In this landmark book on the creative process, the bestselling author of The Artist's Wayreveals the intricate soul work artists must undertake in order to find inspiration. In The Sound of Paper, Julia Cameron delves deep into the heart of the personal struggles that all artists face. What can we do when we face our keyboard or canvas with nothing but a cold emptiness? How can we begin to carve out our creation when our vision and drive are clouded by life's uncertainties? In other words, how can we begin the difficult work of being an artist? Drawing upon her many years of personal experience as both an artist and a teacher, Julia Cameron guides readers to a place where they can find the strength and courage to create. Demonstrating how this involves a process of constant renewal, of starting from the beginning, she writes, "When we are building a life from scratch, we must dig a little. We must be like that hen scratching the soil: 'What goodness is hidden here, just below the surface?' we must ask." With exercises designed to develop the power to infuse one's art with a deeply informed knowledge of the soul, this book is an essential artist's companion from one of the foremost authorities on the creative process. Julia Cameron's most illuminating book to date, The Sound of Paperprovides readers with a spiritual path for creating the best work of their lives.

Not everything you see on your favorite crime show is accurate. In fact, a lot of it is flat out wrong. Police Procedure & Investigation helps you get your facts straight about the inner workings of law enforcement. With a career in law enforcement that spanned nearly two decades, author Lee Lofland is a nationally acclaimed expert on police procedures and crime scene investigations who consults regularly with best-selling authors and television producers. Now you can benefit from his years of experience with Police Procedure & Investigation. This comprehensive resource includes:    * More than 80 photographs, illustrations, and charts showing everything from defensive moves used by officers to prison cells and autopsies    * Detailed information on officer training, tools of the trade, drug busts, con air procedures, crime scene investigation techniques, and more    * First-person details from the author about his experiences as a detective, including accounts of arrests, death penalty executions, and criminal encounters Police Procedure & Investigation is the next best thing to having a police detective personally assigned to your book!

Listen deeply. Tell stories. This is the mantra of the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) in Berkeley California, which, since 1998 has worked with nearly 1,000 organizations around the world and trained more than 15,000 people in the art of digital storytelling. In this revised and updated edition of the CDS's popular guide to digital storytelling, co-founder Joe Lambert details the history and methods of digital storytelling practices. Using a "7 Steps" approach, Lambert helps storytellers identify the fundamentals of dynamic digital storytelling--from seeing the story, assembling it, and sharing it. As in the last edition, readers of the fourth edition will also find new explorations of the applications of digital storytelling and updated appendices that provide resources for budding digital storytellers, including information about past and present CDS-affiliated projects and place-based storytelling, a narrative-based approach to understanding experience and landscape. A companion website further brings the entire storytelling process to life. Over the years, the CDS's work has transformed the way that community activists, educators, health and human services agencies, business professionals, and artists think about story, media, culture, and the power of personal voice in creating change. For those who yearn to tell multimedia stories, Digital Storytellingis the place to begin.

Unlike the metamorphosis that occurs to a butterfly or a frog, telling a story will probably not dramatically alter your character, physical structure, or even circumstances. However, as a storyteller, you can imagine it did.

Learn the ten keys to effective writing instruction! In this dynamic book, bestselling author Lori G. Wilfong takes you through today's best practices for teaching writing and how to implement them in the classroom. She also points out practices that should be avoided, helping you figure out how to update your teaching so that all students can reach success. You'll discover how to... Make sure students have enough work in a genre before you assign writing Develop thoughtful, short writing prompts that are "infinite" and not finite Have students read and learn from master authors in the genre they are writing Create a writing community so that writing is not an isolated activity Use anchor charts and minilessons, along with rubrics and checklists Implement revising strategies, not just editing strategies, taught in context Use conferencing to grow students as thoughtful, reflective writers Let narratives be personal and creative, focusing on details and imagery Let informational writing explore a topic creatively and in depth Let argument writing be situated in real-world application and not be limited to one-sided, "what-if" debates Every chapter begins with an engaging scenario, includes the "why" behind the practice and how it connects to the Common Core, and clearly describes how implement the strategy. The book also contains tons of handy templates that you can reproduce and use in your own classroom. You can photocopy these templates or download them from our website at http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138812444.

Creative questions elicit creative responses. That's what English teacher David LeCount demonstrates in this collection of quirky, provocative writing prompts designed to release students from standardized writing assignments. More than 600 prompts serve as multidisciplinary opportunities for students to write creatively. Dream Writing Assignmentscan be used in two ways: as a practical, flexible, and handy resource for teachers who are looking for creative topics to assign, and as a stimulating student text. The prompts encourage students to research, reflect, and explore; engage in wordplay; and experience writing as a form of discovery and delight. Think of the results if you should invite your students to answer the following questions: How are violence and intelligence related? What is your idea of the perfect experience of beauty or happiness? If greed is an addiction, how can it be cured? More than a list of topics, Dream Writing Assignmentsincludes student writing samples, plus principles and examples of masterpieces of Asian literature woven throughout the prompts. Haiku is a favorite of American teachers, and LeCount uses his expertise in this short verse form to offer some examples for the curious to try their hand or refresh their thinking. Use the prompts so students can discover their own voices. Shake them from their daily, routine minds and awaken them to a world where their imaginations can roam.

Grammar doesn't have to be a stick-in-the-mud subject-stodgy, traditional, and rule bound. Open the pages of Ed Schuster's book and you'll find an energetic, untraditional, creative means of helping students become independent thinkers and more effective writers. Schuster acknowledges that there ARE bedrock rules of English syntax that should be honored, and offers lesson plans to show how these rules can be taught effectively, in ways that empower students and enable them to write with confidence, authority, and precision. He also examines the history of the other rules, the "myth rules" that are the legacy of traditional school grammar-taught for hundreds of years but infrequently followed outside of the classroom, as shown in numerous examples of the best contemporary writing. He devotes his book to better ways of teaching grammar, usage, writing, and punctuation by teaching the unbreakable rules in such a way that they stay taught debunking the "myth rules" that are commonly taught in class, but infrequently followed in practice trusting students' own intuitive sense of grammaticality appealing to the evidence of the work of his own and others' students and to the best contemporary writing. "Only look and connect" is the guiding principle of Schuster's book. Look at the results of your teaching; look at the facts of language; look at practices of our best writers, both student and professional; look to see which rules really rule. Then connect what you discover to your teaching practice.

