Soul Of Creative Writing, The by Goodman

From the Publisher

The Soul of Creative Writing is a tribute to language and to its potentials. It explores the elements of language, style, rhythm, sound, and the choice of the right word. Richard Goodman paints an image of how language can produce a life and meaning that otherwise cannot exist in the symbols themselves.

Goodman's stunningly creative collection was written after a lifetime of working and struggling with language. He collects rich examples from writers of the past and present, both great and small, and uses them to illustrate how each element of our written language can be used. The book begins with an analysis of words and how they can be used to create music on the page. Goodman uncovers the strength of words, writing about the shades of meaning that make the search for the exact word both arduous and immensely rewarding. He discusses how to find the proper title and how to find a fitting subject. He show how to create nonfiction work that is vivid and memorable through the use of the same techniques fiction writers employ.

Goodman's volume is written with humor and clarity--with fascination and reverence. Writers will find it an indispensable source of creative inspiration and instruction. In Goodman's words, "reading is a tour of a writer's efforts at manipulating language to create art, to create flesh and blood and mountains, cities, homes, and gardens out of inky symbols on the page." To literary critics, this book will be a guide to understanding the tools and devices of great writing.

The Writer Magazine

By the end of the chapter "The Music of Prose," you'll be reaching for pen and paper yourself ... For the first time, I feel like I could do something evocative and memorable in creative nonfiction, an area where I myself have been afraid to tread... Goodman also includes a fantastic chapter on titles. Creating titles is diffi-cult, whether for an article or a book. And finding subjects can be just as try-ing-thank goodness there's a whole chapter on this, as well. "The Eminent Domain of Punctuation" is a real hoot. Goodman cites David Sedaris' use of 12 exclamation marks in a story and Good-man's own love of brackets .... This book is not just for writers then, but for lovers of words and writing. For renewing my excitement about what I've chosen to do for a living, this book de-serves 13 exclamation marks.

What People Are Saying

Sena Jeter Naslund
"Any writer should read all these delicate, dear essays who wants to write anything better than she or he has done before, be it fiction, essay, poem or merely sentence. Who would guess that ideas about language and literature could be expressed so gracefully? Richard Goodman's essays do not blanket the subject of writing; rather they offer us peep holes through which we glimpse sunny mysteries. Blink and look again."--(Sena Jeter Naslund, author of ABUNDANCE, A NOVEL OF MARIE ANTOINETTE and AHAB'S WIFE)

K. L. Cook
"Who needs another book on writing? If it's this one, you do. Richard Goodman examines--with the same curiosity, wit, and good sense that characterized his gem of a memoir, FRENCH DIRT--the soul of the writer's life. There is so much to admire about this book: Goodman's respect for the secret strength of words, his awe of "the nerve of poetry," his ear for the music of prose, his love of the puzzles and pleasures of punctuation, and his deep understanding of the malleability of technique. I loved this book and will keep it nearby when my own well has run dry and I need inspiration, prodding, or reminding that writing is both vocation and delight, worthy of a life's dedication."--(K. L. Cook, author of THE GIRL FROM CHARNELLE and LAST CALL)

Molly Peacock
"Richard Goodman's marvelous book, The Soul of Creative Writing, will instruct, delight, edify, challenge, reassure, and guide any student of writing to a personal best. The Soul of Creative Writing is a wonderbook of meditative instruction. Goodman's sympathy for the writer's dilemma, the warmth of his urging, the brightness of his enthusiasm all remind us that courage lies inside encouragement. We can find courage to write here, and support from all Goodman's tips and insights. Like the best teaching from the most inspired teachers, it's simply invaluable."--(Molly Peacock, author of Cornucopia and Paradise, Piece by Piece)

Alex S. Jones
"A passionate, smart and often profound exploration of the craft and art of creative writing. Anyone serious about writing will learn from this book."--(Alex S. Jones, Pulitzer Prize winner, director, Shorenstein Center on the Press at Harvard University)

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents