Art & Craft of Writing Fiction: First Writer's Manual

by Victoria Mixon

Based on Mixon's work as a successful independent fiction editor, Art & Craft of Writing First Writer's Manual brings together in one place everything you need to know about writing a novel, an in-depth exploration of the myriad aspects of creating fiction in a warm, entertaining voice that welcomes you into the greater fellowship of all writers.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts

372 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2010

About the author

I've been a professional writer and editor for more than thirty years and now make my living as an independent editor through my blog on the craft of writing, A. Victoria Mixon, Editor.

I started out on Goodreads reviewing vintage mysteries as I worked my way through my vast (and growing) collection, but, as it turns out, I simply can't keep up with myself.

Reviews

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us read writing how-to books for the cold hard facts. We’re searching for some nugget handed down to us by in-the-know people that will transform us into prodigies or bestseller s—preferably both. (Actually, if I had a nickel for every cold, hard, dry, and deadly tome on the craft I’ve slogged through, I wouldn’t need to be a bestseller.) But longtime editor Victoria Mixon’s book offers much more than cold hard facts—it offers a hilarious, engaging read that would be worth the effort of turning every one of its 368 pages even if it failed to offer a single nugget. Happily, however, it’s teeming with gold.

Mixon’s broad look at the writing life encompasses everything from general advice and encouragement to copyediting, but she also zooms in on the meaty specifics of good storytelling. She opens her segments with fun and enlightening chapters that use examples from the lives and works of great authors such as Hemingway, Capote, and Poe to make hard-hitting points about character building, plotting, selecting POVs, writing descriptions, and crafting dialogue.

Mixon’s ridiculously entertaining voice makes this book is a joy to read. Awash with humorous and practical examples of what and what not to do (based on her own experiences as an author and editor), The Art & Craft of Fiction will make you love being a writer if only because it means you belong to the special little club that gets to read this book.

[Roz Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a friend from colleg who should have been writing novels years ago. It's one of those traits you recognise - a certain way of understanding a character, a flair with language.
This book by Victoria Mixon is going to be my next birthday present to her.
Victoria Mixon takes books we all hold dear in our hearts and analyses why the author set the traps they did, characterised in the way they did, switched the story arc in the way they did.
For readers who are now feeling their way as writers, this is an essential book. And it's a lot of fun for those of us who are further on in our careers too. Recommended.

[Kendra Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art and Craft of Fiction: a Practitioner’s Manual, by Victoria Mixon, claims it will share “everything you need to know about writing a novel” (back cover copy). This book is not to be confused with Michael Kardos’ “The Art and Craft of Fiction: a Writer’s Guide.”

I really wanted to like Mixon’s book, described as having “a warm, entertaining voice that welcomes you into the greater fellowship of all writers” (back cover). And at times, I really did appreciate Mixon’s exuberance and insights. But as she demonstrates her intimidatingly prestigious knowledge of literature, her tendency to indulge in asides and analysis feels distracting to someone reading for the “practitioner’s manual” content. Occasionally, Mixon’s enjoyment of the sound of her own voice caused my eyeballs to roll back in my head so far that they got mentally stuck. As I blinked them back in place, I surely overlooked some of the more loosely attached digressions.

Mixon’s overused condescension is also halting: “Naming is a serious business in the creation of character, and I will tell you why: because Bob and Susan Smith could be absolutely anybody. I’m sorry. They could. Your characters must be unique.”

You’re not really sorry, Victoria.

Advice like this, framed in the fake “hate-to-break-it-to-you” voice of an albeit experienced editor became quickly tiresome, especially as Mixon reveals little about how to name a character. It seems the topic was chosen mainly so Mixon could drop her genuinely funny observations on obscure but memorably named literary characters. However, despite sometimes (I suspect accidentally) patronizing her reader, Mixon is also equally willing to point out her own folly, and for this she’s somewhat adorable. At many points I enjoyed the sound of Mixon’s engaging voice right along with her.

Still, I often read frantically, with frustration, waiting for the reveal, the purported forthcoming lesson on craft. It was as if I purchased a driver’s manual to find the “Tire Maintenance” section pontificating the concept of roundness instead of telling me where the spare was located. Part 1 does pick up near the end when Mixon begins discussing more concrete strategies for plotting and making one’s novel “sort of unique.” And once I let go of believing this book was a “practitioner’s manual,” the voice became more amusing and less jarring. “Children are narcissists,” Mixon says offhandedly. “They’re only interested in themselves. They don’t need to understand epiphany. It’s all they can do to understand toilets. Writers, conveniently enough, are also narcissists” (81).

Part 2, “Line Issues,” and Part 3, “Copy issues” are also compelling, and providing an interesting treatment of these topics is no small feat. Mixon mostly avoids the expected do’s and don’ts in favor of examining the concepts behind writing conventions. With confidence, she refreshingly pushes back against the “experts” who claim all adverbs are bad and that all speech tags should sound like Hemingway’s. “Revision” is also effective. At this point, her pontifications feel justified, for reflection, introspection, and self-awareness are integral to any self-evaluation of process. This last section could interest writers of all levels and Mixon’s craft examination is delivered accessibly. Well done.

My greatest complaint with this “manual” is that many chapters simply don’t deliver the instructive content implied by the title. In “Tensing,” I was hoping for an honest treatment of the benefits of the past vs present. But Mixon’s examination is pure analysis of a story with which the reader is likely unfamiliar. Mere entertainment can feel inefficient and indulgent to a reader hoping they’ve purchased the didactive benefits of a practitioner’s manual.

However, in direct contrast, the following section on POV is much more instructive and Mixon does an excellent job of analyzing the virtues and pitfalls of various perspectives. Thus, Mixon’s organization and approach seem erratic. Perhaps some topics were chosen to justify excursions into Mixon’s clearly gifted literary analysis. At times, riding this wave, I splashed into a new chapter and literally thought, “Wait. What was I reading about in the last chapter? Besides how Mixon enjoyed So and So’s debut novel?"

If Mixon’s subtitle had suggested ruminations on craft rather than a manual— something more like Bird by Bird—I might have been more immediately taken with this book. (Yes, I know. It seems almost unfair to compare any book to Bird by Bird, and yet, sentence two of the back cover content—a glowing review—does just that. Fair game, then). But I would definitely recommend Mixon’s book for intermediate to advanced writers looking for an entertaining and inspirational light read on the craft. And I will, no doubt, refer to the “Revision” section, which I read raptly, again and again. Mixon never quite explains any steps or exercises for learning how to weave the loose threads of one’s novel resolution into a beautiful tapestry, but she does inspire one to try. “A story,” Mixon remarks, “is just research to allow us to learn the truth” (136).

[Anna Erishkigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of writer 'how-to' manuals out there these days, some good, most only so-so, and a whole lot outright harmful, but this one ranks up there as one of the more practical ones. First of all, Victoria Mixon is a bona fide DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR, so Art & Craft of Fiction approaches your writing the way that an editor would, starting with the spark of the story, and then drills down into first plot & pacing, then into finer and finer layers such as dialogue and some line-editing stuff. Secondly, Ms. Mixon has a pleasant, chatty voice which makes it feel as though you are sitting down, going through your manuscript over a cup of tea with a friend instead of getting red-inked in front of the entire classroom back in elementary school as many how-to books make you feel.

Favorite Chapters:

- Action - how much action do you need to keep your reader interested? How can you spiff up a scene that is starting to drag? How do you inject the impression of action into a genre novel that isn't, by nature, action-oriented (such as literary fiction)? I think I liked this section best because it explained, in a way that has fallen flat in most other writer how-to books, how to build 'action' into even the most passive genre.

- Dialogue tags - goes far beyond the usual 'he said/she said' advice to give lots of practical examples of good and bad ways to use dialogue to convey the action and how (when) to use action-tags instead of 'said' without making it appear clunky. I found the comparison between good and bad examples especially helpful. Some of the 'bad action tags' made me giggle.

- Plotting your way out of a paper bag (chapter) - this chapter was helpful for a pantser like me who hates to over-plot.

- Revision - she uses zombie analogies :-) Need I say more? Anybody who has ever picked up their manuscript after it's 'gone cold' for a while and had to beat into submission knows what I'm talking about. Bra-a-a-i-i-n-sss...

