firstcontact21's Full Review: Sol Stein - Stein on Writing
Introduction...
Sol Stein's book On Writing is a resourceful compilation of advice for writers of both fiction and nonfiction. For those who may not have heard of Sol Stein, his website (http://www.solstein.com/) provides a solid introduction to this fascinating individual: "Sol Stein edited and published some of the outstanding writers of the 20th century, including James Baldwin, David Frost, Jack Higgins, Elia Kazan, Dylan Thomas, Lionel Trilling, W. H. Auden, Jacques Barzun, and three heads of state. He is a prize-winning playwright produced on Broadway, an anthologized poet, the author of nine novels, plus nonfiction books, screenplays, and TV dramas."
In his preface, Stein explains how On Writing is "not... a book of theory" (Stein 3) but rather "a book of usable solutions" that show authors "how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good (and) how to create interesting writing in the first place" (3).
On Writing is separated into seven distinct parts:
Part I: The Essentials
Part II: Fiction
Part III: Fiction and Nonfiction
Part IV: Nonfiction
Part V: Literary Values in Fiction and Nonfiction
Part VI: Revision
Part VII: Where to Get Help
where each part is divided into distinct chapters that cover specific aspects of the craft. This allows writers to either read the work as a whole or to simply concentrate on the topics that interest them. Stein illustrates his concepts and suggestions with many examples from not only his own work but the works of many others, from Chaucer to Joan Didion and even John Grisham. Stein's style is colloquial and accessible and writers at any level should be able to take away something from this elder statesman of writing, Sol Stein.
On the Parts that make up the whole...
Part I: The Essentials...
In his preface, Stein suggests that everyone read Part I: The Essentials, which is broken down into three chapters. Chapter 1: The Writer's Job May Be Different Than You Think covers the essence of what the writer's world is all about: hard work. Here, Stein presents an overview of a writing craft that is not without work or hardship. For Stein, writing, like any other endeavour, requires practice and patience on the part of those who partake in it. And Stein has little time for those who think otherwise, stating that "By practice one learns to use what one has understood. Only writers, it seems, expect to achieve some level of mastery without practice" (Stein 12). In this chapter Stein also provides some basic definitions for the concepts of fiction and nonfiction, stating in the simplest terms that "Nonfiction conveys information" (7) and that "Fiction evokes emotion" (7), and as such require different mindsets by the writers that tackle each genre. However, Stein argues that the tools of writing are really universal and can be applied to both genres almost interchangeably, and his book On Writing serves to provide a blueprint for doing just that.
In Chapter 2: Come Right In: First Sentences, First Paragraphs Stein explores the importance of hooking a reader with intriguing openings that "excite the reader's curiosity... introduce a setting... (and) lend resonance to the story" (16). He spends a lot of time on this chapter, dividing it into suggestions for improving the openings for both fiction and nonfiction because in both genres the writer's "...aim is to involve the reader quickly (28).
In Chapter 3: Welcome to the Twentieth Century, the last chapter of Part I: The Essentials, Stein provides one last reminder for modern writers seeking to approach a modern audience. He also introduces us to the three main components of fiction, noting that: "Understanding the difference among the three main components of fiction - description, narrative summary, and immediate scene - can be of immense help to a writer of nonfiction also. The nonfiction writer who learns to use immediate scenes wherever he can will also find a dramatic improvement in the reception of his work. Nonfiction writers should pay close attention to the three forms of fiction... because the principles involved relate to their work as well" (43). For Stein, a sound understanding of these principles will help ensure that an author's writing remain vivid and accessible.
Part II: Fiction...
Part II: Fiction is by far the longest section of On Writing, covering a broad range of topics with clarity and precision.
In Chapter 4: Competing with God: Making Fascinating People, Stein introduces us to the importance of characters - "Think of the novels you have loved most. Do you remember a character you lived with page after page, perhaps hoping the book would never end? What do you remember most clearly, the characters or the plot? Now think of the movies you've seen that affected you the most. Do you remember the actors or the plot? There's a book called Characters Make Your Story that you don't have to read because the title says it all: Characters make your story. If the people come alive, what they do becomes the story. Stein also introduces us to a plethora of tools for making characters come to life such as through action, exaggeration and dialogue among many others. He also reminds us about what makes a character extraordinary, by getting a fix on the most fertile areas of characterization including personality, disposition, temperament, individuality and eccentricity. Throughout Stein crystallizes his ideas by providing many examples.
