Book picks similar to
How to Be a Writer: Who Smashes Deadlines, Crushes Editors and Lives in a Solid Gold Hovercraft by John Birmingham
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47 Mind Hacks for Writers: Master the Writing Habit in 10 Minutes Or Less and End Writer's Block and Procrastination for Good
Karen Dimmick - 2016
No more interruptions. No more feeling you're not good enough to be the writer you long to be. No more conflicts with family. No more writer's block. Awareness + Solution = Mind Hack Rather than "feel good inspiration", 47 Mind Hacks for Writers takes you through the simple steps you need to shift your mindset so you can write on your terms.We asked over 100 writers what their biggest obstacles were around writing. This book gives you a mind hack for each one. DISCOVER 47 Mind Hacks that Will Make You a More Productive Writer The book will help you:
Put an end to writer's block… forever
Uncover the real reason you're procrastinating and start writing today
Discover a fun way to get your family to help you reach your writing goals
Stop feeling like you're not good enough
Shut down the overly-critical self-talk that holds you back
Karen & Steve Dimmick have been using belief change techniques, coaching and Neuro-Linguistics since 2004, and have been helping authors since 2007.You know what life hacking is, now it's time to hack your mind, get out of your own way and be the writer you know you can be. DOWNLOAD 47 Mind Hacks for Writers, today, and get back in control of your writing life!
20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them
Ronald B. Tobias - 1993
These tales gain their power through plots that connect with the audience on both an emotional and intellectual level.Inside, Ronald B. Tobias details these 20 time-tested plots. Each is discussed and analyzed, illustrating how a successful plot integrates all the elements of a story. Tobias then shows you how to use these plots effectively in your own work.Tobias then goes to the next level, showing you how to choose and develop plot in fiction. He shows you how to craft plot for any subject matter, so that you develop your work evenly and effectively. As a result, your fiction will be more cohesive and convincing, making your story unforgettable for readers everywhere.
Writing Without Rules: How to Write & Sell a Novel Without Guidelines, Experts, or (Occasionally) Pants
Jeff Somers - 2018
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.
The Writing Book: A Workbook for Fiction Writers
Kate Grenville - 1993
Free of generalizing platitudes, it instead focuses on the specifics of craft: from getting started, discovering characters, writing dialogue and description, to evaluating the design of a draft, and of course revision. Exercises found in this book are actual techniques working writers rely on. They include speed writing, sorting and grouping, rewriting an incident in various styles, experimenting with tone, voice, syntax, and more. Designed to cover every stage of the process—from brainstorming an idea to the final draft—these practical suggestions help writers to liberate their creativity and to refine existing work. Excerpts from published authors are also included and help to illustrate the techniques taught.
Hustling Hard For A Happily Ever After: …and how I made my dreams a reality one mantra at a time...
Frankie Love - 2020
She believes you can too.
Story Engineering: Character Development, Story Concept, Scene Construction
Larry Brooks - 2011
From story concept to character development to scene construction and beyond, this title helps you learn the big picture of storytelling at a professional level through a fresh approach that shows how to combine six core competencies: the four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot).
Writing Fiction Step by Step
Josip Novakovich - 1998
In this sequel to his very popular Fiction Writer's Workshop, Whiting Award-winning author Josip Novakovich shows you that writing fiction is about making connections - between character and plot, setting and conflict, memory and imagination. You'll make these connections by linking the exercises. Embark on a unique writing journey and learn step by step how to craft fiction that captivates readers.
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
Bill Bryson - 1990
From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can't), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of an inadequate, second-rate tongue of peasants that developed into one of the world's largest growth industries.
The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
Amanda Palmer - 2014
Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter.Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of The Art Of Asking.Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. The Art Of Asking will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.
The Happiest Refugee
Anh Do - 2010
His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing - not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days - could quench their desire to make a better life in the country they had dreamed about. Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back-breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make-do everything. But there was a loving extended family, and always friends and play and something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. Things got harder when their father left home when Anh was only nine - they felt his loss very deeply and their mother struggled to support the family on her own. His mother's sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh and he worked hard during his teenage years to help her make ends meet, also managing to graduate high school and then university. Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60-hour a week corporate job. Anh asked how many hours he worked. 'Four,' the answer came back, and that was it. He was going to be a comedian! The Happiest Refugee tells the incredible, uplifting and inspiring life story of one of our favourite personalities. Tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination - a big life with big dreams. Anh's story will move and amuse all who read it. - Happiest Refugee: My Journey From Tragedy To Comedy By Anh Do (Paperback)
The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully
Arielle Eckstut - 2005
Includes interviews with hundreds of publishing insiders and authors, including Seth Godin, Neil Gaiman, Amy Bloom, Margaret Atwood, Leonard Lopate, plus agents, editors, and booksellers; sidebars featuring real-life publishing success stories; sample proposals, query letters, and an entirely updated resources and publishers directory.
