As an aspiring writer I've read many 'how to' books over the years. There are thousands out there, probably hundreds of thousands. Some are more well known than others. This has probably more to do with the person writing them, than the quality of the advice contained with the book. A great deal of the time the advice is repeated. This is usually because the advice is sound. But it does tend to make these kind of books slightly samey when it comes to reading them. Which brings me to Telling Stories - the Craft of Narrative and the Writing Life by Lee Martin. This one felt rather different to the usual offerings.

I have never heard of Lee Martin. As far as I know this is the only book of his I've ever read. And yet his book is one of the most memorable 'how to write' books I've come across. Actually to classify this book as a 'how to write' piece of non-fiction is to do it a disservice. It's far more than that. Martin talks about the mechanics of writing, sure, but there is so much more to it than that. It's part memoir, part writing guide, part fiction theory analysis. By the time I had finished this book I felt like I knew a little bit more about Lee Martin's life, his fears and hopes, his methods and aims. His book is accessible whilst also managing to not pander to the reader. I think it's fair to say that Martin expects a level of writer who isn't starting out with their first blank sheet of paper and pen. It's assumed that the reader already has the basics and is in need of inspiration as well as encouragement. Martin discusses some more complex aspects of storytelling, so in this regard I'd say that this probably isn't the first book you should read if you're looking to start out writing for the first time. In my experience, the path of writing is in itself a journey of discovery. This book is something that you'd expect to come across quite a way along the route. But, in a way, it's exactly that that makes it rather unique. I have a feeling that Telling Stories will be a book that I return to again and again in the future.

An excellent resource for writers of all genres. I found Martin's prompts to be different from others I've read and found them quite inspiring. Example of a short story prompt:
"Open a [short] story with a line something like this: 'I was cutting wheat when Burton Quick came to tell me [fill in the rest of the line however you'd like.]' Something in the first line signals that the story is opening in the midst of something that will make this day unlike any other in our narrator's life." I'll be keeping this book close to my writing desk.

A good, useful book, that makes a wannabe writer work, and work hard.

Practical ideas for improving your writing.

Telling Stories covers most areas of writing short fiction, novels and memoirs. It has sections on structure, characterization, detail, point of view, language and revision. It also has a short section on the writing life, which includes how to start writing and defeat writer's block.

The author uses many quotes from contemporary fiction to show rather than just tell the reader how the skills he is discussing are used. Since the author is a creative writing teacher, he also explains how his students improved their writing by applying his tips. Exercises and writing prompts are sprinkled liberally throughout the book.

Reading with the goal of improving the style and structure of my book reviews, this is my first writing manual. So the book contains many ideas that are fresh to me. However, this book seems geared to newbies like myself rather than to experienced writers or even those who have read a few similar writing guides previously. The author's homey, “I'm talking directly to you” style is refreshing. There is none of the “I know everything and you know nothing” effect of many works of instructional non-fiction. The structure is well-organized from simple to complex themes that are ordered in the way that a writer would create a piece. Telling Stories is a solid 3 and a half stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to the publisher, University of Nebraska Press, and netgalley for an advanced review copy.

This books usualy go for good money, it is a great free resource. Even if you will not become a book writter it helps you in storytelling too. As a teacher I use storytelling as an important part of my activity! Children love stories and even more a good storyteller! I think the author did a good job presenting his knowledge!

Fantastic!
As a Creative Writing major, this book was extremely helpful. Great advice and writing prompts for everything from memoirs to short stories to flash nonfiction. This book will definitely be following me through fall semester writing classes!