted”) and hints at a morality issue via concrete words such as “degenerate” and “liar.” ”
There was nothing I did not like about this book, and it was interesting to read. William H. Coles has broken up what may seem complicated to novice authors into piecemeal chapters, and easy to understand guidelines. These chapters have concise information that is on point and topic. Read the entire review here…
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Writing is a skill. Writing a fiction story requires even more of it. Unlike in a memoir where events in the narration are a reality, a fictional story takes a lot more effort. The author has to put together the characters, come up with a setting, theme, and plot. What’s more, the author has to ensure that the read was worth the reader’s time. Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is a comprehensive guide to writing fiction stories. Novice authors can benefit a great deal from reading this book; I recommend it to them without any reservation. Read the entire review here…
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CREATING LITERARY STORIES: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles explains everything needed to write a literary fiction story, starting off with the basics (definitions and introductions) all the way to the more complicated items.
The content is delivered in a fun non-academic way. It’s not easy to achieve this kind of readability when writing a guidebook made up of advice and lists of dos and don’ts. The author crafted the chapters and sections skillfully that the whole thing is perceived as a discussion or a conversation rather than a lengthy tedious lecture.
The best thing that I personally liked the most is that the author seems to truly understand the deal and what he is explaining to the readers instead of just throwing in words and instructions from a textbook. On the contrary, some parts clearly suggest that the tips come from experience. Now, when experience is paired with a good writing skill, you get a guidebook that is worthwhile.
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Short-story veteran, William. H. Coles condenses his years of experience into this book which attempts to explain the intricacies involved in creating powerful literary fiction stories.
Having read a few of Coles’ books, most of which I thoroughly enjoyed, I was quite pleased and excited to finds this manual listed on the website. And after reading, I am satisfied with the amount of knowledge I obtained from this.
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What I liked about the book was how simply the information was presented. That is always a winner for me. It is easy to understand what the author meant and put it to good use. I enjoyed the book because I love writing. I also like to know how other writers approach the craft and I was glad to get a sneak preview into Cole’s mind. I also found the definitions of difficult words that the author gives at the beginning of every chapter helpful.
The book is informative and very resourceful. I agree with much of what he has said because it has also been my experience. Some of the examples may be unfamiliar to the readers, but that only goes to show how widely read the author is.
There is nothing that I disliked about the book.
I would give this book a rating of four out of four stars because of its resourceful nature.Read the entire review here…
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Inside the book, there are four things that I like. These are the definitions, examples, summaries, and the whys, like “why literary stories fail.” Every chapter starts with the definitions of literary words. These terms are operationally defined as to what their functions in the story that the writers are creating. As an experienced writer Mr. Cole is, I love using different classic stories in his examples. His examples are diverse from fairy tales-to Shakespeare’s classic and down to the Hamilton, even the superheroes. He delivered many twists, like how a struggling writer sees some writing perspectives by giving compelling examples.
Overall, I am rating this book 4 stars out of 4 for this is essential for teachers, teenagers, aspiring writers, and authors to have. With all the emerging books about writing, that all are saying that the best way to write is to write it; but this book is a gem that gives different tips on how and what to write. Read the entire review here…
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“Great characters are conjured from unthinking trances” is one of the many misconceptions that this book debunks. William H. Coles in writing Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide aimed to provide a practical resource for writers in the literary fiction genre that can be used to improve on the key elements such as characterisation, plot, humour and Point of View. The sections in this book are split into book one and book two. Book one focuses on the literary story in fiction while book two teaches how to create a literary fictional story.
This book would be suitable for anyone who wants to learn how to successfully write literary fiction.Read the entire review here…
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I highly recommend this novel to all beginner writers who need an anchor among these troubled waters of writing, therefore I will give it 4 out of 4 stars. ‘Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide’, by William H. Coles is a book that impressed greatly, giving me useful advice that I will definitely take into account when I will finally write my stories, and I am sure it will do the same for many others. It is one of the books that I think should be read by any amateur writer to improve his or her writing style.Read the entire review here…
Review from OnlineBookClub.org
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is a classic handbook to help writers design and develop literary stories. The book intended to give the “know-how” about the fiction writing to novice writers, and for experienced writers a “standard” to review their fiction writing.