This highly practical book will inspire and motivate students to shape new habits and develop a winning approach to writing. Each of the 50 'Ways' in this book is a starting point, offering suggestions of things to do and think about, alongside opportunities to reflect on, choose and commit to new ideas and actions. It will help students to find the writing routines and strategies that work for them, develop their writing style and fine-tune their assignments with a critical eye. Additionally, it supports students in identifying their weaknesses and taking steps to address them. Whether your students are in their first or final year, this indispensable resource will support them in building the writing skills they need to succeed at university and beyond.

Writing and revision are two different skills. Many scholar-writers have learned something about how to write, but fewer know how to read and revise their own writing, spot editorial issues, and transform a draft from passable to great. Drawing on before and after examples from more than a decade as a developmental editor of scholarly works, Pamela Haag tackles the most common challenges of scholarly writing. This book is packed with practical, user-friendly advice and is written with warmth, humor, sympathy, and flair.

With an inspiring passion for natural language, Haag demonstrates how to reconcile clarity with intellectual complexity. Designed to be an in-the-trenches desktop reference, this indispensable resource can help scholars develop a productive self-editing habit, advise their graduate and other students on style, and, ultimately, get their work published and praised.

Keywords in Creative Writing provides a brief but comprehensive introduction to the field of creative writing through its landmark terms, exploring concerns as abstract as postmodernism and identity politics alongside very practical interests of beginning writers, like contests, agents, and royalties. This approach makes the book ideal for the college classroom as well as the writer’s bookshelf, and unique in the field, combining the pragmatic accessibility of popular writer’s handbooks, with a wider, more scholarly vision of theory and research.

The Clarion Writing Workshop, established by author Kate Wilhelm with her husband, writer Damon Knight, is regarded as one of the finest creative incubators in the country. For the first time, Wilhelm gracefully and humorously tells the inside story of the program and includes a healthy dose of writing tips. More than a memoir or writing guide, Wilhelm discusses how the workshop began, the inside tricks of teaching writing, what she learned and how she passed a love of the written word on to generations of writers. Storyteller is a gift to all writers from this generous acclaimed writer.

Your entrance into one of America's foremost creative writing programs! Featuring instruction from past and present faculty members of the acclaimed M.F.A. in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, including Mark Doty, Douglas Glover, Robin Hemley, Richard Jackson, Sydney Lea, Bret Lott, Sue William Silverman, David Wojahn, and Xu Xi, Words Overflown By Stars gives you unprecedented access to a top literary education. This comprehensive resource covers a wide variety of topics, including the creative process, titles, beginnings, voice and style, point of view, novel and short story structure, the role of dreams and fantasy in fiction, the often-blurry borderline between fiction and creative nonfiction, the subgenres of creative nonfiction, music and time in poetry, image patterning, "saying the unsayable," multiculturalism, the art of revision, and much more. Both provocative and practical, the essays in Words Overflown by Stars distill many of the lessons that have made the graduates of Vermont College of Fine Arts so successful.

Engaging Questions: A Guide to Writing takes a practical approach to composing, with a view that good writing occurs in the context of critical thinking. By using a consistent methodology that prompts students to learn and practice "the art of questioning," Engaging Questions: A Guide to Writing presents writing as one essential part of the critical thinking whole, ultimately empowering students to become skilled thinkers and confident writers.

A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers is a compendium of strategies for handling all aspects of writing, from prewriting through editing. Designed for use independently by students as a resource book or as an in-class text, A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers helps students discover specific strategies for improving their writing processes and for solving specific writing problems. Known for its concise, effective coverage and student-friendly style, A Troubleshooting Guide for Writers offers an exceptional variety of writing strategies for students.

Following on the heels of Lisa Cron's breakout first book, Wired for Story, this writing guide reveals how to use cognitive storytelling strategies to build a scene-by-scene blueprint for a riveting story. It's every novelist's greatest fear- pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into writing hundreds of pages only to realize that their story has no sense of urgency, no internal logic, and so is a page one rewrite. The prevailing wisdom in the writing community is that there are just two ways around this problem- pantsing (winging it) and plotting (focusing on the external plot). Story coach Lisa Cron has spent her career discovering why these methods don't work and coming up with a powerful alternative, based on the science behind what our brains are wired to crave in every story we read (and it's not what you think). In Story Genius Cron takes you, step-by-step, through the creation of a novel from the first glimmer of an idea, to a complete multilayered blueprint-including fully realized scenes-that evolves into a first draft with the authority, richness, and command of a riveting sixth or seventh draft.

This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers' brains and captivate them through each plot element. Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets--and it's a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper. The vast majority of writing advice focuses on "writing well" as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail--they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain's hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won't hold anyone's interest. Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.

Winner of the 2018 Textbook & Academic Authors Association's Textbook Excellence Award With its friendly, step-by-step format, Becoming an Academic Writer helps writers improve their writing by engaging in deep and deliberate practice--a type of practice adopted by expert performers in areas such as sports or music. Featuring 50 exercises, this practical, self-paced guide is flexibly organized so readers can either work their way through all of the exercises in order or focus on the specific areas where they need additional practice building their skills. The Second Edition is enhanced by a new appendix on literature review, new feature boxes, and new chapter summaries. 

This title provides the rules of grammar, punctuation and style as well as advice on effective writing. It arises out of 25 years of both writing fiction and teaching creative writing at university level.

Experienced writing teacher Hazel Smith demystifies the process of creative writing, providing exercises and examples to show how it can be systematically learnt.

How can students with widely varied levels of literary experience learn to write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama — over the course of only one semester? In Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief, David Starkey offers some solutions to the challenges of teaching the introductory creative writing course: (1) concise, accessible instruction in literary basics; (2) short models of literature to analyze, admire and emulate; (3) inventive and imaginative assignments that inspire and motivate.

Writing Well is a guide to expressive creative writing and effective professional prose. The author, a poet, writer, editor and teacher, explains the techniques required for stylish and readable writing. Everyone who wants to improve their writing can benefit from this book, which describes how to: * identify topics that inspire you to write * get into the habit of writing regularly * develop ideas * construct effective arguments * choose words for maximum effect * use grammar correctly * structure sentences and paragraphs appropriately * write with integrity The book is enriched by examples from great modern writers, and includes a variety of exercises and suggestions for writing activities. Mark Tredinnick practises what he preaches, making his book highly enjoyable as well as technically instructive.

