Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques

By: James Hynes, The Great Courses

Narrated by: James Hynes

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Whether you're huddled around the campfire, composing an email to a friend, or sitting down to write a novel, storytelling is fundamental to human nature. But as any writer can tell you, the blank page can be daunting. It's tough to know where to get started, what details to include in each scene, and how to move from the kernel of an idea to a completed manuscript.

Writing great fiction isn't a gift reserved for the talented few. There is a craft to storytelling that can be learned, and studying writing techniques can be incredibly rewarding - both personally and professionally. Even if you don’t have ambitions of penning the next Moby-Dick, you'll find value in exploring all the elements of fiction.

From evoking a scene to charting a plot to revising your drafts, Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques offers a master class in storytelling. Taught by award-winning novelist James Hynes, a former visiting professor at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, these 24 insightful lectures show you the ins and outs of the fiction writer's craft. Get tips for developing believable and memorable characters, explore how to craft plausible dialogue that serves the purposes of your narrative, compare the advantages of different points of view, and more. A wealth of exercises will inspire you to practice the many techniques you learn. Professor Hynes is an able guide, showing you what has worked for him and other novelists, and pointing out pitfalls to avoid. Writing Great Fiction is truly an exceptional course for anyone interested in storytelling.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2014 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2014 The Great Courses

Time to get writing!

This was a great course from an intertwining lecturer. I found guidance and motivation in his words.

Time to get writing!

Some great tips.

I have had stories floating around my brain for over half my life. But I have not been able to put down more than ten thousand words on any one subject for more than twenty years now. I have been feeling a lot of inspiration lately from a few sources, including these lectures. I found them informative and they gave me a little perspective on writing and the industry. I am glad that listened to them. Now off to write something of my own...maybe something better well written than this passage. :)

Great course for authors and readers alike.

I don't intend to be an author. But the course improved my understanding of fiction. After completing the course, I finished Dan Brown's Origin and I believe I understood it much better. I.not only understand what is happening but why also. I read a book critically now asking lot of questions about why author did this or that. What kind of scene or story is this and how it is progressing.

Specifically, I understand that flashbacks are deliberately placed in the story at specific points.

Great pace, insightful, and humble.

I loved how the lectures are divided in the chapters and how the author connects them.

Insightful and Comprehensive

I found the lectures really well organized. They flowed organically from one to the next and in the end, came a full circle.

I certainly learnt a lot from them and I recommend every budding writer to read these.

Thorough and Concise!

Really good review of all aspects of the storytelling approach for fiction. Excellent comparisons and examples to elaborate each topic and point as well.

Great "read"

Very informative, although droning at times. It Opened my eyes to a more than a few different thoughts processes that I was not aware of.

James Hynes Just Made my List…

Up until I listened to Professor James Hynes’ writing course, I only had two go-to books for help with my writing: On Writing by Stephen King and The Secrets of Story by Matt Bird. After listening to Hynes’ Writing Great Fiction, I have a third go-to! This series is well structured and entertaining as well as educational. The series is full of actionable approaches to your writing and Hynes is easy to understand and follow. He pulls up several examples to illustrate his points and offers at least one “homework” assignment after each lecture, providing unique ways to go about your fiction writing (this is quite useful especially if you find yourself in a rut and need help pushing through writer’s block or exploring different avenues for your creative process). This is a great series and I highly recommend it to anyone serious about their writing and longing to advance their skills.

Interesting from start to finish

I've read about most of the topics covered, but found hearing it in these lectures motivates me to keep writing.

Excellent Instruction on How to Write Fiction

If you could sum up Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques in three words, what would they be?

One of the best audio books I've listened to. Prof. Hynes provides well-organized, thorough, and fascinating lectures. He is a pleasure to listen to. Like reading a great novel, I felt sad when the course was over. A bonus is that he provides reading lists of fiction and how-to for each lecture. He illustrates his talks with examples and analyses of great works of literature. I read these along with the course to enhance the experience.

What other book might you compare Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques to and why?

Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer because it is another excellent book on how to write fiction. In some ways Prose's book is more thorough, has more sections, breaks it down into more detail, but Hynes, to me, is more lively and engaging. Though Prose is a truly great read also.

What does Professor James Hynes University of Iowa Writers' Workshop bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His enthusiasm for writing fiction comes through in his voice, tone, expression, and sense of humor. He is just as good as my best college, and grad school professors were.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it takes time to absorb these lessons. I liked doing some of the readings along with the lectures. Also, he has exercises that take some time and deepen the material, though since I'm already taking a writing class I did not do the exercises.

Any additional comments?

This book alone makes my subscription to Audible worth it. His lectures are masterpieces of teaching (and I have been a college lecturer for 43 years).