I HAVE THIS NIFTY IDEA ...Now what do I do with it? This book contains outlines for science fiction and fantasy novels which real authors (new and old) used to sell their books to major publishing companies . . . actual examples drawn from authors files, not idealized versions prepared just for a textbook. Whether youre a beginning writer looking to break into novels, an experienced professional seeking new tools and techniques to sell books, or a fan curious about the remarkable thought-processes of some of the great genre writers of our time, you will find something here which enlightens, educates, and entertains you. I Have This Nifty Idea is the perfect addition to every library of books on writing. Includes work by Robert Silverberg, David Brin, Joe Haldeman, Mike Resnick, Robert J. Sawyer, Barry N. Malzberg, Kevin J. Anderson, Charles Sheffield, Katharine Kerr, Jack Dann, Jack L. Chalker, and many more.

The pages of The Confession Album contain 100 questions. Your part is collecting the answers - whether from a loved one, or yourself - in the course of an evening, or over a lifetime. If you're answering for yourself, The Confession Album offers an opportunity to gain and share the solace of self-expression; a way to relay knowledge or impart wisdom; store a little data about what matters in the old-fashioned way, by putting pen to paper. If you're collecting someone else's answers - whether together in person or by inviting them to respond alone and share with you later - The Confession Album is above all an opportunity to bond. To lend your ears and give your love. The Confession Album might be used to mark a birthday or anniversary. As an activity to anchor a family trip or weekend with friends. At the very least, it beats a Greeting Card or social media quiz. At best, it creates a small but thoughtful legacy - recording thought, and hard-won wisdom, to advise and inspire. For Aspiring Writers, The Confession Album removes one more barrier to putting pen to paper. The Confession Album is designed to encourage you to make a start, to help writers find and refine their voice on the page.

"Throughout Hemingway's career as a writer, he maintained that it was bad luck to talk about writing -- that it takes off 'whatever butterflies have on their wings and the arrangement of hawk's feathers if you show it or talk about it.'"

Despite this belief, by the end of his life he had done just what he intended not to do. In his novels and stories, in letters to editors, friends, fellow artists, and critics, in interviews and in commissioned articles on the subject, Hemingway wrote often about writing. And he wrote as well and as incisively about the subject as any writer who ever lived....

This book contains Hemingway's reflections on the nature of the writer and on elements of the writer's life, including specific and helpful advice to writers on the craft of writing, work habits, and discipline. The Hemingway personality comes through in general wisdom, wit, humor, and insight, and in his insistence on the integrity of the writer and of the profession itself.

-- From the Preface by Larry W. Phillips

"I would urge other writers, at whatever point in their careers, to take the time to read this indispensable handbook....Telling Lies for Fun & Profit should be a permanent part of every writer's library."

-- From the Introduction by Sue Grafton

Characters refusing to talk? Plot plodding along? Where do good ideas come from anyway? In this wonderfully practical volume, two-time Edgar Award-winning novelist Lawrence Block takes an inside look at writing as a craft and as a career.

From studying the market, to mastering self-discipline and "creative procrastination," through coping with rejections, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit is an invaluable sourcebook of information. It is a must read for anyone serious about writing or understanding how the process works.

From the National Book Award-winning, Booker Prize-longlisted author of Let the Great World Spin and Transatlantic comes a passionate and practical book of advice, as essential for budding writers as Stephen King's On Writing 'A warm, open-hearted paean to the joys of writing' Sunday Times 'Excellent ... cannot fail as a pick-me-up' Observer I hope there is something here for any young writer - or any older writer, for that matter - who happens to be looking for a teacher to come along, a teacher who, in the end, can really teach nothing at all but fire. From the critically acclaimed Colum McCann, author of the National Book Award winner Let the Great World Spin, comes a paean to the power of language, and a direct address to the artistic, professional and philosophical concerns that challenge and sometimes torment an author. Comprising fifty-two short prose pieces, Letters to a Young Writer ranges from practical matters of authorship, such as finding an agent, the pros and cons of creative writing degrees and handling bad reviews, through to the more joyous and celebratory, as McCann elucidates the pleasures to be found in truthful writing, for: 'the best writing makes us glad that we are - however briefly - alive.' Emphatic and empathetic, pragmatic and profound, this is an essential companion to any author's journey - and a deeply personal work from one of our greatest literary voices.