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living
Manjula Martin - 2017
You should never quit your day job, but your ultimate goal should be to quit your day job. It's an endless, confusing, and often controversial conversation that, despite our bare-it-all culture, still remains taboo. In Scratch, Manjula Martin has gathered interviews and essays from established and rising authors to confront the age-old question: how do creative people make money? As contributors including Jonathan Franzen, Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, Nick Hornby, Susan Orlean, Alexander Chee, Daniel Jose Older, Jennifer Weiner, and Yiyun Li candidly and emotionally discuss money, MFA programs, teaching fellowships, finally getting published, and what success really means to them, Scratch honestly addresses the tensions between writing and money, work and life, literature and commerce. The result is an entertaining and inspiring book that helps readers and writers understand what it's really like to make art in a world that runs on money-and why it matters.
Everywhere I Look
Helen Garner - 2016
It takes us from backstage at the ballet to the trial of a woman for the murder of her newborn baby. It moves effortlessly from the significance of moving house to the pleasure of re-reading Pride and Prejudice.Everywhere I Look includes Garner's famous and controversial essay on the insults of age, her deeply moving tribute to her mother and extracts from her diaries, which have been part of her working life for as long as she has been a writer. Everywhere I Look glows with insight. It is filled with the wisdom of life.
365 Journal Writing Ideas: A year of daily journal writing prompts, questions & actions to fill your journal with memories, self-reflection, creativity & direction
Rossi Fox - 2013
Filled with memories, self-reflection, ideas, inspiration, creativity, experiences, achievements, gratitude, short stories, photographs, goals and direction. Unlock the potential of your journal and enjoy some time for yourself. Inside you will find:JOURNAL WRITING TIPS & TRICKS. Learn how to beat the blank page to start your journal writing practice, how to make the time to write, how to organize your journal/diary, find ideas on how to add visual interest to your journal, a collection of alternative journal prompts, a photography challenge checklist and more.365 JOURNALING PROMPTS & QUESTIONS. Enjoy a years-long guided journal writing course for self exploration through daily writing prompts. To help you use your journal/diary as a place to remember where you have been (memoir), appreciate where you are now (gratitude) and decide on where you are going (goals). Not only helping you gain clarity, closure and purpose but also resulting in your very own mini memoir or life journal keepsake. Mixed in amongst the reflective journal writing questions are creative writing prompts, light hearted questions and short story writing idea generator tables to help get your creative writing juices flowing and to have some fun with your journal.52 WEEKLY ACTIONS. Feel like you are stuck in a bit of a rut? Looking to boost your self confidence by expanding your comfort zone? Or do you want some new experiences to write about? Along with your trusty journal, complete one action each week over the 365 days to make the next 52 weeks of your life just that little bit more interesting. For example: Week 30 - Send someone a gift without them knowing it is from you. Report back to journal.***BONUS***OVER 400 QUOTES. A quote collection of over 400 quotes and proverbs ordered by subject, from adventure to writing. To be used as an extra source of inspiration, wisdom and starting points for your journaling practice. After all, who doesn't love a quote collection? IS THIS JOURNAL WRITING BOOK FOR YOU?Are you intimidated by the blank page?Is your journal writing becoming repetitive?Are you looking to find some direction and start setting goals?Are you a writer or blogger who wants to knock the wind out of writer's block?Have you found it difficult maintaining a journal writing practice?Do you want to create a record of your life in a life journal?Are you looking for a creative outlet?Do you enjoy creative and short story writing?Do you feel a need to clear out and process some mental clutter?Have you built up a collection of blank journals because you are scared of ruining them?Have you googled ‘how to write a journal?’ or ‘how to write a diary?’ but still don’t know where to start?If so, this book is for you. Let's get journaling...NOTE: The journal prompts & actions in this book are not dated so you can start from journaling prompt No.1 & weekly action No.1 at any point in the year. You can also pick and choose the prompts at random if you are looking for an occasional resource to help beat writer's block.NO KINDLE? NO PROBLEM. You don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle books, you can buy 365 Journal Writing Ideas today to enjoy it instantly on the FREE Kindle app for PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry. So you could use this book with your journal to do some journaling curled up in bed, on your lunch break at work, at a coffee shop or even learn how to journal at the beach (lucky you).10% of proceeds from 365 Journal Writing Ideas are donated to The Make-A-Wish Foundation.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Stephen King - 2000
Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 -- and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it -- fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.(back cover)