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Reviews: True Map of the City
“The plot is clever and delicately developed, the symbolism is richly layered, and every scene leaves readers asking head-scratching questions. The hyperbolic level of bureaucracy and hypocrisy occasionally comes across as satire, but also has the dark edge of Orwellian fiction.
"Creating such a surreal, vaguely impossible atmosphere in a novel is a challenging task, but Guenther plays masterfully with philosophy and language to achieve a singular mood. The stark, matter-of-fact narration and the intimacy of Horus' inner monologue gives the prose a foreboding sense, while the flashes of humor and ridiculousness give the book an odd balance.
"Guenther fits a whole tangled tale into just over 100 pages, with few wasted words.
"Capped off with a . . . completely unexpected conclusion, A True Map of the City is a truly good read, and Guenther humbly proves himself as a literary descendant of Kafka himself.” --Editor, Self-Publishing Review
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Tag Archives: teaching
“Needs Tightening”
These two dread words, when found without further explanation in a critique, signal oncoming angst for the writer. We all know what ‘tightening’ means in theory. In practice, it can include anything from removing a few words here and there, … Continue reading
“The Universal Plot”
Take a trip back to the 80’s and see what was known then as The Universal Plot. Its origins are obscure, but I suspect that it was generated by someone in Southwest Manuscripters back around 1980. My copy shows no … Continue reading
A Quotation for Our Times
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana (1863-1952)
Another Thought on Haiku
I woke this morning going ’round and ’round in my mind with a haiku: Haiku Upon A Haiku Enigma Why good ones have oft Just seventeen syllables But bad ones, always. Which is a roundabout way of saying that bad … Continue reading
Fiction Punchlist for Writers
The following punchlist was originally intended for use in the Vision & Revision Workshop when rewriting novels. There’s nothing quite as embarrassing as opening a copy of your book fresh from the printer and finding that something vital has been … Continue reading
Twenty (20) Interesting Films
We saw some of these in class, some we viewed as homework or for special projects. You may find them amusing. American Beauty* Pay It Forward Almost Famous* The Abyss Lantana Bandits The Man Who Would Be King Ararat Matchstick … Continue reading
Can you write when you’re tired?
If I write when I’m tired, often the work isn’t my best. Still, there will be some useful sections at the end of the day, or at least a good start for the next, though I’ll have to do more … Continue reading
Art is…
Free Class
Based on past experience, this should be well worth the time: https://dn143.infusionsoft.com/app/linkClick/3658/2b2a681ed915b8af/4501458/a4a69c5d26f5692a It’s free.