There are several aspects to writing fiction. Rendering what John Gardner in The Art of Fiction describes as a 'vivid and continuous dream' is a complicated affair. Story is created from the imagination of a writer, who in turn must translate it onto a page of symbols so that another person can read, absorb, and experience the story in a similar fashion. It's a remarkable process when you think about it. In On Creative Writing the process of writing fiction is demystified and cut in palatable bites to help any writer who has the passion and mad desire to tell a story. Fiction demands a working knowledge of many points of craft that can be taught and learned. And while mastering craft can be daunting, each one of us has the skills to meet the challenge. In fact, the quality most needed is neither talent nor knowledge, but the mad, unrelenting desire to tell a story. And with this passion, walk to the end of the diving board, loosed your shoulders, and take the plunge."