"Completely revised and rewritten to address the challenges and opportunities of the modern era, this handbook is a short, deceptively simple guide to the craft of writing. Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter combines illustrative examples from the global canon with Le Guin's own witty commentary and an exercise that the writer can do solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online."--Publisher's website.

"Modernized, new edition"--Back cover. Earlier version published in 1998 under title: Steering the craft : exercises and discussions on story writing for the lone navigator or the mutinous crew.

The sound of your writing -- Punctuation and grammar -- Sentence length and complex syntax -- Repetition -- Adjectives and adverbs -- Verbs: person and tense -- Point of view and voice -- Changing point of view -- Indirect narration, or what tells -- Crowding and leaping -- Appendix: the peer group workshop -- Exercises: Being gorgeous ; Am I Saramago ; Short and long ; Again and again and again ; Chastity ; The old woman ; Points of view ; Changing voices ; Telling it slant ; A terrible thing to do.