Improve your writing skills at your own pace How do you target a specific audience in writing? What makes up a strong thesis statement? Is there a trick to maintaining clear communication in cyberspace? How do you achieve unity and coherence in a final draft? With Writing Clearly: A Self-Teaching Guide, you'll discover the answers to these questions and many more about the basics of communicating effectively through the written word. Each chapter in this hands-on guide focuses on key steps in the writing process, identifying the shared and differing skills demanded by each type of writing, be it a persuasive essay, a business letter, or a scientific report. The straightforward, structured format of Writing Clearly makes it fully accessible, providing an easy-to-understand, comprehensive overview for everyone-from students beginning to build skills, to adults looking to improve their writing, to the experienced writer hoping to further hone skills in a certain area. Like all Self-Teaching Guides, Writing Clearly allows you to build gradually on what you have learned-at your own pace. Questions and self-tests reinforce the information in each chapter and allow you to skip ahead or focus on specific areas of concern. Packed with useful, up-to-date information, this clear, concise volume is a valuable learning tool and reference source for anyone who wants to develop or improve his or her basic writing skills.

It's a simple, best-selling combination that has worked for over 20 years -- short, accessible essays and helpful, thorough writing instruction. Models for Writers continues to offer thought-provoking selections organized to demonstrate not only the rhetorical patterns that students will use in their own essays but also the elements and language that will make those essays effective.

Good prose - fiction and non-fiction alike--is part mystery and part technique. Mystery cannot be taught, but technique can, and if it is well taught it can open a window onto the mystery. In andIA Matter of Style Matthew Clark draws on examples from real writers, past and present, to examinethe stylistic techniques that lift written language from bare communication to art.Clark assumes that his readers know the basics of grammar and style. But everyone, even the best writers, can make mistakes. Therefore he begins with a brief look at the problems such as ambiguous pronouns, dangling modifiers, and confusing word order before moving on to the fundamental subject ofrhythm. Drawing on his training as a musician, he demonstrates how important it is to write for the ear as well as the eye.Many style books advocate a clear and simple style, but simplicity is not the only virtue. To show how effective--and varied--ornate style can be, Clark points to examples ranging from Dickens to Beckett. In the process he reveals how adeptly even an "anti-rhetorical" writer like Hemingway can usethe techniques of classical rhetoric. He then examines in detail a number of the most useful figures in that tradition. In the following chapters Clark's perspective widens steadily as he moves from the basic principle of parallelism ( and antithesis ) to the complexity of the periodic sentence andon to the level of the paragraph and, finally, the conventions of plot structure in novels.Throughout, the approach is descriptive rather than prescriptive, and every point is generously illustrated with examples, good and bad, from writers that Clark respects and even loves. An invaluable resource for writers and editors at every level, from the novice to the professional, A Matter ofStyle will delight readers who want to know more about how the writers they love achieve their effects.

A good writer has a distinctive voice. A great writer has an inimitable one. Regardless of subject or place in time or space, good and great writers share one trait-they are true to their personalities, spirits, and characters. How do they do this? How can WE do this as teachers and writers? And how can we show our students what crafting an authentic voice entails? One of our premier writers on the writing process and writing workshop, Tom Romano, tells us. In a compelling and manageable text, he makes the case for giving special time and attention to voice as a means to get students involved and improve their writing, particularly expository writing. Using his own strong voice and trademark narrative style, he teaches by example-his own and his students'-how writers can be true to themselves and vivid on the page to pull readers in and keep them reading. More than that, Romano is an irresistible motivator to write well. His infectious enthusiasm, intellect, and heart shine through every chapter-from his tempting "antipasto" of stories and poems beginning each section of his book to the delicious courses that follow. He divides his text into small readable parts that consider the "delight and dilemma of voice," the qualities of voice, and the relationship of voice and identity. Many examples indicate ways to "trust the gush." And there are practical ideas here, too-strategies and techniques for immediate use in your teaching and writing. Read and take heed of Romano. Craft an authentic voice in your own writing. Teach students how they can do the same. Then revel in the candor and insight, the absorbing and entertaining stories, the clear thinking--the good, maybe even great, writing.

This brand new edition celebrating 20 years of R. W. Holder's popular and successful dictionary of euphemisms is packed full of traditional favourites, such as 'Dutch uncle' or 'push up the daisies', as well as euphemisms from the contemporary world such as 'restructuring' and 'extrajudicialkilling'. Definitions include examples from real authors, along with entertaining explanations of their origins. To prove that the use of euphemisms is not just a British speciality, there is widespread coverage of American euphemisms, too: for example, 'English' (pertaining to sexual deviance) and'watermelon' (an indication of pregnancy). The A-Z organization of the text is complemented by a thematic index with short introductory articles on fruitful areas of euphemistic language such as business, sex, death, and the human body. How Not To Say What You Mean remains the most lively andauthoritative guide to the language of evasion, hyprocrisy, prudery, and deceit.

We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the internet, in email, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species. In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with.

Advice on good writing from everybody's favorite editorial curmudgeon Persnickety, cantankerous, opinionated, entertaining, hilarious, wise...these are a few of the adjectives reviewers used to describe good-writing maven Bill Walsh's previous book, Lapsing Into a Comma. Now, picking up where he left off in Lapsing, Walsh addresses the dozen or so biggest issues that every writer or editor must master. He also offers a trunkload of good advice on the many little things that add up to good writing. Featuring all the elements that made Lapsing such a fun read, including Walsh's trademark acerbic wit and fascinating digressions on language and its discontents, The Elephants of Style provides: Tips on how to tame the "elephants of style"--the most important, frequently confused elements of good writing More of Walsh's popular "Curmudgeon's Stylebook"--includes entries such as Snarky Specificity, Metaphors, Near and Far, Actually is the New Like, and other uses and misuses of language Expert advice for writers and editors on how to work together for best results

In this new edition of Best Words, Best Order, Stephen Dobyns further explains the mystery of the poet's work. Through essays on memory and metaphor, pacing, and the intricacies of voice and tone, and thoughtful appreciations of Chekhov, Ritsos, Mandelstam, and Rilke, Dobyns guides readers and writers through poetry's mysterious twilight communiques. For this new second edition, Dobyns has added two new essays, one dealing with the idea of "beauty" in poetry and another dealing with the almost mystical way poets connect seemingly disparate elements in a single work.