Critiques: good solid advice. My only critique would be that some of good/bad example references were best-selling literary fiction and I'm a trash-talking genre fiction reader and writer, so I wasn't familiar with all of the works referred to. I'm sure there were a few things that floated right over my head.

If you are on a limited budget to buy writer how-to books, this one should be on your acquisition list because, unlike a lot of writer how-to books, it's focus is on how to improve the book you already wrote without squelching the voice you already possess, not on how to copy X-McAuthor's pre-existing writing style.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixon's book is an excellent resource for aspiring and experienced fiction writers. She writes from a practical standpoint from her many years of various writing experience. There is plenty of great advice and useful tips on story structure, the creative process, developing characters, grammar and living as a writer. Besides the great information, she will make you laugh throughout the book. It's an enjoyable and helpful read for all fiction writers.

[London · Rating 5 out of 5]

——The Review——

One of the frustrations when buying instructional books is determining if a book is written for someone of a similar skill level as yourself. In a break between writing, I spent five years teaching myself an extremely complex 3D program, Autodesk Maya. Once you learn the basics, finding new instructional materials becomes difficult. Much of what is written assumes very little knowledge. Sometimes a book called "Advanced Techniques" targets advanced beginners instead of people who have spent a few years on the material. Yet there are books called "Fundamentals of" or "Basic" that require a substantial basis of knowledge before having any utility.

Writing books rarely fall into the "too advanced" category, but frequently target beginners, placing a great deal of emphasis on things like "show, don't tell," that appear in almost every guide whose spine you've cracked. What makes Mixon's The Art & Craft of Fiction such a joy is that it sidesteps the problem of being too beginner-ish for more studied authors without leaving those just started in writing without the valuable basics.

To start, Mixon is a joy to read. I had started an engaging novel when my order for The Art & Craft of Fiction arrived at the Book Cellar. I had planned on finishing the novel before starting Mixon's book, but made the error of reading a few pages. From that point, I read it like a can't-put-it-down thriller. Like Charles Baxter's The Art of Subtext, the last writing book I read, Mixon's mastery of prose shines on every page. She's been a "professional writer and editor for a bizillion years," and it shows. Even when covering areas that I feel comfortably competent in, I never felt the urge to skim. Moreso, often when writing about topics I have general mastery in, Mixon had something new to add that will enhance my writing.

The Art & Craft of Fiction covers a broad swath. I'm tempted to call it a complete book on the topic, but she has a second book (that I haven't read), expanding further on the subject. However, even if Mixon has yet more to say, it's unlikely a beginning writer will be left wanting. She covers planning and development, character, plot, scenes, dialogue, prose, grammar, and just about everything else; and she covers it poignantly with insight.

In short, this is a book anyone who hasn't published a bunch of novels and worked with a good editor for years will benefit from and enjoy.

——Chapter 21——

There is, however, a significant problem with the book, and it's name is Chapter 21. I'm not rescinding even a quarter-star for it, nor changing my must-read recommendation, but Chapter 21, you and I have some issues.

Let me talk about the subject to debate issue of the ellipses first. The Chicago Manual of Style (Twelfth ed.—alas mine is quite out of date) doesn't mention them in any context except for deletion in quoted text. E.g., "Use three dots…[t]wo look silly" could be used if you didn't value the entirety of "Use three dots, no more, no less. Anything more than three is wasteful. Two looks silly." Within the context of non-fiction, that is the only proper use of the ellipses. But Mixon isn't writing about non-fiction and we fictionistas get to flout some rules or hew to a somewhat different set of regulations. So when Mixon says one shouldn't use an ellipses with a period, she isn't incorrect in a technical sense. However, the ellipses used in fiction indicates a pause or interruption and, in the case of an interruption, may occur at the end of the sentence. In such a case, The Chicago Manual of Style leaves no doubt about the propriety of an ellipses followed by a period. Moreso, under the influence of Emily Brontë, Mixon opposes ellipses in favor of em-dashes. In five paragraphs, I would hope that she mentions the great utility of using ellipses and em-dashes to represent different kinds of interruptions. In Browne and King's equally vital volume on writing, Self-editing for Fiction Writers, the authors suggest using ellipses to indicate a self-interruption: a pause or trailing off. The em-dash is reserved for external-interruptions, such as in this exchange:

"But didn't you promise…" Jessie said.
"I did nothing of the sort," Tyrone said.
"Now, look, you two—" Dudley said.
"You stay out of this," Tyrone said.

