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Kate Jonuska

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The Dictionary of Fiction Critique: How to read like a writer in order to give and receive effective critique Kindle Edition

by Kate Jonuska (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.4 9 ratings

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In an ideal world, stories would flow from the author's pen and arrive whole on the page, sparkling with genius. Far less romantic is the truth that writing includes more failing, editing, deleting, cursing, polishing and re-writing than writing itself. Rather than being the product of pure talent or inspiration, writing fiction is a craft that can be honed through practice and hard work — often done alongside and with the support of other writers in a critique setting.

Part A-Z dictionary and part writing crash course, The Dictionary of Fiction Critique is your survival guide for the wild, wacky world of the fiction critique group. The language herein demystifies the creation of story, explains how to read like a writer, and provides the language with which to discuss your craft with peers, including terms like:

- Foreshadowing
- Head hopping
- Omniscience
- Genre dissonance
- Reality violation
- Ten-page syndrome
- Info dump
- Talking heads
- Passive voice
- Immersion
- Piggyback
- The to-be's

New in this edition!

Now published by 30th Street Press! The Dictionary of Fiction Critique, second edition, will be available for wider distribution to bookstores, libraries and other venues.

New vocabulary words! Updated lampshades and spotlights, washing dishes and more. Check out dozens of definitions not included in the first, instructional section of the dictionary in the A-Z listing in the back.

More detailed discussions of locating a critique group, passive language, and the nuances of action, tension and conflict.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Expert, compact and suffused with warmth and humor, The Dictionary of Fiction Critique is the perfect introduction to discussing fiction like a writer." -Kendra Fortmeyer, author of Hole in the Middle

"I wasn't expecting to learn so much in a book about critiquing. Especially not one that is basically a dictionary... Plus, it's a funny book, which is nice when you read a lot of craft books. They usually aren't!" -Amazon reviewer

"There's an art to telling your fellow writers they suck. Jonuska is the Miss Manners of critique." -Lezly Harrison, member 30th Street Fiction critique group

"You said you'd have donuts here if I gave you a blurb for your silly dictionary. I don't see any, so I'm leaving!" -Richard M. Hamp, 30th Street Fiction

From the Author

"Joining and participating in a critique group is not the easiest life choice. The easiest choice would be to sit on our couches and criticize from the sidelines without creating any story of our own. That choice, however, will keep an aspiring author only aspiring, never successful. Writing is hard work, being trusted with someone else's writing is a privilege, and maintaining a healthy critique environment takes effort and patience.
"That said, there are huge rewards waiting for critiquers who commit. In your critique group and other writing communities, you will find your tribe. Writers are often deeply generous people, giving freely of their time, expertise and compassion. Writers are simply some of the best people, period: open-minded, creative, dedicated, smart, caring and incredibly entertaining. These are people who can understand you on a level non-writing normies can't. They can become friends for life and give you far more inside jokes than you know what to do with. "Strive to be part of a critique group that takes care of one another, nurtures one another, and you'll be amazed at how much you can achieve together that you'd never have been capable of alone." -Kate Jonuska, The Dictionary of Fiction Critique

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B084WPN5PC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ 30th Street Press; 2nd edition (March 5, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 5, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6968 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 146 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,086,434 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,108 in Dictionaries & Thesauruses (Kindle Store)
- #2,701 in Writing Skill Reference (Kindle Store)
- #4,222 in Dictionaries (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3.4 9 ratings

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Kate Jonuska

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Kate Jonuska is a Colorado native with a B.A. in creative writing and deep experience as a freelance writer of features for magazines and newspapers. Specializing in food, fitness, travel, and arts and entertainment, she’s written for the Denver Post, the (Boulder) Daily Camera, Boulder Weekly, Boulder Magazine and many others.

Her passion, however, has always been for fiction, and Kate is also an indie author, publisher, editor, and instructor at conferences and cons. Her short fiction was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first novel, Transference, was a finalist for the BookLife Prize. She also wrote and published The Dictionary of Fiction Critique, now in its second edition, and is currently serving as co-chair of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' annual conference.

When not at the keyboard, Kate teaches yoga Boulder, Colorado, as well as at vacation destinations and yoga retreats. For details and to keep track of Kate, visit her website: katejonuska dot com.

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5

9 global ratings

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åslaug

Great Information

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

I wasn't expecting to learn so much in a book about critiquing. Especially not one that is basically a dictionary. I'd definitely recommend this to new writers; there is extensive writing advice in this book.
Plus, it's a funny book, which is nice when you read a lot of craft books. They usually aren't 😁

Helpful

Kendra Fortmeyer

Make the leap from being a reader to being a writer

Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019

A wonderful tool for passionate readers (and shy writers) to approach the written word from the other side. Suffused with Kate Jonuska's warmth and humor, The Dictionary of Fiction Critique introduces terms necessary to discuss fiction writing from a craft perspective and in the setting of a critique group. Jonuska notes in her introduction, "...reading for pleasure worships the finished product of writing rather than the journey, and stories published in books or shown on the movie screen have already been polished of errors. In the safe space of critique, on the other hand, we go behind the scene to see the mess, the guts, the surgeries -- major and cosmetic -- and the results on the page. We sharpen our skills most on the roughest drafts, and in my opinion, only the sharing and discussion of unfinished and imperfect fiction can teach writers what finished and perfect really mean."

Ready to make the leap? This is a wonderful tool to guide you along the way.

One person found this helpful

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jane s imber

Could actually read it cover to cover and have a good time

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019

There's definitely a shorthand in writing groups that communicates issues quickly without needing further explanation. I've never seen a book like this before that explains all those terms, and with both humor and accuracy, in a way that would make even a critique group newbie sound like a pro. If your writing group is rolling their eyes while you struggle to put your intuition into words, you need this book.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Explains all those "ingroup" terms and phrases that writers and writing teachers use

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019

You know that feeling when you move to a new neighborhood with an active social scene, or a new school, or a new job with a rich culture?
Well to some of us, writing is like that and this explains a lot of the terminology and how people talk about writing. A valuable primer.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

LH

If you're new to critiquing others, this book will ...

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2018

If you're new to critiquing others, this book will give you the terminology to express your thoughts and feelings on the work.

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The Dictionary of Fiction Critique: How to read like a writer in order to give and receive effective critique Kindle Edition

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Kate Jonuska

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