Review of Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide

[Elon Gathungu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide" by William H. Coles.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide by William H. Coles is a writer’s guide to constructing good creative fiction stories. The author, William H. Coles, is a renowned author with numerous published works. The book has two sections containing multiple topics. The first section covers the technical concepts in literary fiction writing like plot, characterization, and humor. The second section includes the author’s interpretation and application of writing technic such as using emotions in creative stories.

For me, the most exciting factor in Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide by William H. Coles is gaining the insight of an award-winning author. William H. Coles' expertise shows through his informative interpretation of the writing process and concepts. His experience as a writer shines through in this book. The ideas in the book are well explained and demonstrated. The author applies each concept in examples from classical stories and books excerpts. For example, the author uses Little Red Riding Hood to explain character-based plots. He gives different possible variations of the story to show the use of characterizations in driving and developing the plot of a creative story. The examples simplify complex ideas.

The tone in the book is quite interesting and peculiar. I have read many non-fiction books, but very few give the impression of being in a lecture. The author explains his ideas using a conversational tone; it is like he is giving a lecture. The tone works for this book because it keeps the reader engaged and allows the author to highlight important points. Another helpful aspect is the book’s outline and arrangement. The separation of the content into two parts allows the reader to internalize the technicalities before analyzing the author’s ideas on their application. Also, the separation of topics creates fluidity in the plot and ideas. It is interesting to see an author apply the concepts he is writing about in the book.

I liked reading Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide by William H. Coles. The content is well-thought-out and educative. The author manages to make relatively boring content captivating and engaging. I could also see aspects of the ideas he is teaching in the book. I do not dislike anything about the book because it is well-edited and informative. I rate Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide by William H. Coles a perfect four out of four stars.

I recommend the book to both writers and readers of literary fiction stories. Fiction writers would be the greatest beneficiaries of the book because it explains and demonstrates exceptional writing techniques. Readers would gain helpful insight into aspects that make a fiction story phenomenal. Some of the excerpts used in the book contain sexual content and vulgar words, therefore, the book is best suited for adult writers and readers.

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Creating Literary Stories: A Fiction Writer's Guide
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