I wish to recommend this book to aspiring writers, and those inclined to write stories in the fiction genre. The book is equally useful to experienced authors to polish their work to make sure the quality and standards I think the book fits more with the educational reference cadre. It would be an ideal reference to students of literature and English studies, to have in academic libraries. Read the entire review here…
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What I liked the most about this book is how the author explained the concept of in-scene narration. Not only that, but he included examples to show how it is done. It honestly captured my whole being as an aspiring author. I also liked the whole of chapter 5 in Book Two. Revision. Everything else that has been covered in the entire book, is summarised and simplified here. Wow, what else is there to ask for from Wiliam H. Coles? There was nothing I disliked about reading this book.
It is my pleasure to rate Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. Read the entire review here…
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Many authors today—in the literary fiction world—tend to imitate writing styles of their favorite or popular authors instead of finding out the correct formula that will result in a perfect masterpiece, capable of surviving for many centuries. As a result, there are many badly written fictional books outside there, dangling in the ether, populated with clichés or hackneyed descriptions, or simply extraneous authorial ideas. William H. Coles’ Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a skilfully written guidebook for both novice and experienced literary fiction writers. This book acts as a bridge for authors or aspiring authors who will want to join the league of successful writers.
Overall, Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide earns a sparkling 4 out of 4 stars. This is a recommendable handbook for all writers—whether you are an amateur or an experience/professional writer. If you are an aspiring author, get a wiggle on and grab this book to polish your terrible writing skills. College students, pursuing literary studies or creative writing, should as well read this vital book.
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The fact that William H. Coles provided only relevant information regarding what he spoke about per time was what I liked the most in the book. It was not verbose. This made me agree that it is a guide indeed and not a textbook. I equally appreciated the fact that he tried not to impose any particular writing style on writers, rather he encouraged writers to develop theirs. He also showed variations to the use of a literary element using short one-paragraph stories. This aided my understanding of how the use of an element in a particular way or another can affect a scene.
It seemed professionally edited as I found no error in it despite trying hard to. For this, I give a well-deserved 4 out of 4 stars rating. Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is highly recommended to all literary fiction writers and prospective writers. It is also a sure guide for anyone who seeks to sharpen their writing skills in general.
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This book was a real eye-opener for me as I discovered how little I actually knew about writing fiction. It is a book filled with so much useful information written in an entertaining manner that held my attention even more than a fictional novel. The author used examples throughout the book to explain the various concepts. For example, he used the story of The Little Red Riding Hood to explain the role of character-based stories. This method of teaching was constant throughout the book which made it so much easier to comprehend all the lessons in the book while making it more entertaining. The book is generally easy to read with such flow and cohesion that made it both educative and entertaining. Read the entire review here…
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Coles is analytic and precise in explaining the process of writing. He produces several examples of re-writes (and editing) that work best and provides definitions regarding specialized words that need clarification. He writes the book in a rather technical and slightly academic language that might need a bit more concentration to understand.
I found the book to be highly inventive and direct. The author offers a guide through the challenges of writing literary fiction. It teaches writing with useful examples of the ideas the author provides. Read the entire review here…
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In Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide, the author, William H. Coles does exactly what it says on the cover. He leads his reader through how Literary Fiction differs from other types of fiction and explains what marks it out. These are not fluffy explanations! This is proper English Literature education for the purpose of making you a better literary fiction writer.
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The book is very well written, and the language is pretty clear for readers of all age. The way the author explains every single detail that makes a book a great book is very fascinating for me. Personally, I found it so helpful reading this book as I love writing fictional stories as well and this guide is the perfect thing to read if you want to understand the art of literature better.I rate this book 4/4 for sure and I highly recommend it for enthusiast young authors and readers, and for people who would like to develop their writing skills.
