What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers - Anne Bernays

\nWhat If? is the first handbook for writers based on the idea that specific exercises are one of the most useful and provocative methods for mastering the art of writing fiction. With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. What If? will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion, a book that gracefully borrows a whisper from the muse. \nCan writing truly be taught? Can people train themselves to -write like a writer, ' or, more importantly, -think like a writer'? These frequently asked questions are the subject of this collection of exercises designed to teach the basic craft of writing fiction. aEach of the nearly 75 exercises in What If? teaches a skill or concept that will help students with the technical fundamentals of writing fiction. The award-winning authors (including a 1989 New York Times Notable Book of the Year for Professor Bernays' Romeo) deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; creating and naming vivid characters; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. \nCan writing truly be taught? Can people train themselves to -write like a writer, ' or, more importantly, -think like a writer'? These frequently asked questions are the subject of this collection of exercises designed to teach the basic craft of writing fiction. aEach of the nearly 75 exercises in What If? teaches a skill or concept that will help students with the technical fundamentals of writing fiction. The award-winning authors (including a 1989 New York Times Notable Book of the Year for Professor Bernays' Romeo) deal with such topics as discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; creating and naming vivid characters; transforming real events into fiction; and finding language tha