Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction, Vol. 2


Book Description

Survey Our Literary Landscape From the Open Window of Glimmer Train &break;&break;What drives you to write? How does a particular piece of writing come to exist? &break;&break;In Inspiration and Discipline, the second volume in our Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction series, more than one hundred accomplished authors set aside talk of character and scene in order to address the more private and elusive aspects of their writing lives. In excerpts from interviews conducted over a seventeen-year period and preserved by the editors of the highly respected literary quarterly Glimmer Train Stories and its supplement Writers Ask, contemporary writers offer insights on such topics as family support (or lack thereof), using autobiographical material, and the responsibility of writing–sharing their own personal and philosophical approaches to this most strange, heartbreaking, and wonderful of artistic vocations. &break;&break;Jayne Anne Phillips, Thisbe Nissen, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Thom Jones, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Beverly Lowry, Siri Hustvedt, Richard Bausch, Charles Baxter, Sue Miller, Ha Jin &break;&break;There may never be an explanation for where stories come from, but the wisdom, humor, and advice of the writers in these pages will provide you with the inspiration you need to keep your writing life moving forward.




The Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction


Book Description

Survey Our Literary Landscape From the Open Window of Glimmer Train &break;&break;Many writing books offer instruction and inspiration, but never before has one pulled back the curtain and laid bare before you the joys, frustrations, struggles, and achievements of the literary life–as experienced by more than one hundred accomplished writers. In excerpts from interviews conducted over a sixteen-year period and preserved by the editors of the highly respected literary quarterly Glimmer Train Stories and its supplement Writers Ask, contemporary writers who rarely discuss their craft present you with eye-opening techniques, diverse perspectives, and genuine encouragement–the kind of wisdom earned only from years at the writing desk. &break; &break;Julia Alvarez, Edwidge Danticat, Robert Olen Butler, Sandra Cisneros, Andre Dubus, Ernest Gaines, Jamaica Kincaid, Antonya Nelson, Tim O'Brien, Ann Patchett, Annie Proulx, Tobias Wolff &break;&break;The voices of these authors and many others resonate from the pages–sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, but always illuminating. A thorough treatment of craft and accessibility to engaging authors make Building Blocks–the first volume in this exquisite new series–the perfect guidebook for your writing life.




The Glimmer Train Guide to Writing Fiction


Book Description

Top-Notch Writing Advice from Today's Premiere Writers




Writing Fiction - a user-friendly guide


Book Description

Writing Fiction is a little pot of gold... "e;Screenplay"e; by Syd Field for film, "e;Writing Fiction"e; by James Essinger for fiction. It's that simple.'William Osborne, novelist and screenwriter'Writing Fiction - a user-friendly guide' is a must-read if you want to write stories to a professional standard. It draws on the author's more than thirty years of experience as a professional writer, and on the work and ideas of writers including:- Anthony Burgess- Joseph Conrad- George Eliot- Ken Follett- Frederick Forsyth- Dan Harmon- Ernest Hemingway- David Lodge- Norman Mailer- John Milton- Ben Parker- J.K. Rowling- William Shakespeare- Martin Cruz Smith- J.R.R. TolkienThe twenty-four chapters cover every important matter you need to know about, including: devising a compelling story, creating and developing characters, plotting, 'plants', backstory, suspense, dialogue, 'show' and 'tell', and how to make your novel more real than reality.Also featuring special guest advice from legendary screenwriter Bob Gale, who wrote the three immortal 'Back to the Future' movies (1985, 1989 and 1990), and novelist and screenwriter William Osborne, whose many screen credits include the co-writing of the blockbuster 'Twins' (1988), this highly entertaining book gives you all the advice and practical guidance you need to make your dream of becoming a published fiction writer come true.




Glimmer Train Stories


Book Description




Writing Fiction


Book Description

This updated edition of the classic, comprehensive guide to creative writing features new topics and writing prompts, contemporary examples, and more. A creative writer’s shelf should hold at least three essential books: a dictionary, a style guide, and Janet Burroway’s Writing Fiction. This best-selling classic is the most widely used creative writing text in America, and for decades it has helped hundreds of thousands of students learn the craft. Now in its tenth edition, Writing Fiction is more accessible than ever for writers of all levels—inside or outside the classroom. This new edition continues to provide advice that is practical, comprehensive, and flexible. Moving from freewriting to final revision, Burroway addresses “showing not telling,” characterization, dialogue, atmosphere, plot, imagery, and point of view. It includes new topics and writing prompts, and each chapter now ends with a list of recommended readings that exemplify the craft elements discussed. Plus, examples and quotations throughout the book feature a wide range of today’s best and best-known creators of both novels and short stories.




The Longman Guide to Intermediate and Advanced Fiction Writing


Book Description

"This intermediate/advanced guide to writing fiction emphasizes the revision process and uses craft discussions, exercises, and diverse examples to show the artistic implications of writing choices. 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."--Publisher's website.




Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction


Book Description

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.




Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories from Around the World


Book Description

A dazzling new anthology of the very best very short fiction from around the world. What is a flash fiction called in other countries? In Latin America it is a micro, in Denmark kortprosa, in Bulgaria mikro razkaz. These short shorts, usually no more than 750 words, range from linear narratives to the more unusual: stories based on mathematical forms, a paragraph-length novel, a scientific report on volcanic fireflies that proliferate in nightclubs. Flash has always—and everywhere—been a form of experiment, of possibility. A new entry in the lauded Flash and Sudden Fiction anthologies, this collection includes 86 of the most beautiful, provocative, and moving narratives by authors from six continents, including best-selling writer Etgar Keret, Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah, Korean screenwriter Kim Young-ha, Nobel Prize winner Czeslaw Milosz, and Argentinian “Queen of the Microstory” Ana María Shua, among many others. These brilliantly chosen stories challenge readers to widen their vision and celebrate both the local and the universal.




Writing Fiction: a Hands-On Guide for Teens


Book Description

How do I begin my novel? How do I write convincing dialogue? Where can I get an idea for a story? How do I keep motivated? If youre a young writer, answers to these questions and more can be found in Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens. Written by a writer for writers, this book was created just for you by someone who believes in young writers and who also likes to have some fun along the way. Heres a sample of what youll find inside. Stuck for a Story Idea? Who, What, Where, When Who: Your Characters What: Your Plot Where and When: Your Setting Ways to Start a Story with Character, Action or Setting Writing Description That Even You Will Want to Read Connecting With Other Writers And much more