In that exchange, we understand that Jessie has spoken without the confidence to finish her accusation against Tyrone, while Tyrone interrupts Dudley. The ellipsis has use. (I should note that The Chicago Manual of Style does call for em-dashes to indicate breaks in speech or thought, but, you know, Browne and King had it right.)

You might conclude this is nit-picking and I just wasted a bunch of words on a nit. Fair enough. My next complaint with my nemesis, Chapter 21, is more substantive. It is a matter of fact, not opinion and I am correct. Mixon may edit books, but I design them (amoung many other things) and know the fundamentals of typography. Trust me when I tell you that the en-dash is not a hyphen and is not used for hyphenation. That's the hyphen (this guy: - ). The en-dash, as Mixon correctly points out, is the width of an en (it looks like this: – ). It has two uses, one of which is extremely rare, the other largely ignored. The primary use of the en-dash is to replace the words "to" or "through" in ranges, such as "1997–2001" or "2001-". A rare secondary use is the join compound adjectives, such as post–Civil War (although not non-English Speaking).

Okay, I'm a typography nut. I'll spare you the other typographical misinformation contained in Chapter 21. The section on the period is quite good, so you might as well read it. Just expect that if you mess up with en-dashes, whomever lays out your book will be at pains, because nobody expects that.

——The Book as a physical object——

As one might expect from somebody who gets worked up over typographical misinformation, the design of a physical book matters to me, and here, Mixon's husband (who not only formatted the book but put the typefaces on the copyright page—swoon!) did a bang-up job. The cover design feels comfortable and inviting, suggesting a safe, calming space for writing. The typeface choice was dead-on, and the archaic choice of pen lines gives the cover a sense of gravitas. (There is one error that makes a designer grind teeth: the subtitle's font is stretched. Most readers won't notice, but I had to search to find out if there was a badly done extended version of Poor Richard, the typeface. There isn't. When you spend your days being hyper-careful about type layout, once you notice an error like this, it takes over the page.)

However, what truly makes this book a physical treasure is it's soft matte coating. This is a relatively new finish that I've yet to see on a book. Apple uses it on some of their packaging, so it's going to get broad use, but for now, it's a smart, cutting-edge choice with enormous tactile rewards. The soft matte finish gives the cover a silky/rubbery feel that is entirely caressable. It also prevents fingerprints and smudges from showing. I'm pretty sure The Art & Craft of Fiction is print-on-demand. Prior to seeing this, I didn't think it was possible to get even a decent standard matte finish from the POD printers*. If you're self-publishing and can get a soft-matte finish, ante up a bit more for it if your book will appear anyplace where the reader will pick it up pre-purchase. The sense of luxury will make the price of the book seem more reasonable.

*If you are fanatical about design, self-publishing is frustrating. You can't control the paper the cover is printed on, have no embossing options, forget about a foil or metallic finish, and don't even dream of spot varnishes. Go into a real bookstore sometime and pick up Francisco X. Strork's Marcello in the Real World. Hold it up to the light and look at how the spot varnish on the black surfaces shine while the blue sky remains without reflection. Run your fingers across the cover and feel the differences in texture between the varnish and the unvarnished paper. Ironically, the interior paper isn't as nice as The Art & Craft of Fiction nor the handful of prints I made of the first draft of my current novel through Lulu.com. But that cover is a joy. It's almost as much of a tactile thrill as Mixon's book.

[Tom Britz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not exactly a how to manual, but some hybrid of a how to and a memoir. It was full of interesting anecdotes. She is fairly opinionated on how writing is and should be.

