Organized by the elements of fiction and comprised primarily of writing exercises, this text helps students hone and refine their craft with a practical, hands-on approach to writing fiction. This text features several exercises on each particular aspect of fiction--characterization, point of view, plot, dialogue, etc. Every exercise is introduced by an opening paragraph that provides insight into and information on that element of fiction. The introduction is followed by instructions for completing the exercise, the "objective" of the exercise, and frequently by a student example. The text is rounded out by an anthology of contemporary and highly teachable short fiction.