In On Writing and Worldbuilding, we will discuss specific and applicable ideas to consider, from effective methods of delivering exposition and foreshadowing, to how communication, commerce, and control play into the fall of an empire.

    The whole process seems overwhelming. This conversational and action oriented book is for people who want to write a book (or are thinking about it), but for their whole life, have never been good at writing. Writing has always been difficult for you, and you think you could never enjoy it, much less write an entire book. Every time you start to write anything it’s like all of your ideas disappear. You know the drill. You get ready to do some writing. You’re pumped and think this will be the day all of your great ideas flood the page. Then ... You find yourself staring at a blank screen. You have no idea what you want to write about. After some time, you want to bang your head against the keyboard. You want to write a book. In fact, you know you have a book inside you but, you keep telling yourself: “I’m not a writer. I can’t write a book. I don’t have enough time anyway.” There are TONS of myths, misconceptions, and flat-out lies out there about how difficult it is to write your first book. How to Not SUCK at Writing Your First Book busts those myths and challenges everything you’ve been told about writing. This book is filled with proven solutions, options, and problem-solving methods that every first-time author needs to know—no matter what writing challenges you face. How to Not SUCK at Writing Your First Bookgives you the foundation for your first book through: 4 tried and true writing methods that make the writing process simple, easy & fast A writing method that involves 0 actual writing (your book can be done in as little as 7 hours) Simple strategies for preventing & defeating writer’s block Uncovering the #1 way to actually finish and publish your book (hint: is has nothing to do with writing) Shows you how simple and fast writing a book can actually be (by holding your hand every step of the way). Follow the advice given in this book and by the end, after putting what I have to say into action, you will have easily written a high-quality book. Best of all, the rest of your life doesn’t have to be put on hold to do it either! This book shows you how you can continue to spend most of your time doing what you love instead of struggling through something you hate. Before your buy the book, I have one question for you: What’s stopping you from turning your daily conversations and knowledge into a high-quality book faster than you ever thought possible? Scroll to the top and click the “buy now” button and you will write your first book-- and not suck at it.

    You’ll learn how to build the external and internal journey of your characters, create a theme, build story and scene tension, create the character change journey and even pitch and market your story. All with one amazing question. Learn: The amazing trick to creating unforgettable, compelling characters that epic movies use! How to create riveting tension to keep the story driving from chapter to chapter The easy solution to plotting the middle of your novel The one element every story needs to keep a reader up all night How to craft an ending that makes your reader say to their friends, “Oh, you have to read this book!” Using the powerful technique that has created over fifty RITA, Christy and Carol award-winning, best-selling novels, Susan May Warren will show novelists how to utilize The Story Equation to create the best story they’ve ever written.

    Rethinking the usage guide for the twenty-first century, Pinker doesn’t carp about the decline of language or recycle pet peeves from the rulebooks of a century ago. Instead, he applies insights from the sciences of language and mind to the challenge of crafting clear, coherent, and stylish prose. In this short, cheerful, and eminently practical book, Pinker shows how writing depends on imagination, empathy, coherence, grammatical knowhow, and an ability to savor and reverse engineer the good prose of others. He replaces dogma about usage with reason and evidence, allowing writers and editors to apply the guidelines judiciously, rather than robotically, being mindful of what they are designed to accomplish. Filled with examples of great and gruesome prose, Pinker shows us how the art of writing can be a form of pleasurable mastery and a fascinating intellectual topic in its own right.

    and without chasing after clients!In The Rookie Copywriter’s Survival Guide, master copywriter and serial entrepreneur Doberman Dan, shows how anybody with just mediocre... or even NO copywriting skills... can make a LOT of money in a very short period of time.This isn’t the typical “pay your dues and work for peanuts” advice often given to rookie copywriters or people who are thinking of getting into the business of copywriting. It’s a unique way you can get paid... and paid very well... while you learn the craft of direct response copywriting.Dan reveals the exact plan he used to break free from a low paying dead-end job and went on to make MILLIONS while becoming one of the most in-demand copywriters in the country. Dan has used his copywriting skills to “bootstrap” numerous businesses over the past 20 years... with nothing but a yellow notepad, pen and the gray matter between his ears. Time and time again... in a plethora of markets and niches.You’ll discover the highly profitable secrets from a battle-hardened grizzled veteran entrepreneur, marketer and copywriter that can only be gained from decades of hard-won “in the trenches” experience.Who is Doberman Dan?After twelve years as a full-time inner city police officer and 9 years of part-time consecutive entrepreneurial failures, Dan finally discovered the secrets of the most successful copywriters and direct marketers in the world. After his 9 years of “trial by fire” business failures, he finally “hit a home run” in the mail order business. He went on to apply his successful marketing and copywriting experience to online marketing... for his own businesses and also as a consultant to some of the most successful businesses in the country.

