Part 1, Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis

The book is subtitled "How to invent, construct, and animate vivid, credible characters and choose the best eyes through which to view the events of your short story or novel." In exploring this intent, the book offers several suggestions of techniques writers can employ to bring fictional characters to vivid life in order to fully engage a reader in the story being told. These suggestions are grounded in the key thematic premises relating to the necessity for justification, the importance of the narrative's relationship with the reader, and the value of craft.

"Introduction" The author first suggests that the act of creative writing is a solitary art (as opposed to other forms of art which are much more collaborative—producing a play, creating a film, for example). He then suggests that there are two...