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Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer
You already have the tools to become a gifted writer; what you need is the spark. Harvard creative writing professor and acclaimed author Bret Anthony Johnston brings you an irresistible interactive guide to the craft of narrative writing. From developing characters to building conflict, from mastering dialogue to setting the scene, Naming the World jump-starts your creativity with inspiring exercises that will have you scrambling for pen and paper. Every chapter is a master class with the country’s most eminent authors, renowned editors, and dedicated teachers.
• Infuse emotion into your fiction with three key strategies from Margot Livesey.
• Christopher Castellani dumps the “write what you know” maxim and challenges you to really delve into the imagination.
• A point-of-view drill from Susan Straight can be just the breakthrough you need to flesh out your story.
• Jewell Parker Rhodes shares how good dialogue is not just about what is being said but about what is being left unsaid.
Brimming with imaginative springboards and hands-on exercises, Naming the World has everything you need to become a stronger, more inventive writer.
“A delicious book. Imagine yourself at a cocktail party crammed with literary lions. You have the chance to spend a few moments with each of them. Wit and wisdom abound.”
–Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way
“A highly useful and perceptive book. With charm and intelligence it touches on nearly every teachable aspect of the devilishly difficult art of writing.”
–Ethan Canin, professor of creative writing at the Iowa Writers Workshop, and author of Carry Me Across the Water
“These entertaining and useful exercises, intelligently organized, are a boon for both beginning and experienced writers.”
–Andrea Barrett, National Book Award—winning author of The Air We Breathe
“Forget about getting an MFA! For any writer struggling with his craft, here is the equivalent of a master class in writing by some of the best writer/teachers around.”
–Betsy Lerner, author of The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers
• Infuse emotion into your fiction with three key strategies from Margot Livesey.
• Christopher Castellani dumps the “write what you know” maxim and challenges you to really delve into the imagination.
• A point-of-view drill from Susan Straight can be just the breakthrough you need to flesh out your story.
• Jewell Parker Rhodes shares how good dialogue is not just about what is being said but about what is being left unsaid.
Brimming with imaginative springboards and hands-on exercises, Naming the World has everything you need to become a stronger, more inventive writer.
“A delicious book. Imagine yourself at a cocktail party crammed with literary lions. You have the chance to spend a few moments with each of them. Wit and wisdom abound.”
–Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way
“A highly useful and perceptive book. With charm and intelligence it touches on nearly every teachable aspect of the devilishly difficult art of writing.”
–Ethan Canin, professor of creative writing at the Iowa Writers Workshop, and author of Carry Me Across the Water
“These entertaining and useful exercises, intelligently organized, are a boon for both beginning and experienced writers.”
–Andrea Barrett, National Book Award—winning author of The Air We Breathe
“Forget about getting an MFA! For any writer struggling with his craft, here is the equivalent of a master class in writing by some of the best writer/teachers around.”
–Betsy Lerner, author of The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
87 people are currently reading
1,545 people want to read
About the author
Bret Anthony Johnston
16 books226 followersBret Anthony Johnston is the author of the internationally best-selling novel Remember Me Like This, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and the winner of the 2015 McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns Prize. The book has been translated around the world and is being made into a major motion picture. Bret is also the author of the award-winning Corpus Christi: Stories, which was named a Best Book of the Year by The Independent (London) and The Irish Times, and the editor of Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer. His work appears in The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Paris Review, Glimmer Train Stories, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere.
His awards include the Pushcart Prize, the Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers, the Stephen Turner Award, the Cohen Prize, a James Michener Fellowship, the Kay Cattarulla Prize for short fiction, and many more. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Tin House, The Best American Sports Writing, and on NPR’s All Things Considered.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he’s the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and a 5 Under 35 honor from the National Book Foundation. He wrote the documentary film Waiting for Lightning, which was released in theaters around the world by Samuel Goldwyn Films. He teaches in the Bennington Writing Seminars and at Harvard University, where he is the Director of Creative Writing.
His awards include the Pushcart Prize, the Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers, the Stephen Turner Award, the Cohen Prize, a James Michener Fellowship, the Kay Cattarulla Prize for short fiction, and many more. His nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Tin House, The Best American Sports Writing, and on NPR’s All Things Considered.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he’s the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and a 5 Under 35 honor from the National Book Foundation. He wrote the documentary film Waiting for Lightning, which was released in theaters around the world by Samuel Goldwyn Films. He teaches in the Bennington Writing Seminars and at Harvard University, where he is the Director of Creative Writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
August 7, 2010
Absolutely stacked with knowledgeable and experienced writers - and, as a result, how could it *not* include a fair-sized helping of gems? Not everything here is worth the price of admission, but there's enough good stuff here to make the entirety more than worth the read.