    It tells you about every aspect of writing, from having an idea to getting the idea out into the world (and getting paid for it too). It covers everything from journalism to screen-writing, from speeches to sketches, from sitcoms to novels. With thirty years' experience as an award-winning script-writer, journalist, author and broadcaster David Quantick is ideally suited, as a writer, to write this definitive writer's guide to writing... everything.

    A bestseller through six editions, Writing Fiction by novelists Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-French explores the elements of fiction, providing practical writing techniques and concrete examples. Written in a tone that is personal and non-prescriptive, the text encourages students to develop proficiency through each step of the writing process, offering an abundance of exercises designed to spur writing and creativity. The text also integrates diverse, contemporary short stories in every chapter in the belief that the reading of inspiring fiction goes hand-in-hand with the writing of fresh and exciting stories.

     That's the power of a hook. And, it just worked on you. A book hook is a statement or question designed to generate immediate curiosity and entice readers to want more. Why is a hook important? Language is the power of the book sale. As an author, you don’t sell books to machines. You sell books to human beings. A book hook uses powerful language that naturally piques a person’s interest. Book marketing expert, Rob Eagar, has coached over 450 authors and worked with several New York Times bestsellers. In this concise guide, he skillfully explains: • How to create a book hook • The difference between fiction and non-fiction hooks • Where to use a book hook to maximize sales Mastering Book Hooks for Authors will teach you how to create attention-grabbing language for your book, regardless of the genre. Capture more reader interest for free by using the power of a hook. Also includes free access to “The Ultimate Book Marketing Plan Template for Authors” by Rob Eagar that takes the guesswork out of launching your new book.

    More than a primer on effective writing, Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a winsome guide to the place in the heart where the life of the spirit meets the life of art. “Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a pure delight to read. Encouraging, honest, practical, and important. I needed this book.”—Melody Carlson, author of more 200 books including Finding Alice  “With deceptive simplicity and an almost seductive easiness in his voice, Benson lays open before us the filigreed mystique of the writing life in all its beauty, its unmitigated angst, and its inescapable vocation.”—Phyllis Tickle, author of numerous books including The Divine Hours “Robert Benson’s Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a gem. It is wise, witty, and inspiring—a trifecta seldom achieved by a book on the writing life.”—James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Plot & Structure After some forty years and nearly twenty books, I have learned I do not know about a lot of things, but I do know how to write a book. Some of these things are habits stolen from other writers, writers far better than I am. Some are disciplines I stumbled upon to feed both the caliber of the writing and the work of being a writer. Some of them are practices I discovered on my own after years of dancing on the head of a pen.—Robert Benson The Life of the Spirit Meets the Life of Art A compelling combination of advice and inspiration, Dancing on the Head of a Pen will challenge and encourage writers, artists, musicians, painters—anyone drawn to a life of artistic expression.  Digging deeply into his own writing habits, failures, and successes, Robert Benson helps you choose the ideal audience for your work, commit to it, and overcome the hurdles that inevitably confront both aspiring artists and accomplished professionals. Extending beyond the craft of writing, this gentle book moves into a rich discussion on the relationship between spirituality and art. Including wisdom from revered writers past and present, Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a beautiful mosaic of inspiration, practical help, and a glimpse into the disciplines that shape one writer’s life.

    You can't eat artistic integrity. It tastes like sawdust.’ This gonzo guide is a lesson in the practicalities of writing: how to be productive, professional and maybe one day even pay the rent. Topics covered include ‘How to slay writer’s block’, ‘What the hell is workflow?’, ‘How to write 10,000 words in a day’ and ‘The best apps for writers’. How to Be a Writer is a kick-ass writing guide with a tough-love approach, written for the internet generation. John Birmingham is lauded as a prolific writer working across multiple genres. Here he shares his secrets. And some hard-core, real-world practical advice. And a few excellent descriptions of explosions.

