The Lie That Tells a Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction

by John Dufresne

"This is the most practical, hard-nosed, generous, direct, and useful guide to writing fiction." —Brad Watson

Finally, a truly creative—and hilarious—guide to creative writing, full of encouragement and sound advice. Provocative and reassuring, nurturing and wise, The Lie That Tells a Truth is essential to writers in general, fiction writers in particular, beginning writers, serious writers, and anyone facing a blank page.

John Dufresne, teacher and the acclaimed author of Love Warps the Mind a Little and Deep in the Shade of Paradise, demystifies the writing process. Drawing upon the wisdom of literature's great craftsmen, Dufresne's lucid essays and diverse exercises initiate the reader into the tools, processes, and techniques of inventing compelling characters, developing a voice, creating a sense of place, editing your own words. Where do great ideas come from? How do we recognize them? How can language capture them? In his signature comic voice, Dufresne answers these questions and more in chapters such as "Writing Around the Block," "Plottery," and "The Art of Abbreviation." Dufresne demystifies the writing process, showing that while the idea of writing may be overwhelming, the act of writing is simplicity itself.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts, School, College, Textbooks

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

John Dufresne teaches in the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program at Florida International University. He is a French-Canadian born in America.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh...pretension, pretension, pretension. If you want to write about writing without making it a memoir, you will come off as pretentious. Unless you are J.K. Rowling or Stephen King (who has done it pretty successfully), you cannot write about writing without coming off as pretentious.

Especially if you constantly quote your own work when explaining how to write an awesome short story. Lame.

But there were some great tips! Amazing advice on how to write dialogue, a mouth-watering comprehensive list of reference books all writers should have, and a whole chapter just on flash fiction...this is great stuff. But the pretension just blew me away. This guy thinks he's God's gift to fiction, even though his work is fair-to-middling, he has way too many nitpicky little rules that seem to be based more on his personal opinion of good fiction than what actually constitutes well-written prose. He thinks every writer should be reading the books he chooses for us. he likes to name-drop. You know, I'm a beginning writer, and I'm still learning...but he seems to shit on every writer who does not have the complete Shakespeare collection or who is not buddies with famous authors.

I'm a fan of the advice...but I'm not digging the author of this one.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide for those hoping to be more effective writers. This was assigned reading for a Fiction Workshop course I was taking.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although a writer at any stage of development will find inspiration in this book—and at minimum an exercise or two to jump start your process—it really is focused on providing guidance and encouragement to the new writer, especially those that have always wanted to write but haven't yet made the commitment.

At first I was skeptical because the book covers the same ground as so many other "how to write" books (do we really need another one?), but Dufresne's more personal voice—as opposed to Gardner's imperial tone—makes this a less daunting book for the new writer.

Almost every page has a quotation about writing or creativity, so if you like quotations, the book might be worth owning for that collection alone.

Did I mention the exercises? Probably hundreds of them. Dufresne has put in some real work on these. The majority are to jump start the writing process; how they get to be stories is up to you.

The chapter on dialog is suberb; not necessarily breaking new ground, but it's a tightly organized set of do's and don'ts, and would be great to review as you are revising.

The Lie That Tells A Truth has been around a few years, but if you are not familiar with it, take a look.

[Rand]

Required for a class I took when I was 22.

I remember not thinking much of it at the time but as of now I don't think much of who I was at 22, so I can't really comment as to the text's efficacy as a pedagogical tool at all, aside from its few proscriptions re:wordiness that I continue to ignore.

[Tess McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting, a bit pretentious, but what writer isn't I guess?

[X · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is a book that subscribes to the point of view that you can work your way into becoming a writer. It hits you with a constant drubbing of homework assignments that are supposed to give you practice in the minutia of literary fiction. If you are a literary fiction buff, and you are lacking in ideas of your own to write, this book might be of some use to you. The Lie That Tells a Truth seems to be directed mainly at people who don't really have anything of interest to write about. The idea is to force you to examine the mundane events of your life story and turn them into fiction. My counterpoint is this: if you don't have anything to write about, you are not a writer and may never become one. This book is not going to change that.

If I had followed this book to its conclusion, I would probably have given up writing and taken on some other pastime, like amateur plumbing or beetle husbandry -- anything to avoid the drudgery of depicting countless "earthy" scenes from my past in fiction form. I want to write sci-fi. There are no spaceships or galactic overlords in my past. So, I shelved this book and have been writing out my story ideas ever since. I've found the joy or writing again, and I'm not looking back.

I made up my own method for improving my writing skills. I'm not published yet (unless you count technical manuals, which I don't). So haters, feel free to hate. However, my writing has certainly improved by leaps and bounds:

1) Read A LOT of literary fiction; try to go down the list of universally-accepted masterworks. Find all the heavyweights and break their books down line by line. If you encounter a word you don't understand, look it up! You'll need to get used to using a dictionary; this'll be a long haul.

