Ron Carlson Writes a Story by Ron Carlson (4-Oct-2007) Paperback

by Ron Carlson

Excellent Book

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, School, Crafts, College, Short Stories, Reference

Paperback

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

Ron Carlson is an American novelist and writer of short stories.

Carlson was born in Logan, Utah, but grew up in Salt Lake City. He earned a masters degree in English from the University of Utah. He then taught at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut where he started his first novel.

He became a professor of English at Arizona State University in 1985, teaching creative writing to undergraduates and graduates, and ultimately becoming director of its Creative Writing Program.

Carlson also taught at the University of California, Irvine.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Carlson

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly unique book on writing. In an attempt to be as real as possible about the process, Ron chronicles his thoughts while writing a short story. Ultimately the advice boils down to: force yourself to keep writing, and write to survive the story. Put yourself in the situation, he says, and make sentences that push the plot forward. Then see what happens.

The book benefits from being a slim 100 pages and always to the point. It is diminished by the fact that his completed story “The Governor’s Ball” is not very good.

[Ben Loory · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably the best book i've ever read about writing. not just inspiring (which many are), or witty and well-written (which a few are), but helpful-- mainly because it's a book about process (the unfolding) and not craft (niggling with words). by far, for me, the most helpful bit was when he talks about description as a way of creating "inventory," which is to say, description is not a method of saying things about characters, but a way of creating real stuff in the story world that you can then use to keep moving the story forward. it's a completely nuts and bolts approach, very physical world, no abstractions. really loved it.

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ron Carlson has written a 100 page dissection of his own short story, The Governor’s Ball. I’m an intermediate writer, a fan of Carlson’s, and have worshopped that very story with virtual writing peers. So, this book was definitely a must read, for me.

But Carlson does much more than dissect his story. He touches on a few topics, such as setting, dialogue, the outer vs. the inner story, and other goodies along the way, but the gist of this essay is on the process of writing. Or more specifically, the process he used to write the first draft of his story, The Governor's Ball.

Here’s a little snippet on how he sees the writing process: ‘I’ve become convinced that a writer’s confidence in his/her process is as important as any accumulated craft dexterity or writing “skill”.’ -- Interesting. And I can relate in the “lack” of confidence in my own process. I’ve known long ago that writing in snippets, rereading and massaging after every paragraph, slowly inching my way through a story, was a terrible way to proceed. (In fact, in writing this measly review I’ve quit to have 2 smokes, 2 glasses of juice, answered the phone twice, Googled information for a friend, played the guitar, and replied to an email. Help!)

Stay away from excuses to leave the room, is what he says. Don’t get up for that second cup of coffee, or for a peek outside for a glimpse of what the real world is up to. Don’t reach for a dictionary or the internet or any other excuse to stop writing your first draft. Leaving the room, literally or metaphorically speaking, is really an excuse to stop writing, because writing is oh so tough. With The Governor’s Ball as example, he shows us how he plunges into the dark and lets the story unfold, seemingly by itself. ‘All the valuable writing I’ve done in the last ten years has been done in the first twenty minutes after the first time I’ve wanted to leave the room.’

‘This little book is intended to be a companion for beginning writers’, but his words of advice on writing the first draft have resonated with me, and for that reason alone he deserves 5 stars.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading a short book by my colleague, fiction writer Ron Carlson. The book is called Ron Carlson Writes a Story, and it’s directed at aspiring fiction writers. Since I don’t write fiction, maybe I should be reading one of Ron’s novels instead. But I press on anyway. I am compelled by the sample story that Ron delivers in crisp, salty little chunks, like so many goldfish crackers on the path through the dark woods of procrastination. But I am also drawn in by the lessons Ron draws out of the writing process: tips and truisms, warnings and reminders, all of it frank and funny and right, because each one is tied to the wagging tale of the story he’s telling.