Explore the world with your students and discover its wonders - all while developing the English skills they need to become successful global citizens. Through spectacular National Geographic video and inspiring photography students will travel the globe, learning about different countries, cultures, people, and their customs. With clearly structured methodology and explicit grammar instruction, this six-level primary series is packed with fascinating facts that spark curiosity, personalisation activities that get your students talking and new online resources that make it even easier to bring the world to the classroom and the classroom to life.

180 Days of Writing is a fun and effective daily practice workbook designed to help students become better writers. This easy-to-use second grade workbook is great for at-home learning or in the classroom. The engaging standards-based writing activities cover grade-level skills with easy to follow instructions and an answer key to quickly assess student understanding. Each week students are guided through the five steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Watch student confidence grow while building important writing, grammar, and language skills with independent learning.Parents appreciate the teacher-approved activity books that keep their child engaged and learning. Great for homeschooling, to reinforce learning at school, or prevent learning loss over summer.Teachers rely on the daily practice workbooks to save them valuable time. The ready to implement activities are perfect for daily morning review or homework. The activities can also be used for intervention skill building to address learning gaps.

If writing about music is like dancing about architecture, you'd do best to hone your chops and avoid cliches (like the one that begins this sentence) by learning from the prime movers." How to Write About Music" offers a selection of the best writers on what is perhaps our most universally beloved art form. Selections from the critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series appear alongside new interviews and insights from authors like Jonathan Lethem, Carl Wilson and Kim Cooper." How to Write About Music "includes primary sources of inspiration from a variety of go-to genres such as: the album review, the personal essay, the blog post and the interview along with tips, writing prompts, and advice from the writers themselves. An extensive further reader section accompanies each chapter for a complete picture of contemporary music writing.Music critics of the past and the present offer inspiration through their work on artists like Neutral Milk Hotel, J.Dilla, The Rolling Stones, Joy Division, Lana Del Rey, Nirvana, Nas, Radiohead and countless others." How to Write About Music" is an invaluable tool for anyone who has ever dreamed of getting their music writing published and a pleasure for anyone who loves to read about music.

Grounded in craft, this book was composed on three premises: That the study and modeling of great poems is integral to understanding poetry and learning to write poems, that scaffolded learning builds a writer's and a reader's confidence and knowledge base and increases learning, and that teachers and facilitators of poetry can and should build learning environments we call "our hearts in a safe place." Each chapter contains an introduction to a main focus, new terms, a model poem, an explication, short prompts heuristic to each chapter's focus, and a model exercise. Student poem samples are included in each chapter. The last chapter discusses syllabi, portfolios and alternate grading. A Heart's Craft differs from other poetry" how to books" because it combines art with pedagogy in a unique and effective fashion.

"No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume." - The Boston Globe You know the author's name. You recognize the title. The advice of Strunk is as valuable today as when it was first offered. This book has conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use "the little book" to make a big impact with writing.

For centuries writers have used participatory experience as a lens through which to better see the world at large and as a means of exploring the self. Considering various types of participatory writing as different strains of one style--immersion writing--Robin Hemley offers new perspectives and practical advice for writers of this nonfiction genre.
Immersion writing can be broken down into the broad categories of travel writing, immersion memoir, and immersion journalism. Using the work of such authors as Barbara Ehrenreich, Hunter S. Thompson, Ted Conover, A. J. Jacobs, Nellie Bly, Julio Cortazar, and James Agee, Hemley examines these three major types of immersion writing and further identifies the subcategories of the quest, the experiment, the investigation, the infiltration, and the reenactment. Included in the book are helpful exercises, models for immersion writing, and a chapter on one of the most fraught subjects for nonfiction writers--the ethics and legalities of writing about other people.
"A Field Guide for Immersion Writing" recalibrates and redefines the way writers approach their relationship to their subjects. Suitable for beginners and advanced writers, the book provides an enlightening, provocative, and often amusing look at the ways in which nonfiction writers engage with the world around them.
A Friends Fund Publication.

If there is one skill that separates the professional screenwriter from the amateur, it is the ability to rewrite successfully. From Jack Epps, Jr., the screenwriter of Top Gun, Dick Tracy, and The Secret of My Success, comes a comprehensive guide that explores the many layers of rewriting. In Screenwriting is Rewriting, Epps provides a practical and tested approach to organizing notes, creating a game plan, and executing a series of focused passes that address the story, character, theme, structure, and plot issues. Included are sample notes, game plans, and beat sheets from Epps' work on films such as Sister Act and Turner and Hooch. Also featured are exclusive interviews with Academy Award (R) winning screenwriters Robert Towne (Chinatown) and Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon), along with Academy Award (R) nominee Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich).