The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors


Anne R. Allen - 2017
    An author blog doesn't have to follow the rules that monetized business blogs do. This book teaches the secrets that made Anne R. Allen a multi-award-winning blogger and one of the top author-bloggers in the industry.And you'll learn why having a successful author blog is easier than you think.Here are some things you'll learn in this book:1) How an author blog is different—and easier to maintain—than a business blog2) What authors should blog about at different stages of their careers3) Choosing the right blog topics for your genre and audience4) How one type of blogpost can build your platform quickly5) Basic SEO tips that don't make your eyes glaze over with tech jargon6) How to write headers that will grab the attention of Web surfers 7) How to keep your audience by learning the tricks of content writing8) Essential blog and social media etiquette rules9) What happens to your blog when you die?

The Story Equation: How to Plot and Write a Brilliant Story from One Powerful Question


Susan May Warren - 2016
    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.

Writing Poetry from the Inside Out: Finding Your Voice Through the Craft of Poetry


Sandford Lyne - 2007
    Lyne's techniques, which he developed through twenty years of teaching poetry workshops, flow from an understanding that poetry is an art form open to everyone. We all can-and should-write poetry.In this enchanting and inspiring volume, Lyne will introduce you to the pleasures and surprises of writing poetry, and his methods and insights will help you tap into your own unique voice and perspective to compose poems of your own in as little as a few minutes. Whether you are an experienced writer looking for new techniques and sources of inspiration or a novice poet who has never written a poem in your life, Writing Poetry from the Inside Out will help you to craft the poems you've always longed to write.

Paper Hearts, Volume 1: Some Writing Advice


Beth Revis - 2015
    When it comes to writing, there's no wrong way to get words on paper. But it's not always easy to make the ink flow. Paper Hearts: Some Writing Advice won't make writing any simpler, but it may help spark your imagination and get your hands back on the keyboard.Practical Advice Meets Real ExperienceWith information that takes you from common mistakes in grammar to detailed charts on story structure, Paper Hearts describes:• How to Develop Character, Plot, and World• What Common Advice You Should Ignore• What Advice Actually Helps• How to Develop a Novel• The Basics of Grammar, Style, and Tone • Four Practical Methods of Charting Story Structure• How to Get Critiques and Revise Your Novel• How to Deal with Failure• And much more!BONUS! More than 25 "What to do if" scenarios to help writers navigate problems in writing from a New York Times Bestselling author who's written more than 2 million words of fiction.

You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi on Writing


John Scalzi - 2007
    and ad copy, corporate brochures and Web site headlines, too. His wide range of experience informs this collection of essays on writing and the writing life, taken from his popular personal Web site, The Whatever. Whether providing practical advice, discussing writing and writers or observing the state of the writing world, Scalzi lays it out in a sharp, no-nonsense way that assumes you want the lay of the land, without all the huggy-squeezy hand-holding. Notes on the writing life, unvarnished views of writers and books and (yes) even some practical advice: It's all here.

I Should Be Writing: A Writer's Workshop


Mur Lafferty - 2017
    It’s time to stop dreaming about what you want to write and finally do it! Let award-winning podcaster Mur Lafferty, who in the past has interviewed authors including John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, Gail Carriger, Adam Christopher, and Kameron Hurley, guide you through the nuts-and-bolts process of honing your craft, including which writing myths to ignore, how to refine your creative process, listening to your inner muse while ignoring your inner bully, and more.  This book also contains writing exercises that will help the blossoming writer strengthen the writer’s muscle of writing every day. These include everything from situational writer's prompts to lists of ideas writers should try to jot down between writing sessions.With this helpful guide, you can make the phrase, "I've always wanted to write a story..." a thing of the past. Because you should be writing!

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.

Nail Your Novel: Why Writers Abandon Books And How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence


Roz Morris - 2009
    It’s great to know that – but while you’re reading about it you’re not writing your book.And what these books don’t tell you is how to use this learning and get the job done.Nail Your Novel is a writing buddy – and mentor - in a book.In 10 easy steps it will tell you:*how to shape your big idea and make a novel out of it*how to do your research and how to use it*how to organise your time*how to plot and build characters*when you’re going to hit problems and what to do about them*how to write on the days you don’t feel inspired*how to reread what you’ve written and polish it.Along the way, Thumbnail Notes give tutorials about storytelling and storycraft – strictly when you need them. The author has written nearly a dozen novels that have made it into print – and this is how she did it.You don’t even need to read the whole book before you get started. You read a section, then do as it says. And, once you’re finally satisfied, Nail Your Novel will tell you how to sell it to publishers and agents.

