Finding Your Plot in a Plotless World


Book Description

The world fell apart for author Daniel de Roulet the moment his son was diagnosed with autism. In Finding Your Plot in a Plotless World, de Roulet takes a closer look at those devastating moments in everyone's lives and the journey that follows. What do we do when our sense of God's plan for our lives crumbles around us? How do we find our plots in a seemingly plotless world? For answers, de Roulet looks to stories--those of our own culture and the Bible. Along the way, de Roulet encourages readers to be authentic as they tell their own stories and leaves them with hope that God reveals himself through our messy lives. EXCERPT Let me make something clear: I am convinced that for Christians, even in the darkest night, there is joy in the morning. God does work all things together--however unlikely the parts--for good for those who love him. But the roads of our progress from darkness to light will often be through murky or unpleasant waters, and our discoveries may not be as whole or as resounding as one could hope. But talking about the whole journey--darkness and light--is being honest to the condition of being human, and perhaps we can help others to begin to make the leap between the difficulties of the now and the promises of the not yet. Successful storytellers and teachers tend to meet their audiences where they are--not where they want them to be. There are times for all of us, Christian and non-Christian alike, when the world seems dark and senseless and morning seems far off, and these times are often when God's plot is the most relevant. And so this book talks about a journey from plotlessness to plot. Its chapters are meant to be guides for both reading God's stories: narratives that I think God uses to reach down into our own experiences and tell us about himself, and our own stories: the words that we use to tell our experiences to each other and, I believe, to God.




Hold Still


Book Description

A "wildly evocative" (Elle.com) family portrait that explores the depths and limits of a mother’s love. When Maya Taylor, an English professor with a tendency to hide in her books, sends her daughter to Florida to look after a friend’s child, she does so with the best of intentions; it’s a chance for Ellie, twenty and spiraling, to rebuild her life. But in the sprawling hours of one humid afternoon, Ellie makes a mistake she cannot take back. In two separate timelines—before and after the catastrophe—Maya and Ellie must try to repair their fractured relationship and find a way to transcend not only their differences but also their more troubling similarities. "[Melding] psychological insight, precise plotting and limpid prose" (Huffington Post), Lynn Steger Strong traces the anatomy of a mistake and the weight of culpability. Hold Still marks a taut and propulsive debut that "builds to a perfect crescendo, an ending that is both surprising and true" (Marcy Dermansky, author of The Red Car).




Lee Smith


Book Description

This literary companion surveys the works of Lee Smith, a Southern author lauded for her autobiographical familiarity with Appalachian settings and characters. Her dialogue captures the distinct voices of mountain people and their perceptions of local and world events, ranging from the Civil War to ecology and modernization. Mental and physical disability and the Southern cultural norm of including the disabled as both family and community members are recurring themes in Smith's writing. An A to Z arrangement of entries incorporates specific titles, and themes such as belonging, healing and death, humor, parenting and religion.




Idle Days on the Yann


Book Description

So I came down through the wood on the bank of Yann and found, as had been prophesied, the ship Bird of the River about to loose her cable. The captain sat cross-legged upon the white deck with his scimitar lying beside him in its jeweled scabbard, and the sailors toiled to spread the nimble sails to bring the ship into the central stream of Yann, and all the while sang ancient soothing songs. And the wind of the evening descending cool from the snowfields of some mountainous abode of distant gods came suddenly, like glad tidings to an anxious city, into the wing-like sails.




To Tell the Sacred Tale


Book Description

This book shows the singular importance of narrative in the process of spiritual direction and reflects on this interactive process of sharing our sacred stories in pastoral contexts in order to hear and respond more deeply to the story God is telling in our lives.




First Things


Book Description




The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction


Book Description

Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most challenging—and rewarding—genres to write. But with New York Times bestselling author Philip Athans and fantasy giant R. A. Salvatore at your side, you’ll create worlds that draw your readers in—and keep them reading! Drawing on his years of experience as one of the most acclaimed professionals in publishing, Wizards of the Coast editor Athans explains how to set your novel apart and break into this lucrative field. From devising clever plots and building complex characters to inventing original technologies and crafting alien civilizations, Athans gives you the techniques you need to write strong, saleable narratives. Athans applies all of these critical lessons together in an unprecedented deconstruction of a never-before-published tale by the one and only R. A. Salvatore! There are books on writing science fiction and fantasy, and then there’s this book—the only one you need to create strange, wonderful worlds for your own universe of readers.




The Golden State


Book Description

NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION 5 UNDER 35 PICK. FINALIST FOR THE VCU CABELL FIRST NOVELIST AWARD. LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION'S FIRST NOVEL PRIZE. Named one of the Best Books of 2018 by NPR, Bookforum and Bustle. One of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best Debut Novels of 2018. An Amazon Best Book of the Month and named a fall read by Buzzfeed, Nylon, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Vanity Fair, Vulture, Refinery29 and Mind Body Green A gorgeous, raw debut novel about a young woman braving the ups and downs of motherhood in a fractured America In Lydia Kiesling’s razor-sharp debut novel, The Golden State, we accompany Daphne, a young mother on the edge of a breakdown, as she flees her sensible but strained life in San Francisco for the high desert of Altavista with her toddler, Honey. Bucking under the weight of being a single parent—her Turkish husband is unable to return to the United States because of a “processing error”—Daphne takes refuge in a mobile home left to her by her grandparents in hopes that the quiet will bring clarity. But clarity proves elusive. Over the next ten days Daphne is anxious, she behaves a little erratically, she drinks too much. She wanders the town looking for anyone and anything to punctuate the long hours alone with the baby. Among others, she meets Cindy, a neighbor who is active in a secessionist movement, and befriends the elderly Alice, who has traveled to Altavista as she approaches the end of her life. When her relationships with these women culminate in a dangerous standoff, Daphne must reconcile her inner narrative with the reality of a deeply divided world. Keenly observed, bristling with humor, and set against the beauty of a little-known part of California, The Golden State is about class and cultural breakdowns, and desperate attempts to bridge old and new worlds. But more than anything, it is about motherhood: its voracious worry, frequent tedium, and enthralling, wondrous love.







How to Write a Short Story


Book Description

You always wanted to write short stories but you have no idea where to begin.Do you want to become better at writing fiction?Perhaps you find it hard to come up with ideas for a story or to devise a plot. Maybe you have difficulty developing your own style or is your dialogue rusty.N.A. Turner is here to help you navigate the land of short story writing from outlining your story to attracting readers. Every aspiring writer dreams of people reading his or her work. Short story writing is a way of both developing your writing style and to introduce your talent to potential readers. At the start of their career, the likes of Stephen King and Charles Bukowski made a name for themselves by writing and publishing short stories.Learn more about N.A. Turner's writing tips based on his experience and research.This guide teaches you: - How to write well-structured short stories- How to determine your theme- How to plot your story- How to create engaging, interesting characters- How to build a fictional world- How to write scenes and clear dialogue- How to get to that first draft and edit your story- How to publish your short stories in the current market- And much moreThis guidebook will show you a step-by-step process to successfully write and publish short stories. From developing an idea to attracting readers online. This comprehensive, step-by-step guide is all you need to get started.