THE ICE PICK

Science Fiction Writer’s Workshop I: an Introduction to Fiction Mechanics, by Barry Longyear. Philadelphia: Owlswick Press, 1980. 161 pages. ISBN 0-913896-18-7. $9.50.

If you’re a beginning writer and you are serious about wanting to be published, you definitely should read this book.

"Most ‘How To’ books on writing fail the beginning writer in one or more of the following areas: not being able to relate to the beginning writer’s situation; not being able to make the necessary knowledge understandable; and, last, not providing the direction necessary to develop writing skills to a professional level." But Longyear understands the difficulties and fears of beginners; and he writes simply and clearly, giving explicit instructions and many illustrations.

This is a workbook, not a book to be skimmed through. Nor will it do you any good to buy it and leave it on your shelf. If you are to learn anything useful from it, you must read it carefully, think about the material, argue with the author if you wish, do the exercises he provides, and then practice what you have learned in your own writing.

Beginning with a discussion about how to set up your story, Longyear takes you through how to start writing it, how to explain to the reader what has happened before your story began, how to choose a title, how to build tension, and how to end.

He explains what "point of view" is, how to choose one, and how to use it in your story.

The chapter on characterization explains how to create characters and how to show what your characters are like through physical description, action, and dialogue.

Longyear also includes a chapter on the "fatal flaws" that make stories unsalable.

The book is loaded with entertaining examples of what to do and what not to do. And Longyear has included one whole chapter about how he started, wrote, and rewrote his classic story, "Enemy Mine."

The last chapter tells you how to submit your book or short story to an editor and includes the details on how to type and mail your manuscript, whether or not to send a cover letter and what to include in one.

Longyear gives a list of useful reference books and a glossary of terms you should know, like "backfill" and "vignette." Although there is no index, the table of contents is very extensive.

If you want to be more than a "wannabe writer" and if you are willing to learn, you should read and study this truly excellent book. I recommend it highly.

{Published in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Sept. 2001.}