Description (Elements of Fiction Writing)

I have learned more from the first thirty pages of this book than from a dozen other books on writing, combined. Tremendous advice, lots of great examples, all specific and illustrative, all giving such precise and precious ideas that my head is exploding with possibilities for my novels that need editing. If you want to become a better writer, get a copy of this book and study it with a highlighter. Then return to your draft and go through it page by page, scene by scene, applying the ideas from this book. You will see so many areas where you have to make changes, and your draft will sparkle after you're done (I'm chafing at the bit but stopping myself, because I want to be done with this instructional masterpiece first). This book concentrates on the meso-level of writing and editing but it also touches upon macro-level issues such as plot and character, and the micro-level techniques and details such word choice.I will keep reading it and updating this review as I read. But even if there's nothing useful after the first thirty pages (impossible, right?), I will still recommend this book highly to all writers, especially newbies like me.Update: I'm almost done with it. By far the best book on writing vivid, descriptive prose you can find. It's also a great manual for editing your prose to make it punchy and memorable. Lots of great examples and concrete advice. A must for any writer whose last name isn't Joyce or Eugenides.

A man building his own coffin is," this is one of the examples of wisdom in Monica Wood's book. Much of this material is common sense, if you think about it, but Wood puts it into words that help us think through our own thoughts. She asks us to focus our descriptive style through character, and relate how the scenes and settings impact the characters or are how they are interpreted by the characters. Make the metaphors and adjectives character inspired, not author inspired.She organizes her book around chapters that deal w/ Description in relation to Dialogue, Forward Motion, Point of View, ect, so this would be a handy resource to pull off the shelf if you are stuck in any given scene, and you want advice for better ways to convey the characters and to move the plot. She gives examples of good description and bad description, and if you're like me, you'll cringe reading the bad examples because they look so familair in my own writing. The only reason I don't give it five stars is I would have liked to have seen more descriptive examples from different genres, instead of incessant "modern-era Great American novel" type of prose. Some addenums on science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, historical fiction, would have helped.

**Summary: Description is a great book for the aspiring author who has already studied Stein on Writing or Self-Editing for Fiction WritersI've read many books on writing novels, books that pound in messages like show-don't-tell and avoid flashbacks like the plague. Stein on Writing and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers were great books for me when I was writing my first manuscript - and I still refer to them regularly - but now I want to advance my writing further.Description is great for that. Instead of saying "Show-don't-tell," description teaches methods for creating a balance between showing and telling. While Wood doesn't recommend using flashbacks, like most other books, she provides tools to make flashbacks more seamless. I like her balanced approach, and I consider this a great book for the slightly more advanced author.I only gave this book four stars because I didn't think that the examples she used were the epitome of great writing, but her examples always got her point across.

Product arrived as described, unmarked, binding is tight, condition is like new, I’m very pleased with the purchase.

Monica Wood explains the pitfalls with great examples of Do & Don't. She does not provide a list of forbidden things, but rather explains how to use so many features in a positive way. This has been the most useful of several such books I have bought.I recommend it as a great guide for any writer.

When it comes to reference books, I always keep a folder of notes for each title so I can revisit learning points and give reviews unclouded by weakening memories of the content. Because of this habit, I am able to tell the quantity and quality of the information I have gained from each book. Here is what I found:PROS:- insightful!- explains "show, don't tell" very effectively- teaches readers to find a balance between rules under "do" and "don't", for example she advises to do both narrative and expositionCONS:- the quality of information progressively worsens towards the end of the book- author often repeats herself; I find no problem with it if some insight is gained but there are moments when they are mere repetitionsIf I were to summarise, the authors covers "show, don't tell", the "Scene and Narrative (much like Sequel)", viewpoints, description in dialogue, flash forwards/flashbacks, description in context, simile/metaphors, and the use of the five senses. Unfortunately though, I would rather recommend you another book, "How to Fix Your Novel" by Steve Alcorn. He covers all the topics above more briefly but just as effectively, if not more. Best of all, Steve covers novel aspects beyond description and does not repeat himself needlessly.

I've read several of the writer's digest books and this was one of the better written ones. I use a highlighter to underline useful points and in Description I found at least 30 ideas/suggestions for future consideration. Some of the material I have seen elsewhere but that's to be expected. I found her style to be very readable, sometimes funny, informative, and easy to comprehend. If you're interested in writing novels or short stories, I would recommend you make this book part of your library.

There are a metric ton of books out there about the craft of writing that cover the fundamentals; story structure, plotting, the process from outlining to finished novel... they're great, but sometimes you need help with the smaller-picture (but no less important) aspects of creating great stories. Description is one of those aspects. It's often (wrongly) assumed that writing description well is something writers just pick up by osmosis while they're learning all those aforementioned fundamentals, which is why books like this one are so valuable to any writer who wants to take their fiction to a higher level. This book is packed with strong, clearly-explained advice that is of real use to beginner and experienced writer's. Very glad I bought it, and I'll probably be referring to it a lot in the future.

Like being back in school in the 1950's. I wish I'd listened then. I wouldn't have needed this book so much.

Very useful

It has given me a really good idea how I can improve and work on my descriptions. A book I will certainly go back to a lot of times for refreshing and inspiration.

One of the best books i have ever read, introducing the subject of...you've guessed it...DESCRIPTION. Whether this is new to you, or used to improve your writing skills, it will not fail to please you. Here you'll explore how to use setting as the basis for creating dramatic, engaging stories.You'll learn about:- Detail- Plot- Style- Point of View- Word selectionWood teaches by example, in a clear and concise manner. Developing stories with characters in various situations will never be so difficult again!Buy it for yourself and you will soon see an improvement in your writing. Also, there is a brilliant list of descriptive alternatives to common VERBS and NOUNS.