Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing


Mignon Fogarty - 2008
    Grammar Girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammar—but she's also determined to make the process as painless as possible. A couple of years ago, she created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most common mistakes people make while communicating. The podcasts have now been downloaded more than twenty million times, and Mignon has dispensed grammar tips on Oprah and appeared on the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. From "between vs. among" and "although vs. while" to comma splices and misplaced modifiers, Mignon offers memory tricks and clear explanations that will help readers recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules. Chock-full of tips on style, business writing, and effective e-mailing, Grammar Girl's print debut deserves a spot on every communicator's desk.

The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation Into the Writing Life


Julia Cameron - 1998
    With the techniques and anecdotes in The Right to Write, readers learn to make writing a natural, intensely personal part of life. Cameron's instruction and examples include the details of the writing processes she uses to create her own bestselling books. She makes writing a playful and realistic as well as a reflective event. Anyone jumping into the writing life for the first time and those already living it will discover the art of writing is never the same after reading The Right to Write.

Write and Grow Rich: Secrets of Successful Authors and Publishers


Alinka RutkowskaDaniel Hall - 2018
     24 successful authors. 24 stories to help you turn books into a six-figure calling. Have you tried all the entrepreneurial tricks only to end up back where you started? Are you passionate about an idea that you want to share with the world? Do you wish you could turn a single book into something more? Bestselling author Alinka Rutkowska started with one book and transformed it into a successful six-figure business. But she isn't the only one. Join her and 23 other powerful author entrepreneurs as they share "how they did it" in this once-in-a-lifetime collection of true stories. In Write and Grow Rich, you'll discover how this incredible group of authors, marketers, teachers, and trainers turned the corner with the power of writing behind them. By sharing their best practices, authors Adam Houge, Daniel Hall, Caitlyn Pyle, Marc Guberti, Bryan Cohen, Kristen Joy, and many more provide a roadmap to the steps you need to take to join their ranks. Inside, you'll learn which so-called expert advice to avoid and their little-known tools for faster, more resilient success. In Write and Grow Rich, you'll discover: What these authors would've done differently if they were starting their businesses today How they cope with overwhelm and how you can use this overload as an advantage Key factors for book-based success in a variety of industries How quickly you can expect to start profiting off your writing The skills you should start cultivating to take your business to the next level, and much, much more! Write and Grow Rich is a jam-packed handbook for making your words worth more than you ever dreamed possible. If you like expert guidance, multiple points of view, and down-to-earth education from entrepreneurs who've made it, then you'll love Alinka Rutkowska's authorpreneurial anthology. Buy Write and Grow Rich to start applying time-tested wisdom to your business today! Full contributing authors list: Alinka Rutkowska, Adam Houge, Alexa Bigwarfe, Amy Collins, Bryan Cohen, Caitlin Pyle, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Christine Kloser, Daniel Hall, Donna Kozik, Debbie Drum, Derek Doepker, Derek Murphy, Jason Ladd, Jyotsna Ramachandran, Kirsten Oliphant, Kristen Joy, Lise Cartwright, Marc Guberti, Matt Stone, Sally Miller, Steve Alcorn, Summer Tannhauser, Susan Friedmann.

Your Guide To Scrivener


Nicole Dionisio - 2013
    Allowing you to combine the various elements that make up your writing project, from outlines to research to note, Scrivener helped author Nicole Dionisio write two novels in a single year. Our manual outlines how to use Scrivener to make your writing better, and is useful for writers of all stripes – which includes you. It is 48 hours before your dissertation is due and, despite the chaos, you are trying to complete the final edits, because it’s the only choice you have.There is one problem — and it isn’t the pile of unclean dishes housing sea-green mold and chatty-vermin that has become your sink — it is your computer and it is time. You should be going faster then this, you put your blood-shot pounding head in your hands and groan, “Why am I going so slow? This computer is brand new... what is the problem?”It isn’t your computer’s specs. It is your writing process. It is because you have not yet started using Scrivener.It is opening up a new webpage or PDF every 15 minutes to fact-check research. It is switching back and forth be- tween this research, your outline, your bibliography, and your draft. It is waiting for your files to load, bouncing be- tween them, and getting lost in the quantity of windows on your computer screen or document.Scrivener has two key features: it loads all documents at once and it has many visual organizational tools. Scrivener has optimum productivity, thus it gives writers more time to actually write and accomplish their goals.This manual outlines: -Planning your manuscript-Importing existing documents into Scrivener-Collecting your notes-Organizing files and documents within Scrivener-Keeping track of your characters for fiction writing-Bringing it all together and writing your manuscript-The editing process, including sharing with beta readers.-Publishing your masterpiece online

