William Cane’s language flows very well. He explains his reasoning behind each author’s technique and has a flare of humor you’ll love to read. I have summarized here the major findings in each chapter, though there are many other things to learn.
As something negative, I can say that a lot of his examples won’t make sense unless you have read the book he uses. He does provides quotes and explanations for when you haven’t read the book (how thoughtful!).
As a positive though, he has given me multiple books to look into for reading material in the future. Sadly, some of these writers I never even knew about until reading this book. I can say that he has pointed out so many tips for a young writer like me to apply to my own writing. I would recommend this to a fellow writer!
01. Honoré de Balzac
When Cane talks about Balzac he talks about his speed for writing spectacular novels and his use for emotional tags. He talks about how he isolated himself in order to write. Cane goes into depth about the importance of these two and more tips on why Balzac’s writing was as popular as it was and ways he could have improved.
02. Charles Dickens
“Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait” was Dickens motto to his methods (22). Cane goes into why these aspects are important to a writer and how to go about adding it to your own style of writing. He talks about how characters in conflict, big or little, help readers stay interested and hungry for more.
03. Herman Melville
The famous “Moby Dick” author had a friend who was also a novelist (which I am not going to reveal). He learned a lot from his friend on writing and adapted it to his own writing. Cane voices that Melville had a lot of critics write hurtful reviews about his poetic work and how he didn’t let that keep him down.
04. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor provides us with three steps in order to control our view point in a scene. He talks about how action and thought need to flow and how to gap between scenes with a force rarely encountered in modern fiction. He points out how to get a distinguished voice in your writing and what makes his characters memorable.
05. Knut Hamsun
Something I was dying to know how to overcome is written in this chapter: writers block. He brings to light that not all stories need to be so linear as the modern writing goes and how to make your writing unique. He brings out a whole other side to why dreams and background can be very important in order to have loved characters.
06. Edith Wharton
Cane touches on how important it is to have a life outside of writing. Edith was a big writer on love at first sight and using psycho-narration in her writing. Edith walked the line of repeating information regularly without seeming to. Foreshadowing and describing the settings of a scene are also things she touches on.
07. W. Somerset Maugham
Cane talks about how to pick your characters like Maugham. He says something along the lines of ‘if all your characters are sweet and simple, it would be like having an orchestra of just flutes.’ Maugham is famous for his surprise twist, his really organized chapters and keeping to a schedule when you are writing.
08. Edgar Rice Burroughs
If you weren’t aware, this is the author of the forever loved-story Tarzan! He’s known for his interesting names, his paces in narratives, and his conflict. One of the biggest points Cane touches in this one is why conflict is needed and the different types of it; and of course, the need of romance.
09. Franz Kafka
One of the clues to Kafka’s greatness lies in his approach to plot. This is one of the topics that Cane touches on in the Kafka chapter. He has a knack for structuring stories well, but one of his greatest weaknesses was character development. Cane talks about how that weakness can turn into your strength.
10. D. H. Lawrence
Lawrence was known for creating excitements in the smallest and simplest scenes. He did many drafts, but always started from scratch. He didn’t go through a first draft and build on it; what he did was he would pull out a blank sheet and start anew. That may be something to read about and to test if it is for you.
11. William Faulkner
Cane speaks about how Faulkner’s writing is good for not only fiction but for nonfiction as well. He also has the strength of starting a story in a way that makes the reader immediately hooked and drooling for more. And like the beginning, Faulkner has a knack for ending scenes, chapters and books.
12. Ernest Hemingway
“Hemingway’s writing is notable for its short sentences, lack of subordination, reliance on nouns and verbs rather than adjectives and adverbs and its heavy use of the word and” (Cane). Something I really learned is how to speed up and slow down the reader and how to paint a scene from my story.
13. Margaret Mitchell
Something you see how to master in this chapter is how Mitchell takes the reader gradually in and out of a scene. She focuses on the feelings of the protagonist and what is going on around them in the same paragraph by weaving them gradually into each other. This is a very interesting chapter.
14. George Orwell
There are many interesting things to learn from Orwell’s writing; but one that I focused on that Cane wrote about was how to make a villain. He said some interesting things about how to make a villain someone people end up loving to hate. Another interesting aspect is how to have a theme with your writing.
15. Ian Fleming
My favorite line from Cane in Fleming’s chapter is “present the kind of detail that will color the story as a life like dream” (171). Fleming is known for his thirst for detail and descriping a life that most people would literally kill for. Bond is one of the best known heros and his stories are something to learn from.
16. J.D. Salinger
Salinger tells you how to step away from a character-stereotype and how to create a character based on key elements of your own personalitythat might be relevant to your story. Something more Cane believes we can learn from Salinger is how to find the right place and time to write a masterpiece.
17. Ray Bradbury
Bradbury had a special way of writing his first draft that made him well known. It adds a little more to someone’s work load but it just may be worth it. Bradbury’s specialty was writing from a young person’s point of view (third-person limited). You learn how Bradbury mastered this technic.
18. Flannery O’Connor
O’Conner is known for her use of exaggeration in writing. She believed that “it is the extreme situation that best reveals what we are essentially”. Something I learned about from her chapter was what exactly Free Indirect Discourse was, and how it is important to add this to your writing.
19. Philip K. Dick
Besides learning that drugs can help you write, Dick was very good at love scenes. He said that they include three elements (preparation, romantic banter, and the first kiss) and goes into what each one means to the whole scene. Dick also gives up to science fiction writers out there.
20. Tom Wolfe
The part of this chapter that I absolutely loved is the “How to Characterize like Tom Wolfe.” I’m not going to go into detail, but it talks about how you should treat your hero and how it is important to get your readers to love them. Also you learn how you can use “status life” in your own work.
21. Stephen King
The main aspect that Cane touches here isn’t hard to guess: suspense. King is, well, the king of suspense when it comes to the literary, and the entertainment, world. You see how important it is to create suspense no matter what type of book you are reading and the different types you can use.
Cane touches on a lot of things people need to learn in order to master the ways of imitation. Some of these tips won’t apply to you, because you aren’t writing in that style or you aren’t writing in that view point, but it is important to expand your mind and learn things outside of your comfort zone.
I learned a lot from this book. I plan to read some of the books mentioned and a chapter and go through and learn what I can from these great authors.