A good writing resource, applicable to both short stories and novels.

Kress's advice is concise without skimping on examples to illustrate her points.

There are, however, two very minor drawbacks to this work. The separate sections (Beginnings, Middles, Ends) may tempt the reader into only reading the section that they find applicable; this would be a grave error, as Kress points out that each section of a story has an influence on the others. Also, since the book was originally written in the early 90s, the cited fiction examples may be a bit dated for current and future young writers.

Personally, I found James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure to be a marginally better treatment of the same material. ( )

I want to start off by saying this is a fabulous resource. I picked it up because I've long heard Kress's "How To" books praised, and I must say, I'm very glad I did.

There are, as always, things I already know. Or things I've already intuited from my own work. But it's great, for starters, to have stuff reinforced. It's also great to have things spelled out plainly.

But, one of the best things about this book? It discusses both novels and short stories. Kress talks about what's different between each, and how a writer should handle it. That alone makes this book worth its weight in gold.

Kress also doesn't simply focus on beginnings as a whole, middles, and ends. She talks about the elements that make them such. She talks about the kinds of writers who have problems with each. She also, surprisingly, focuses a lot on character and plot, because think about it: if you're stuck somewhere in your work? Chances are, going back to your original characterization and original plot will fix things right up. But she also stresses how plot grows out of character, and that if you're forcing characters to act against their inner nature, you've got a block coming.

In a way, this book deals with various aspects of writers block and how to get around it, especially in context to where you're stuck. Beginnings are related to middles, which relate to ends, and back again. Each section has its own set of exercises (none of which I've done, but I'm glad to have them) as well, which gives you some practical application as well.

In short? Get this book. We all have trouble-spots, but learning how it all fits together as a whole is a very useful thing. ( )