February 7, 2010
Helpful short essays and writing exercises for beginning fiction writers. I did National Novel Writing Month last year and fully embraced the "just write even if it's crap" philosophy, so it was interesting to learn from this book some of my writing crimes that are probably typical of inexperienced writers. As with anything, I'll pick and choose the advice worth following, but I have to start somewhere and have found this book very helpful so far. Structurally, it's divided into the major elements of a novel (i.e., characters, dialogue, plot, etc.), with several guest instructors providing suggestions and exercises for each element. Very easy to pick up and focus on an essay & exercise as the mood arises.
April 11, 2018
(3.5) While at times this is a uneven grab bag of writing tips and exercises (cliche character interviews and memory recall), there overall was enough helpful content and insightful quotes to merit a read through for the aspiring creative writer. I especially enjoyed Bret Anthony Johnston's multiple essays and using Grover and The Monster at the End of the Book as a great example of withholding what your readers want.
January 3, 2014
Not necessarily a book you read from cover to cover.. as much as you look through and read about which writing exercises sound most interesting. There are some great ones from the likes of Joyce Carol Oates, Tom Robbins and (for you summer Iowa people..) Tom Barbash. They all give introductions to the exercises. Great if you're stuck or just want some practice.
November 8, 2014
This isn't really a book you read; it's a book you do, i.e. you dip in and out of the various chapters and pick up exercises and you actually do them. I've only done like, two of them so far, but I'm going to keep the book near my writing desk and keep playing with. There are lots of fun things to play with to actually get a person writing, which is very worthwhile.
November 27, 2019
I read a lot of craft books on writing, and this is one of the best. Each chapter is clear and has practical exercises. The book is also fun to read. Practical and entertaining, and you can dip in and out of it, as needed. Highly recommended.
September 11, 2018
I hate to brag, but this was edited by my good friend Bret - who's living the writing life I always wanted. But maybe the book will help me find my lost writer self.
December 21, 2022
This is a do-it-yourself MFA type of craft book, though you don't need to actually do the recommended exercises to learn. One chapter, for example, explores the naming of characters so thoroughly as to recommend you conversate with your own kids about why you chose their names. Don't shake your head - it's all illuminating, by virtue of appearing on the page. And, like so many craft compendiums, it serves as an excellent introduction to writers of all caliber and station.
February 20, 2017
This is an inspiring book for creative writers. After I checked this book out from the library, I read it within a few days. After that, I knew I had to own a copy. After it came in the mail, I read this book a second time. The exercises are worthwhile. I can recommend this book to new and experienced writers.
September 3, 2020
There are several excellent writers with great writing suggestions. There are also more than a few mediocre authors with tedious ideas. Given how many writing books and prompts are available, I'd give it a pass.
November 4, 2017
A number of contributors offer up writing prompts for the creative person, so that they can experiment more with their craft. This is a helpful writer’s resource.
May 27, 2019
Best investment ever!!
Most books will tell you what to do, this book will show you how to do it. This is my favourite book on writing. 10/10
Most books will tell you what to do, this book will show you how to do it. This is my favourite book on writing. 10/10
April 30, 2022
An excellent treatise for the developing writer. Plenty of exercises if you opt to do them. I did some in a writer’s class. Otherwise, I took note. The thing is, I want to use my writing time to work on my novel, and the advice provided by the teachers in this ensemble book is very useful indeed.
August 16, 2024
This is more of a practical read than anything. Gave me some great writing prompts.
July 4, 2012
I bought this because I had the author as a teacher for a summer writing workshop, and he was so cool and likable, (and I loved his collection of short stories, Corpus Christi: Stories); I hoped it would help me to work independently and I could kind of think of the editor as my personal coach. There are some great authors in it that I really like. But I've only thumbed through it a couple of times and haven't ever really delved in. Hope/plan to return to it someday.
August 5, 2013
If you're a writer looking for an craft "overview" book with a lot of exercises and encouragement from top-notch writers, "Naming the World" could be the book for you. Each section is devoted to an aspect of craft (e.g. character, dialogue, revision) and begins with a summary of the craft concept, written by the editor, Anthony Johnston. Following each summary are 8-12 short essays, written by wide range of authors, who describe some of the challenges associated with each concept and offer an exercise or two to help writers work through those challenges.