Ron’s emphasis is on process, not craft, and hence on intuition and accident more than control. Writing is discovery; you need to listen to your characters, not tell them what to do. Writing dialogue, Ron tells us, is “like playing tennis against a real partner. It’s not like playing tennis against a wall.“ Craft alone would be mastering the wall; but process means creating characters who feint and parry, keeping the writer on her toes.

A lot of the book isn’t about fiction writing at all. It’s about time management. In a sharp little chapter called “Coffee,” Carlson writes, “No one among us suffers the radical appreciation for coffee that I do. It calls to me, but I have learned not to listen.” Coffee takes you out of your seat; it breaks concentration; it persuades you that “you might be smarter in the next room.” And every coffee machine has a vacuum cleaner as its neighbor. Or an email account. Or a Face Book page.

The writer, says Carlson, “is the person who stays in the room.”
And who is not in the room writing? you ask.
“Everybody.”
Is it difficult to stay in the room?
“Yes. It’s impossible.”
Who can do it?
“The writer.”

Carlson calls the things that build a world and make a character inventory (“Everything is inventory; everything is evidence”). Things keep the fiction writer firmly in the physical world. Put otherwise, things help the writer avoid adjectives. Say it with marigolds, or ear wax, or a big red plastic hair clip. And there’s help here for the design writer, whose job is to tell stories with the stuff we inherit, disown, use up, wear out, throw away, or store high up on the shelf. Coffee pots and toaster ovens may keep us from staying in the room — but they can also become magnets that will keep us put, at least until the water boils or the baby cries.

This is a quick, fun, and enlightening read, for anyone who likes to write, or to read about writing. Great with a cup of Joe.

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the roundness of Ron Carlson's language and the slightly askew vantage point from which he writes, so I trust him to talk about craft (never my favorite topic) engagingly and with warmth. On that front, this slim little book doesn't disappoint. Carlson takes us through a draft of his story "The Governor's Ball" from start to finish, emphasizing instinct (almost, but not quite, to the point of fetishizing it) and realism. More postmodern writers might be skeptical of such defaults, but for the most part I enjoyed going back to the basics. It wouldn't hurt for me to apply some of his advice--be patient and process-oriented, get lost in the woods, stay in the room when you want to leave--to my life, not just my writing.

Carlson admits he would like to follow every paragraph with a trip to the kitchen for coffee, and I greatly appreciate that glimpse into his humanity--the agonizing squirmy-ness of writing, no matter how much you love it and are a writer. But there's almost no talk of revision here, which feels like a denial of the thing that makes regular humans capable of producing great art. So the book is a little simplistic, but still an inspiring companion.

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short book that basically illuminates the process of Ron Carlson writing a short story called the Governor's Ball.

This book helped me understand what he thinks as he writes, which was very informative in comparing it to my own process. For Ron Carlson writing is basically a non-stop war against the temptation to stop writing. He is a discovery writer (which means he writes without an outline or knowing where the story will go beforehand). With each sentence he basically uses a lot of concrete nouns, descriptions etc. and takes what he just wrote as a building block toward the next sentence and paragraph. Everyone is writing blind to a certain extent on the first draft, but for myself it isn't quite this blind (most the time).

Carlson makes several generalizations about genre fiction (he is a literary writer) that I disagree with, naming calling such works plot-driven with false characters that don't really have depth and a personal agenda. I could see the stereotypes that he was drawing from, but I have read too much excellent genre fiction to buy into the generalizations he makes.

It was comforting to read this book and realize that even a more experienced writer than myself feels a lot of the confusion, self-doubt, temptation to give up for the day etc. that often distracts me from the story and the work.

Interestingly, as he basically walks you through his thinking-as-he-writes process I disagreed with some of the writing decisions he made, but at the end when reading the complete story as a whole it came out better then the sum of those parts then when I read the snippets throughout the book (he tells you what he is thinking as he writes sentences and paragraphs in the story).

