A Field Guide to Writing Fiction

by A.B. Guthrie Jr.

A forty-year veteran of the writing profession offers his view of the fundamentals of good fiction writing in thirty-six short, practical chapters illustrated with examples

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

99 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

Alfred Bertram Guthrie, Jr. was an American novelist, screenwriter, historian, and literary historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction during 1950 for his novel The Way West.

After working 22 years as a news reporter and editor for the Lexington Leader, Guthrie wrote his first novel.

Ηe was able to quit his reporting job after the publication of the novels The Big Sky and The Way West (1950 Pulitzer Prize).

Guthrie died during 1991, at age 90, at his ranch near Choteau.

(Source - Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Michael Swanwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a library sale the other day, and I'm glad I did. There are a lot of books out there on how to write. Most of them are overlong and many are a complete waste of time. A. B. Guthrie, Jr.'s slim volume is neither. It is less than a hundred pages long and close to every word of it is useful to an aspiring or beginning author.

From the Introduction:

Bear in mind that I am addressing myself not to people who want to write but to those who will write or are already writing. Too often I encounter men and women, young and old, who speak of the wish to write and the intention of doing so sometime. They populate the meadows of forlorn hopes.

From a brief chapter (all Guthrie's chapters are brief) on beginning lines, after giving several examples of especially effective openings:

But be careful. You can overdo it and strain the reader's credulity. And don't be upset if you can't come upon a novel beginning. If your story is good, a clear opening is enough.

And here's the opening to the chapter on adjectives and adverbs:

Maxim: The adjective is the enemy of the noun and the adverb the enemy of damn near everything else. Nouns and verbs are the guts of language. That's another engraving for your skull.

I could go on. But these examples tell you everything you need to know about this book: It's terse. It's aphoristic. The language is vivid and direct. The advice is all practical. And, oh yes, every word of it is true.

This is not a volume for the experienced writer. If heeded, however, it can spare a newcomer a lot of anguish and frustration on the road to becoming the writer they wish to be.

[Mike Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among the best. Equal to Stephen King's guide. Multiple reads to keep my writing on track.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on June 7, 2016

It's been 3 years since I read this book, but I remember reading it and how much I really liked it. This book is a keeper! I got my copy from my library, but I strongly feel it is in need of a re-read and a possible purchase.

This book will help anyone learn how to better write a work of fiction. It is also a simple 100 pages! You can;t get an easier book to read!

[Dan Lett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is better than the ten or so "classic" how-to-write books that you see in every online list (Stanley Fish, Stephen Koch, Roy Peter Clark, Natalie Goldberg, etc.) Concentrated wisdom delivered with charm. A little too concentrated for some, I'd suspect, but definitely the best place to start a collection of writing books. Very useful for those starting out.

[Donna Vaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of rich books about writing, most are long winded. Even stephen king who hoped to keep his book short and sweet, is long winded next to this guy. Sorry mr. king.

Mr. Guthrie cuts his book to the quick, but nails his words. This compact books covers the same old material with viewpoints that pause for ponder and transform your understanding.

[Kim H · Rating 5 out of 5]

best book on writing novels I've ever come across. out of print, of course. simple, basic, to the point.