Book picks similar to
Believable Characters: Creating with Enneagrams by Laurie Schnebly


writing
enneagram
character-development
writing-about-writing

Fiction Unboxed


Johnny B. Truant - 2014
    Publish. Repeat., Fiction Unboxed offers something that’s never been offered before: a naked look into two writer’s process, as they wrote and published a book in 30 days, from scratch, in front of the world.In 2013 Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant wrote and published 1.5 million words (a Harry Potter series and a half worth of fiction). The next year they showed the world how they did it.In May 2014, Johnny and Sean, along with their third partner David Wright, launched a Kickstarter campaign to see if their fans wanted to see how they wrote behind closed doors. They promised to start their newest project without knowing their story, characters, or even their genre, and publish the final draft before their 30 days were up. They promised to capture every email, every story meeting, and every word from every draft. They promised to show every molecule of their process, warts and all.They had 30 days for their fans to green light the campaign. It fully funded in 11 hours. Fiction Unboxed is as revealing as it is inspiring, empowering readers and writers as much as it will entertain them. With actionable advice that will benefit any writer, this book is a true gem for anyone who loves a well told story.

The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know


Shawn Coyne - 2015
    It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult.) The Story Grid is a tool with many applications: 1. It will tell a writer if a Story "works" or "doesn't work." 2. It pinpoints story problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer, revealing exactly where a Story (not the person creating the Story...the Story) has failed. 3. It will tell the writer the specific work necessary to fix that Story's problems. 4. It is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attic drawer. 5. It is a tool that can inspire an original creation. Shawn Coyne is a twenty-five year book-publishing veteran. He's acquired, edited, published or represented works from James Bamford, John Brenkus, James Lee Burke, Barbara Bush, Dick Butkus, Harlan Coben, Nellie Connally, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Ben Crenshaw, Catherine Crier, Brett Favre, David Feherty, John Feinstein, Tyler Florence, Jim Gant, Col. David H. Hackworth, Jamie Harrison, Mo Hayder, William Hjortsberg, Stephen Graham Jones, Jon Krakauer, David Leadbetter, Alan Lomax, David Mamet, Troon McAllister, Robert McKee, Matthew Modine, Bill Murray, Joe Namath, John J. Nance, Jack Olsen, Scott Patterson, Steven Pressfield, Matthew Quirk, Anita Raghavan, Ian Rankin, Ruth Rendell, Jerry Rice, Giora Romm, Tim Rosaforte, William Safire, Dava Sobel, Michael Thomas, Nick Tosches, Ann Scott Tyson, Minette Walters, Betty White, Randy Wayne White, Steven White, and Don Winslow among many others. During his years as an editor at the Big Five publishing houses, as an independent publisher, as a literary agent both at a major Hollywood talent agency and as head of Genre Management Inc., and as a bestselling co-writer and ghostwriter, Coyne created a methodology called The Story Grid to teach the editing craft.

Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene


Paula Munier - 2014
    How can you make your own plots--in your novels, short stories, memoirs, or screenplays--just as irresistible?"Plot Perfect" provides the answer. This one-of-a-kind plotting primer reveals the secrets of creating a story structure that works--no matter what your genre. It gives you the strategies you need to build a scene-by-scene blueprint that will help elevate your fiction and earn the attention of agents and editors.Inside, literary agent, editor, and author Paula Munier shows you how to:Devise powerful plots and subplots and weave them together seamlesslyOrganize your scenes for the greatest impactDevelop captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists, and engaging secondary charactersUse dialogue, setting, tone, and voice to enhance your plotLayer, refine, and polish your storylineDefine your story in terms of its themeFilled with writing exercises, plotting templates, and expert advice, "Plot Perfect" helps you dive into the intricacies of plot--and write a compelling story that readers won't be able to resist.

Communication Skills Training: How to Talk to Anyone, Connect Effortlessly, Develop Charisma, and Become a People Person


James W. Williams - 2020
    

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.

1001 Dumbest Things Ever Said


Steven D. Price - 2004
    A collection of stupid utterances, mostly unintentional--although not always--from politics, show business, sports, and anywhere else people can put their feet in their mouths.

The Writer's Guide to Character Traits: Includes Profiles of Human Behaviors and Personality Types


Linda N. Edelstein - 1999
    The guide also includes a section on child personality types.