One advantage of discovery writing this way that is reflected in a way that outline/architect writers have more difficulty conveying is the spontaneity of the human experience. The narrator of the story is taking a mattress to the dump and ends up having a kind of cool moment with these homeless people at the end of the story. Carlson was essentially feeling his way around in the dark and stumbled into a cool moment, where as for me as more of an architect/outlining writer I have an idea or imagine a moment that strikes me as interesting or could be emotionally compelling or cool in some say and then start wondering what would bring a person there and what kind of person would experience this in a really powerful or interesting way. At least that's how my current story is going.

The difference is in retrospect your life (or the character's) seems to be leading to these things but as you live them you are just sort of stumbling about doing the best you can. That's how I see it anyway. Well, its time to finish the review, get off the internet, and work on my novel. Carlson certainly had that part right.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no shortage of how-to-write-fiction books. I know this because I've bought just about all of them. With few exceptions, these books are tremendously disappointing. They promise big, but deliver little.

The biggest problem with how-to-write-fiction books is that almost all of them focus on story structure. In case you haven't heard, stories must have a beginning, a middle, and...wait for it...an end. This little "no duh" bon mot can be found in just about every writing instruction book.

The problem with structure instruction is that, while it is dandy for writing outlines, it is usually not helpful for writing fiction. Everything that I've ever written comes across flat and uninteresting--and, ultimately, unfinished.

I think that these writing instruction books focus on structure because it is easy to write about structure. I could go on for pages about how Act I must conclude with an inciting incident or how Act III must must resolve the conflict that came to a critical head at the end of Act II. But I would struggle to tell you how to write a compelling scene.

Ron Carlson's book is different. The book is a play-by-play of how he wrote one of his published stories, "Governor's Ball".

Mr. Carlson eschewes the standard outline-structured format. Instead, his process is to start with the germ of an idea, discuss concrete physical details, and let the story grow out of itself. The end result is much more surprising and honest than something cobbled toegther from an erector set of an outline.

Mr. Carlson's book made me want to pick up my pen and try writing again.

[Chris Orcutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of a dozen indispensable writing books I own, and when I first read it, it was as if a blindfold had been removed and I was viewing the process of writing clearly for the first time. Solid, pithy pieces of advice like "Elsewhere *is* your destination" truly clarify the writer's role in the process. You have to be willing to let the story go where it wants to go. The way I put it is, "The story knows what it wants to do."

If you're a burgeoning fiction writer, you *have to* read this book. It's so clean, clear, and elegant in its simplicity that it ordinarily would be easy to dismiss as "just another book about writing." Not so. Get this book, read it, and read it, and read it again until Ron Carlson's message sinks in.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that follows Ron Carlson through the process of writing a first draft of a short story. Good ideas for "staying in the room" and for focusing on the details of the "outer story" until the inner story reveals itself.

I would definitely recommend to fiction writers, especially if you're in a bit of a slump.

[Caroline Bock · Rating 4 out of 5]

RON CARLSON WRITES A STORY: From The First Glimmer of An Idea to the Final Sentence - dives into the creative process of writing with a special focus on character development, which he believes, as I do, is at the heart of good writing. This contemplative book on writing is for the literary versus the more plot driven, often, (but not always), genre writer. The very short and wonderful book should be added to any writer or would be writer's bookshelf. Several succinct writing workouts are included as well as one of his stories, which forms the building blocks of this extended essay on writing.

And of course, look for my new novel: BEFORE MY EYES - coming out in February, 2014 from St. Martin's Press. There's a goodreads giveaway for an advanced reader's copy going on now. Best, Caroline

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, readable, congenial. Some tidbits of worthwhile practical advice, especially on the risks of getting up from one's desk while writing. And it's always fascinating to hear how a writer has put a story together. Here Carlson tells us just what went into the making his story "The Governor's Ball," although clearly he's compressed and conflated that backstory somewhat. For me, frankly, the Carlson technique isn't the way to go--taking a draft from start to finish in one go merely results in shallow work for this author.

