Once upon a time I became involved in an online community that involved amateur writing and I decided I wanted to participate. To that end, I bought this book, which was the first I ever bought on creative writing. Later, I'd read the blog of an editor who once offered this rule of thumb: Pay attention to who is offering advice on writing. They should either be an author you admire or someone who has gained best-selling status or someone who is or has been a gatekeeper--an acquiring editor or agent. By those terms Bickham doesn't really qualify from what is offered about his background. And I can't put this at the top rank of books on writing I've since acquired and read by Stephen King, Elizabeth George (both bestselling writers) or Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (by two acquiring editors) or books by agents such as Noah Lukeman or Donald Maass. But it is a good, lucid basic introductory text on the architecture and devices of the short story I found valuable with some useful tips to try. ( )

Writing A Short Story: A Hands On The Program,
Jack M Bickham,
Writer's Digest Books, ISBN 0-89879-670-9

I was really amazed at how much this book must have affected my writing when I read it several years ago. I remember feeling as though I had found vindication in how I work, and I know now that I picked up a lot of basic ideas from here without ever realizing it. Much of what Bickham wrote about in this book were things I had already been doing. Re-reading it a decade later has only reinforced some of my approach and perhaps refined and added a few new steps in.

I never did get caught up in his card file system, though. That just seemed a little excessive for me, even though I have note cards stacked up everywhere in the room still delete that and occasionally use them for notes.

Bickham does a comprehensive overview if a way to create a professional short story career. He believes in thoroughly laying out story ideas and working everything up before you write. He missed trusts the work of inspiration alone and believes that is where a number of writers get into serious trouble.

The fact that I agree on some serious levels with this book does not mean that I think everything in it will work for every writer. However, he does have a good, solid sense of how to put a story together. More than that, the book covers just about every phase of writing and offers insights that can help with longer works, as well.

I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for help and direction in writing short stories. I would even suggest that you try his notecard system at least once. You never know when something different is going to be just what you need to break through at some level. ( )