More from my Book Review Archives
Posted on July 27th, 2009
My review of this book appeared originally in another publication and is reprinted here:
About Writing: 7 Essays, 4 Letters, & Five Interviews
Samuel R. Delany
ISBN: 0-8195-6716-7 / $24.95
Trade Paper / 432 pages / 6 x 9
Wesleyan University Press
Publication date: January 4, 2006
If you are, like me, a writer—or if you are, also like me, involved in the teaching of writing—you regularly find yourself reading books about writing because you are intent upon finding the perfect writer’s instructional resource. Well, Samuel R. Delany’s About Writing may, in fact, be that resource.
Seven essays focus upon the different aspects of what Delany calls “the mechanics of fiction”; correspondence and interviews contain “advice on the art of fiction as well as [Delany’s] views on the state of contemporary fiction. [. . . ] The result is a revelation on the art of fiction: how it is created, how the writer’s image influences the perception of the art, and how that art fits in today’s world.” Finally, About Writing contains thirteen appendixes; each is an exquisite “mini-workshop” with topics such as “Grammar and Parts of Speech,” “Dramatic Structure,” “Point of View,” and more.
To some readers, Delany—the novelist—is linked to science fiction (he has won Hugo and Nebula awards), and to other readers, Delany is recognized as an innovative artist whose work has earned him the William Whitehead Memorial Award for a lifetime’s contribution to gay and lesbian literature. However, as many students from Temple University and hundreds of writers’ workshops already know, Delany is an inspiring and meticulous teacher who has taught creative writing for over 35 years. Now, because of this highly recommended collection, all writers—and teachers of writing—can enjoy and learn from Delany’s indispensable guidance.
Tags: 35 Years, Appendixes, Book Review Archives, Contemporary Fiction, Creative Writing, Dramatic Structure, Grammar, Instructional Resource, January 4, Lesbian Literature, Mini Workshop, Nebula Awards, Novelist, Parts Of Speech, Reading Books, Samuel R Delany, Temple University, Wesleyan University Press, William Whitehead, Writers Workshops
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