Explore the style and technique of the world’s greatest writers in this compendium to be treasured by literature lovers.
From Katherine Mansfield to Toni Morrison, discover 50 celebrated writers and the literary techniques that set them apart. Each author profile includes details of the writer’s career and key works, followed by an in-depth exploration of their unique style, and several writing exercises based on this. Spanning over 100 years of literature, and several genres, featured writers include:
- Harper Lee – acclaimed American author of southern gothic fiction including To Kill a Mockingbird.
- Lynley Dodd – much-loved New Zealand author of the Hairy Maclary and Friends series for children.
- Gabriel García Márquez – Colombian author of works including One Hundred Years of Solitude, known for his exceptional, genre-defining use of magical realism.
The collection contains 175 writing exercises and prompts based on the techniques and works of the featured writers. They provide instruction on different aspects of writing, from perfecting dialogue and characterisation to experimenting with structure and language. Learn from the greats and expand your writing repertoire as you play with perspective à la Virginia Woolf and craft an opening line worthy of Franz Kafka.
The perfect reference for aspiring fiction writers and literature buffs alike!
John Gillard is a writer and illustrator has written widely on the subject of creative writing, and has helped many people ignite and enhance their writing skills. Some of his titles include Flash Fiction: The Very Short Story Starter, Just Write One Thing Today, and Fiction Writer’s Notebook.
CONTENTS
CHILDREN’ S LITERATURE
LEWIS CARROLL 6
A. A. MILNE 10
ASTRID LINDGREN 14
ROALD DAHL 18
JUDY BLUME 22
LYNLEY DODD 26
MILDRED D. TAYLOR 30
SATIR E / SOCIA L COMMENTARY
JANE AUSTEN 36
HERMAN MELVILLE 40
FRANZ KAFKA 44
F. SCOTT FITZGERALD 48
JOHN STEINBECK 52
GEORGE ORWELL 56
MILAN KUNDERA 60
ROBERTO BOLAÑO 64
MAGICA L REALISM
MIKHAIL BULGAKOV 70
ITALO CALVINO 74
GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ 78
GÜNTER GRASS 82
HARUKI MURAKAMI 86
PATRICK SÜSKIND 90
FANTAS Y / SCI-F I / HORROR
J. R. R. TOLKIEN 96
C. S. LEWIS 100
URSULA K. LE GUIN 104
MARGARET ATWOOD 108
STEPHEN KING 112
J. K. ROWLING 116
SOUTHERN GOTHIC
WILLIAM FAULKNER 122
FLANNERY O’CONNOR 126
HARPER LEE 130
CORMAC MCCARTHY 134
MODERN / BEAT
VIRGINIA WOOLF 140
VLADIMIR NABOKOV 144
ERNEST HEMINGWAY 148
WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS 152
JACK KEROUAC 156
TONI MORRISON 160
JOHN LE CARRÉ 164
EXPERIMENTAL / EXISTENTIAL
JAMES JOYCE 170
KATHERINE MANSFIELD 174
ALBERT CAMUS 178
IRIS MURDOCH 182
POSTMODERN
KURT VONNEGUT 188
KAZUO ISHIGURO 192
DOUGLAS COUPLAND 196
MICHAEL CHABON 200
POSTCOLONIAL
MAYA ANGELOU 206
J. M. COETZEE 210
PETER CAREY 214
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE 218
INDEX 222
IMAGE CREDITS 224