Blueprint Your Bestseller: Organize and Revise Any Manuscript with the Book Architecture Method


Stuart Horwitz - 2013
    Whether you’re tinkering with your first one hundred pages or trying to wrestle a complete draft into shape, Horwitz helps you look at your writing with the fresh perspective you need to reach the finish line.Blueprint Your Bestseller introduces the Book Architecture Method, a tested sequence of steps for organizing and revising any manuscript. By breaking a manuscript into manageable scenes, you can determine what is going on in your writing at the structural level—and uncover the underlying flaws and strengths of your narrative.For more than a decade this proven approach to revision has helped authors of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as writers across all media from theater to film to TV.

FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story


John Dufresne - 2018
    But now a brave new genre has emerged: very brief fiction. FLASH! identifies the qualities that make for excellent flash fiction, demystifies the writing process, and guides writers by exercise and example through the world of the very short story. John Dufresne’s characteristic warmth, wit, and humor remind writers of the joy in the creative process, making this a perfect guide for any writer interested in trying a new form.

Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience


Dan Blank - 2017
    They follow “best practices” in marketing that never seem to pan out, don’t produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact. If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing “products” out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them -- not just through what you create, but through the unique way you share it with the world. Too often we think about the creative process as separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to “promote” with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and your best asset to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and with confidence.

The Kindle Publishing Bible


Tom Corson-Knowles - 2012
    But you can outrank them on Amazon search every time! Why? Because 99% of Kindle authors don't know how to increase their search engine rankings in Amazon and Google. But I do - and I'm going to show you how in this book (it won't cost you a dime to implement these strategies by the way).Most authors (even the ones with publishers and big marketing budgets) have no idea how to do keyword research, tag their book, add the right search keywords when they publish their book or insert keywords in their book description without it sounding like it was written by a robot.For New Authors: Step-By-Step Instructions With Picture TutorialsIf you're a first-time Kindle publisher or technologically challenged then this book is for you! I even had my Grandma Ann Knowles follow the instructions step by step and she gave it a big thumbs up for easy to use instructions. The playing field has been leveled with ebook publishing - and if my Grandma can do it, I guarantee you can too!For Existing Authors: How To Sell More Books In 5 Days Than You Did Last MonthI'm going to share with you my KDP Select Free Promotion Marketing Formula for getting tens of thousands of readers to download your book in just 5 days. All you have to do is read the Marketing Formula instructions and follow them (it takes about 3 hours of work to get thousands of new readers).How To Sell On Kindle Using Your Book DescriptionIf you think your book is going to sell itself, think again! If you're a fiction author or novelist, you have to show your readers the story and engage them in it or they won't buy a book from an unknown author. And if you're a non-fiction author, you have to tell potential readers how your book is going to help them solve their problem fast or they'll click away, never having even downloaded your book. I'm going to show you the Show And Tell system for selling more books on Kindle by giving you readers what they want and overcoming objections in your book description!Kindle marketing isn't about having a big marketing budget or publisher behind you - but you still need exposure and a great offer. This book will help you with get more exposure with Amazon search and other great marketing tips.You also have to make buying your book an irresistible offer so that when browsers get done reading your book description they say, "I have to buy this book!" You can't do that without a strategic plan and a well-written book description.Bonus! Video interviews with best-selling Kindle authors as they share their coveted book marketing strategies.

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.

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.

The Forest for the Trees


Betsy Lerner - 2000
    From her long experience working with successful writers and discovering new voices, Lerner looks at different writer personality types and addresses the concerns of writers just getting started as well as those stalled mid-career.

The Erotica Handbook: (How to Write Erotica) A guide to making $100 an hour writing erotica short stories and selling them online (Emily Baker Writing Skills and Reference Guides)


Emily Baker - 2016
     You will learn how to generate hundreds of story ideas, cover designs, and characters. How to get past writer’s block. How to use the monster mirroring technique. The most profitable keywords, word counts, kinks. THE EROTICA HANDBOOK also includes a thesaurus with a mountain of sexy synonyms to help speed up your writing. Working from home has never been easier, and erotica is the only genre where new authors can price a short story at $2.99 and sell 100 copies in three weeks. THE EROTICA HANDBOOK is the cutting-edge blueprint to obtaining pleasure and money. Don’t deny yourself the joy of making $200 while you sleep.