So I want to write a book
Discover essential tips and a curated list of books to help you write your own book. Learn from the best guides and resources to start your writing journey today!
Book
Elements of Fiction Writing - Plot
by Ansen Dibell
"There are ways to create, fix, steer and discover plots—ways which, over a writing life, you'd eventually puzzle out for yourself," writes Ansen Dibell. "They aren't laws. They're an array of choices, things to try, once you've put a name to the particular problem you're facing now." That's what this book is about: identifying those choices (whose viewpoint? stop and explain now, or wait? how can this lead to that?), then learning what narrative problems they are apt to create and how to choose an effective strategy for solving them. The result? Strong, solid stories and novels that move. Inside you'll discover how to: test a story idea (using four simple questions) to see if it works convince your reader that not only is something happening, but that something's going to happen and it all matters intensely handle viewpoint shifts, flashbacks, and other radical jumps in your storyline weave plots with subplots get ready for and write your Big Scenes balance scene and summary narration to produce good pacing handle the extremes of melodrama by "faking out" your readers—making them watch your right hand while your left hand is doing something sneaky form subtle patterns with mirror characters and echoing incidents choose the best type of ending—linear or circular, happy or downbeat, or (with caution!) a trick ending Whether your fiction is short or long, subtle or direct, you'll learn to build strong plots that drive compelling, unforgettable stories your readers will love.
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Book
Elements of Fiction Writing - Beginnings, Middles & Ends
by Nancy Kress
Get your stories off to a roaring start. Keep them tight and crisp throughout. Conclude them with a wallop. Is the story or novel you've been carrying around in your head the same one you see on the page? Or does the dialogue suddenly sound flat and predictable? Do the events seem to ramble? Translating a flash of inspiration into a compelling story requires careful crafting. The words you choose, how you describe characters, and the way you orchestrate conflict all make the difference—the difference between a story that is slow to begin, flounders midway, or trails off at the end—and one that holds the interest of readers and editors to the final page. By demonstrating effective solutions for potential problems at each stage of your story, Nancy Kress will help you... hook the editor on the first three paragraphs make—and keep—your story's "implicit promise" build drama and credibility by controlling your prose Dozens of exercises help you strengthen your short story or novel. Plus, you'll sharpen skills and gain new insight into... the price a writer pays for flashbacks six ways characters should "reveal" themselves techniques for writing—and rewriting Let this working resource be your guide to successful stories—from beginning to end.
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Book
The Marshall Plan Workbook
by Evan Marshall
The Marshall Plan Workbook, companion volume to the very successful Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, focuses on building a novel's plot, with more than 100 pages of fill-in sheets that become a veritable blueprint for each reader's novel. The Marshall Plan Workbook pushes deeper into the process of writing a novel scene by scene. Readers will learn to craft intriguing story goals and compelling conflicts all within a specific framework that enables them to produce any type of novel in a systematic yet creative way. They'll also learn the ins-and-outs of selling their work once it's finished. * Lively, interactive approach makes the book fun as well as educational * Easy-to-follow instruction takes the mystery--but not the creativity--out of writing a novel
Book
Writing Down the Bones
by Natalie Goldberg
A collection of essays in which the author explores methods of writing based on her experience in Zen meditation.
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Book
How to Write a Damn Good Novel
by James N. Frey
Covers characterization, plot, theme, conflicts, climax and resolution, point of view, dialogue, revision, and manuscript submission.
Book
The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines
by Tami D. Cowden
Writing great fiction heroes and heroines.
Book
The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference
by Writers Digest
Do you know what a murder hole is? &break;Or why a chimera is three times worse than most monsters? &break;What would be better for storming castles, a trebuchet or a kopesh? &break;&break;To find the answers to these questions, you need this fascinating guide to transport yourself to fantasy's mysterious worlds. Featuring an introduction by mega-best-selling author Terry Brooks, the Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference reveals the facts behind the fantasy, giving you the details you need to make your fiction vibrant, captivating and original. &break;&break;From classic medieval witchcraft to ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, every chapter will spark your creativity. An invaluable resource, it will also help you fill your writing with inventive new ideas rooted in accurate descriptions of the world's most intriguing legends, folklore and mysticism. &break;&break;Take this guide, venture into the fantastic, and create magical realms alive with detail. Great stories await you!
Book
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy
by Orson Scott Card
Learn to write science fiction and fantasy from a master You've always dreamed of writing science fiction and fantasy tales that pull readers into extraordinary new worlds and fantastic conflicts. Best-selling author Orson Scott Card shows you how it's done, distilling years of writing experience and publishing success into concise, no-nonsense advice. You'll learn how to: • utilize story elements that define the science fiction and fantasy genres • build, populate, and dramatize a credible, inviting world your readers will want to explore • develop the "rules" of time, space and magic that affect your world and its inhabitants • construct a compelling story by developing ideas, characters, and events that keep readers turning pages • find the markets for speculative fiction, reach them, and get published • submit queries, write cover letters, find an agent, and live the life of a writer The boundaries of your imagination are infinite. Explore them with Orson Scott Card and create fiction that casts a spell over agents, publishers, and readers from every world.
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Book
On Writing
by Stephen King
The author shares his insights into the craft of writing and offers a humorous perspective on his own experience as a writer.
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Book
Writing the Breakout Novel
by Donald Maass
Take your fiction to the next level! Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists. Maass details the elements that all breakout novels share - regardless of genre - then shows you writing techniques that can make your own books stand out and succeed in a crowded marketplace. You'll learn to: • establish a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place • weave subplots into the main action for a complex, engrossing story • create larger-than-life characters that step right off the page • explore universal themes that will interest a broad audience of readers • sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish • develop an inspired premise that sets your novel apart from the competition Then, using examples from the recent works of several best-selling authors - including novelist Anne Perry - Maass illustrates methods for upping the ante in every aspect of your novel writing. You'll capture the eye of an agent, generate publisher interest and lay the foundation for a promising career.
Book
How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction
by J. N. Williamson
Twenty-six writers and editors discuss the fiction market, story ideas, plotting, setting, character, naming, suspense, research, avoiding cliches, stereotypes, literary agents, manuscript submission, and editing
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