2) After a few years or reading hardcore literary fiction, you will have the language of the great writers floating around in your head. Now, go back to your favorite chapters over the last few years and rewrite them in your own words. This practice helps you understand the pacing that great writers employ. You need to get a feel for when to use colorful language and when to focus on the matter at hand. Do this at least once a month. Show these exercises to no-one. You don't want to be accused of plagiarism!

3) Keep revisiting grammar. I have hundreds of grammar flashcards, and I do them every day. Once a month, I take the grammar tests out of the backs of my grammar textbooks. When I have taken them all, I buy a new text. You need to have excellent grammar or nobody will read more than a paragraph of your work. My grammar sucks, so I still have a way to go. But, I am improving!

4) Make a list of all the cool story ideas you have come up with over the years. Pick the ones you are most enthusiastic about and start outlining them. As you outline your stories, create character files listing the idiosyncrasies and biographical details of each of your characters (as you would in D&D). You need to know how they will react to given situations beforehand. This is how you create believable characters. Don't waste any time on stories and characters that bore you. Only write down your most dynamite ideas. How can you expect a stranger to finish a story that you yourself consider boring?

5) Once you have outlined your story and characters, start writing out scenes. Choose a narrative style and stick with it. Don't tell your readers what to think, show them human behavior that naturally elicits the response you are looking for. Bad writers tell you about the characters in the book. Good writers show you what stuff each character is made of.

And, that's pretty much it. Learn how the masters write. Copy their work as practice, but never as plagiary. Then, write what you are most enthusiastic about. Only those ideas that blow YOUR mind are fit to foist upon strangers. And, if you don't have any mind-blowing ideas, maybe you're not a writer. Or, maybe you are a literary-fiction writer; in which case, you will have such boring tastes that rewriting the quotidian events of your past will be inspiration enough for you. Hey, maybe you'll even get a book published; just don't expect anyone else to read it!

[Siren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book assigned to a university course. I cannot comprehend why anyone would use this in their curriculum because it's so pretentious and snarky.

Like others have stated, the work cited throughout is the author's own. His advice is solidly okay for the most part. The exercises are good, but they aren't anything you can't find somewhere online. The book is about the fundamentals, which is fine, but it would be nice to have seen more than just his works in the book.

There's a bit of an elephant in the room, though.

If you have any sort of illness that affects your ability to focus and do routine things, I seriously don't think you should read this book. Why? In the beginning, tells you that you're not cut out for writing if you cannot consistently sit down and do it. This mantra is repeated in a holier-than-thou tone throughout the book. Yes, routine is good; however, harping on it and telling people they're not cut out for writing because they can't schedule is just absolutely insane. I understand that this was put in because this is a beginner's book, but... wow.

This is a book for true beginners, and if you learn best through "tough love," then you may like this and find it useful. If you don't want to be told that you aren't a writer because you can't follow a routine / schedule, then don't read this.

Two stars because the audacity to tell people they can't write if they can't schedule is insane; however, the advice is useful for beginners and the book is about 3 USD online. It's a cheap alternative to some other writing books if you can stand a pretentious tone and tough love.

[Sian Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of good tips for the new and intermediate writer. I love the quotations sprinkled throughout. He pulls them from an astonishing array of sources and writers, and they were each inspiring and thought-provoking. I can't imagine how long it took them to collect them all.

DuFresne is an excellent cheerleader for those wanting to lead the writing life. He reminds his reader of the time and absolute, unflagging dedication it requires, but also why this effort is so deeply rewarding. This is definitely DuFresne's book though--heavily grounded in his point of view and his wealth of experience. Readers looking for a more objective craft text may be put off by this, but I imagine others will love it for exactly the same reason. He's at your side to encourage and give advice. There's more heart here than in your average craft book.

[Tracy Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on writing that I've ever read (and I've read a lot!). Dufresne's a genius, his topics make sense; they take you by the hand and walk you through your tangle of pages to make sense out of them. Just finished reading it for the 3rd time, and if I ever finish the book I'm writing it will be due to him.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tips. Helpful reminders. I LOVED the exercises! It reinforced things I already knew , but the things I learned will be invaluable!

[Martin Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a LOT of books on writing! but write very little. this is one of the better ones

[Darcy Conroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dufresne's The Lie That Tells a Truth is an excellent guide to the craft, I enjoyed the philosophy, but I would suggest that it is more for those who are theory novices (as distinct from writing novices) because it leaned toward 'dumbing down' and explained a little too much, at times.