I have a dark and dreadful secret. I write poetry... I believe poetry is a primal impulse within all of us. I believe we are all capable of it and furthermore that a small, often ignored corner of us positively yearns to try it. —Stephen Fry, The Ode Less Travelled Stephen Fry believes that if one can speak and read English, one can write poetry. Many of us have never been taught to read or write poetry and think of it as a mysterious and intimidating form. Or, if we have been taught, we remember uncomfortable silence when an English teacher invited the class to "respond" to a poem. In The Ode Less Travelled, Fry sets out to correct this problem by giving aspiring poets the tools and confidence they need to write poetry for pleasure.Fry is a wonderfully engaging teacher and writer of poetry himself, and he explains the various elements of poetry in simple terms, without condescension. His enjoyable exercises and witty insights introduce the concepts of Metre, Rhyme, Form, Diction, and Poetics. Aspiring poets will learn to write a sonnet, on ode, a villanelle, a ballad, and a haiku, among others. Along the way, he introduces us to poets we've heard of, but never read. The Ode Less Travelledis a lively celebration of poetry that makes even the most reluctant reader want to pick up a pencil and give it a try. BACKCOVER: Advanced Praise: “Delightfully erudite, charming and soundly pedagogical guide to poetic form… Fry has created an invaluable and highly enjoyable reference book.” —Publishers Weekly “A smart, sane and entertaining return to the basics… If you like Fry’s comic manner… this book has a lot of charm… People entirely fresh to the subject could do worse than stick with his cheerful leadership.” —The Telegraph(UK) “…intelligent and informative, a worthy enterprise well executed.” —Observer(UK) "If you learn how to write a sonnet, and Fry shows you how, you may or may not make a poem. But you will unlock the stored wisdom of the form itself." —Grey Gowrie, The Spectator(UK) “…intelligent and informative, a worthy enterprise well executed.” —Observer(UK)

"In addition to suggesting specific yoga exercises for various writing roadblocks . . . this is a substantial writing guide, with lessons in voice, symbol, syntax and dialogue."--Dallas Morning News With wisdom for writers at any level and in any genre, nationally known writing and yoga instructor Jeff Davis shows writers how yoga's principles and practical tools can deepen their writing practice and increase their versatility writers. A grounded guide to the body-mind-imagination connection, this book shows ways for writers to reconnect with their deeper intentions for writing, sustain concentration and confidence when writing, and write with an authentic voice.

Writing can be a challenge, especially for art and design students who tend to be more visual than verbal. Writing for Visual Thinkers approaches the craft of writing from many directions, all with the ultimate goal of unblocking the student's verbal potential. Both experimental and pragmatic, Marks's methods will result in stronger, more verbally confident art and design students. The rich media eBook included on the CD offers a wealth of images and links to articles, books, websites, blogs, wikis, video, and audio podcasts. Marks offers a feast for the eyes--from Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbooks to video of Jack Kerouac's On the Road scroll--adding depth and dimension to the written word and encouraging students to explore their thoughts and ideas in text. Developed in partnership with AIGA, this book is for visual students everywhere who have always wanted--or needed!--to improve their writing skills, whether they specialize in graphic design, web design, industrial design, interior design, allied design, or fashion design.

A prolific and award-winning writer, Lee Martin has put pen to paper to offer his wisdom, honed during thirty years of teaching the oh-so-elusive art of writing. Telling Stories is intended for anyone interested in thinking more about the elements of storytelling in short stories, novels, and memoirs. Martin clearly delineates helpful and practical techniques for demystifying the writing process and provides tools for perfecting the art of the scene, characterization, detail, point of view, language, and revision--in short, the art of writing. His discussion of the craft in his own life draws from experiences, memories, and stories to provide a more personal perspective on the elements of writing. Martin provides encouragement by sharing what he's learned from his journey through frustrations, challenges, and successes. Most important, Telling Stories emphasizes that you are not alone on this journey and that writers must remain focused on what they love: the process of moving words on the page. By focusing on that purpose, Martin contends, the journey will always take you where you're meant to go.  

Name some books that have been huge bestsellers over the years -- In Cold Blood; All the President's Men; The Hot Zone; The Perfect Storm; Black Hawk Down; Longitude -- and you'll find they have one thing in common: They read like novels, but they are true stories. They fall into a category now called "narrative nonfiction" -- the novel of true events. These books seize upon an untold or barely told incident and pry it apart. They search for a way to understand in the microcosm of the story more about the macrocosm of our world -- who we are and why we do the things we do, while at the same time giving us a riveting story. In Telling the Story author and literary agent Peter Rubie, a former BBC Radio and Fleet Street journalist, provides guidance and practical advice on how best to meld careful journalistic research with narrative writing techniques. Filled with insights and interviews with authors, agents, and editors such as Mark Bowden, Jon Krakauer, Jonathan Galassi (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), Peter Gethers (Random House), George Gibson (Walker & Co.), and Jack Hart (The Oregoinian), this is the essential guide to writing this hot new genre.

Drawing on some 3,000 published interviews with contemporary authors, Authors on Writing: Metaphors and Intellectual Labor reveals new ways of conceiving of writing as intellectual labor. Authors' metaphorical stories about composing highlight not interior worlds but socially situated cultures of composing and apparatuses of authorship. Through an original method of interpreting metaphorical stories, Tomlinson argues that writing is both an individual activity and a collective practice, a solitary activity that depends upon rich, sustained, and complex social networks, institutions, and beliefs. This new book draws upon interviews with writers including: Seamus Heaney, Roald Dahl, Samuel Beckett, Bret Easton Ellis, John Fowles, Allen Ginsburg, Alice Walker and Gore Vidal.

A brilliant resource for established and beginning writers and for passionate readers everywhere from a range of acclaimed and much-loved writers, lovingly compiled by the brilliant and insightful Charlotte Wood.

The authoritative guide to the craft and business of writing.   Patricia C. Wrede has been a stalwart of the sci-fi/fantasy world for decades, publishing dozens of books across multiple series, storming bestseller lists and corralling accolades from critics and fans alike. Now, with brilliant insight and a sparkling wit, Wrede shows beginning writers the ropes in Wrede on Writing.   Wrede tackles all issues for writers, from the basic how-to's to the more advanced topics on character development and worldbuilding. In her conversational tone, she gives writers the tips and tricks her experience has brought. After Wrede on Writing, authors will have the knowledge to put their tools to better use. Thinking of starting a book? Trying to finish one? Wrede on Writing will guide you towards that superior draft to send to agents, to publishers, and to readers.   Before she became a successful full-time writer, Patricia C. Wrede worked in finance, and she also provides for authors an extensive look at how to manage the money--from royalties to determining the financial potential of your next project, Wrede provides authors with deep insight into the business of writing.   A brilliant guide from a literary stalwart, Wrede on Writing is the book everyone with a novel under their beds or inside their heads should read.