[Joy Pixley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read many generic "how to write" craft books at this point, but this one adds something different. It focuses on short stories, which is uncommon, although in the end he doesn't give much insight into how writing short stories is different from writing novels (other than taking less time). Another difference is that rather than structure the advice by, say, type of story element or approach, it is given piecemeal, as the author walking the reader through his own process for writing one specific short story, sentence by sentence. This gives an interesting insight into this author's process, or at least, what he imagines his process was back when he wrote the story.

Like many writers of craft books, Ron Carlson describes his own personal method for writing as the one and only correct way of writing, and disparages any other approach. Carlson is a discovery writer, or a "pantser" as opposed to a "plotter." He actively discourages you from thinking about where the story is going or how it will end, or from having any "narrative goal." Instead you should write each sentence, examine what brilliant new direction you have creatively (if perhaps accidentally) introduced in that sentence, and then push yourself to follow through with the next brilliant sentence. In his example, he writes his story in one day, sentence by sentence, and then it's done: perfect. (He includes the complete story at the end of the book and frankly, it reads exactly as though the writer had no narrative goal and wrote about some interesting characters for a while and then just stopped; and no, I don't mean that in a good way. This may not be the best advertisement for his approach.)

If this is really how he wrote the story, I don't find it inspiring, but terrifying and discouraging. Some people are good at improv and some are good at careful speech writing, and the two need not be the same to both produce good results. I'm awful at improv. I freeze up. Whenever I've tried to write the way Carlson suggests, I end up staring at a blank page until I am convinced that I suck as a writer and should give it up. However, give me the freedom to plan ahead, and to free-write and then revise the whole batch multiple times, and I can produce beauty and brilliance (well, sometimes, eventually). As such, I am incredibly relieved that I did not read Carlson's book when I was a young, impressionable writer, before I realized that there are other, perfectly valid ways to write.

That said, this book gave me valuable new insight into what these discovery writers / pantsers have been talking about, so for that reason it was a useful read.

I was also dismayed by how flippantly dismissive he was of all genre writing. He repeatedly contrasts the high-quality writing he's encouraging to genre writing, as though all books with a mystery or fantasy element are necessarily shlock. For example (emphasis in the original): "In genre fiction, or fiction where plot rules the characters, each of these scenes has a purpose, and we hear people talk the way they do in movies ("Get dressed, we gotta get outta here before the cops come.") We write dialog closely, listening to how the characters invite and obstruct communication." Notice how he assumes that genre writers are "them" and that "we" are better than that. And later: "If you know your character you will nail the line; if you don't there is a chance that he or she will sound like a character in a book, meaning a genre book. "This town isn't big enough for the both of us." "You got us into this; you get us out." "We're meant for each other." "I'm dying, Vicky." Booky dialogue is for good and bad guys, characters that have a thin chance of getting into our stories." I agree with him that those examples of dialogue are awful. But I've seen terrible dialogue in non-genre books and I've seen gorgeous writing in genre books. Likewise, "Character serves event in genre fiction. They hold up the plot points like banners and march them around. In the best stories, we read to tease out what happened to whom, not just what happened." The disappointing thing is that he didn't have to be such a literary snob about this. There is wonderful writing in both literary and genre fiction and lousy writing in both as well (although they're often bad for different reasons). The fact that he treats all genre writing as inherently terrible indicates that he's not very well read, and that he jumps to conclusions with insufficient evidence. It's too bad. The advice he's giving would be relevant for either, if he weren't actively distancing those trying to write better genre fiction. But he's a literary snob, and is clearly writing for an audience that embraces that – possibly because professors like Carlson socialized them to think this way during their college writing classes and MFA programs.

That said, much of Carlson's advice holds true for those who plot ahead and even for those writing genre fiction, if you can get past his annoying biases. Mostly these involve the importance of sitting down to write and not getting up to distract yourself whenever you hit a hard spot, and the importance of paying close attention to the nuances of your characters. I also like his use of the term inventory to help you think through the details that you've introduced into the story so far, and what you should do with them once you've introduced them. However, other writing craft books get those same points across without insulting their audience, so I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone who isn't already a literary snob discovery writer.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume, recommended by my thesis advisor, has been instrumental in getting me writing again. Not only that, it has helped me simplify my story-telling mode and given me new perspectives on "how" to tell a story. In it, Carlson examines one story he wrote in one day ("The Governer's Ball"), and talks about his method, which boils down to: stay in the room and let the physical details of the story solve your problems. Highly recommended to writers needing a recharge.

