专辑简介

Not only is Novak’s advice terrific for storytellers of all genres — from myth and folk tale through personal reminiscence — but for writers as well. Short story writers could greatly improve their craft by listening to this CD instead of reading another how-to-write book.

Novak compares creating a good story to growing a garden. For example, you want your story to be like a beautiful flower, but you have to make sure its roots are strong and healthy — and the best way to do that is to nurture a story by discovering how it resonates personally to you. Then you fertilize (or prune) it by telling it over and over until it is ready to bloom. You place your story in its “landscape,” sometimes you go straight to it, sometimes you meander. Novak illustrates these simple principles and more with several stories — one of which comes from his most fertile ground, his childhood in Florida.