Oakley Hall, writing teacher emeritus, invites you as his apprentice to study the inner workings of fiction, the foundation upon which all good stories depend.

Inside you will find the elements of fiction examined and illuminated, with insights as to how each element must interact so that you can create a truly distinctive story. Hall covers every fictive technique, from plot and characterization to word choice, voice and style.

You will find more than one hundred excerpts from literature, illustrating through analysis and advice how fiction works. Learn to craft fiction that is tuned like a precision timepiece.