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries


Kory Stamper - 2017
     While most of us might take dictionaries for granted, the process of writing them is in fact as lively and dynamic as language itself. With sharp wit and irreverence, Kory Stamper cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography--from the agonizing decisions about what and how to define, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language. She explains why small words are the most difficult to define (have you ever tried to define is ?), how it can take nine months to define a single word, and how our biases about language and pronunciation can have tremendous social influence. Throughout, Stamper brings to life the hallowed halls (and highly idiosyncratic cubicles) of Merriam-Webster, a world inhabited by quirky, erudite individuals who quietly shape the way we communicate. A sure delight for all lovers of words, Word by Word might also quietly improve readers grasp and use of the English language."

Free Tools for Writers, Bloggers and Solopreneurs


Karen Banes - 2014
     By the time you finish this book you'll be able to do everything from checking your grammar, to creating an infographic, to driving free traffic to your blog or website, all using free tools, sites and downloads. The book contains links to all resources mentioned. A handy little reference guide you'll keep on your Kindle or other device to refer back to again and again.

Art & Craft of Writing Fiction: Secret Advice for Writers


Victoria Mixon - 2015
    Written for her blog over the years as Victoria's editing business blossomed, this advice is now hard to find and hidden - and now collected just for you, for free.

My Salinger Year


Joanna Rakoff - 2008
    At twenty-three, after leaving graduate school to pursue her dreams of becoming a poet, Joanna Rakoff moves to New York City and takes a job as assistant to the storied literary agent for J. D. Salinger. She spends her days in a plush, wood-paneled office, where Dictaphones and typewriters still reign and old-time agents doze at their desks after martini lunches. At night she goes home to the tiny, threadbare Williamsburg apartment she shares with her socialist boyfriend. Precariously balanced between glamour and poverty, surrounded by titanic personalities, and struggling to trust her own artistic instinct, Rakoff is tasked with answering Salinger’s voluminous fan mail. But as she reads the candid, heart-wrenching letters from his readers around the world, she finds herself unable to type out the agency’s decades-old form response. Instead, drawn inexorably into the emotional world of Salinger’s devotees, she abandons the template and begins writing back. Over the course of the year, she finds her own voice by acting as Salinger’s, on her own dangerous and liberating terms. Rakoff paints a vibrant portrait of a bright, hungry young woman navigating a heady and longed-for world, trying to square romantic aspirations with burgeoning self-awareness, the idea of a life with life itself. Charming and deeply moving, filled with electrifying glimpses of an American literary icon, My Salinger Year is the coming-of-age story of a talented writer. Above all, it is a testament to the universal power of books to shape our lives and awaken our true selves.

The Citizen's Constitution: An Annotated Guide


Seth Lipsky - 2009
    But what if you want a delightfully quick, witty, and readable reference that, in one compact volume, places the document and its clauses into context? You're out of luck--until now. Written by Seth Lipsky, described in the Boston Globe as "a legendary figure in contemporary journalism," The Citizen's Constitution draws on the writings of the Founders, case law from our greatest judges, and current events in more than 300 illuminating annotations. Lipsky provides a no-nonsense, entertaining, and learned guide to the fundamental questions surrounding the document that governs how we govern our country. Every American should know the Constitution. Rarely has it glinted so brightly.

The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller


John Truby - 2007
    As a result, writers will dig deep within and explore their own values and worldviews in order to create an effective story. Writers will come away with an extremely precise set of tools to work with--specific, useful techniques to make the audience care about their characters, and that make their characters grow in meaningful ways. They will construct a surprising plot that is unique to their particular concept, and they will learn how to express a moral vision that can genuinely move an audience.The foundations of story that Truby lays out are so fundamental they are applicable--and essential--to all writers, from novelists and short-story writers to journalists, memoirists, and writers of narrative non-fiction.

Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows


Marc N. Kleinhenz - 2012
    There has been nearly a metric ton of essays, forum posts, and encyclopedia entries logged at the site to date, all designed to give the hardest of the core fan the most rewarding experience possible while reading George R.R. Martin's seminal novels.And now we’re taking all those years of mastery and applying them to an ebook.“Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows” takes five of the site's most prolific authors - including its two founders - and draws out their best, most in-depth work yet. Unlike other “Ice and Fire” compendiums, the focus of these essays is on the narrative, character, and thematic elements of the story itself, as opposed to the literary aspects surrounding the books.Even better, the TOTH editors are joined by some of their good friends, who just so happen to be leading voices in the “Game of Thrones” community: A Podcast of Ice and Fire co-hosts Amin Javadi and Mimi Hoshut, WinterIsComing.net founder Phil Bicking, and “A Feast of Ice and Fire” co-author Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, along with noted fantasy editor and author Douglas Cohen.Altogether, the book’s eight authors (and two special guests) cover a wide gamut of subjects and perspectives, from the most obvious to the most subtle, challenging readers to look at the novels they love so much in entirely new - and more enriching - ways.

