The best-selling author of The Liar's Club and renowned Syracuse University professor builds on her memoirs and literary anecdotes to outline her personal writing process while identifying the elements of a successful memoir. 75,000 first printing.

A revised and updated guide to the essentials of a writer’s craft, presented by a brilliant practitioner of the art Completely revised and rewritten to address the challenges and opportunities of the modern era, this handbook is a short, deceptively simple guide to the craft of writing. Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter combines illustrative examples from the global canon with Le Guin’s own witty commentary and an exercise that the writer can do solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online. Masterful and concise, Steering the Craft deserves a place on every writer's shelf.

The author of the Easy Rawlins mystery series shares professional tips on how to write a novel, counseling aspiring writers on how to create and adhere to a daily writing schedule, determine a personal narrative voice, and work through the challenging initial stages. Reprint.

An award-winning poet, teacher, and

A volume of essays on poetry meditates on its craft and capacity for promoting learning, evaluating the works of such luminaries as Frost and Shakespeare to consider how poems can explore both the natural and inner worlds. By the author of Silverchest. Original.

Now in spectacular full color throughout, a special 10th anniversary edition of the internationally bestselling journal that started it all—with more than 7 million copies sold! Perhaps you're a seasoned Wreck-er, having made your way through one or more copies of Wreck This Journal. Or maybe you're new to the phenomenon (little do you know, this experience might just change your life). Whatever the case, you've found the perfect book to destroy... Welcome to an all new-edition of Wreck This Journal, now in spectacular full color! Inside, you'll find prompts for painting, shredding, transforming, and unleashing your creativity. With a mix of new, altered, and favorite prompts, Wreck This Journal: Now in Color invites you to wreck with color: mixing colors to make mud, letting chance dictate your color choice, weaving with brightly colored strips of paper, and more. What colors will you use to you wreck your journal? “A conceptual artist and author luring kids into questioning the world and appreciating every smell, texture and mystery in it.” —Time Magazine “Keri Smith may well be the self-help guru this DIY generation deserves.” —The Believer

One has to look no further than the audiences hungry for the narratives served up byDownton Abbey or Wolf Hall to know that the lure of the past is as seductive as ever. But incorporating historical events and figures into a shapely narrative is no simple task. The acclaimed novelist Christopher Bram examines how writers as disparate as Gabriel García Márquez, David McCullough, Toni Morrison, Leo Tolstoy, and many others have employed history in their work. Unique among the "Art Of" series, The Art of History engages with both fiction and narrative nonfiction to reveal varied strategies of incorporating and dramatizing historical detail. Bram challenges popular notions about historical narratives as he examines both successful and flawed passages to illustrate how authors from different genres treat subjects that loom large in American history, such as slavery and the Civil War. And he delves deep into the reasons whyWar and Peace endures as a classic of historical fiction. Bram's keen insight and close reading of a wide array of authors makeThe Art of History an essential volume for any lover of historical narrative.

Designed to take you from the moment you first put pen to paper to the point at which you are ready to start contacting publishers (or uploading an ebook file), this is the most important book on writing that you'll ever read. It introduces you to the craft of fiction writing, the art of words and the way in which to use them. It gives you inspiration, ideas and practical advice.It gives you the background and the skills you'll need to succeed.Unlike any other book on the market, however, it also helps you begin to critique your own work, meaning that at every step of the writing process you'll be producing the best art you can. There are plenty of other essential writing tools in this book, as well, including techniques for overcoming writer's block; with nearly a quarter of the book focussing on how to get published, how to publish yourself, which courses you do - and don't - need, the nuts and bolts of compeitions and festivals and the importance of social media, this really is the most comprehensive companion to the subject available.

Stop What You're Doing and Write! Yes, You; Write! Most writing guides imply--or outright state--that there's a fixed, specific formula or list of rules you must follow to achieve writing and publishing success. And all of them are phonies. Well, not completely. There are real, applicable techniques and strategies in any writing reference to help you. But the idea that there's only one way of writing? Nuts! With unconventional approaches to the craft, fresh angles on novel writing and selling, a healthy dose of humor, and no promise of refunds, Writing Without Rules is for those writers who have tried and tried again--and are ready to success on their own terms. In these pages, accomplished author Jeff Somers will show you: - The key to a successful writing career is doing the actual writing, no matter the circumstances. - Fantastic ideas are available everywhere--you just need to know how to tap into sources through a variety of approaches. - Important craft aspects that you should focus on, such as characters and dialogue, while spending less time on others, like setting. - Effective ways to get published--whether it's traditional or self-publishing--and how to supplement your income. Whether you're a plotter, a pantser, or somewhere in-between, Writing Without Rules is for those writers who are looking for a fresh take on tackling the challenge of writing and selling a novel, and building a career. As Somers will show you, it's less about being perfect in everything, and more about having the confidence to complete everything.

"Drawing on the lessons learned throughout a distinguished writing career and nearly 20 years as a teacher of creative writing, McCann delivers a collection of essays that combines practical advice, creative inspiration, and a profound call to arms for anew generation of writers to bring truth and light to a dark world through their art. Addressing subjects such as "The Terror of the White Page," "Embrace the Critics," and "If You're Done, You've Just Begun," this collection is a testament to the bruises of writing as profession and as calling, and a paean to the power of language"--