    A Writer’s Book of Days is a compilation of all that she’s learned from getting together to write with other people. She says, “the book came about because I saw the difference ongoing, regular practice could make in a writer’s life.” Practice makes perfect, and this book makes practice easy by providing writers and would-be writers with stimulating topics, helpful instruction, monthly guidelines, dozens of inspiring quotes, writerly lore, and tips for special writing sessions such as marathons, cafe writing, and other ways to make the work of writing more creative and fun.

    Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets--and it's a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper. The vast majority of writing advice focuses on writing well as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail--they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain's hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won't hold anyone's interest. Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.

    Learning how to write a book that doesn't suck and can actually make you money -- and set you up for a full-time writing career is harder. But it's nowhere near impossible. And it's far more do-able than you can imagine. The trouble is, most books offering tips on how to write a book fail to address two key considersations: 1) Most self published non-fiction books suck 2) It's ALMOST impossible to make a living from ONE self-published non-fiction book Believe me, I tried. No one has more churned out more epic pieces of monumental Kindle crap than I have. But then, through making every mistake a writer can, I finally learned and honed a simple step-by-step approach to writing books that move readers, and allow me to have a full-time job as a writer. And it's that system I'd like to share with you in "How to Write a Book That Doesn't Suck and Will Actually Sell..." Here's a little glimpse of what I cover: In Chapter 1, I go over the "Super-Ninja Secrets to Making a Living With Your Books." I show you a simple, repeatable strategy you can use to build little silos of passive income awesomeness doing something you love. In Chapter 2, "Yeah, But What the Hell Am I Going to Write About?" I show you some quick and easy exercises to discover a book topic that's personal, meaningful and marketable. In Chapter 3, "3 Pillars to Finding a Kick-Ass Non-Fiction Book Idea" we give your book ideas the taste test, and figure out which book topic will the most effetive at building your brand, reaching your audience and making you a good chunk of change. In Chapter 4, "Research Tips for People Who Hate Research," I show you how to walk that fine line between too much research (procrastination) and not enough research (shallowness) and how to use what you find out to conquer cliches in your writing. In Chapter 5, "Ultimate Guide to a Kick-Ass and Super Marketable Book Title," we'll go over that most controversial of topics...the ever-important title of your book. In Chapter 6, "Building the Perfect Beast," I'll demonstrate a simple, easy way to outline your book -- without sucking the creativity out of it. In Chapter 7, "How to Write Books People Will Love," I lay out my personal framework for writing chapters that are easy to write -- and are loved by readers for their clarity and creativity. In Chapter 8, "6 Tips for Writing Your Damn Book," we go over some strategies to avoid writer's block and help you actually get the damn book finished. In Chapter 9, "5 Ways to Rewrite Your Book Into Super Awesomeness," I show how to actually have fun with rewriting. (Yes, it is possible.) So if you've always wanted to learn how to write a book, but you felt like the steps to writing a book were too complicated, or above your skill level, or just too difficult to complete... ...then please give "How to Write a Book That Doesn't Suck and Will Actually Sell" a chance. You just find that book -- and career -- you've always dreamed of.

    This is a manual offering plain-language insight into the everyday mechanics of creating a book from hazy idea to finished manuscript. These real-world challenges - how to approach a manuscript, to manage research, to fix the right point of view - represent important and recurring obstacles every writer, novice or professional, must overcome. This practical user manual is a must-have starting point for anyone facing that challenge. It is not a book on writing technique or how to get published. It's a practical guide to the craft of planning, starting and finishing a novel.

    Facing the blank page, staying inspired, sustaining momentum, managing competing priorities and coping with rejection are just a few of the challenges writers face regularly."The Productive Writer" is your guide to learning the systems, strategies and psychology that can help you transform possibilities into probabilities in your writing life. You'll sharpen your productivity pencil by learning how to:Set clear goals--and achieve themCreate a writing schedule that really worksDiscover what keeps you writing, revising, and submittingCarve out writing time amidst the demands of work and familyWeed out habits and attitudes that are not serving youOrganize your thinking, workspace, papers and filesIncrease your odds of publication and prosperityUse social media to build an author platformGet comfortable going public and promoting your writingCreate a sustainable writing rhythm and lifestyleAccomplish what matters most to youCreate the writing life you most desire. "The Productive Writer" will help take you there.