We evaluate poems constantly: as workshop leaders, competition judges and journal editors. But how do we judge the success of verse in these contexts? The authors propose an innovative method by which anyone involved in the assessment of poetry can be more transparent about how they value verse. This book foregrounds the ethical and professional obligations of poets, teachers and critics to conduct axiological inquiry so they can discover and publish what they value. We Need t...

Need to write a book, but don’t want to spend years doing it?What if you could do it in 30 days or less?Learn how to develop a daily writing habit. Learn how to determine the length of your book. And learn what to do with your book when it’s done—including editing, layout, cover design, and even marketing.30-Day Author is a treasure trove of information for the will-be author. Whether you are a public speaker, coach, consultant, or just someone with...

This is a composition based on a Continuous Writing question given in the English PSLE paper (1998). The narrator was treated unfairly by someone in the family. He or she was blamed for something that was not his or her fault. Teacher’s note: My pupil, a highly-imaginative 12-year-old, gave me a story that read as if it had been written for a soap opera. There was plenty of dialogue, a cast of 7 characters and incredible plot twists and turns. Her word count was 1117 words. In the ...

Publishing your research in an international journal is key to your success in academia. This guide is based on a study of referees' reports and letters from journal editors on reasons why papers written by non-native researchers are rejected due to problems with English usage. It draws on English-related errors from around 5000 papers written by non-native authors, 500 abstracts by PhD students, and over 1000 hours of teaching researchers how to write and present research papers.W...

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...

If you want to write a book that's going to sell to both publishers and readers, you need to know how to produce a marketable work and help it become successful. It starts the moment you have an idea. That's when you begin thinking about the first elements of the business plan that will make your project the best it can be.The reality is that you don't want to spend time and energy writing a book that will never get read. The way to avoid that is to create a business plan for your ...

A fully updated comprehensive guide for improving and practicing your creative writing, including contributions from Ali Smith and Kit de WaalThe Creative Writing Coursebook, edited by Julia Bell and Paul Magrs, takes aspiring writers through three stages of essential practice: Gathering – getting started, learning how to keep notes, making observations and using memory; Shaping – looking at structure, point of view, chara...

Want to take your writing to the next level?Discover the "secrets" of story structure other authors are overlooking!If you've read all the books on story structure and concluded there has to be more to it than just three acts and a couple of plot points, then you're absolutely right! It's time to notch up your writing education from "basic" to "black belt." Internationally published author K.M. Weiland shares five "secret" techniques of advanced story structure.In th...

All writers experience times when we don’t feel like writing, or have difficulty getting words on the page. We give these situations the umbrella name of writer’s block and blame our censor, critic, or editor. Silencing Your Inner Saboteur explores these issues and situations to discover that it is really a saboteur behind it all, preventing writers from achieving their dreams.This book is for writers of all stages, from those just beginning to those who are well into their writing...

When the author was a student, she and her friends loved the Maslow’s theory that they learned in one of their economics classes. The theory has 5 steps of the “Hierarchy of Needs.” or “A Theory of Human Motivation.”The 1st step, or the lowest is—the most fundamental, basic physical needs: food, water, shelter, and clothing. The 5th step is—the most advanced, it is where a person grows into noble traits of character; having dignity, honor, and morality; high creativity, problems so...

The BLOG & the JOURNAL explores the fascination of keeping a journal which is the very fascination of life, - its novelty, its unpredictability, its new twists. By expressing yourself in your solitude, you can digest these ever-changing influences in your life and move on a wiser person. The many functions of the journal are discussed, and there are many exercises to help your writing shine a little brighter.People have been writing in journals for thousands of years - literally. A...

To many, the task of writing about one's life seems daunting and difficult. Where does one begin? What stories will inspire your children and grandchildren, and which will simply amuse them? "Writing Your Life: A Guide to Writing Autobiographies" breaks down the barriers of personal narrative with an easy-to-follow guide that includes thought-provoking questions, encouraging suggestions, memory-jogging activities, tips for writing, advice on publishing one's stories in print and online, an...