 In a collection of essays on creative writing, "The Book of Shahrzad’s Ghosts" ("Ketab-e Arvāh-e Shahrzād"), Mandanipour discusses the elements of the story and the novel, as well as his theories on the nature of literature and the secrets of fiction.He writes, “Literature is the alchemy of transforming reality into words and creating a new phenomenon called fictional reality.”

His novel "The Courage of Love" ("Del-e Del Dadegi"), published in 1998, is structured around a love quadrangle with the four main characters representing earth, fire, water, and wind.Events in the novel take place during two different periods of war and earthquake.