Handbook of Short Story Writing, Volume 2

by The Writer's Digest, Jean M. Fredette (Editor), John Updike (Preface)

Volume II brings fresh insight from a variety of established writers on everything from creating powerful plots to finding the best markets.

Genres: Writing, Reference, Nonfiction

239 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Writer’s Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing Volume II” - Edited by Jean M. Fredette. Introduction by John Updike.

I have read the first volume and found it very useful, so look forward to reading this one. This book is not like your usual handbook, each chapter (33 in total) is written by a different person. The foreword was written by Jean M. Fredette, Editor of Writer’s Digest Books. The preface was split into three sections by John Updike (The importance of fiction); Paul Darcy Boles (Mastering the Short Story) and James Gunn (Anatomy of a Short Story). Copyright 1988, first edition. First paperback printing 1991.

Even though this was printed years ago. I still think some parts are still relevant today (2024).

I have added my favourite parts:
Mastering the Short Story - Paul Darcy Boles:
“The best all-round description of the short story was given by Stephen Vincent Benét: ‘Something that can be read in an hour and remembered for a lifetime.’”

“Writing the marketable story can’t be taught. It can be guided. If you have a talent, your talent can be sharpened toward the making of stories which will have a fighting chance with a magazine editor. Your special fund of emotion and skill can be channeled into the story that gets the editor’s attention and starts you on a published career. There is no mystery about this. There are no tricks to it. There is a lot of work, coupled with the joy of mastering an art almost as old as time—one which many believe to be the most rewarding of any.”

[Erik Tanouye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this at Borders back when I was in high school.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated but a good reference. An edited collection authors' insights on short-form creative writing.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I wrote in my review of Vol. 1, I originally read these two books when I purchased them back in 1994. In my goal to edit my collection of books, I re-read both books this Fall (2025) and found them not only still relevant but a good refresher in not only short story writing but any fictional writing. I would recommend them to a beginner and anyone who needs a refresher. Needless to say, I am keeping these two.

[Denyse Loeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book (and now the only one available) in Writer's Digest short story handbooks, this volume covers more advanced techniques over the same topics as the previous handbook, as well as a few more. Chapters are written by John Updike, Orson Scott Card, Janet Burroway, and many other well published authors. There's a mix in terms of who writes on the various topics, with some topics being covered by several writers and others only having one chapter by one author. However, it is another book with chapters on everything from getting started to marketing, and includes topics such as making your fiction three dimensional, using symbols, and chapters on three forms of specialized fiction: the short short, literary fiction, and children's fiction.


Impressions: I actually found this volume to be more at my level in terms of where I am as a writer. Not saying that the previous volume is bad, I actually got quite a bit out of it, but it was more basic than this one. However, volume 2 definitely is for more advanced writers, and, after 3 years of writing classes, I got enough out of them to qualify for a bit more advanced than beginner. ;) I am a bit disappointed that the first volume seems to be out of print and is not being used for the short story workshop/class given by Writer's Digest Schools, though. The two books, in my opinion, work best if read together (or one right after the other).

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of 33 essays on short story writing--introduced by no less a literary light than John Updike. It features an essay on "The Finer Points of Characterization" by Orson Scott Card and "The Carrot and Some (Writing) Tricks. But I don't recognize any of the names of the other contributors, and the blurbs on their background in the back doesn't impress. And that matters--an editor once told me, if you're going to take advice on writing, take it either from name-bestselling writers or gatekeepers--not necessarily anyone who writes for Writer's Digest or has taught a writing class. And the title is a bit of a misnomer--only 3 of the 33 essays focus on the short story: "Mastering the Short Story," "Anatomy of a Short Story" and "The Short Short." The rest are really geared toward fiction writing in general. And I didn't find myself underlining or highlighting this book--not much here I hadn't seen covered before.

[Sean Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the same way as "The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing" (the were both made by Writer's Digest), yet it obviously keeps the material focused on what makes a potent short story. Again, what I loved about this book is how each chapter is written by a different author. It gives each section a distinct voice and a fresh perspective that keeps you reading. It never becomes monotone and drags, which to me, is what hurts many how-to book. Novels are very different animals from short stories, and this book really points out the important aspects and how to make them work.

[Eoghan Odinsson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking for a book on Short Story techniques, not on general fiction writing. This is a book with 33 chapters on writing, each really just an independent essay, and only 3 truly focused on short stories.

I feel this was just a book Writers Digest put out to make some money, and what they give us is a collection of essays on writing from various authors. The essays themselves, taken separately, are all interesting and useful, but not what I wanted buying this book.

If you want to learn about specific strategies on writing short stories, LOOK ELSEWHERE.

[Andrea Avalon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really a writer, but for some reason I love reading books on writing.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the follow up to the previous book on Short Story Writing. This volume continues in covering a wide range of subjects.