In Chapter 5: Markers: The Key to Swift Characterization, Stein introduces us to one of the most important characterization tools - the use of markers - such as cultural, social or socio-economic differences between characters. Specifically, Stein defines a marker as an easily identified signal that reveals a character's social or cultural class, heredity, or upbringing (306).
In Chapter 6: Thwarting Desire: The Basics of Plotting Stein covers the topic of plot and the importance of having a protagonist that has a clear and deep-rooted want. For Stein, If your character doesn't want anything badly enough, readers will have a hard time rooting for him to attain his goal, which is what compels readers to continue reading. The more urgent the want, the greater the reader's interest (82). Furthermore, Stein notes that The essence of dramatic conflict lies in the clash of wants (83) and he illustrates a number of interesting ways for creating and enhancing those clashes.
With Chapter 7: The Actors Studio Method for Developing Drama in Plots Stein discusses another unique method for plotting, that is as interesting as his ideas on creating markers for characters. In 1957, Stein was actually one of the ten founding members of the Playwrights Group of the Actors Studio in New York (along with Tennessee Williams, Molly Kazan and Robert Anderson among others). The method Stein describes in this chapter directly relates to ensuring that each character has a clear internal strength, a clear motivation and want that is known to the writer.
Chapter 8: The Crucible: A Key to Successful Plotting introduces another interesting concept of Stein's who notes that "Characters caught in a crucible won't declare a truce and quit. They're in it till the end. The key to the crucible is that the motivation of the characters to continue opposing each other is greater than their motivation to run away. Or they can't run away because they are in a prison cell, a lifeboat, an army, or a family" (94).
Chapter 9: Keeping the Reader Reading relates directly to pacing. Here, Stein discusses the tools that writers can use to maintain suspense in their writing. In short, suspense builds when the reader wants something to happen and it isn't happening yet. Or something is happening and the reader wants it to stop, now. And it doesn't (98). For Stein, the job of the writer is to avoid rescuing the hero as long as possible. You leave him hanging (98).
Chapter 10: The Adrenaline Pump: Creating Tension builds on the concepts of chapter 9. Stein introduces the topic, stating that Writers are troublemakers. A psychotherapist tries to relieve stress, strain, and pressure. Writers are not psychotherapists. Their job is to give readers stress, strain, and pressure. The fact is that readers who hate those things in life love them in fiction. Until a writer assimilates that fact he will have difficulty in consciously creating sufficient moments in which the reader feels tension... Tension is a stretching out... and the reader finds it delicious (105). Stein provides many examples and suggestions for how writers can create tension, through action, character and dialogue.
In Chapter 11: The Secrets of Good Dialogue Stein switches gears a bit, having covered the broad sweeping elements that are important to good writing, he is now beginning to focus in on specifics that help elevate good writing to the level of great writing. Dialogue is key and for Stein success in writing dialogue is one of the most rewarding aspects of the writer's craft (110). he provides many examples and suggestions as well as questions writers can consider when drafting dialogue in their work.
Chapter 12: How to Show Instead of Tell Stein touches upon one of the most important aspects that many writers tend to forget - that they should "show a story," not "tell a story." This is a common rule that all writers are taught at some point, but rarely have I found is it taught or discussed in any real depth. Here Stein adds that needed depth, revealing how the areas where writers are vulnerable to the temptation to tell, as well as revealing ways in which writers can ensure that they show their story. For me, Chapter 12 was probably the most enlightening chapters of the entire book.
Chapter 13: Choosing a Point of View covers the fairly standard topic of point of view and Stein ensures that we get a strong understanding of point of view, stating that "The term point of view as used by writers is misdefined even in good dictionaries. It means the character whose eyes are observing what happens, the perspective from which a scene or story is written... This chapter is designed to help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of each point of view so that you can choose knowledgeably which to use to accomplish what you have in mind (129).