How to Write a Page-Turner: Craft a Story Your Readers Can't Put Down


Jordan Rosenfeld - 2019
    It keeps readers guessing and characters on their toes. When you've got tension in place, stories leave readers breathless and wanting more. When it's missing, scenes feel inconsequential, plots drag, and characters meander.Learning the craft of writing can sometimes feel like a paint by numbers approach--connect compelling character A to plot event B. To avoid writing that's formulaic, predictable, and slow, How to Write a Page Turner will help you sew the threads of tension tight for an unforgettable story. You'll learn how to:- Recognize the essential tension elements of danger, conflict, uncertainty, and withholding, and add them to your fiction - Create levels of tension in your characters through flaws, dialogue, power struggles, and more - Build tension at energetic markers throughout the plot - Use intimate imagery, strong sentences, and well-chosen words to build tension in expositionWhile this book walks you through the key areas that need tension building, from character to plot, it also delves deeper, analyzing exceptional examples from contemporary fiction's most gripping page-turners. So as you dive into the inner conflicts of a character's deepest psyche, to the mechanics of how you reveal information to the reader, you'll also discover how to craft a story your readers can't put down!

Wrede on Writing: Tips, Hints, and Opinions on Writing


Patricia C. Wrede - 2013
    Wrede has been a stalwart of the sci-fi/fantasy world for decades, publishing dozens of books across multiple series, storming bestseller lists and corralling accolades from critics and fans alike. Now, with brilliant insight and a sparkling wit, Wrede shows beginning writers the ropes in WREDE ON WRITING. How do I find the time to write? How do I decide when a book is finished? How do I get my book published?Wrede tackles all issues for writers, from the basic how-to’s to the more advanced topics on character development and worldbuilding. In her conversational tone, she gives writers the tips and tricks her experience has brought. After WREDE ON WRITING, authors will have the knowledge to put their tools to better use. Thinking of starting a book? Trying to finish one? WREDE ON WRITING will guide you towards that superior draft to send to agents, to publishers, and to readers.How do I calculate royalties? How do I plan my finances as an author? How do I write as a career?Before she became a successful full-time writer, Patricia C. Wrede worked in finance, and she also provides for authors an extensive look at how to manage the money—from royalties to determining the financial potential of your next project, Wrede provides authors with deep insight into the business of writing. A brilliant guide from a literary stalwart, WREDE ON WRITING is the book everyone with a novel under their beds or inside their heads should read.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015


Bob Sehlinger - 2014
    The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World explains how Disney World works and how to use that knowledge to make every minute and every dollar of your vacation count. With advice that is direct, prescriptive, and detailed, it takes the guesswork out of travel by unambiguously rating and ranking everything from hotels, restaurants, and attractions to rental car companies. With an Unofficial Guide in hand, and authors Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa as guides, find out what’s available in every category, from best to worst, and use step-by-step detailed plans to help make the most of time at Walt Disney World.

The Career Novelist: A Literary Agent Offers Strategies for Success


Donald Maass - 1996
    A copy of "The Career Novelist" is like having your own personal literary agent on your bookshelf!Donald Maass is an independent New York literary agent who specializes in fiction. He has written extensively for writers' magazines on the business of publishing and lectures frequently at writers' conferences.

Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing


Dean Wesley Smith - 2014
    Whether you pursue traditional or indie publishing success, you need to know the pitfalls and traps that undermine many writers' careers. In this WMG Writer's Guide, USA Today bestselling author and former publisher Dean Wesley Smith addresses the ten most damaging myths that writers believe in modern publishing. Topics Include: Right vs. Wrong Writing Speed Rewriting Agents Books as Events Quality Writing to Trends Making Money Writing is Hard Career Killers

The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel


Christie Craig - 2008
    This simple guide—written by two awardwinning romance novelists—will show readers what it takes to break into this highly competitive market and will provide them the information they need to get their manuscript out of the slush pile and onto the bookshelf. Readers will learn how to do the following techniques: build a story from premise to plot; add a fresh twist to a classic storyline; create compelling characters; write sizzling sex scenes that carry an emotional punch; research agents and markets; write a story that an editor can’t reject; and promote themselves and their work. New writers, and even experienced writers, will find the solid howto information here invaluable. This is a musthave for aspiring writers who want to write the perfect love story.

Write The Fight Right


Alan Baxter - 2011
    Baxter's experience from decades as a career martial artist make this book a valuable resource for writers who want to understand what fighting is all about - what it really feels like and what does and doesn't work - and how to factor those things into their writing to make their fight scenes visceral, realistic page turners. Baxter won't tell you how to write, but he will tell you what makes a great fight scene.