Assigning, Responding, Evaluating: a writing teacher's guide by Ed White's practical guide to designing writing assignments, writing tests, and evaluating student writing has been thoroughly updated for the fourth edition, including new sections on directed self-placement, computer scoring of writing, Phase 2 scoring of portfolios, and much more.
Bang the Keys: four steps to a lifelong writing practice by Bang the Keys provides the four essential steps which are the tools that writers learn and repeat throughout their lives. Each section focuses on one of the thematic building blocks and includes tips and anecdotes from established writers and artists which tie in to that section's focus. Also included are practical writing exercises aplenty. By the end of the book, readers will have the tools and the inspiration to show up regularly for their work, and ultimately finish the writing projects they start ... or bust their fingers trying!
Daily Rituals by Franz Kafka, frustrated with his living quarters and day job, wrote in a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912, "time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle maneuvers."
Do I Make Myself Clear? by Harry Evans has edited everything from the urgent files of battlefield reporters to the complex thought processes of Henry Kissinger. He's even been knighted for his services to journalism. In DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?, he brings his indispensable insight to us all in his definite guide to writing well.
The Emotion Thesaurus by One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying emotion to the reader in a unique, compelling way. When showing our characters' feelings, we often grab onto the first idea that comes to mind, and our characters end up smiling, shrugging, nodding, and frowning far too much. Need some inspiration to get you beyond the basics? Inside The Emotion Thesaurus, you'll find: 75 emotion entires that list body language, thoughts, and visceral responses for each, a breakdown of the biggest emotion-related writing problems and how to overcome them, body language and action cues that address both acute and suppressed forms of emotion, suggestions for each emotion that cover a range of intensity, from mild to extreme, 75 description tips on emotion, dialogue, characters, and setting.
How to Write a Dynamite Scene Using the Snowflake Method by The secret to writing a dynamite novel is to first write a dynamite scene. Because if you can write one terrific scene, you can write a hundred. And that's a novel. This is a is a short book, with just one goal--to teach you the simple principles you can use right now to design a powerful scene before you write it."
How to Write Non-Fiction: Turn Your Knowledge into Words by ..includes the business models of writing non-fiction, the details of how to research, write and edit your book, as well as publishing, product creation and marketing.
The Inevitable: contemporary writers confront death by Birth is not inevitable. Life certainly isn't. The sole inevitability of existence, the only sure consequence of being alive, is death. In these eloquent and surprising essays, twenty writers face this fact, among them Geoff Dyer, who describes the ghost bikes memorializing those who die in biking accidents; Jonathan Safran Foer, proposing a new way of punctuating dialogue in the face of a family history of heart attacks and decimation by the Holocaust; Mark Doty, whose reflections on the art-porn movie Bijou lead to a meditation on the intersection of sex and death epitomized by the AIDS epidemic; and Joyce Carol Oates, who writes about the loss of her husband and faces her own mortality. Other contributors include Annie Dillard, Diane Ackerman, Peter Straub, and Brenda Hillman.
It's a Bunny-Eat-Bunny World by The business of publishing books for children has changed monumentally over the last decade. Large companies have merged and grown, while well-established imprints vanished one after another. In this tough climate, it's becoming harder and harder to break into the industry. Olga Litowinsky has interviewed to children's book editors, agents, and experts in the field and shares their up-to-the-minute advice about what editors are looking for today. Armed with this insider information, aspiring writers will be able to distinguish themselves and succeed in today's highly competitive marketplace.