[anonymousreader]

to-read

[David Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, do I wish I'd appreciated earlier how liberating proper story structure is earlier. Like, say, seven drafts of my novel ago.
Victoria Mixon's book is a godsend for writers working on a novel in any genre. She outlines a basic structure for the whole novel in three acts, and then the structure of each, and then breaks that down into rough guidelines as to when in the MS everything appears -- and proceeds to show it at work in a parallel analysis of Edward Anderson's Thieves Like Us, James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice, Sit Hugh Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, Isak Dinesen's "The Deluge at Norderny," Ray Bradbury's "The Dwarf" and Zane Grey's Riders of The Purple Sage.
The structure she describes is three-act; but there is, crucially, a midpoint included (the "Fulcrum," which is a major turning point in the story that send everything hurtling through the remainder of Act Two and smashing into Act Three, the climax. So those who have been writing according to a four-act structure will find this fits with that as well.
She writes with humour and wit and by the end of the book I was convinced that this was what I had been missing in draft after draft of my novel -- while I had always uncovered and fixed new problems with each rewrite and had managed to include advice from Don Maass's books (such as "tension on every page"), this was what has finally allowed me to fix the macro problems I was having, such as "how much setup do I need?" "When do the turning points occur, and are mine too early, too late, or what?" and "How do I give the story's climax the maximum impact?" It's all here, my writing friends.
I would never say that any writing book is the only one you will ever need, and it's certainly not the only one I am benefiting from right now; BUT, it has been a huge help in solving fundamental problems I have been having with getting my story into the right shape and length and giving it strong bones. If you haven't seriously studied story structure, do yourself a favour, skip all those seat-of-the-pants drafts you are about to write, and settle down with this book so you can start fresh. You will be glad you did.

[Lara McKusky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, I’m just gonna say it: Victoria Mixon is a genius. You can even assume I’m doing it in a sing-song voice.

I’ve read Donald Maass---invaluable. Instructive. I’ve read Betsy Lerner---engaging and funny. Victoria would be their love child. Donald Maass is definitely in teaching mode in his books and Betsy reveals a lot of the behind-the-scenes of publishing which is definitely informative, but Victoria’s book is a funny, instructive reference (and if I have just misused commas, it’s because I need to reread her section on grammar and punctuation!) that gets to the heart of the craft of writing. Writers, this book is about the nuts and bolts, with examples of how it’s been done before, how we shouldn’t follow some classic examples and why, and how to just make your whole story better. Ms. Mixon covers everything: characters, plots, dialogue, pacing, punctuation and grammar, dispelling writing myths, the many moods of a writer---didn’t I say everything??! Icing on the cake? A boiled down run through of all her main points at the end. Sprinkles on that icing? An index. I love an index! I can’t help it. It’s a true reference when there is an index, in my humble opinion.


Another review on my blog: http://teaandink.blogspot.com/2011/04...

[Cindy Dalfovo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, it presents a lot of things that work, and some considerations about characters, plot, setting, point of view and even a chapter about parsing.

But it drags. A lot of the first pages are spent on saying that characters are important and they should be 3D and have real feelings and habits. Well, yeah, I already know that, it's quite simple and obvious to most people who have been writing for a while, I guess. No need to spend dozens of pages on that.

Other than that, it's an interesting read, and you may find youself reading little bits of it every now and then - even if you disagree with something, or want to do something completely different, it's interesting to think about those things and Victory presents interestings points of view... and she has opinions about things that WORK, something she has a good experience from being an independent editor.

[Mindi Rosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are my highlights from reading the Art and Craft of Fiction (2nd Edition) by Author Victoria A. Mixon. You can also watch my 2-minute-video-book review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ1DrJ...

Favorite Section - definitely the revision sections. Her tips for revising the first draft would complement my own revision process seamlessly.

Not-So-Favorite Section - learning how to develop plot by analyzing not one BUT SIX stories simultaneously. Trying to follow all SIX plotlines put my brain into overload.

I give this book 4 of 5 stars.

Would recommend this book to beginning writers or those who have completed 1-2 books.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great blend of craft and art, structure and creativity, all expressed in entertaining prose.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring and useful book on writing, especially useful in its comparison of similarities in different plot model structures.

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very colorfully written for a textbook.

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite writing book! Mixon's advice is practical, approachable and clear! Highly recommended!

[Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't get much out of this book. To me it was mostly discussing the writings of other authors. I did like the information about grammer.