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Coles, who has penned other non-fiction books teaching about literary fiction as well as fictional books and short stories, takes great care in differentiating literary fiction from genre fiction. He walks the reader through each chapter of Books One and Two, delving into, but not limiting information to character development, point-of-view, voice, humor, time and narration. As he does so, Coles stresses the importance of the writer’s imagination and creative skill as the foundation for creating timeless literary fiction.
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The following is a review of the book entitled Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by by William H. Coles. I read the book in a relatively short amount of time because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it. I rate this book a 4 out of 4 . I do not believe that a rating this high is to be lightly given. However, the reason I give it such a high rating is that the book accomplishes what it claims to do in a succinct fashion. Mr. Coles gives much valuable insight that will improve the writing of people who are interested in composing literary story fiction in under 130 pages which in my view makes it an excellent investment worth the highest rating. I have read stories my entire life, but I usually avoid books such as this one because I usually feel like I am being forced into a straight-jacket that if I don’t follow a certain way as exactly defined by an author the story will automatically fail. Mr. Coles does an outstanding job of of not losing the overall goal of a story, but providing much helpful information in how to actually go about writing a literary fiction story. Almost all people who are interested in the construction of a literary fiction story will find this book interesting and useful.
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As a writer, I am always searching for ways to improve my craft so it connects with the reader and leaves a lasting impression. The search for this knowledge can seem daunting because there are so many opinions and thoughts on the best way to connect with a reader of fiction. After reading Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide, I feel a refreshed eagerness to jump right into writing with the information I gleaned from this amazing book. The author William H. Coles was able to reignite a fire in me for fiction, after so many other writing books had failed, that has left me eager to put everything I absorbed into practice with my next novel. I found this book extremely thought-provoking, and it wholly deserves a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
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This book lists the key constituents that set literary fiction apart from other genres. Chapter by chapter, the author breaks down these important components and goes into depth describing each one in detail. I like how the author found ways of giving examples so that the book content would be easily understood. First of all, the new terms introduced in each chapter were listed and defined to clear any doubts before further reading the chapter. Second, I loved how the author takes one particular paragraph or dialogue from a literary piece and changes the structure over and over again to use as an example so that the reader can perceive with more clarity the different styles and characteristics used in literary fiction whilst at same time showing the reader what works and what doesn’t . Third, the use of similes and comparisons simplified the understanding because the reader is able to look at things from a different perspective. Fourth of all, I like how the author included a revision chapter (at the end) in the form of questions to aid the literary fiction writer in assuring they have covered all contents in their finished piece.
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The following is a review of the book entitled Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by by William H. Coles. I read the book in a relatively short amount of time because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it. I rate this book a 4 out of 4 . I do not believe that a rating this high is to be lightly given. However, the reason I give it such a high rating is that the book accomplishes what it claims to do in a succinct fashion. Mr. Coles gives much valuable insight that will improve the writing of people who are interested in composing literary story fiction in under 130 pages which in my view makes it an excellent investment worth the highest rating. I have read stories my entire life, but I usually avoid books such as this one because I usually feel like I am being forced into a straight-jacket that if I don’t follow a certain way as exactly defined by an author the story will automatically fail. Mr. Coles does an outstanding job of of not losing the overall goal of a story, but providing much helpful information in how to actually go about writing a literary fiction story. Almost all people who are interested in the construction of a literary fiction story will find this book interesting and useful.
Read the entire review here…
Review from OnlineBookClub.org
I highly recommend this book as a guide for both new and established fiction writers. A handy and very detailed reference if you are writing literary fiction for the first time. The beginners of fiction writing are provided with the reasons why the literary fictional stories fail and when a fictional story is received as credible. The author urges the fiction writer to introspect and figure out ones motivation for writing literary fiction. A truly great work of fiction is born when ideas are successfully expressed to make an enlightened change in its readers.