All writers conduct research. For some this means poring over records and combing, archives but for many creative writers research happens in the everyday world--when they scribble an observation on the subway, when they travel to get the feel for a city, or when they strike up a conversation with an interesting stranger. The Art of Creative Research helps writers take this natural inclination to explore and observe and turn it into a workable--and enjoyable--research plan. It shows that research shouldn't be seen as a dry, plodding aspect of writing. Instead, it's an art that all writers can master, one that unearths surprises and fuels imagination. This lends authenticity to fiction and poetry as well as nonfiction. Philip Gerard distills the process into fundamental questions: How do you conduct research? And what can you do with the information you gather? He covers both in-person research and work in archives and illustrates how the different types of research can be incorporated into stories, poems, and essays using examples from a wide range of writers in addition to those from his own projects. Throughout, Gerard brings knowledge from his seasoned background into play, drawing on his experiences as a reporter and a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. His enthusiasm for adventure is infectious and will inspire writers to step away from the keyboard and into the world. "Research can take you to that golden intersection where the personal meets the public, the private crosses the universal, where the best literature lives," Gerard writes. With his masterly guidance, anyone can become an expert in artful investigation.

Master Class: Lessons from Leading Writers gathers more than two decades of wisdom from twenty-nine accomplished authors. It offers previously unpublished interviews along with freshly edited versions of ten interviews from Nancy Bunge's well-received previous collection, Finding the Words. The first section, Theory, incorporates interviews which document the golden age of writing programs in which authors with a strong sense of social and cultural responsibility taught as seriously as they wrote. These conversations delve into the writers' philosophies and teaching methods. The second section, Practice, presents interviews with authors who discuss how they've approached the writing of particular works. Altogether the interviews introduce authors as inspirational models and provide insightful techniques for other writers to try. One piece of advice recurs with striking consistency: to produce fresh, interesting work, aspiring writers must develop a passionate self-trust. This rule has an essential corollary: improving as a writer means constantly stretching oneself with new information and skills. Sure to interest writing and literature teachers as well as writers at every stage of development, Master Class is highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate writing courses. Interviews with Marvin Bell, Ivan Doig, Sandra Gilbert, Allen Ginsberg, Donald Hall, Jim Harrison, Etheridge Knight, Margot Livesey, Larry McMurtry, James Alan McPherson, Clarence Major, Bobbie Ann Mason, Sue Miller, N. Scott Momaday, Kyoko Mori, Thylias Moss, W. S. Penn, Kit Reed, Alix Kates Shulman, William Stafford, Wallace Stegner, Ruth Stone, Scott Turow, Katherine Vaz, Diane Wakoski, Anne Waldman, Richard Wilbur, Richard Yates, and Helen Yglesias.

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When it comes to writing books, are you a "plotter" or a "pantser"? Is one method really better than the other?In this instructional book, author Libbie Hawker explains the benefits and technique of planning a story before you begin to write. She'll show you how to develop a foolproof character arc and plot, how to pace any book for a can't-put-down reading experience, and how to ensure that your stories are complete and satisfying without wasting any time or words.Hawker's outlining technique works no matter what genre you write, and no matter the age of your audience. If you want to improve writing speed, increase your backlist, and ensure a quality book before you even write the first word, this is the how-to book for you.Take off your pants! It's time to start outlining.This revised edition includes answers to the most popular questions regarding Libbie Hawker's outlining process.

An essential handbook for nonfiction writers, featuring the trusted personal writing exercises of today's masters of creative non-fiction, including Gay Talese, Reza Aslan, John Matteson, Tilar Mazzeo, and many more! Beginners and seasoned writers alike will relish the opportunity to use the top-notch writing exercises collected in Now Write! Nonfiction culled from the personal stashes of bestselling and critically-acclaimed nonfiction authors like legendary essayist Gay Talese (Thy Neighbor's Wife), New York Times-bestselling authors Ishmael Beah (A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier) Reza Aslan (No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam), and Tilar Mazzeo (The Widow Clicquot), 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winner John Matteson (Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father), creative nonfiction icon Lee Gutkind (Creative Nonfiction magazine), and many other top memoirists, journalists, and teachers of creative nonfiction, these exercises offer fresh ideas for every facet of creative nonfiction writing, from pushing through writers block to organizing a story, capturing character to fine-tuning dialogue, injecting new life into a finished piece to starting a new work from scratch. Now Write! Nonfiction will take you out into the field with creative nonfiction's master practitioners: *Peek inside Gay Talese's mind, as he shares the "writer's road map" he used to organize information for his classic book Thy Neighbor's Wife and his seminal essay "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold." *Learn from Reza Aslan why what you remember isn't as important as why you remember it the way you do *Explore the importance of cultural nuance in language with Ishmael Beah *Discover Lee Gutkind's simple trick, performed with a highlighter, that can help any writer identify whether their piece is truly showing action, or just telling An essential resource that will help writers of any level to hone their craft and get writing, Now WRite! Nonfiction offers over 80 quick, simple excersises trusted by top nonfiction writers to get their pen moving!

Providing essential guidance for both aspiring and experienced authors, the second edition of The Author's Handbook is a valuable resource for writers of all levels. Extensively updated and expanded to account for significant changes in the publishing industry, The Author's Handbook outlines effective techniques to develop marketable book ideas, research those ideas, and write a manuscript--either fiction or nonfiction--for publication. The authors provide many tips on topics that include choosing a publisher, negotiating contracts, understanding legal matters, and promoting your work. With this guide, the reader will gain insight into virtually every aspect of publishing.

Writing Well is a guide to expressive creative writing and effective professional prose. The author, a poet, writer, editor and teacher, explains the techniques required for stylish and readable writing. Everyone who wants to improve their writing can benefit from this book, which describes how to: identify topics that inspire you to write get into the habit of writing regularly develop ideas construct effective arguments choose words for maximum effect use grammar correctly structure sentences and paragraphs appropriately write with integrity The book is enriched by examples from great modern writers, and includes a variety of exercises and suggestions for writing activities. Mark Tredinnick practises what he preaches, making his book highly enjoyable as well as technically instructive.