One thing that may also attract those who read to be taught how to be a writer (as against writers reading for the insights shared by another) is that he gives almost equal time to how to get ideas as he does to how to execute them. I found these 'idea parts' surprising and frustrating because I just don't think they have a place in a text aimed at writers. I know lots of people say they want to write but have no ideas and so would love a book full of how to get ideas but, to me, this is snake oil salesman stuff. When I hear someone who claims to want to write ask 'where do you get ideas?' I'm afraid my response is "Frankly, if you don't know then count yourself lucky not to be haunted by them and stick to the joy of reading!" If you have no ideas, then you have nothing you're compelled to express and, I think Dufresne would agree, no piece of writing - or art - is worth anything if the writer has nothing to say.

If I could give an extra half star for his including the correction of "try and" to "try to" in his "Small Craft Warnings" chapter at the end of the book, I would!

[Eliza T. Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came at the right time for me as a writer. I was feeling whiny, downtrodden, stuck and ineffective--Dufresne's kick in the ass style coupled with great exercises and phenomenal discussion on the process of writing (in all its intricacies) has been invaluable. I have read the book cover to cover and am twenty pages into my 2nd read...it is that good.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This another book that I recommend often to aspiring writers. There's some real wisdom here about the craft. And if you ever get a chance to hear John Dufresne talk, don't miss it. He's a great speaker.

[William Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I met the author at a writing conference and decided to buy his book. It covers the basics that beginning writers need to know, such as how to make time in your day for writing, what to write about, how to develop characters, how to create a plot. All the bases are touched. Anyone starting out on the journey of writing fiction would be well-served.

While covering the basics, Dufresne keeps the tone light and conversational. I think it is important to be encouraging and positive with beginners, because the task of writing is severely daunting. To this end, every page of the book includes one or two epigrams, pithy quotes from writers and artists of all kinds, on aspects of writing and the creative life. “The purpose of art is the lifelong construction of a state of wonder.” – Glenn Gould. “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett. “Whenever possible tell the whole story of the novel in the first sentence.” – John Irving.

These quotations are of course merely opinions, many, such as Irving’s, of dubious validity, others too obscure to understand, but they’re fun, and that’s the point. Interestingly, Dufresne neglected to include an apposite quote from Albert Camus: “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.”

Each chapter concludes with writing exercises, some of them interesting, most of them practical, which the author probably draws from his years of teaching writing. For example, “Read some opening scenes from books that you admire and try to figure out what is working there.”

On the downside, the author’s example texts go on far too long, and often do not even illustrate the point he was discussing. This is especially true when he cites his own writings, which is quite often. The citations are often so unfocused that they seem like mere filler, if not advertisements for his own published works.

Likewise, in the exercises, he is not content to explain the assignment, but fills up paragraphs and pages suggesting how the assignment might be executed. For example, for the assignment just mentioned about reading opening scenes, he goes on at length to suggest these questions: “What’s the date? Weather? Time? What are the sounds, the smells, the textures, the tastes, if any? What is your character thinking about? How does she feel? Mood? Who are the people in the scene?” And on and on and on, until you either have to scream or turn the page. Beginning writers are beginners, but they are not mentally incapacitated.

Despite these shortcomings, I still think that for a naive beginning writer of fiction, especially a younger one, this book will be harmless, yet informative and encouraging.

[Rebecca Doss · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Dufresne’s A Lie That Tells a Truth is many things, and it is not many things, and some of those things are both true. If that sentence interests you, you’ll like this book.
It’s wordy, a bit pretentious, and it reads like a box of matches; any given phrase could ignite an idea that leads a writer to write. In that way, I suppose he achieves his goal.
I read this as part of a university Fiction Writing Workshop. It goes over all the basics—plot, setting, characters, revision—as well as some helpful tips and tricks, like a “Writer’s Toolkit” that lists many of the little grammar quirks and bad writing habits that come up often in this line of work. I marked every single page with exercises to come back to later; they’re extremely open-ended, and you could easily write as much or as little as you want based on the prompts.
The book is not without faults, although he excuses himself from them through his self-deprecating “but what do I know?” attitude. Sometimes he chooses style over substance, stringing together interesting phrases that, realistically, could have been a few words to achieve the same effect. He quotes from his own work as much as, if not more than, the works of other writers, although he has a healthy smattering of writerly quotes to remind us that he’s well-read. Some of his advice, like reading through all of the Western literary canon from Socrates to the current day, is impractical in a Tumblr-esque way; it sounds pretty, but we’re busy adults in a world that doesn’t pay us to read beautiful things (usually). That said, if you approach the book as more inspirational than aspirational, it relieves some of the pressure. This is not a textbook, and to treat it like one would turn away more writers than it would encourage.
To approach it for what it is, however, is to enjoy a delightful stream-of-consciousness style exploration of what it means to be a writer. It’s a bit more accessible than other popular writing-about-writing novels, like Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life, but it’s a bit more helpful than a memoir. I recommend this book for readers, writers, and anyone who likes good storytelling.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great guide to writing. I learned a lot of tips and tricks on how to stay motivated, how to develop characters and plot, and how to get inspiration on stories. I am glad I bought it instead of rented it for my class because it is probably going to be something I go back to as a reference in the future.
However, I do have some complaints with this book. The tone of the author is very pretentious at times. It is clear that he has a high opinion of himself and his own writing. Also, all of his examples revolve around marriage, affairs, and sex. Literally every example. (This guy reminds me of Robert California). Also, the not-so-subtle subtle put-downs of genre fiction, of those opposed to the author's political views, or of anyone with religious beliefs got old as well.
Now, being able to put those grievances aside, I think that this book would be a great aid for any writer out there.

[mikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for a fiction writing class I just finished. I don’t think I’ve gotten more pretentious and unhelpful writing advice ever in my life. As someone with ADHD who has a very difficult time sitting down to write, and severe imposter syndrome about being a writer, being constantly told that I shouldn’t write if I can’t sit down and write every day is harmful at best and completely demoralizing at worst. To be forced to read Dufresne’s own mediocre work as an example of excellence is honestly laughable to me. Not to mention the part where following the advice I read got me less than stellar grades on a few assignments in the course. Fully not worth the read, but gets a second star because at least the prose wasn’t dry and boring.

[Cyliena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an assigned text for a BA in English & Creative Writing class.

Was this memoir?

In all seriousness, Dufresne talks about himself far too much in this book. However, it has some good exercises and goes over important topics for new writers.

I didn't get much value out of it (but that is on the professor, who shouldn't have assigned it to a 300-level workshop class), but I imagine that those struggling to understand the building blocks such as point of view, dialogue, and plot would benefit from this book.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my college creative writing class. There is good writing advice here; however, there is also a lot of fluff in this book. Dufresne often rambles in this book, constantly interjecting his personal views (many of which didn't resonate with me). About one-third of this book is helpful, while the rest is filler (the chapters about dialogue and revision are good). Additionally, the book is dated; it does not take modern tech into account at all. There are probably other books that have the good advice without all the fluff.

[Leda Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dufresne is absolutely about what he believes works and what doesn't. The examples he uses can get overly long, but they do help to illustrate his point(s). Out of all the writerly self-help books I've read in my time, I found his stance refreshing. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy. He doesn't want to hold your hand and wax poetic about creativity. He wants you to sit your ass in the chair and get it down. I'm giving it 3 instead of 4 stars because that attitude could get overwhelming at times.

[Isabella Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was assigned to me for a writing workshop focusing on literary versus genre fiction. Coming from someone who has no experience in creative writing AT ALL, I loved this book. It was easy to ready, straightforward, and comprehensive in various aspects.

The book offers a plethora of motivational quotes and numerous writing exercises. I can’t speak for more seasoned writers; however if you are new to the world of creative writing like myself, I think you will find this book quite helpful.

[Marjee Chmiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable craft book that uses fantastic exercises and examples to solidify the scores of insights and guidance. Read it slowly, take your time with it, as it is dense with useful information, but the tone is so friendly, approachable, and intimate, you’ll want to spend a lot of time with this text.

[Raine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book, it's my favourite writing book to date tbh. John Dufresne lays out writing in such a beautiful way and talks about his own journey of constantly learning and growing. Very inspiring read! I also really love the advice he gives for keeping up writing momentum. Worth the read if you are feeling "blugh" about writing to remind you why you do it in the first place.

[Jamie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Definitely a bit pretentious, as he cites mostly his own writing when giving examples. But I quite liked that the book isn’t half anecdotes and autobiography. Has some really good, concrete rules for dialogue which will be helpful moving forward. And has some great exercises to implement. Just rambles on in a few chapters for way longer than a topic deserves, so 4-stars.

[Nathan Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant guide to writing fiction chock-full with insight as well as with helpful exercises. I have used this guide in my creative writing classes many times and Dufresne's wisdom shines through every time. One of the best books for beginning fiction writers out there.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dufresne's book is one of the best I've read on how to improve your writing. The exercises in the book coupled with Dufresne's advice and guidance are great tools to help fiction writers improve their craft.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was supposed to read this for class. It was a pretty good book. What kills me is how the writer's use their own writing-which was mediocre-as examples. But I loved the end of the book-no adverbs!

[Jasmine Marie Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this book, it is so easy to follow and a good point of reference when your stuck. I personally struggle with subtext within my dialogue but this book is my baby. You can read it 20x and every time you improve your writing some place else totally recommend for budding authors!

[Dorothy Nesbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this and applied his advice to a manuscript I’m working on. This book is full of wonderful advice that will strengthen your writing. He makes explicit that which is sometimes intuitive, but there were plenty of AHa moments. This book is worth the price for any aspiring writer.