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Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a non-fiction book on the do’s and don’ts of writing creative fiction stories. William H. Coles is himself an author of fiction stories and in this book, he talks from his own experience about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to fiction or creative writing. In this book, he discusses in detail the craft and techniques of creating stories. The topics covered in this book include character development in fiction, narration, dialogue, depicting conflict, humor, emotion, writing scenes, the importance of first-person point of view, second-person narration, the pitfalls to watch out for and some reasons why literary stories fail, how to create a literary fiction story, how to make it come to life, essentials, revision, and more. There are also examples provided within the appropriate context that really highlight these techniques and how to use them.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is a book that I am sure any aspiring fiction writer will find handy. It is a fairly short read but provides plenty of tips and techniques for the novice or amateur writer to improve upon and hone their skills. It can also be helpful for anyone who has never written a book before but would like to be an author of literary stories. William writes in a clear, lucid style and although the book should ideally be read in sequence, I feel readers can jump around to certain topics and chapters if they want. This is a handy guide for aspiring writers.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles is a how-to guide for writing fiction. It goes through the various elements needed to get started as well as some tips and advice on things like plot and dialogue. If you are a first-time writer who is struggling or trying to work out your story before writing it, this would be a good book to read first. If you are unfamiliar with things like a plot-driven story, a character-driven story, or how to write effective dialogue, then this would help a writer understand what they need to do. The second half of the book looks at how to create characters and examines some of the terms in more detail. I found the creating conflict section quite useful.
William H. Coles has created an informative book in Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide. It reads like a glossary of terms at times, which would make it ideal for writers who are absolute beginners and are only starting their journey as a writer. I feel it is quite basic, but it did explain key aspects of writing and what is needed from the writer to create a good story. I think it would do quite well on the market, although it would be a limited audience of first-time writers, but it is a good stepping stone for writers who could then go on to research some of the terms in detail later on.
With more people than ever being able to embrace their inner author, learning resources, information, and guidelines are something in high demand for those wishing to hone their craft. There is a lot to understand, from the definitions of keywords to the all-important narrative and plot design. Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles aims to introduce topics from conception to execution.
As an author myself, I always feel the need to be constantly improving, whether that is taking the latest course, or reading a plethora of books on the topic. When I saw William H. Coles’ Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide, I was eager to give it a read. I was surprised to find a holistic approach to writing within such a short book. This book will provide a strong foundation for anyone seeking to emerge onto the writing scene, and also acts as a good reminder to seasoned authors of the basics and important aspects of character, narrative, and writing style. It focuses more on definition, explanation, and foundations of what can and should be used and what to avoid. For instance, the dialogue section covers how and why dialogue is used. It gives points to be considered, as well as providing examples and tips which prove useful for consideration and skill building. The end of chapter summary is a useful tool to condense the material in the chapter into its main points.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Creating Literary Stories. It is suitable more for those needing an understanding of terminology and how things are used. It is a good resource for people new to the field of writing as it cuts through the jargon and offers helpful tips. A person with writing experience under their belt already will find this lays out things they should already have a grasp on; however, refreshing your knowledge never hurts and often leads to the discovery of little gems forgotten or overlooked. This book contains information writers should be aware of, and the easy to digest segments make it easy to pick up, put down, and absorb what is being discussed.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H Coles is a non-fiction writing manual for those who are interested in improving their craft as authors. Whether it is flash fiction, short stories, or any length of novel, Coles outlines the foundational groundwork and then builds up through the process of a tale’s construction in order to assist a writer with the fundamentals of successful story writing, as well as explaining why each component is necessary. Spread over two sections (or books, both within the single volume) and seventeen individual chapters ranging from point of view, scene writing, and time to bringing a story to life and continuous revisions, Coles offers up a wealth of knowledge with insightful and direct instruction.