Chapter 14: Flashbacks: How to Bring Background into the Foreground is an interesting topic especially given the fact that so many novels, short stories, movies and television shows rely on flashbacks as a way of telling their story. Stein's suggestion is to avoid it, but he does help writers strongly question the relevancy of using a flashback at any given point in time, providing them with a framework that helps ensure that the flashback doesn't break the narrative flow of a story, a.k.a. the reading experience (143) of a story. Stein notes: The reason flashbacks create a problem for readers is that they break the reading experience... If the reader is conscious of moving back in time, especially if what happened in the past is told rather than shown, the engrossed reader is reluctant to be pulled out of his reverie to receive information. If we are enthralled, we don't want to be interrupted. Therefore, the art of writing flashbacks is to avoid interrupting the reader's experience. I'll show you how that's done (143).
Moving forward, Stein next tackles another important subject with Chapter 15: The Keys to Credibility. Here, Stein explores how credibility is central to much of what the writer does. He creates a world in which the invented characters must seem as real as the people who surround us in life (152). He shows us how we can assist the reader in suspending disbelief, and reminds us of the importance of telegraphing or planting information to ensure the overall believability of a work. He also explores ways a writer can keep it real, by avoiding the terrifying deus ex machina (the god in the machine) as a way of rescuing the hero or the plot.
Chapter 16: The Secret Snapshot Technique: Reaching for Hidden Treasure "...is designed to help writers whose fiction doesn't touch the emotion of readers, who write from the outside looking in, whose stories are uninteresting to experience because they seem 'made up'" (156). It's a technique that can help authors to "write from the inside, in touch with subject matter that will enable him to brush the reader's emotions" (156).
Chapter 17: How to Use All Six of Your Senses dives into an important topic of bringing writing to life by utilizing the senses of sound, smell, touch, taste, the sixth sense of ESP as well as sight. Stein presents a number of techniques and questions that authors can use to bring their senses to life while avoiding cliché.
Chapter 18: Love Scene is a longer chapter devoted to creating memorable romances, love scenes and even erotic encounters. Stein tackles the topic from the point of view of considering specific scenes, to discussing stories built around love and romance as a central premise. The chapter builds upon many of the topics introduced in previous chapters in discussing love scenes.
Stein follows up his rather lengthy chapter with a shorter chapter in Chapter 19: Creating the Envelope, where Stein discusses how "less is more... It is a mistake to fill the envelope with so much detail that little or nothing is left to the reader's imagination. The writer's job is to fill the envelope with just enough to trigger the reader's imagination" (186).
Part III: Fiction and Nonfiction...
Having completed his discussion on the elements of fiction, in Part III Stein moves to bridge the common ground between fiction and nonfiction.
With Chapter 20: Amphetamines for Speeding Up Pace Stein discusses the difficult topic of pace - or tempo - that is, how fast or slow a work reads. Stein "...was tempted to call this chapter 'teaching the unteachable'" (193), and is able to present quite a few techniques for stepping up or decreasing the pace in a piece of writing, "ranging from the simple to the quite complex" (193).
In Chapter 21: Liposuctioning Flab, Stein explores techniques and methods authors can utilize in attacking superfluous words and phrases.
Chapter 22: Tapping Your Originality dives into a fairly complex subject matter - that of finding your voice - that unique distinction that helps set your writing apart from everyone else.
Chapter 23: The Door to Your Book: Titles That Attract discusses how authors can find a title that will sell.
Part IV: Nonfiction...
Having bridged the gap between fiction and nonfiction, Stein focuses in on the art of nonfiction, highlighting a lot of what was covered in Part II, showing writers how they can utilize many of the elements of fiction in their nonfiction writing.
With Chapter 24: Using the Techniques of Fiction to Enhance Nonfiction Stein quickly divides nofiction into "two categories: practical and literary" (223). He defines practical nonfiction as being "designed to communicate information in circumstances where the quality of the writing is not considered as important as the content... The subjects tend to be instruction, guides, tips, collections of facts..." (223), and he defines literary nonfiction as putting emphasis on the precise and skilled use of words and tone, and the assumption that the reader is as intelligent as the writer. While information is included, insight about that information, presented with some originality, may predominate" (223). Having provided his definitions, Stein goes about covering the topics of characterization, markers and resonance in nonfiction.
In Chapter 25: Conflict, Suspense, and Tension in Nonfiction Stein covers just what the title says.
