Lodge focuses each chapter upon one aspect of the art of fiction, comprising some fifty topics pertaining to novels or short stories by English and American writers. Every chapter also begins with a passage from classic or modern literature that Lodge feels embodies the technique or topic at hand. Some of the topics Lodge analyzes are Beginning (the first chapter), The Intrusive Author, The Epistolary Novel, Magic realism, Irony, symbolism, and Metafiction.
In this work, Lodge examines different facets of fiction writing, examining around fifty subjects related to English and American literary works. Every chapter begins with an excerpt from notable literature that Lodge believes effectively illustrates the technique or subject matter in question.