"One of the great writers of the twentieth century offers an exhilarating workout for writers of narrative fiction or nonfiction." "With her sharp mind and wit and a delightful sense of playfulness, Le Guin has turned a successful workshop into a self-guided voyage of discovery for a writer working alone, a writing group, or a class. Steering the Craft is concerned with the basic elements of narrative: how a story is told, what moves it and what clogs it. This book does not plod through plot, character, beginning-middle-and-end. Nor does it discuss writing as self-expression, as therapy, or as spiritual adventure." "Each topic includes examples that clarify and exercises that intensify awareness of the techniques of storytelling."--BOOK JACKET.

1. The Sound of your Writing 2. Punctuation 3. Sentence Length and Complex Syntax 4. Repetition 5. Adjective and Adverb 6. Subject Pronoun and Verb

7. Point of View and Voice 8. Changing Point of View 9. Indirect Narration, or what Tells 10. Crowding and Leaping App. I. The Peer Group Workshop App. II. Forms of the Verb.