Making a Literary Life: advice for writers and other dreamers by As Carolyn See says, writing guides are like preachers on Sunday--there may be a lot of them, but you can't have too many, and there's always an audience of the faithful. And while Making a Literary Life is ostensibly a book that teaches you how to write, it really teaches you how to make your interior life into your exterior life, how to find and join that community of like-minded souls you're sure is out there somewhere. Carolyn See distills a lifetime of experience as novelist, memoirist, critic, and creative-writing professor into this marvelously engaging how-to book. Partly the nuts and bolts of writing (plot, point of view, character, voice) and partly an inspirational guide to living the life you dream of, Making a Literary Life takes you from the decision to "become" a writer to three months after the publication of your first book. A combination of writing and life strategies (do not tell everyone around you how you yearn to be a writer; send a "charming note" to someone you admire in the industry five days a week, every week, for the rest of your life; find the perfect characters right in front of you), Making a Literary Life is for people not usually considered part of the literary loop: the non--East Coasters, the secret scribblers. With sagacity, a magical sense of humor, and an abiding belief in the possibilities offered to "ordinary" people living "ordinary" lives, Carolyn See has summed up her life's work in a book so beguiling, irreverent, and giddily inspiring that you won't even realize it's changing your life until it already has.
Mechanically Inclined by Some teachers love grammar and some hate it, but nearly all struggle to find ways of making the mechanics of English meaningful to kids. As a middle school teacher, Jeff Anderson also discovered that his students were not grasping the basics, and that it was preventing them from reaching their potential as writers. Jeff readily admits, "I am not a grammarian, nor am I punctilious about anything," so he began researching and testing the ideas of scores of grammar experts in his classroom, gradually finding successful ways of integrating grammar instruction into writer's workshop.
One Word by "Readers will find that the words profiled here have a new trace of meaning, warmth, and a time-worn glow."--John Morse, publisher of Merriam-Webster, Inc.
The Secret Miracle: the novelist's handbook by The world's best contemporary writers--from Michael Chabon and Claire Messud to Jonathan Lethem and Amy Tan--engage in a wide-ranging, insightful, and oft- surprising roundtable discussion on the art of writing fiction
So You Want to Write by For over ten years, Marge Piercy and Ira Wood have been teaching two popular master classes in the art of writing fiction and memoirs. They attract students nationwide who have failed to improve their work in courses concentrating on process' rather than craft, and want to go beyond :journaling" and "writing as therapy" to break through and publish their work. Drawing on talks, exercises and examples proven in the classroom, So You Want to Write addresses: How to begin a piece by seducing your reader, How to create characters that embody the infinite contradictions of human behavior, How to master the elements of plotting fiction, How to create a strategy for telling the story of your life, How to learn to read critically, like a professional writer, How to realistically approach publishing. Combining over seventy years of writing experience, other chapters include: The overlooked powers of dialogue, Creating descriptions that move readers emotionally, FAQ's about agents, rejections, submitting work effectively, what writers really earn, Overcoming shame and the difficulties of writing about loved ones. Marge Piercy is the author of 35 books of fiction and poetry. She has lectured or performed at over 300 universities, and sold over 3,000,000 books worldwide. Ira Wood is the author of three novels, a publisher, and a popular writing teacher, whose classes address writers' feelings of hopelessness and despair. They live on Cape Cod. Two: BEGINNINGS Fiction is as old a habit of our species as poetry. It goes back to telling a tale, the first perceptions of pattern, and narrative is still about pattern in human life. At core, it answers the question, what then? And then and then and then. And memoir is equally old: it's telling about your life, perhaps originally to children or a prospective mate or a new acquaintance. Poetry is an art of time, as music is. Rhythms are measured against time: they are measures of time. A poem goes forward a beat at a time as a dance does, step by step, phrase by phrase. Narrative, whether fiction or memoir, is about time. First this, then that.
Word by Word by Do you have strong feelings about the word "irregardless"? Have you ever tried to define the word "is"? Brimming with intelligence and personality, this vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made is a must-read for word mavens. Many of us take dictionaries for granted, and few may realize that the process of writing dictionaries is, in fact, as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define, how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. And along the way, she reveals little-known surprises--for example, the fact that "OMG" was first used in a letter to Winston Churchill in 1917. Word by Word brings to life the hallowed halls (and highly idiosyncratic cubicles) of Merriam-Webster, a startlingly rich world inhabited by quirky and erudite individuals who quietly shape the way we communicate. Certain to be a delight for all lovers of words, Stamper's debut will make you laugh as much as it makes you appreciate the wonderful complexities and eccentricities of the English language.