Chapter 26: Quoting What They Say tackles the topic of dialogue in relation to nonfiction. Stein warns authors to "Never intentionally misquote. And never invent dialogue. Invented dialogue is usually a highly visible sign of untrustworthy writing... If you find yourself inventing dialogue, write a play, novel or movie" (241). Unfortunately, Stein fails to discuss how dialogue can be used in works such as memoir or autobiography, especially given the success of authors like Frank McCourt, in contrast to authors like James Frey. But that's a whole other topic for debate.
In Chapter 27: Guts: The Decisive Ingredient Stein discusses the truth about the guts that it takes to be a writer, for "A writer's job is to tell the truth in an interesting way. The truth that is adultery, theft, hypocrisy, envy and boredom are all sins practiced everywhere that human nature thrives" (242). Stein spends a lot of time on this topic and eventually makes a strong recommendation for a very interesting anthology - "The Art of the Personal Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate. That book starts with the forerunners, Seneca and Plutarch, picks up Montaigne and Samuel Johnson and Hazlitt en route to the Americans of the present century, and that journey reveals an evolution toward the candour with which our writers tell us like it is. The audience is ready. The question is 'Are you?'" (246).
Part V: Literary Values in Fiction and Nonfiction...
Chapter 28: Commercial? Popular? Literary? presents an interesting discussion on the differences between commercial, popular and literary writing.
In Chapter 29: Particularity Stein notes how "It is not just detail that distinguishes good writing, it is detail that individualizes. I call it 'particularity.' Once you're used to spotting it - and spotting its absence - you will have one of the best possible means of improving your writing markedly" (254). Stein goes onto show how an author can particularize characters, actions and places.
Chapter 30: Similes and Metaphors discusses just that - similes and metaphors. Stein illustrates ways in which authors can avoid cliché and find originality and strength in the similes and metaphors they use.
Chpater 31: Increasing the Effect on the Reader through Resonance is probably one of Stein's most important chapter, where "In writing it has come to mean an aura of significance beyond the components of a story" (268).
Part VI: Revision...
This section tackles the difficult topic of revision. Many amateur writers hate revising and Stein notes how "the biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. The writer, professional or not, looks forward to the opportunity of excising words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters that do not work and to improving those that do. Many a would-be writer thinks whatever he puts down on paper is by that act somehow indelible" (227).
Chpater 32: Triage: A Better Way of Revising Fiction illustrates how Stein has adapted the concepts behind medical triage for evaluating and revising writing; whereas Chapter 33: Reprieve: Revising Nonfiction deals with just that - revising nonfiction.
Part VII: Where to Get Help...
The penultimate section of his book, Chapter 34: Where to Get Help lists a variety of areas where writers can seek more information and help with their writing, from book doctors to dictionaries to literary agents to computer software, tapes (audio and video), thesauruses, and conferences. This section is strong but could use revising given the wealth of resources now available to writers online.
Chapter 35: A Final Word presents a rather humorous take on the journey that's been taken, with Stein presenting his own Ten Commandments for Writers. Stein also briefly debates an amazing quote by Hemingway, who said "'We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master'" (302). Stein contemplates that perhaps "We all know that's not literally true. Many of Hemingway's stories and some of his novels are masterly. He meant we can always learn more" (302). And Stein's right in that respect, which is why I found On Writing to be such a pleasure to explore – we’re never done learning.
Finally, On Writing contains a very useful glossary of terms, as used and defined by Stein throughout his text. However, I can't help but think that the glossary couldn't be improved by adding page references to sections of the book where the each term is more thoroughly discussed. More formally, On Writing would have been complete if Stein had included an index chronicling the various terminology, cited works and authors, etc. as included in the book.
Conclusion...
I've found Sol Stein's On Writing to be an invaluable resource. But for advanced writers of fiction and nonfiction, many of the topics Stein explores will be far from new. But reading about them as discussed by a writer and editor who has been involved in the craft for more than 50 years can bring new light to many of the topics under examination, and may even serve to remind us about topics writers may have forgotten or neglected. But surely, whatever we can learn from an elder statesmen of writing like Sol Stein can only serve to benefit the work of all writers.
Grade: A
(c) February 9, 2006, Steven H. Lee
Note: This review details the softcover edition of this book. Epinions.com also features a section for the hardcover edition of this book, located here.
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