James Wood Books
James Wood is a British literary critic, essayist, and novelist, known for his incisive analyses of contemporary fiction. A staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of the practice of literary criticism at Harvard University, Wood has authored several influential works on literature and criticism, including 'The Broken Estate' and 'The Nearest Thing to Life.
Known for: How Fiction Works, Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
Books by James Wood
How Fiction Works
A critical exploration of the art and craft of fiction, James Wood’s 'How Fiction Works' dissects the mechanics of narrative, style, and realism. Drawing on examples from classic and modern literature...
Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
This book provides practical guidance for individuals who manage projects without formal project management training. It introduces essential project management principles—such as initiating, planning...
Key Insights from James Wood
Narration and Point of View
All stories begin with a choice of angle: who sees, who knows, who speaks. In fiction, that choice determines almost everything—the distance between reader and character, the flow of sympathy, the rhythm of revelation. I’ve always been fascinated by how narrators control that distance, for they are ...
From How Fiction Works
Free Indirect Style
Free indirect style is one of the great inventions of modern fiction—an invisible merger of the narrator’s voice and the character’s mind. It allows us to hear a thought without quotation marks, to experience emotion as it trembles between personal feeling and authorial interpretation. This techniqu...
From How Fiction Works
The Case for Informal Project Management
Early in my career, I used to believe that project management was a specialized profession, reserved for technical experts certified by professional bodies. But as I worked with hundreds of organizations, I discovered that project management is, in fact, the language of getting things done in every ...
From Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
Initiate
Every successful project begins with clarity of purpose. I always say that if you can’t articulate the 'why,' the 'what' will never fall into place. During the initiation phase, our goal is to establish shared understanding: What are we trying to achieve? What does success look like? Who are the peo...
From Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
About James Wood
James Wood is a British literary critic, essayist, and novelist, known for his incisive analyses of contemporary fiction. A staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of the practice of literary criticism at Harvard University, Wood has authored several influential works on literature and criticis...
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James Wood is a British literary critic, essayist, and novelist, known for his incisive analyses of contemporary fiction. A staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of the practice of literary criticism at Harvard University, Wood has authored several influential works on literature and criticis...
James Wood is a British literary critic, essayist, and novelist, known for his incisive analyses of contemporary fiction. A staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of the practice of literary criticism at Harvard University, Wood has authored several influential works on literature and criticism, including 'The Broken Estate' and 'The Nearest Thing to Life.'
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James Wood is a British literary critic, essayist, and novelist, known for his incisive analyses of contemporary fiction. A staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of the practice of literary criticism at Harvard University, Wood has authored several influential works on literature and criticism, including 'The Broken Estate' and 'The Nearest Thing to Life.
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