Creating Literary Stories is wonderful in its succinct composition and, as a prolific author himself, William H Coles delivers from a platform of extensive experience and education on the subject matter. I read more books per year than most might in five, wishing that some might have had even a fraction of the knowledge Coles provides in this guide. My favorite chapter was on dialogue, where the principles of advancing the story while making your characters sound authentic are at the forefront. The technicalities are just as important as the story itself. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has the desire to strengthen their skill set and home in on writing entertaining, memorable literary fiction that stands out in a sea of stories, whether you are new to the craft or have spent a lifetime filling the pages.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H Coles is an informative guide for both beginners and seasoned writers who want to learn more about how to write engaging fiction. It is divided into two sections. The first section examines aspects of fiction writing such as character development, creation of dialogue, selecting the appropriate point of view for your story and other features. In the second section, the book delves into the foundational aspects of writing a literary fiction story that can stand the test of time. Definitions of applicable terms are also included at the beginning as well as examples that explain the points.
The writing in Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H Coles is accessible to a wide range of readers, regardless of their experience. The illustrations it contains help clarify the points raised in the book. Sections are clearly labeled and explained. The work is short but explores many aspects of fiction writing. Most importantly, the ideas suggested can be easily applied by any writer in their work. As I am working on my first novel, I found many insightful guidelines on creating an appealing and captivating story that I can implement in my work. The works of renowned authors are also studied to analyze the features that make their writing stand out. Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H Coles is an enlightening guide for any reader who wants to develop their fiction writing skills.
From award-winning author, William H Coles comes Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide. Ever dreamed of being a fiction writer? Tried your hand at it but just can’t figure out where you are going wrong? Then this guide may be just what you are looking for. This is a no-nonsense, to the point guide that leads you by the hand through the ins and outs of writing a great literary novel. Learn the structure, how to build up your characters, narration, and dialog. Learn how to get your point of view right, how to add drama and action to your story and a bit of humor where necessary. Most of all, learn how to revise, revise and revise again until you get it right.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H Coles is a great guide for anyone thinking of starting out as a fiction writer or who has started but has become stuck. It really is a no-nonsense guide, written in a way that is incredibly easy to read. Where some books about fiction writing seem to ramble, this one doesn’t. It gets right to the heart of the matter, each chapter about a different part of writing, and there are plenty of examples on what you should and shouldn’t do. It is a short guide but you will learn more from this than wading through a book four times its size on the same subject. It doesn’t promise to make you a great fiction writer right off the bat – that’s down to you – but it does give you the grounding you need to take you forward. If you are intending to write fiction, read this guide and then keep it beside you at all times. You will refer back to it more than once.
I decided to read Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide by William H. Coles because I am a writer and I’m always trying to work on and improve my craft. I have four books published, but I always want to improve, I always want to write more, and better. I have taken courses and read books but, to be honest, not recently. I hoped I would get some new ideas and a new perspective from reading William H. Coles’s book. I looked him up and he has a lot of books on writing, as well as a website dedicated to helping writers improve their skills. I had high expectations as I began reading Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide and I am pleased to say, those expectations were met and even exceeded. I don’t know what the practical result will be as I just finished the book. All I can tell you is that I learned a lot and I’m eager to start putting it into practice.
Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a very well-organized book. It’s short so I suggest you read the whole book and not skip around reading only what you think you might need. I think most writers need it all. Especially beginners who might be trying to find their voice. Start at the beginning. The Literary Fictional Story is a great chapter. It defines fiction and literature and the various components that make these concepts powerful and meaningful. I found every chapter relevant to my journey as a writer. Several chapters, like the ones on revision, character in a literary fictional story, and the fundamentals of telling a literary story really spoke to areas of my writing that I especially feel need improvement. William H. Coles’s writing style is easy to understand. You feel as if the teacher is in the room with you.