A Writer's Diary by An invaluable guide to the art and mind of Virginia Woolf, drawn by her husband from the personal record she kept over a period of twenty-seven years. Included are entries that refer to her own writing, others that are clearly writing exercises; accounts of people and scenes relevant to the raw material of her work; and comments on books she was reading. Edited and with a Preface by Leonard Woolf; Indices.
Writer's Guide to Character Traits: includes profiles of human behaviors and personality types by Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped has long been considered a masterpiece of high adventure. In The Low Road, James Lear reinvents this classic as a satirical, queer, coming-of-age story. In 1705 Scotland, young Charles Gordon reaches adulthood ignorant of his family's heroic past in the Jacobite Rebellion. He sets out to discover the truth about his father, but instead is kidnapped by mercenaries and sold into slavery as the plaything of a group of corrupt military officials. But Charlie's talents, in and out of bed, win him powerful friends as well as dangerous foes. The false priest, Lebecque, violent Captain Robert, depraved General Wilmott all contribute to Charlie's "education." Eventually leading a makeshift army of sex-crazed layabouts, Charlie faces the might of the English forces. Will he triumph, or is it better to retreat to the safety of his sybaritic lifestyle? James Lear expertly interweaves spies and counterspies, scheming servants and sadistic captains, tavern trysts and prison orgies, into this delightfully erotic work that can take its place alongside his acclaimed novels The Back Passage and Hot Valley.
Writer's Home Companion: an anthology of the world's best writing advice, from Keats to Kunitz by Writing is a solitary sport--but none of us can do it without good company at crucial moments. This spirited collection of inspiring and useful essays and exercises on the craft of writing is the next best thing to having an experienced writer at your side. These twenty-nine pieces, more than half of which have never been published in book form, include selections as unusual and diverse as behaviorist B. F. Skinner's "How to Discover What You Have to Say"; Brett Candlish Millier's investigation of the seventeen drafts of Elizabeth Bishop's poem "One Art"; Ursula Le Guin's "Where Do You Get Your Ideas From?"; Anne Eisenberg's "E-Mail and the New Epistolary Age"; and Nancy Mair's "The Writer's Thin Skin and Faint Heart." Other contributors include Gloria Naylor, Stanley Kunitz, Bernard Shaw, Natalie Goldberg, Anne Tyler, Rita Dove, Peter Elbow, and Gail Godwin.
Writer's Market (new edition each year) by Want to get published and paid for your writing? Let Writer's Market 2018 guide you with thousands of publishing opportunities--including listings for book publishers, consumer and trade magazines, contests and awards, and literary agents. These listings feature contact and submission information so you can get started right away.
Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves by Using a narrative thread that ties practical advice to his personal experience as reporter, blogger and professor, Jerry Lanson fills his new book on nonfiction writing with time-proven techniques to beat writer's block and hone the skills necessary to write well. Examples from Lanson's own work as well as that of other widely read reporters, bloggers and essayists make Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves a practical guide for writers seeking to perfect their own work. From learning to frame ideas early, to developing the writer's voice, the tips, tricks, and lessons that Lanson shares will enliven any writer's work.
Writing Vivid Settings by Do you want your readers to feel like they're really there-in the place where the story happens? Whether you want to enrich stark prose with atmospheric detail, add vibrancy to a dull piece or curb waffling descriptions, this guide can help. Learn how to make your settings intense, realistic, and intriguing. This is the tenth book in Rayne Hall's acclaimed Writer's Craft series.
2012 Writer's Market by Even More Markets - More Opportunities to Get Published The 2012 Writer's Market Deluxe Edition is the preeminent authority for writers to discover all of the valuable information necessary to improve their work, get published and get paid for their work. In this edition, more emphasis is placed on editorial matter than ever before, without a reduction in the number of listings. This book has an increased focus on articles to help you make a living as a writer, including topics such as tackling content factories to negotiating contracts and from managing time and organization to make the most of the money writers earn). The 2012 Writer's Market Deluxe Edition also includes: • Interactive Edition with checklists, worksheets, timetables and other elements to help writers stay motivated and focused on success; • A premium online 1-year subscription to WritersMarket.com • Access to an exclusive webinar devoted to helping writers craft highly skilled query letters and synopses that will facilitate their getting noticed by an editor or agent. Take charge of your writing career with online tools that allow you to organize your favorite marketing listings and keep track of your submissions. All of these tools and more are available on the easy-to-use WritersMarket.com website, which you can access from anywhere with internet access!
Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters and Viewpoint by Vivid and memorable characters aren't born: they have to be made This book is a set of tools: literary crowbars, chisels, mallets, pliers and tongs. Use them to pry, chip, yank and sift good characters out of the place where they live in your imagination. Award-winning author Orson Scott Card explains in depth the techniques of inventing, developing and presenting characters, plus handling viewpoint in novels and short stories. With specific examples, he spells out your narrative optionsthe choices you'll make in creating fictional people so "real" that readers will feel they know them like members of their own families. You'll learn how to: Draw characters from a variety of sources Make characters show who they are by the things they do and say, and by their individual "style" Develop characters readers will loveor love to hate Distinguish among major characters, minor characters and walk-ons, and develop each appropriately Choose the most effective viewpoint to reveal the characters and move the storytelling Decide how deeply you should explore your characters' thoughts, emotions, and attitudes
Exploring Contemporary Craft: History, Theory and Critical Writing by The craft of craft, the art of craft here in Canada we're just starting to really talk about these things. In March 1999, Jean Johnson, who runs Toronto's Craft Studio at Harbourfront Centre, organized a wildly successful symposium on the state of craft in Canada. Curators, writers, critics, academics and craftspeople spoke about all aspects of craft: history, practice, theory, criticism. Taken together, these papers create a clear picture of the vibrant crafts scene in Canada. The symposium was a groundbreaking event, a first in Canada, offering to the crafts community a new depth of consideration. The book, too, is a Canadian first, and it will allow a dialogue about the academic side of the craft movement to continue. Each of the book's three sections, History, Theory and Critical Writing, contains a keynote paper and essays by experts in each field, including Mark Kingwell writing 'On Style,' Blake Gopnik on 'Reviewing Craft Exhibitions for the Art Pages,' and Robin Metcalfe addressing 'Teacup Readings: Contextualizing Craft in the Art Gallery.'
Lit from Within: Contemporary Masters on the Art and Craft of Writing by Lit from Within offers creative writers a window into the minds of some of America’s most celebrated contemporary authors. Witty, direct, and thought–provoking, these essays offer something to creative writers of all backgrounds and experience. With contributions from fiction writers, poets, and nonfiction writers, this is a collection of unusual breadth and quality. Contributors: Lee K. Abbott, Rick Bass, Claire Bateman, Charles Baxter, Ron Carlson, Billy Collins, Peter Ho Davies, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dunn, Robin Hemley, Tony Hoagland, David Kirby, Maggie Nelson, Francine Prose, Mary Ruefle
Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing by What makes a good story or a screenplay great? The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin. Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts. You'll learn to wrap your head around the big pictures of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies which include: Four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot) Two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voice The true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!
Views from the Loft: A Portable Writer's Workshop by Teachers, exercises, mentors, critiques, humor, and inspiration: these form the fuel all writers need when they get down to work every day. For decades the Loft Literary Center has provided this fuel to an enormous community of writers. Views from the Loft brings together the collected wisdom of that community its authors, students, and editors giving anyone the tools and inspiration necessary to thrive in the writing life. A who’s who of writers on writing ranging from the National Book Awardwinning poet Mark Doty to Newbery medalwinning children’s author Kate DiCamillo, and touching on issues as delicate as the representation of family in memoir and as hilarious as a sad-epiphany poem” mad lib for frustrated poets, this book is an essential collection of crucial tips and challenging questions for everyone who puts pen to page. The essays and interviews in this book include superstar writers like Rick Bass, Michael Cunningham, Grace Paley, Susan Power, Susan Straight, Marilyn Hacker, and many, many more.