Whether you are taking a course in creative writing or making your first solitary steps in fiction, poetry or drama, this is the book you need. The Writer's Workbook, now in its second edition, provides a concise introduction to the terrain, with directions to the wider world of writing. It offers key points of good practice, warnings about the main pitfalls, and a variety of exercises to hone your skills. Readers will find advice on writing short stories, poetry, novels, plays, song lyrics, TV, radio and film scripts, as well as advice on writing for children, travel writing, writing on the web, and how to get published.

Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories. In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.

This book is a landmark guide full of practical examples and sound advice for communicating online concisely and effectively. Intended for students--and everyone else who writes for online media--Writing for the Internet: A Guide to Real Communication in Virtual Space is a landmark collection of grounded and practical applications about writing effectively and concisely. It covers just about everything one needs to know about a broad array of topics including online publishing, new media news writing, blogging, micro-blogging, Internet writing technologies, and social media/ownership. At the same time, it addresses theories, methods, and practices used by Internet writers and online journalists from a wide range of backgrounds. The book introduces students who will be writing online--and this includes all disciplines of every possible major--to the basic tenets of good online writing habits and principles. It will help bloggers hone their thoughts and express them in writing that works in real-time media. And it will help those who wish to take advantage of the extraordinary profit-making potential the Internet represents. Extended examples apply theories and methods of Internet writing to real-world writing situations An appendix offers tips for writing, interviewing, and blogging

An inspiring guide featuring the wit, wisdom, and stories of Zona Rosa, the writing-and-sisterhood workshop that has empowered thousands of women For more than twenty years, Rosemary Daniell?Southern belle, successful writer, and tireless champion of female empowerment?has led Zona Rosa, a writing workshop for women founded on the premise that writing can be not only a creative challenge but a tool for healing. Here, she shares the secrets of Zona Rosa: practical advice and home-grown "Exorcises" that help you face and think through writing issues, and life in general. You'll learn how to avoid the "13 (Possible) Boo Boos" that plague everyone's writing. You'll bring yourself to "Write About the Thing I Most Don't Want to Write About" and learn how facing the difficult past can lead to breakthroughs. You'll discover "The Emotional Tai Chi of Getting Your Work Out There," with suggestions for painlessly sending your work into the world. Along the way, you'll meet some of the many women who have improved their writing?and lives?through the camaraderie, constructive advice, and fun of Zona Rosa. And you'll be inspired by Rosemary Daniell herself, who has weathered personal tragedy, Bad Love, and her own writing issues to come out singing.Secrets of the Zona Rosa is essential reading for any woman who writes?and who has lived a life full of stories.

Creative writing is a relatively new phenomenon in African universities, as the influence of the American higher education system gains ground on the continent. Whilst there are many creative writing course books that focus on American/European audiences, there are almost no books with an African literary emphasis in mind, placing African literature and writing into a wider literary context and tradition, and targeting African writers, students and teachers of creative writing. Intending to fill this gap, this book is meant for teachers and students of creative writing, poetry and African literature on the African continent and beyond, especially young African writers.

Wounded Writers Ask: Am I Doing it Write? invites students to begin a new writing history through a collection of 48 free-writes that explore list writing, aesthetic writing, word craft, and writing that delves into personal life stories. These free-writes are invitations to develop a lead or improve a story title, to discover a character's name or replace one word for another that is more vivid, to locate a story idea or revise a story's focus.

The Cambridge Companion to Narrative provides a unique and valuable overview of current approaches to narrative study. An international team of experts explores ideas of storytelling and methods of narrative analysis as they have emerged across diverse traditions of inquiry and in connection with a variety of media, from film and television, to storytelling in the 'real-life' contexts of face-to-face interaction, to literary fiction. Each chapter presents a survey of scholarly approaches to topics such as character, dialogue, genre or language, shows how those approaches can be brought to bear on a relatively well-known illustrative example, and indicates directions for further research. Featuring a chapter reviewing definitions of narrative, a glossary of key terms and a comprehensive index, this is an essential resource for both students and scholars in many fields, including language and literature, composition and rhetoric, creative writing, jurisprudence, communication and media studies, and the social sciences.

"A splendid book for journalists (new or old), fiction writers, essayists, and critics. But it could also be of great use to the intelligent common reader, the man or woman who wonders why it's impossible to finish reading certain stories and why others carry the reader in a vivid rush to the end." --Pete Hamill, author of A Drinking Life   In the spirit of Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style, comes The Elements of Story, by Francis Flaherty, longtime story editor at The New York Times. A brilliant blend of memoir and how-to, The Elements of Story offers more than 50 principles that emphasize storytelling aspects rather than simply the mechanics of writing--a relentlessly entertaining, totally accessible writing guide for the novice and the professional alike.

Featuring a major synthesis and critique of interdisciplinary narrative theory, Story Logic marks a watershed moment in the study of narrative. David Herman argues that narrativenbsp;is simultaneously a cognitive style, a discourse genre, and a resource for writing. Because stories are strategies that help humans make sense of their world, narratives not only have a logic but also are a logic in their own right, providing an irreplaceable resource for structuring and comprehending experience. Story Logic brings together and pointedly examines key concepts of narrative in literary criticism, linguistics, and cognitive science, supplementing them with a battery of additional concepts that enable many different kinds of narratives to be analyzed and understood. By thoroughly tracing and synthesizing the development of different strands of narrative theory and provocatively critiquing what narratives are and how they work, Story Logic provides a powerful interpretive tool kit that broadens the applicability of narrative theory to more complex forms of stories, however and wherever they appear. Story Logic offers a fresh and incisive way to appreciate more fully the power and significance of narratives.

"I would go as far as I could and hit a wall," said musician and memoirist Patti Smith. In response, playwright Sam Shepard advised, "When you hit a wall, just kick it in." Writing teacher Barbara Abercrombie's powerful writing prompts give us just the push we need to do it. Like a workout with a top trainer, her exercises warm up, stretch, and build creative muscle. 'Kicking In the Wall' includes quotes from famous writers to accompany the exercises, as well as real-world examples of completed exercises by the author's students in the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. Though Abercrombie says readers need only commit to five minutes per exercise, she writes, "I've seen novels, memoirs, and many essays get started in those five minutes, and a lot ended up being published." Her playful method is essential fuel for writers trying to get off the starting block, persevere through challenges, and cross their personal creativity finish lines.

Novel & Short Story Writer's Market is the go-to resource you need to get your short stories, novellas, and novels published. The 40th edition of NSSWM features hundreds of updated listings for book publishers, literary agents, fiction publications, contests, and more. Each listing includes contact information, submission guidelines, and other essential tips.

Taking off from The Creative Writer's Survival Guide, John McNally'srelentlessly blunt, bracingly cheerful, and immensely helpful map to being a writer, Vivid and Continuousis an equally blunt, cheerful, and helpful map to learning to be a writer. While acknowledging that many fine books cover such essentials of fiction writing as point of view, characterization, and setting, McNally sets out in this new book--intended as a supplement to beginning fiction-writing classes or as the sole text for upper-level or graduate courses--to solve the tricky second-tier problems that those books cover only in footnotes. Vivid and Continuous takes its inspiration from John Gardner, whose essential truths in On Becoming a Novelist clarified McNally's goal of communicating a "vivid and continuous dream" with his own writing. In fifteen concise, energizing chapters, he dispenses advice gained from almost thirty years of studying, writing, and teaching. How do you avoid the pitfalls inherent in the most common subjects for stories? How do you create memorable minor characters? What about managing references to pop culture without distracting your readers, revising a story to bring its subtext into focus, or exploring the twenty most common craft-related quirks that lessen immediacy for your readers? How do you keep from overdosing on similes and metaphors or relying on too many flashbacks to provide necessary backstory? How do you learn to listen when your story tries to talk to you? Finally, how can you resist "John McNally's Sure-Fire Formula for Becoming Funnier in 30 Days"? McNally cites many novels and short stories as examples that best illustrate the lessons he wants to impart, the writer's life, or the writer's craft, as well as his own favorite authors' novels and short story collections. Exercises at the end of each chapter reinforce its point and serve as practical catalysts for new writings and directions. Just blunt enough to get your attention but not blunt enough to crush you, challenging but not discouraging, personal but not ego-ridden, snarky but not mean, John McNally will prompt you to think more deeply about a variety of issues that will push you toward writing more meaningful, more accomplished work. 

Our meddling intellect misshapes the beauteous forms of things; we murder to dissect, Wordsworth cautioned at the dawning of a new age of science and technology. It is a caution that, in addition to applying to the study of art and nature, might also apply to our investigation of the creative process, which has engaged the meddling minds of many. OC the process involved in literary creation, in particular, has fascinated many ordinary people, as well as a great many psychologists and philosophers, from Plato onOC . The variety of approach and style in Writing Fiction and Poetry extends also to gender and experience. The book contains essays and interviews of 12 internationally-known North Carolina writers. For an author bio and photo, reviews, and a reading sample, visit bosonbooks.com."

This book addresses the major elements of fiction. Numerous examples, questions, and exercises throughout the book help students reflect upon and explore writing possibilities. The mini-anthology includes a variety of highly teachable, illustrative, and diverse stories-North American and international, contemporary and classic, realistic and experimental.

Gotham Writers' Workshop has mastered the art of teaching the craft of writing in a way that is practical, accessible, and entertaining. Now the techniques of this renowned school are available in this book. Here you'll find: The fundamental elements of fiction craft--character, plot, point of view, etc.--explained clearly and completely - Key concepts illustrated with passages from great works of fiction - The complete text of "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver--a masterpiece of contemporary short fiction that is analyzed throughout the book - Exercises that let you immediately apply what you learn to your own writing. Written by Gotham Writers' Workshop expert instructors and edited by Dean of Faculty Alexander Steele, Writing Fiction offers the same methods and exercises that have earned the school international acclaim. Once you've read--and written--your way through this book, you'll have a command of craft that will enable you to turn your ideas into effective short stories and novels. You will be a writer. Gotham Writers' Workshop is America's leading private creative writing school, offering classes in New York City and on the web at WritingClasses.com. The school's interactive online classes, selected "Best of the Web" by Forbes, have attracted thousands of aspiring writers from across the United States and more than sixty countries.

Take a Deep Dive into Plot and Scene and Improve Your Writing Whether you're planning your first novel or have already written a first draft, you need to master the concepts of plot and scene to truly realize your story's potential. Writing Deep Scenes teaches you how to write strong, layered, and engaging scenes--the secret to memorable, page-turning plots. It's filled with practical tools for building layers and nuance into your scenes, employing the right scene types at the right junctures, and developing a profound understanding of how plot and scene intertwine. Inside you'll learn:    * How scenes are comprised of three key layers: action, emotion, and theme.    * How to recognize each layer and weave them seamlessly into a scene.    * How to develop an intricate relationship between the action and emotion in every scene.    * How thematic imagery embedded in scenes increases a story's tension and contributes to the story's meaning. Using contemporary examples from a variety of genres, Writing Deep Scenes provides an effective method for plotting at the scene level. Use these techniques and enrich your fiction and memoirs with page-turning suspense and pathos, and explore new depths in every story you write.

Equip yourself for the novel-writing journey! Starting a novel is exciting, but finishing it--that's the real challenge. The journey from beginning to end is rife with forks in the road and dead ends that lead many writers off course. With Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish: A Guidebook for the Journey, you'll navigate the intricacies of crafting a complex work of fiction and complete the journey with confidence and precision. To maximize your creativity and forward momentum, each chapter offers:    * Techniques to break down the elements of the novel--from character-building to plotting and pacing    * Mile Markers to anticipate and overcome roadblocks like ineffective dialogue and "the unchanged protagonist"    * Guidelines for Going Deeper to explore and implement more nuanced aspects of storytelling, such as finding your voice and the role of theme    * Try-It-Out Exercises and 27 interactive worksheets that help elevate your writing. No matter your level of experience or where you are in your project, Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish provides the instruction, inspiration, and guidance you need to complete your journey successfully.

Aspiring novelists don't need an MFA in creative writing, a book agent, an airtight plot, or a winsome cast of characters to get a novel writtenthey don't even need to know what they're doing. All that's needed is a little determination and this high-octane kit to kick motivation into overdrive and inspire users to produce a 50,000-word book in an exhilarating, invigorating month long Noveling Adventure. Includes: 48-page booklet 31 Daily Noveling Briefsrecommended allowances of writing advice and activities for every day of the noveling month Guided, month long, displayable log for keeping track of progress Motivational materials, pep-talking letters, and commitment coupons The Mighty Badge of the Triumphant Wordsmith

Brings together leading critics and novelists with some of the finest contemporary novels to answer probing questions about the role of the modern novel.