Creating Literary Stories by William H Coles is a detailed and comprehensive guide and a must for any writer. Unlike many other books on the subject, this guide tackles often overlooked areas such as the development of strong characters and plot in far more detail. You will learn to understand the importance of dialogue that propels the story forward and build characters that readers can relate to on an emotional level. Discover the myths to writing fiction and guidelines to sharpen your skills in structuring characters, plots, narration, and writing memorable and current humor stories plus much more. Learn the various types of conflicts that are essential to any novel, including when and how to include them. Uncover the traps that many writers fall into and techniques that will give your stories that professional edge. Finally, discover your unique writing style that will engage your reader and wow them with your storytelling ability.
As a writer myself, I have read many guides on the art of fiction writing, but I have to say I have never come across a guide as comprehensive as this one. The author has covered every subject on the art of writing plus many areas that I have never seen in other books. I especially thought the section on how effective changing one word in your narrative could be to completely transform the emotions behind the dialogue. The guidelines in section two are invaluable for the planning stage of your novel, the second draft, or when you are simply lost on ways to improve the overall polish of your story. The revision chapter at the end is undoubtedly the most helpful for me, covering the main principles you need to be aware of. I would also recommend any aspiring novelist check out the author’s website for even more helpful articles which will build your creativeness and skills.
Many would-be fiction writers have sat before their computers, staring perplexed at the sea of words before them, utterly stumped at why the words that form the sentences, and the sentences that form the paragraphs, simply don’t work. Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide, by William H. Coles, would undoubtedly have shed some light on their respective dilemmas. Coles goes about demystifying and dissecting the fundamental elements of literary fiction writing in Book One with sections on character, narration, dialogue, conflict, humor, writing in scene, the first person point of view (POV), time, second-person narration and, perhaps the most important element of all, why literary stories fail. While the first section of Creating Literary Stories is about the fundamental elements in literary fiction, Book Two is more about the creation of the actual story. Coles covers the fundamentals of telling a story, the essentials of literary story writing and how a story comes to life and, finally, some thoughts on the all-important revisions.
Coles’ voice is candid and his approach totally relatable, thanks to plenty of writing samples from different perspectives in order to illustrate his points. References to timeless favorites, like Little Red Riding Hood to emphasize the importance of character, as well as to famous Shakespearean soliloquies and classics like Wuthering Heights, show not only an appreciation for a wide range of writing styles but also an awareness as to their unique elements that make them endure over time. The author clearly knows what he’s talking about: “Involving the reader is essential for story success. The reader should not feel like a mere observer, but like a part of things through emotional involvement with the characters and the drama of the story.” Most authors have a facility with language. However, that in itself does not make for the ability to write captivating fiction. Oftentimes, it takes a combination of dexterity with words and applying the fundamental elements so important to fiction writing to create a story writers would be proud to call their own. Coles gives writers those invaluable tools in Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide.
What is literary fiction? And what makes it different from memoirs or genre fiction? Literary fiction is something that will stand the course of time; it will make a bold statement and allow the individual reader to grow in his or her experience merely by reading the story. Basically, literary fiction is a complex work of art, something to be savored, studied and analyzed. So, how does one write literary fiction? It must be assumed that any writer can write a good story, but is it literary fiction? Does it have the potential of becoming literary fiction? There are many elements essential in the creation of a good piece of literary fiction. First of all, characterization is important. “The author who wants to create great stories must characterize well.” The characters give the story focus, meaning, direction and so much more. And that, in the art of literary fiction, is what makes it. In effect, “Meaning and purpose are crucial.”
Author William H. Coles’ Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer’s Guide is a powerful tool to help writers, both beginners and established, to create their great work of literary fiction. Starting with a discussion and comparison of literary fiction versus memoir or genre fiction, the author proceeds to outline the important elements of a good work of literary fiction. Step-by-step, he leads the reader through the complexities of characterization, narration, dialogue, conflict, point of view and so much more. Using examples from classic literature, each important element is explained and compared to help the reader comprehend the complexities of the story’s structure. This is a must-have guide for all writers. Well written and laid out, this is an interesting read.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite