Clear, concise, effective, THE RANDOM HOUSE GUIDE TO GOOD WRITING is for anyone who wishes to communicate well in writing. Mitchell Ivers shows us how to master the medium and the message with an array of features: Precise guidelines on word usage, grammar, and punctuation--and how to decide with "rules" you can discard to suit your purpose; How to choose the tone and style appropriate to your audience and subject; The essential components of plot in fiction and structure in nonfiction, an...

It’s a writer’s job to create compelling characters who can withstand life’s fallout without giving up. But building authentic, memorable heroes is no easy task. To forge realistic characters, we must hobble them with flaws that set them back while giving them positive attributes to help them achieve their goals. So how do writers choose the right blend of strengths for their characters—attributes that will render them admirable and worth rooting for—without making it too easy for them to ...

In this wickedly humorous manual, language columnist June Casagrande uses grammar and syntax to show exactly what makes some sentences great—and other sentences suck.Great writing isn’t born, it’s built—sentence by sentence. But too many writers—and writing guides—overlook this most important unit. The result? Manuscripts that will never be published and writing careers that will never begin.With chapters on “Conjunctions That Kill” and “Words Gone Wild,” t...

"Reminiscent of Stephen King's fiction handbook On Writing. . . . An accessible indispensable nonfiction guidebook from an authority who knows his subject." — Kirkus ReviewsWhether you're writing a rags-to-riches tell-all memoir or literary journalism, telling true stories well is hard work. In You Can't Make This Stuff Up, Lee Gutkind, "the godfather behind creative non-fiction ( ...

A classic handbook for anyone who needs to write, Writing With Power speaks to everyone who has wrestled with words while seeking to gain power with them. Here, Peter Elbow emphasizes that the essential activities underlying good writing and the essential exercises promoting it are really not difficult at all. Employing a cookbook approach, Elbow provides the reader (and writer) with various recipes: for getting words down on paper, for revising, for dealing with an audience, for ...

Foreword by Frances HardingeThe annual, bestselling guide to all aspects of the media and how to write and illustrate for children and young adults. Acknowledged by the media industries and authors as the essential guide to how to get published.The 70+ articles are updated and added to each year. Together they provide invaluable guidance on subjects such as series fiction, writing historical or funny books, preparing an illustration portfolio, managing your...

Many writers have heard of hooks, and have heard we should use them in our manuscripts as a tool to engage readers and keep them engaged, but what we’re not told is how to identify what a hook is or where to use them to maximize them other than in that key opening line.In this book we’ll look at five specific types of hooks. There are more, but these are the most common, and the most universal, which means by understanding how to craft them, most readers will respon...

Most of what you think you know about writing is useless. It’s the harmful debris of your education—a mixture of half-truths, myths, and false assumptions that prevents you from writing well. Drawing on years of experience as a writer and teacher of writing, Verlyn Klinkenborg offers an approach to writing that will change the way you work and think. There is no gospel, no orthodoxy, no dogma in this book. What you’ll find here isn’t the way to write. Instead, you’ll find a way to clear yo...

Revised 2019 EditionHave readers told you that they can’t seem “get into” your novel? That could be because it lacks the sensory information required to effectively hook your readers’ attention. Would you like to remedy this? Then this is the book for you.In The Six Senses in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Bleak to Bold Narrative you will find eleven real scenes which illustrate how utilizing the six senses can bring your writing to life...

Learn to use Setting to quickly anchor the reader into the world of your story.Use Setting as movement through space effectively.Explore Setting in a series.Learn the most common Setting pitfalls.Readers usually remember the plot and characters of a story, but Setting is every bit as important in creating a memorable world. Discover the difference between Ordinary Setting that bogs down your story, and Active Setting that empowers your story -- creating a compe...

This step-by-step guide teaches you the tricks of the trade, with advice on all you need to know to compete in the world of fiction. Whether you are seeking to hone your writing style, shape an existing work-in-progress, or begin the submission process to publishers, successfully published novelists Joyce and Jim Lavene give you all you need to know to set you on the fast track to fulfilling your writing dreams!This authoritative guide shows you how to:Turn your creati...

Don’t let the daily grind drain your creative energy!You can work full time and still have a productive writing life. Many writers waste time waiting for the day they can finally quit their day jobs and live the so-called writing dream. Don’t wait. You can do both â€" and your writing will be the better for it.Balancing a full-time job and a productive writing life is no easy feat! This book offers writers advice, skill-building techniques, pro...