I ran an interview with the author of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran an interview with the author of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran an interview with the author of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites.

To be read more as a fan of Mosley's novels rather than a straight guide to writing fiction. A glimpse into the mind of an author's craft, from a novelist at the top of his game.

Elements of Fiction is a succinct meditation on writing. The author provides many detailed, emotionally hard-hitting examples to demonstrate the concepts addressed. The author does not tell you how to write, merely provides guidance regarding issues to consider. This book is more about the individual puzzle pieces of a novel than the way to put said pieces together. Elements of Fiction will be most helpful for those authors who are a bit more experienced and interested in not just book structure but considering the purpose of your writing and how to accomplish it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #TheElementsOfFictionWriting #nonfiction #writing

***I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review ***

Like another reviewer posted, I found this to be a bit more of a review of different parts of fiction writing and didn’t find this of much use as someone getting into writing fiction. There were a lot of story examples in many of the parts, and this author is very wordy in their descriptions which some may like, but I am not a fan of.

Elements of Fiction is a guide/tutorial/master-class on elements of writing aimed at writers (or would-be writers) by well known author Walter Mosley. Released 3rd Sept. 2019 by Grove Atlantic on their Grove Press imprint, it's a concise 128 pages and available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats.

I've been a fan of Mr. Mosley's crime- and science- fiction for many years and although I don't really have any definite desires to be a writer myself, it's always enlightening to get to see some of the nuts-and-bolts of the process going on behind the scenes. I was hoping for some step-by-step tutorials or hand holding 'start HERE and do this or that' type teaching. This is emphatically not that book. What it is, however, is a conversational treatise on the philosophy of the craft and scattered nuggets of real salient wisdom about what makes a good novel good and sometimes great.

As an almost(?) neurotically active reader, I've often experienced having positive or negative feelings about a narrative and not easily being able to articulate precisely why. There were several gut-punch moments in this book which, for me, shone a light on some of those visceral reactions. I'm tempted to go back and re-read some of those books which confused me with an eye toward deconstructing them in terms of the information in this book.

As a straight up how-to-write-a-novel tutorial, this isn't This Year You Write Your Novel . This book is much less focused on the writing process and more a long conversational essay on writing philosophy. The chapters are very loosely tied together, some of them segueing into the next chapter, some exploring a theme and then petering out. This is not a book with a logical layout and bullet point lists of information. Readers who are looking for easily found info-points, graphs, marketing or any related items will be disappointed. Those who are open to guidance from a lifetime of experience by a gifted writer will find much to assimilate in this book.

Four stars. This is an information rich book, but in a philosophical manner. There are no easy opt-ins for the wisdom Mosley shares, we have to think about what he writes. I recommend it for readers who want to know the 'why' more than the 'how-to' of writing fiction.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a ‘monograph’, but this is a rather lovely, personal meander through the ‘feeling’ of writing a book. It’s not a how-to, it’s not got a set of directives, but it gets into some of the deeper, wider arching thoughts behind writing a book. It’s like a conversation with a subject matter expert, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Walter Mosley previously published This Year You Write Your Novel, so I suppose this is a companion piece. Not having reader the former, I can’t comment. But having read plenty of writing advice (if not taken so much of it ;)) I very much liked the approach here. You are a writer, you are writing, but this is the sort of thing that is/should be/might be going on at a deeper level.

Sections have titles such as ‘Revelation’, ‘The Novel is Bigger than Your Head’, as well as the more obvious Structure, Character, Narrative Voice, etc.

What I particularly liked was the way the author almost starts telling stories, little ‘what if’ beginnings of ideas, that he then picks apart or spins around, or in one case backs off and says ‘or I’d go this completely other way’ – but, he’s learned something about his story and his characters along the way.

“The purpose of this book has been to show by example and intention how deeply you can go into your mind, excavating a world worth the struggle, the man thousands of hours, and just the right words.”

Lovely, thought-provoking little book. Recommended.

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. There were many facts that I only discovered after reading this!

Having just read Walter Mosley’s op ed in The New York Times about leaving the writing room of an unnamed TV show, I was interested in his new book, “Elements of Fiction,” because I wanted to hear more about his life and experiences as a writer. But “Elements of Fiction” is not that book—if you pick it up looking for a memoir with writing advice along the lines of “Draft No. 4” by John McPhee or Robert Caro’s “Working,” you might be disappointed. If, however, you’re looking for an inventive take on a writing how-to guide, “Elements” is well worth the read. Mosley writes that “the creation of a novel is akin to a mad scramble up a mountainside layered with loose pebbles. Any handhold or solid ground you can find will be a blessing.” “Elements” is full of those handholds, as Mosley takes the reader through a series of hypothetical plots and characters and poses all the questions a writer needs to ask along the way to producing a finished book. For someone like me, who isn’t planning on writing a book any time soon (or, in fact, probably ever), Molsey’s book was a quick read and an entertaining look at how fiction is constructed. I can imagine that aspiring writers, however, will want to read “Elements” slowly and will be highlighting practically the entire book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I have read many books on the craft of writing - some good and some bad. Elements of fiction was one I’d put right in the middle.

