TWP Craft Book: Many Genres, One Craft
I chose Many Genres, One Craft (Arnzen and Miller) as the book on craft that I would read for my Term Writing Project (TWP). Although I read a few articles for my Readings in the Genre class, there was much left for me to discover in the TWP. The fact that many of the contributors were people that I know personally or even went to school with during my initial SHU stint made it an even more interesting. However, I found several areas of particular use.
Layout and Design
At the risk of sounding cliché, this was a very user-friendly book. Because the articles are impeccably organized by overarching topics, it is very easy to find articles relating to issues of interest. Conversely, this organization helps to also inform the reader of articles that may have less relevance to them (even though I found something useful in nearly every article). This may seem a trivial point, but most aspiring writers are already overwhelmed. They are balancing full-time jobs, families, responsibilities, AND trying to dedicate X amount of hours every day to learning and practicing their craft. One of my constant complaints about most craft books is that they are often written in a narrative style and the information is nearly impossible to find unless the entire book is read. Who has time to do that kind of searching? In this book, not only is the information easily accessible, but the articles themselves are succinct and to-the-point. I don’t think any individual article took longer than 20 minutes to read and analyze.
Breadth
Another positive aspect of this book is the variety, not only in the topics broached, but also in perspectives and experience of the writers. I found that many of the articles outside of my own genre were easily adaptable to my writing. For example, Crystal B. Bright’s essay, “Write from the Heart,” which is located in the Romance section (which is the section I would be least likely to read) has encouraged me to continue working on a project of my own that has received a resounding “no.” Although I have changed stories for the TWP, I am still working on the original story on my own because it is a project I strongly believe in, and it is ultimately the story “of my heart.”
I also liked the variety of voices in the book. I think it was a fabulous idea to include both well-established authors and those who are newer to the craft. I think when reading craft books, new authors often feel intimidated when they are reading advice from someone who has been publishing for years. Having the more established authors gives the book the ethos of experience, but having newer, fresher perspectives from people who have just recently been through the same struggles gives the book a pathos that most craft books do not have.
Personal Favorites
While I honestly feel that every part of this book is useful to any writer, I have to admit that I have my own favorite sections. Because I went through the Writing Popular Fiction program when it was still an M.A., and I am now a returning student, much of the section of “Craft” was review to me. Don’t get me wrong, some writers had some terrific, original views on the topics, but most of the topics were areas I have read about and studied for years. Although I am sure I will refer back to various craft sections or some of the writings about specific genres, I think the two sections I enjoyed the most were the “Genre and Originality” section and the sections on “Working” and “Promoting.”
The sections on “Working” and “Promotion” were very practically useful to me. I was able to glean many ideas from them. Lee McClain’s article on time management, and her advice to “give yourself permission to write that shitty first draft” (300) and the concept of the “unschedule” (299) were great ideas that resonated with me. Shelley Bates’s weekly and monthly timelines were wonderful guides as well (306). And Rebecca Baker’s article on promoting provides a wonderful approach to kick-starting your own promotional scheme (328 – 333).
I also found the section on “Genre and Originality” to be particularly useful to me because my PhD research is dealing with the social function of genre fiction. Michael Arnzen’s article “Genre Unleashed” was of particular interest to me, as it touched on several of the topics I plan to research. I also found Tess Gerritsen’s article “Readers Resent Change” to be interesting as I consider the question of what need is being fulfilled by genre.
How Will I Use This?
I think this will be a book I return to again and again. Because of its user-friendly format, I can see myself reaching for it as a reference before I reach for some of those other narrative-style craft books, especially when I am trying something new in my writing or if I just need a little validation with what I’m already doing. I also think I will be able to use it to a great extent in my dissertation research, which is a bonus.
Layout and Design
At the risk of sounding cliché, this was a very user-friendly book. Because the articles are impeccably organized by overarching topics, it is very easy to find articles relating to issues of interest. Conversely, this organization helps to also inform the reader of articles that may have less relevance to them (even though I found something useful in nearly every article). This may seem a trivial point, but most aspiring writers are already overwhelmed. They are balancing full-time jobs, families, responsibilities, AND trying to dedicate X amount of hours every day to learning and practicing their craft. One of my constant complaints about most craft books is that they are often written in a narrative style and the information is nearly impossible to find unless the entire book is read. Who has time to do that kind of searching? In this book, not only is the information easily accessible, but the articles themselves are succinct and to-the-point. I don’t think any individual article took longer than 20 minutes to read and analyze.
Breadth
Another positive aspect of this book is the variety, not only in the topics broached, but also in perspectives and experience of the writers. I found that many of the articles outside of my own genre were easily adaptable to my writing. For example, Crystal B. Bright’s essay, “Write from the Heart,” which is located in the Romance section (which is the section I would be least likely to read) has encouraged me to continue working on a project of my own that has received a resounding “no.” Although I have changed stories for the TWP, I am still working on the original story on my own because it is a project I strongly believe in, and it is ultimately the story “of my heart.”
I also liked the variety of voices in the book. I think it was a fabulous idea to include both well-established authors and those who are newer to the craft. I think when reading craft books, new authors often feel intimidated when they are reading advice from someone who has been publishing for years. Having the more established authors gives the book the ethos of experience, but having newer, fresher perspectives from people who have just recently been through the same struggles gives the book a pathos that most craft books do not have.
Personal Favorites
While I honestly feel that every part of this book is useful to any writer, I have to admit that I have my own favorite sections. Because I went through the Writing Popular Fiction program when it was still an M.A., and I am now a returning student, much of the section of “Craft” was review to me. Don’t get me wrong, some writers had some terrific, original views on the topics, but most of the topics were areas I have read about and studied for years. Although I am sure I will refer back to various craft sections or some of the writings about specific genres, I think the two sections I enjoyed the most were the “Genre and Originality” section and the sections on “Working” and “Promoting.”
The sections on “Working” and “Promotion” were very practically useful to me. I was able to glean many ideas from them. Lee McClain’s article on time management, and her advice to “give yourself permission to write that shitty first draft” (300) and the concept of the “unschedule” (299) were great ideas that resonated with me. Shelley Bates’s weekly and monthly timelines were wonderful guides as well (306). And Rebecca Baker’s article on promoting provides a wonderful approach to kick-starting your own promotional scheme (328 – 333).
I also found the section on “Genre and Originality” to be particularly useful to me because my PhD research is dealing with the social function of genre fiction. Michael Arnzen’s article “Genre Unleashed” was of particular interest to me, as it touched on several of the topics I plan to research. I also found Tess Gerritsen’s article “Readers Resent Change” to be interesting as I consider the question of what need is being fulfilled by genre.
How Will I Use This?
I think this will be a book I return to again and again. Because of its user-friendly format, I can see myself reaching for it as a reference before I reach for some of those other narrative-style craft books, especially when I am trying something new in my writing or if I just need a little validation with what I’m already doing. I also think I will be able to use it to a great extent in my dissertation research, which is a bonus.
So glad you found MANY GENRES useful! Even reading these articles as many times as I did during the editing process, I always found something new.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, Thanks... I really think it will come in handy in my dissertation research, as well as my own writing.
ReplyDelete