April 17, 2012
I liked this book of writing prompts quite a bit. It provides story seed ideas for those who choose to complete the exercises within a range of different categories including character, plot, or just giving a random daily prompt for someone who wants to write on a random subject. It's probably not the most frequent prompt book I'd return to, and thus not the best I've come across (I have "What If" for that), but it's worth skimming through if you find yourself blocked and searching for something to freewrite about.
December 15, 2013
I got this book because of a fine course in short stories taught by Johnston. Before the course I cherished the notion that I didn't wish to pollute my natural voice by rote exercise. Johnston taught me what I should have known all along: writing is like athletics, music and philosophy: it takes effort and practice. As they would say at the mall, Big Duh. There are a lot of exercises here, more than a lifetime's worth. I like some and not others, but they all make me think about the craft of writing.
January 10, 2016
I've been reading a few books about writing for use in a high school creative writing course. This one featured a number of different writers and teachers, each talking about writing and giving some exercises. I like that it's loosely grouped into different topics (plot and narrative, dialogue and voice, etc.) The exercises tend to be longer, multi-part exercises. They're really best suited to a more advanced writer working independently. It's fun to hear the perspectives from different writing teachers.
November 24, 2008
Thus far, the most immediately applicable collection of writing exercises I've ever encountered. Johnston solicited a huge selection of writers and teachers and asked for a single exercise that works of has worked for them, and the results are practical and clever in their simplicity. I have thus far been through the "Getting Started" and "Character" sections and already have nearly 20 new exercises I'm dying to try out in class.
Currently reading
March 26, 2009I'm reading this on my Kindle, so I can't list a page number, instead it gives a percetage I'm 13% through the book.
I choose this to help me discover more exercises for the writing group, and I have to say I am very happy with it. Not only are the exercises useful, but also each exercise has a mini-essay on craft associated with it that helps put the exercise into context. This makes it perfect for the writing group.
I choose this to help me discover more exercises for the writing group, and I have to say I am very happy with it. Not only are the exercises useful, but also each exercise has a mini-essay on craft associated with it that helps put the exercise into context. This makes it perfect for the writing group.
January 8, 2013
The only craft book I've ever liked. This book is a collection of writing exercises from current authors, and each exercise has a short, enlightening essay. Topics include character, setting, voice, description and more. If you're trying to write more fiction, but feel a little rusty and don't know where to begin, this is a great place to start. Or, if you write all the time but just can't seem to come up with any ideas, reach for this as well.
May 8, 2013
A great resource for Writer's and English teachers, each section contains an exercise or prompt written by an author or professor, some more established than others. Incredibly helpful, fun, and thought-provoking. As with all books of this ilk, however, some exercises are more helpful than others. Highly recommended.
August 31, 2016
Very helpful selection of exercises, along with the introductions and explanations by the writers who use them. I especially appreciated the exercises for every day and those on revision - you don't see those enough. This has already been of use for my writing group, and I'm sure I'll return to what I've found here again and again.
September 28, 2014
This is such a useful book for writers or for anyone teaching writing. The exercises at the end have helped me plan classes for all ages as well as generate new ideas. Often take it to class in case I need to differentiate for students, whether they are writing prodigies or "stuck" writers. I will recommend it to others, and return to it again and again.
June 29, 2009
This book was wonderful. I would recommed it to begining writers and anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. There are tons or great writing promps and just fun excersizes. I loved it.
August 26, 2009
This is a great book and I would recommend it for anyone with an interest in writing. There are so many writing prompts to help get the creativity flowing. Each chapter is its own exercise and each chapter has been contributed by a different published author.
Read
December 11, 2009whenever i want to write but i don't know what to write, this book offers lovely suggestions such as, "spend twenty minutes writing a scene that involves a lobster," and then i quickly realize that people write about. . . .whatever the fuck they want!
August 9, 2011
Great ideas/exercises from many contributing writers. If only I took the time to do them. A book worth having on your shelf within easy reach when you're trying to write characters and scene; especially good reminders and suggestions for writing dialog and action!
August 3, 2012
Naming the World is for Poetry what From Where you Dream is to fiction. Both are excellent resources for writer's looking to deepen their craft. Great guidance and exercises in here for writers of all levels. Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews