Book cover of The Art of Brevity

Book description

With increased compression, every word, every sentence matters more. A writer must learn how to form narratives around caesuras and crevices instead of strings of connections, to move a story through the symbolic weight of images, to master the power of suggestion.

With elegant prose, deep readings of other writers,…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Art of Brevity as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I resonated to the originality of Faulkner’s vision in which he explores the art of minimalistic writing—a path that gives writers unique and interesting alternatives to classical fiction.

There is a wonderful discussion of the early minimalists, among them Natalie Serrault, whose work Faulkner brings to life. He argues that contemporary flash fiction—a form that can be as short as one hundred words—is a serious and legitimate form of storytelling.

This book is especially important to me because I love to write short pieces and tell a story quickly. I’ve also noticed that all students, regardless of training and background,…

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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