[Yona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ron Carlson explains his process of "staying in the room" and finishing writing his short piece of literary fiction, "The Governor's Ball." He talks about how readers and writers engage with stories differently--and that might sound like common sense, but the way he talks through it is helpful to writing process. The two main points he makes are 1) don't stop and 2) stay specific to keep yourself interested as a writer. He discusses these ideas in interesting ways!

[Clarence · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I learned about writing stories:
--do the first draft all in one day (impossible!)
--don't stop to research anything, ever
--don't have a second cup of coffee
--listen to your story
--don't, under any circumstances, leave the room
--email is death to stories (already obvious)
Thanks Ron Carlson!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

To my mind, this is one of the best little craft books out there. You can read it in an hour and then, ostensibly, stay seated at your desk for another couple hours and write an entire story from start to finish. Just hope you don't have to go to the bathroom during that time. Or, god help you, get up for coffee. Because, my friends, Ron Carlson WILL NOT LET YOU!

[Sian Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, great advice. So much insight... though there is a part of me surprised not to see more on revision as a part of process. (It's entirely possible that Carlson, brilliant as he is, needs far less time on that part of the process than I do.) That's a small complaint about a generally wonderful book. I'm going to think of Carlson next time I'm reading and want a coffee.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but thorough overview of Ron Carlson's writing process. He dissects his short story "The Governor's Ball" line-by-line (or paragraph-by-paragraph) with honesty and humor, providing practical writing advice along the way. Highly recommended for aspiring writers.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If nothing else, it reminded me to STAY IN THE ROOM while in the writing process. It also served as an excellent reminder as to why we write and what we must do to make a story successful. It is short and sweet yet thought-provoking and inspiring.

[Channah]

Read for class October 2017.

It's cute, and I like some of the things he says (my favorite being that a writer is a person who doesn't leave the room) but I think his advice is much more applicable to short story writing. Since I normally write novels, I got kind of frustrated.

[Liz Shine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stay in the room. It's good advice.

[Eric Hollen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short. Would highly recommend this for anyone wanting to study short story craft. Carlson focuses more on the process of a first draft (as he says, "staying in the room") rather than the separate elements of fiction (though these do make appearances.) I loved it.

[Sam Oxford · Rating 3 out of 5]

read basically in one sitting. has some good advice but the story of his he’s dissecting is mid

[Chris DiLeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Carlson's brilliant story "Oxygen," I had to read this, his 112-page how-to guide for writing a story.

In short, if you want to write read this.

Carlson stresses the need for the writer to stay in the room (physically writing the story) and stay in the story (trust the process and let the story guide you, outer story and inner story). It isn't about meaning or significance, not at first—it's about surviving the writing of your story and creating something you want to read.

When you do that, the magic will happen and the story will come.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about how to write a short story distinguishes itself through its emphasis on "surviving the story": e.g., on how the writer should pack a sentence with credible details not just because of the effect it will have on the reader, but also because of the effect it will have on the writer (i.e., it'll give the writer enough material to keep the story going, so that they're less liable to give up on writing the story before it's done). Carlson calls this process of amassing concrete details "inventory-building."

You write something, for example, "a blue and white wool sweater," and what you want is a real sweater, something a character would really wear, something that might help us see and believe him a bit. What you don't know is that five pages from creating the sweater as a realistic item of your inventory, it is going to help his sister find him at the Garfield County Fair late that night. (pp. 25-26)

One particularly helpful-seeming bit of advice Carlson offers: if you get to a point in the story where you don't know what to write next, just slow down and describe whatever happens immediately after what you've just written chronologically. For example, let's say you've just written a scene in which the protagonist has a big break-up fight with his girlfriend, and you're not sure where to take the story next. Carlson would advise you to slow down, narrate how the protagonist walks to the elevator, how he goes from the apartment building lobby to the garage, how he gets in his car, what streets he takes as he drives home, etc. Just slow down and describe what happens next, and eventually you'll hit something good.

[Erick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful account of Carlson's writing of one of his (real, published) short stories ("The Governor's Ball"). He largely takes a play-by-play, sentence-by-sentence approach here, and consequently the book is less focused on craft (although there are sections discussing dialogue, scene, etc.) and more on how to proceed into/survive the actual, mind-boggling act of sitting down in a chair, putting aside other pressing life concerns, and typing one sentence and then another and then even a third, making your way into the writing of an actual story, without jumping out the window or turning on the TV. To that end, the single piece of advice he most often restates is this (and I think this is pretty verbatim, but I don't have the book on me): The writer is the person who stays in the room. That is to say, the writer is the one who SITS DOWN to work and DOES NOT GET UP AGAIN until the day's/afternoon's/evening's work is done. He convincingly shows how just keeping your butt in the chair is crucial for a) avoiding/resisting distractions and b) allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your story and its mysteries, moving you (and the story) into terrain that is fresher and better than anything you may have been planning.

Plus, the book is only about 100 pages. Definitely recommended for those who want an easily readable dose of writing wisdom from one who has been in the trenches.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Ron Carlson’s very insightful book Ron Carlson Writes a Story, writers are able to glean information on how Carlson wrote his short story “The Governor’s Ball.” This helps give both readers and writers a better insight on how the process of writing a short story works for some writers. Though not all writers use this kind of format for all of their stories, the basic ideas can be transferred from story to story. There are always the important features such as detail, setting, and dialogue that are necessary to a story. While these are all very important to the story, there are other aspects that make the story even more compelling. However, there are also important features such as the characters, the inner story, and the outer story. The characters must be realistic, but can also have a few surprises in what they do. The inner story and the outer stories are connected to each other. The inner story relies on the outer story to exist. The outer story helps the inner story take flight. The vast amount of craft that goes into writing a story, especially a short story, is made evident in Ron Carlson’s book.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful craft book for anyone who struggles with the self-doubt that often paralyzes writers. Carlson is a generous teacher, dissecting his process and including humorous anecdotes about the moments in writing when it would be easy to look away, to flee the often uncomfortable feelings that arise when mining our lives and world for literary fiction. He is especially astute at discussing dialog and how it can work and guide a story, as well as the constant reminder to let the story, like life, take you where it will, instead of trying to will it where you want it to go. I'm not sure this book would be of much interest to non-writers, as it pulls the curtain back a little too much on process, and thus, takes the magic out the story it discusses, but it is an invaluable resource for the writer, one I'm sure I'll return to and re-read.

[Megan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful writing tool! This was the very first book recommended to me by my mentor when I told him I was interested in working on short stories. Carlson takes the reader on his personal writing journey when working on a particular short story. This is extremely enlightening to see the authors particular process from resisting the urge to get up for coffee (and all of the other distractions) to why he leaves certain information to the readers imagination, the importance and difference between the inner and outer story, and everything in between - I'm so inspired to sit down and work on my writing with a new perspective on the short story! A very helpful tool for the beginning writer!

[Zach Gerberick · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'm warning myself what not to do and why not to do it. I don't want coffee: I want this story. There is no help but staying there. I want to leave the room. I will not. So I type (RCWS, 81)."

A tremendous book of practical advice, a "story of a story." Carlson walks us through the first draft of his story, "The Governor's Ball," from the initial idea, to the first line, to the third character, and finally the closing lines. He gives invaluable advice on dialogue, inventory, outer story, etc, advice I will go back to for as long as I write, but the most important thing I took from this book is: "Stay in the room." Don't leave the story, keep writing, that coffee will be waiting for you afterward, and it will taste much better when you're finished.