Find rock-solid story ideas before you start writing Anyone who has been hamster-wheeling a story idea for years or has hundreds of pages exploring various approaches on their hard drive knows that there must be a better way. There is. Young adult novelist Denise Jaden shows exactly how to create the captivating stories that prevent dispiriting wasted time. Busting the "visitation from the muses" myth, she shows that inspiration is a skill writers can learn by understanding how story ideas work (or don't), fertilizing the ground for fresh and sound ideas, and moving swiftly through stuck points. Practical and inspiring, Jaden's approach celebrates the imaginative sparks that make innovations of all kinds possible while pinpointing the precise tools writers need to fan their unique creative flames.

Grand themes and complex plots are just the beginning of a great piece of fiction. Mastering the nuts and bolts of grammar and prose mechanics is also an essential part of becoming a literary artist. This indispensable guide, created just for writers of fiction, will show you how to take your writing to the next level by exploring the finer points of language. Funny, readable, and wise, this book explores the tools of the fiction writer's trade, from verb tenses to pronouns to commas and beyond. Filled with examples from the best-seller lists of today and yesterday, it will help you consider the hows and whys of language, and how mastery of them can be used to achieve clarity and grace of expression in your own work. Here, you'll find Encouragement and advice to face the big questions: Past or present tense? Comma or semicolon? Italic or roman? Should your dialogue be phonetically rendered, or follow standard rules of grammar? (And where does that pesky quotation mark go, again?) Warning signs of the betrayal of language, and ways to avoid it: Unwitting rhymes, repetition, redundancy, cliché, and the inevitable failure of vocabulary How-to (and how-not-to) examples: The grammatical "mistakes" of Charles Dickens; ambiguous pronoun usage by Nathaniel Hawthorne; the minefield of paragraph fragments found in one of today's most successful authors.

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Learn what a young adult novel is, how to write young adult fiction, how to get it published, and how to promote it.

What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book?Writing a well-structured romance isn't the same as writing any other genre-something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don't address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc-not the other way around.Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don't care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a "beat check" when you're revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let's talk about kissing books.

This is a monumental work of breath-taking originality - the fruit of a lifetime's research and reading that will unlock the secrets of stories through the ages for all. From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Jaws and Schindler's List, Christopher Booker examines in details the stories that underlie literature and the plots that are basic to story-telling through the ages. In this magisterial work he examines the plots of films, opera libretti and the contemporary novel and short story. Underlying the stories he examines are seven basic plots- rags to riches; the quest; voyage and return; the hero as monster; rebirth, and so on. Booker shows that the images and stories serve a far deeper and more significant purpose in our lives than we have realised hitherto. In the definition of these basic plots, Booker shows us entering a realm in which the recognition of the plots proves to be only the gateway. We are in fact uncovering a kind of hidden universal language- a nucleus of situations and figures that are the very stuff from which stories are made. With Booker's exploration, there is literally no story in the world that cannot be seen in a new light. We have come to the heart of what stories are about, and why we tell them. Here, Christopher Booker moves on from some of the themes he outlined in his best-selling book The Neophiliacs. Seven Basic Plots is unquestionably his most important book to date.

In the early twentieth century, Russian director Constantin Stanislavsky transformed the acting world with a series of techniques he called ?method acting.? By discovering the inner life of a character, actors learned to bring emotional realism to their roles as never before. In Getting Into Character, Collins takes seven of the most eye-opening techniques of the Stanislavsky method and adapts them to the art of writing fiction. Like actors, writers learn how to personalise characters, determine their action objectives in a scene, write subtexted dialogue and much more. Collins concludes each chapter with excerpts from both a familiar classic and a modern bestseller to illustrate how top-notch authors?from Jane Austen to Steve Martini?have used these same techniques to great effect.

InMurder and Mayhem: A Doctor Answers Medical and Forensic Questions for Mystery Writers, Dr. D. P. Lyle culls the best of his popular "The Doctor Is In" question-and-answer column for the Mystery Writers of America, in which he answers medical and forensic questions from writers all over the country. A frequent advisor to published mystery writers, as well as writers for TV shows such asLaw and Order, Dr. Lyle tackles subjects such as traumatic injuries, doctors and hospitals, weapons of death, poisons and drugs, police and the crime scene, the coroner and the crime lab, and more. In extremely organized and accessible detail, he answers questions spanning a wide range: Do pupils shrink or enlarge with death? Can X rays be copied? Can ingested cocaine kill? How soon do strangulation bruises appear? Lively and accessible, this solid reference book is bound for every mystery writer's shelf.

Creating realistic, well-developed characters that readers can believe in is one of the biggest challenges authors face. Selecting a character's profession is an important part of this process. The profession implies a lot about the character and spares the reader a lot of pace-hindering narrative. A character's profession may be the catalyst for the story's plot. It allows the writer to texture the story with interesting insider details of the character's daily life. Also, a story's theme is often directly related to the protagonist's profession. This book makes it easier than ever by providing detailed descriptions for the 99 most written-about professions--everything from ad executives to waiters. Each entry consists of a written description and a breakdown of the fine details, including education, salary, jargon, hazards, rewards and a typical daily schedule. Packed with informative sidebars and call-outs, this reader-friendly, interactive reference enables writers of any skill level to create characters whose professional lives resonate with realistic details and insider insights.--Adapted from book cover and introduction.

Discover Deadly Doses to Kill Off Characters The readers of your crime and mystery stories should be trying to figure out "whodunit"--not wondering why your facts don't make sense. If you want to kill off characters with something poisonous, you need to know how a villain would gain access to such a poison, how it would be administered, and what the effects on the victim would be. Book of Poisons can help you figure out all of the details of proper poisoning. This thorough guide catalogs the classic poisons, household poisons, poisonous animals and plants, poisons used in wars, and more. With information on toxicity, reaction time, effects and symptoms, and antidotes and treatments, you'll know exactly what your villain needs to succeed and exactly what could foil his plans. You'll also find: information about how real toxicologists uncover poisoning crimes a history of famous poisoners advice on how you can create your own fictional poison case histories that give examples of when the poisons listed were used in literature, movies, and real life With alphabetical organization and appendices that cross-reference by symptoms, form, administration, and other methods, you'll be able to find the perfect poisons to fit your plot. Plus, a glossary of medical terms makes decoding symptoms and treatments easy for the writer with no medical background. Book of Poisons is the comprehensive reference you need to create deaths by poison without stopping readers dead in their tracks over misguided facts.