Creating Short Fiction

The classic guide to writing short fiction — Revised & Expanded 3rd ed.

"What Knight doesn't know about writing the short story cannot be put into expository prose anyway." —Algis Budrys

"Damon Knight is one of the preeminent teachers of writing in this country. Creating Short Fiction should be considered essential for all beginning writers... not to mention a few others, who've forgotten the invaluable information it contains." —Lucius Shepard

Distilled from decades of teaching and practice, Creating Short Fiction offers no-nonsense advice on structure, pacing, dialogue, getting ideas, and much more. It includes examples and exercises that have proved their extraordinary effectiveness in classrooms and workshops everywhere. Creating Short Fiction is a timeless classic that brims with priceless advice for anyone interested in writing short stories.

Damon Knight, a SFWA Grand Master, founder of SFWA, author of dozens of well-regarded books and long-time writing teacher, founded the Milford Writers' Workshop that was the basis for the renowned writers' workshops such as Clarion and Critters.

"To those who hunger to be writers I commend this book without reservation." —Harlan Ellison