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deckardcanineMore than five years ago, I said it would be a while before I read another Ursula K. Le Guin book. Not only has that prediction proven correct, but the next book was both short and nonfiction. The author's name had no real bearing on my desire to check it out. I just trust anyone widely published to have a few good tips for those who aren't.
Having nothing to do with the Sea of Stories, it pretty much restricts the nautical metaphors to sample sentences at the start of each chapter. Other samples, some taking several pages, are from other writers' narratives. Le Guin does not shy away from admittedly personal opinions of how good or bad they are. For my part, I tended to find the longer ones I hadn't read before pretty boring; perhaps a complete context would have remedied that.
While Le Guin says that her advice is not for complete novices, a huge chunk of it is nothing new to me. She spends a while on grammar and punctuation, for instance. Apparently, either I got an unusually good education on the matter, or standards have plummeted since my school days. It's worth noting that Le Guin saw fit to rewrite her book from the beginning after maybe 17 years, no doubt for an audience more immersed in the Web than in 1998.
Still, I can appreciate the review sections to a point, if only thanks to Le Guin's spunky delivery. (Why can't more of her fiction read like this?) In a couple areas, she flies in the face of many stodgier sources, making a case for considering their rules obsolete. She also enlightens me to a number of historical details, as well as the existence of six common POVs (tho she gets sloppy about counting them). Very little of the information concerns sci-fi or fantasy in particular.
The book includes ten exercises, some of them subdivided. I did not do any of them myself, at least in writing, partly because they're designed to be done in a group and I'm not in any workshop or book club. I don't doubt they're enriching and potentially fun, but they require more effort than I felt like making when I sat down to read.
StC was not made for me -- certainly not at my present stage in life -- but it has my respect. I hope it helps along someone who's more of an aspiring author than I am. I'll continue to examine writing advice in the off chance that I earnestly take it eventually.
Now I've picked up Eldest, the immediate sequel to Eragon. What can I say? I have dragons on the brain lately.
Having nothing to do with the Sea of Stories, it pretty much restricts the nautical metaphors to sample sentences at the start of each chapter. Other samples, some taking several pages, are from other writers' narratives. Le Guin does not shy away from admittedly personal opinions of how good or bad they are. For my part, I tended to find the longer ones I hadn't read before pretty boring; perhaps a complete context would have remedied that.
While Le Guin says that her advice is not for complete novices, a huge chunk of it is nothing new to me. She spends a while on grammar and punctuation, for instance. Apparently, either I got an unusually good education on the matter, or standards have plummeted since my school days. It's worth noting that Le Guin saw fit to rewrite her book from the beginning after maybe 17 years, no doubt for an audience more immersed in the Web than in 1998.
Still, I can appreciate the review sections to a point, if only thanks to Le Guin's spunky delivery. (Why can't more of her fiction read like this?) In a couple areas, she flies in the face of many stodgier sources, making a case for considering their rules obsolete. She also enlightens me to a number of historical details, as well as the existence of six common POVs (tho she gets sloppy about counting them). Very little of the information concerns sci-fi or fantasy in particular.
The book includes ten exercises, some of them subdivided. I did not do any of them myself, at least in writing, partly because they're designed to be done in a group and I'm not in any workshop or book club. I don't doubt they're enriching and potentially fun, but they require more effort than I felt like making when I sat down to read.
StC was not made for me -- certainly not at my present stage in life -- but it has my respect. I hope it helps along someone who's more of an aspiring author than I am. I'll continue to examine writing advice in the off chance that I earnestly take it eventually.
Now I've picked up Eldest, the immediate sequel to Eragon. What can I say? I have dragons on the brain lately.