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The Jane Austen Writers' Club : inspiration and advice from the world's best-loved novelist / Rebecca Smith ; illustrations by Sarah J Coleman.

By: Smith, Rebecca [author.].
Contributor(s): Coleman, Sarah (Sarah Jane) [illustrator.].
Material type: TextTextPublisher: London : Bloomsbury, 2016Copyright date: ©2016Description: xii, 336 pages : illustrations, map ; 22 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9781408866047.Subject(s): Austen, Jane, 1775-1817 -- Criticism and interpretation | Austen, Jane, 1775-1817 -- Technique | Austen, Jane, 1775-1817 -- Influence | Austen, Jane, 1775-1817 -- Quotations | Romance fiction, English -- History and criticism | Fiction -- Technique | Authorship | Creative writing
Contents:
Plan of a novel : planning, plotting and getting started -- 'Intricate characters are the most amusing' : creating and developing your characters -- Building the village of your story : creating and utilizing your setting -- A fine pair of eyes : point of view -- Light, bright and sparkling : writing dialogue -- Secrets and suspense : Jane Austen's recipe and method for a suspenseful novel -- In Jane Austen's pocket : techniques and devices of the great author -- 'And what is fifty miles of good road?' : making use of journeys (and staying at home) in your work -- 'You know how interesting the purchase of a sponge-cake is to me' : using food and meals in your writing -- Joints of mutton and doses of rhubarb : about the writing life, not food.
Summary: Pretty much anything anyone needs to know about writing can be learned from Jane Austen. While creative writing manuals tend to use examples from twentieth- and twenty-first-century writers, The Jane Austen Writers' Club is the first to look at the methods and devices used by the world's most beloved novelist. Austen was a creator of immortal characters and a pioneer in her use of language and point of view; her advice continues to be relevant two centuries after her death. Here Rebecca Smith examines the major aspects of writing fiction--plotting, characterization, openings and endings, dialogue, settings, and writing methods--sharing the advice Austen gave in letters to her aspiring novelist nieces and nephew, and providing many and varied exercises for writers to try, using examples from Austen's work.
Item type Current location Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Non-Fiction Davis (Central) Library
Non-Fiction 		Non-Fiction 808.02 SMI 1 Available T00613057
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A delightful and informative guide to writing like Jane Austen, written by the five-times-great niece of Austen herself<br> Jane Austen is one of the most beloved writers in the English literary canon. Her novels changed the landscape of fiction forever, and her writing remains as fresh, entertaining and witty as the day her books were first published.<br> Bursting with useful exercises, beautiful illustrations and enlightening quotations from the classic author's novels and letters - and written by none other than Austen's five-times-great-niece - this book will teach you her methods, tips and tricks, from techniques of plotting and characterisation through to dialogue and suspense.<br> Whether you're a creative writing enthusiast looking to publish your first novel, a teacher searching for further inspiration for students, or fan seeking insight into Austen's daily rituals, this is an essential companion, guaranteed to satisfy, inform and delight.<br> 'Winning and beguiling ... Smith shares Jane Austen's clarity and gentle irony' Independent

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Plan of a novel : planning, plotting and getting started -- 'Intricate characters are the most amusing' : creating and developing your characters -- Building the village of your story : creating and utilizing your setting -- A fine pair of eyes : point of view -- Light, bright and sparkling : writing dialogue -- Secrets and suspense : Jane Austen's recipe and method for a suspenseful novel -- In Jane Austen's pocket : techniques and devices of the great author -- 'And what is fifty miles of good road?' : making use of journeys (and staying at home) in your work -- 'You know how interesting the purchase of a sponge-cake is to me' : using food and meals in your writing -- Joints of mutton and doses of rhubarb : about the writing life, not food.

Pretty much anything anyone needs to know about writing can be learned from Jane Austen. While creative writing manuals tend to use examples from twentieth- and twenty-first-century writers, The Jane Austen Writers' Club is the first to look at the methods and devices used by the world's most beloved novelist. Austen was a creator of immortal characters and a pioneer in her use of language and point of view; her advice continues to be relevant two centuries after her death. Here Rebecca Smith examines the major aspects of writing fiction--plotting, characterization, openings and endings, dialogue, settings, and writing methods--sharing the advice Austen gave in letters to her aspiring novelist nieces and nephew, and providing many and varied exercises for writers to try, using examples from Austen's work.

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NENEWBK4M, NEWBKS-KO, TR-NBK, TI-NONFICT

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Using excerpts from Jane Austen's letters and enduringly popular novels along with advice from her own creative writing classes, Smith (creative writing, Univ. of Southampton; Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Dilemmas) guides readers on the study and practice of Austen-inspired techniques of plotting a novel, developing characters, and formulating dialog. Those familiar with Austen's fiction will find Smith's ample examples by other authors all the more pleasurable. Modern works are occasionally mentioned (usually only by title) to demonstrate further specific literary methods. About half of the book comprises passages from Austen's works, while the other half supplies explanation, commentary, and exercises from Smith. The suggestions are solid and thoughtful, though probably not news to most serious writers: build a believable world (whether in Devonshire or on Mars), allow readers to discover the characters, dialog should ring true, a healthy dose of wit never hurts. Above all, the author advises to edit, edit, edit. VERDICT This guide steers away from lists of how-tos, filling a niche for readers and writers who are as interested in experiencing the journey to better writing as arriving at the destination.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Who better to provide good writing advice than Jane Austen herself? Smith (Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life Dilemmas), Austen's great-great-great-great-grandniece, deploys the master author's novels, letters, juvenilia, and even a late poem as lessons in the creative process. Various sections focus on point of view, irony, characterization, central images, dialogue, travel, building suspense, "the writer as sadist" (to her characters), and more. Smith quotes extensively from Austen to illustrate her points. For Austen lovers, the book will be a treat, a chance to luxuriate in some of her best prose. Moreover, the chosen passages aptly support Smith's points about writing, which she supplements with a solid set of exercises. Smith understands Austen as both a stylist and satirist, and she appreciates the challenges she faced as a "lady" writer, not dissimilar to modern authors who often have to shoehorn their creative work into distracted lives. If there's a quibble, it's that Smith uses very long passages from Austen at the expense of shorter but equally cogent snippets. All in all, however, this easy-to-follow book offers sensible advice and is a fine writer's guide. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Smith, a descendant of Jane Austen, mines her revered ancestor's novels to reveal their brilliance and show other writers how they can learn from Austen's example. Smith starts with how to plan your novel by sharing advice taken from one of Austen's letters about what not to do, including having heroes and heroines who are beyond reproach, villains who are simply evil through and through, and an aimless and meandering plot. In her letters to young hopefuls, Austen also cautions against overwriting and encourages the use of humor. Next, Smith explores Austen's multifaceted characters: how she describes them, how they are tested through adversity, and even how their clothes reflect their inner conflicts. Smith goes on to explore Austen's use of place, her sharply witty dialogue, and her deft, careful plotting. Throughout the book, Smith offers exercises for writers to help jump-start their own creativity. Chock-full of passages from Austen's novels, this is a great guide not just for aspiring writers, but also for all Austen lovers who want to delve deeper into her layered novels.--Huntley, Kristine Copyright 2016 Booklist