Wild Ink : Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market


Victoria Hanley - 2008
    This book includes unique writing exercises to help readers find their own authentic teen voice and dozens of interviews with YA authors, blogging experts, editors, and agents to give inspiration and guidance for getting published. Chapters include writing exercises and self-editing techniques tailored to YA, along with encouraging words on dealing with self-doubt, rejection, and lack of time.

Outlining Your Novel Box Set: How to Write Your Best Book (Helping Writers Become Authors)


K.M. Weiland - 2016
    Weiland With over 300 pages of step-by-step guidance, these two individual books have 440+ five star reviews on Amazon and have helped thousands of authors write better books. Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story? These bestselling guides will help you choose the right type of outline to unleash your creativity, guide you in brainstorming plot ideas, and aid you in discovering your characters. --OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL-- Award-winning author K.M. Weiland’s bestselling Outlining Your Novel shows you how to embrace outlines in a way that makes the writing process fun, inspiring, and easy. Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will help you choose the right type of outline for you, guide you in brainstorming plot ideas, aid you in discovering your characters, show you how to structure your scenes, explain how to format your finished outline, instruct you in how to use your outline when writing the first draft, reveal the benefits of outlining, and dispel the misconceptions. --OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL WORKBOOK— Now it’s time to put those lessons to use! The Outlining Your Novel Workbook presents a guided approach to getting the bones of your story down on paper, identifying plot holes, and brainstorming exciting new possibilities. Containing hundreds of incisive questions and imagination-revving exercises, this valuable resource will show you how to: Create your own personalized outlining process Brainstorm premise and plot ideas Discover your characters Choose and create the right settings Organize your scenes And so much more! This accessible and streamlined workbook will empower you to create a powerful outline—and an outstanding novel. Start writing your best book today!

Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me


Carrie Ann DiRisio - 2017
    Join Broody McHottiepants as he attempts to pen Brooding YA Hero: Becoming a Main Character (Almost) as Awesome as Me, a "self-help" guide (with activities--you always need activities) that lovingly pokes fun at the YA tropes that we roll our eyes at, but secretly love. As his nefarious ex, Blondie DeMeani, attempts to thwart him at every turn, Broody overcomes to detail, among other topics, how to choose your genre, how to keep your love interest engaged (while maintaining lead character status), his secret formula for guaranteed love triangle success, and how to make sure you secure that sequel, all while keeping his hair perfectly coiffed and never breaking a sweat.

The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago (or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and Yourself)


Carol Fisher Saller - 2009
    Some are arcane, some simply hilarious—and one editor, Carol Fisher Saller, reads every single one of them. All too often she notes a classic author-editor standoff, wherein both parties refuse to compromise on the "rights" and "wrongs" of prose styling: "This author is giving me a fit." "I wish that I could just DEMAND the use of the serial comma at all times." "My author wants his preface to come at the end of the book. This just seems ridiculous to me. I mean, it’s not a post-face."In The Subversive Copy Editor, Saller casts aside this adversarial view and suggests new strategies for keeping the peace. Emphasizing habits of carefulness, transparency, and flexibility, she shows copy editors how to build an environment of trust and cooperation. One chapter takes on the difficult author; another speaks to writers themselves. Throughout, the focus is on serving the reader, even if it means breaking "rules" along the way. Saller’s own foibles and misadventures provide ample material: "I mess up all the time," she confesses. "It’s how I know things."Writers, Saller acknowledges, are only half the challenge, as copy editors can also make trouble for themselves. (Does any other book have an index entry that says "terrorists. See copy editors"?) The book includes helpful sections on e-mail etiquette, work-flow management, prioritizing, and organizing computer files. One chapter even addresses the special concerns of freelance editors.Saller’s emphasis on negotiation and flexibility will surprise many copy editors who have absorbed, along with the dos and don’ts of their stylebooks, an attitude that their way is the right way. In encouraging copy editors to banish their ignorance and disorganization, insecurities and compulsions, the Chicago Q&A presents itself as a kind of alter ego to the comparatively staid Manual of Style. In The Subversive Copy Editor, Saller continues her mission with audacity and good humor.