I loved how the advice was presented - it wasn’t your bog standard ‘how to write’ book. It was told in stories and examples. Even if sometimes it was a big long winded, I still enjoyed the different format.

I also loved that his advice wasn’t forced upon me. He mentioned what he does (e.g - in character development he says he doesn’t use much and likes to discover along the way) however, he also acknowledged that other people use charts and such and if that’s what works for you then go for it.

Overall, it was a quick, interesting read. It isn’t one I would go back to, but I would recommend it to anyone who is stuck in a rut with their writing and needs something to break the cycle.

The name of the author was familiar to me, so I was excited by the prospect of getting writing advice from him. This guide is interesting and I found some of the information to be extremely helpful.

This book was very different from what I’d expected. It’s much less of a guide to fiction, and more like a love letter, or an ode to fiction. It’s almost a stream of consciousness in which Walter Mosley lists, a bit haphazardly, the five “elements”; talks about each one a little bit; and then gives some examples.

But his examples don’t feel very instructional — they feel like book ideas that popped into his head as he was writing. So he’s more like, “you could do it like this! or like this! or like this! or you could do this!” but never really any why behind any of it. The sections are also not tied together very well, and there’s little on how to make them work in tandem, together.

That being said, if you just love to read about fiction but aren’t really looking for a deeper understanding of it, this is a great choice. There’s a lot of camaraderie to be had here among fiction lovers. It’s also super short — I read it in less than three hours. And Walter Mosley’s writing is very conversational, great fun. He’s just here to talk about fiction and have a good time and bring you along with him.

3.5 stars

The book was different from most of the how-to fiction books in the market. Most of the other books take a "scientific" perspective informing readers that a novel should be written in such and such way. Those books are important. But not enough.

This book wasn't prescriptive in the least. Mosley treats writing a novel like the craft that it is. He tells us about the elements that he believes are important like characters, narration, voice, etc. But he also asks the reader to experiment and live the process of writing the novel.

I loved the reframe that characters are how the plot unfolds. It was the most important lesson that I am taking away from the book.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley.

Great information as always! Not only a great writer of fiction but he is a great teacher of the art of writing. Highly recommended!

I found this conversational reflection on the writing process to be interesting and entertaining. I plan to go back and read This Year You Write Your Novel now. Recommended for writers who want to go beyond the formulaic advice found in most "how to write your novel" books.

.This is my second book about writing. first one was Writing to be understood by Anne Janzer.
. I liked elements of fiction and read it in single session of reading.
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There are great authors who never went to college. And there are no set rules and secret formula about writing a book.
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This book is simple and tries to remain grounded while telling reader basic things about writing.
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It depicts magnanimous nature of a story and how story is bigger than any IQ and any brain.
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It shows basic things like character, plot, context, narration and author shows use of these by writing simle paragraphs within the essay.
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Best part is that book is enjoyable and informative. There is no non logical stuff or hollow facts. Aurhor appreciates that story writing is an art which can only improve by writing.
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I liked genuine criticism of creative writing courses by author and he emphasises that each blank page should be approached like a curious baby and secrets should be discovered.
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Story is a living thing and it should be allowed to grow. We only need to groom it.
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.Lovely book for any book reader who is nursing thoughts of writing himself someday.
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Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I am a longtime fan of Mosley. He is an expert storyteller and craftsman in crime fiction. And his literary novel The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is masterful. But this book is a rambling essay. It should have been a long article in the New Yorker.

Elements of Fiction was an interesting, entertaining and quick read. Mosley's prose flows nicely and its tone is lyrical. However, I think readers need to be aware of what they are getting from this work. It does include a few tips and suggestions, but on the whole it is a reflection on the writing process, rather than a how-to manual, and anyone approaching it expecting the latter will be disappointed. For me personally, it raised a few interesting thoughts and ideas, and it was a pleasant evening's read, looking at another author's approach to and feelings about the writing process. As such, I am giving it four stars.

One of my favorite books. This is one that belongs on every writer’s (and maybe even every reader’s) shelf.

Walter Mosley walks us through the process of writing fiction with notes about what is important. Mosley's voice is practical, reflective, and helpful for those who wish to explore the creative possibilities of writing in this genre. We are left with clear words and concrete advice -- and much encouragement.