The Knowing Is in the Writing: Notes on the Practice of Fiction

by Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr.

Part manual, part testament, part autobiography, The Knowing Is in the Writing was written by the author to engage new and young writers of fiction in matters of not only craft but also life and livelihood. Beginning with an overview of the nature and elements of fiction, the book then deals with specific issues in the writing of fiction, from plotting and characterization to the workshop esperience and publishing one's first book. "Through fiction," Dalisay says, "we best make sense of our lives by stepping away from them--by momentarily becoming strangers unto ourselves, by exploring more interesting alternatives to what we already know or most likely would do, and, ultimately, by giving ourselves a new reason to hope and believe that life indeed follows a plot we can direct--if we only knew what it was."

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

173 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. José Y. Dalisay Jr. (Butch Dalisay to readers of his "Penman" column in the Philippine STAR) was born in Romblon, Philippines in 1954.

As of January 2006, he had published 15 books of his stories, plays, and essays, with five of those books receiving the National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle. In 1998, he was named to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Centennial Honors List for his work as a playwright and fictionist.

He graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1984 (AB English, cum laude ), the University of Michigan (MFA, 1988) and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (PhD English, 1991). He teaches English and Creative Writing as a full professor at the University of the Philippines, where he also serves as coordinator of the creative writing program and as an Associate of the UP Institute of Creative Writing. After serving as chairman of the English Department, he became Vice President for Public Affairs of the UP System from May 2003 to February 2005.

Among his distinctions, he has won 16 Palanca Awards in five genres (entering the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2000), five Cultural Center of the Philippines awards for playwriting, and Famas, Urian, Star and Catholic Film awards and citations for his screenplays. He was named one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of 1993 for his creative writing. He has been a Fulbright, Hawthornden, David TK Wong, Rockefeller, and British Council fellow.

Reviews

[Helen Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an even bigger Butch Dalisay fan now after reading this. Wry humor in his essays differs from the seriousness of his short story collections (I read Penmanship in 2017 during my wedding anniversary!) but both are equally delightful and masterfully written. I wish he can write til he is a 100 years old; I will probably collect each title and tell my kids about it when they grow up. Thank you for this beautiful and down to earth essay collection on the writing life.

[Amiel Subingsubing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dalisay states that against all the sham, drudgery, and broken dreams of the world out there, writing well could be our best revenge—or, to put it more kindly, our own refuge.