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.

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century


Steven Pinker - 2014
    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.

The Nifty 15: Write Your Book in Just 15 Minutes a Day! (The Prosperous Writer 2)


Honoree Corder - 2016
     You know it’s been rattling around in your head since you were young. You want to write a book because the call of the muse has been getting stronger. And, perhaps you have heard You Must Write a Book. The two keys to success for aspiring authors is consistency and a little bit of time. Honorée Corder and Brian D. Meeks are full-time authors who have written over three dozen books combined, both fiction and non-fiction. Honorée is an expert in non-fiction and Brian has penned tomes across five fiction genres. They’ve combined their knowledge to lay out the best practices and answer the most common questions they hear from new authors. The Nifty Fifteen will take you from the blank page to finished book by wiping away the fear that is born of not knowing where to begin. In addition, you’ll be given access to Brian’s Beautiful Gears, which is a session by session look at how he wrote his 13th novel in just fifteen minutes per day. You’ll see the unedited work with all of its errors to show how a full-time author is worried about one thing…get the first rough draft out. The edited version, all polished up and without the daily comments, will also be made available upon its release. Lastly you’ll be given exercises that will make the process easy to undertake. Everyone has a story to tell. It just takes a little time each day, so why not give The Nifty Fifteen a read.

Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go


Les Edgerton - 2007
    Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading. It's just that simple. Hooked provides readers with a detailed understanding of what a beginning must include (setup, backstory, the inciting incident, etc.); instruction on how to successfully develop the story problem; tips on how to correct common beginning mistakes; exclusive insider advice from agents, acquiring book editors, and literary journal editors; and much more.

States of Grace


Mandy Miller - 2021
    Fresh out of jail, living in a no-tell-motel, and eating ramen, Grace has no option but to turn to the dark side, defending the types of criminals she used to relish locking up. To make things worse, she’s fighting the opioid addiction that got her in this mess in the first place.With few options to salvage her career, Grace schemes to defend a trust-fund teen accused of capital murder to pay the bills. But her plan has two flaws. One—Grace believes accused equals guilty. Two—the accused is the daughter of the beauty queen who stole Grace’s husband.Much to her surprise, Grace soon discovers her client may not be guilty after all. With the cops looking the other way and misdirecting her every step, the only explanation that makes sense to Grace is the dead guy was neck deep in the criminal underworld.When Grace discovers irrefutable evidence of her client’s innocence, the race is on to find the real killer and leads her deep inside Florida’s illegal pill mill trade. But is it too late for Grace to save her young client from the death chamber and herself from ruin?

The Illustrated Discovery Journal: Creating a Visual Autobiography of Your Authentic Self


Sarah Ban Breathnach - 1999
    Here you'll collect random pictures that appeal to you-images culled from periodicals or cut out of catalogs, photographs, or postcards. And here, with Sarah's encouragement, you'll reverently and reflectively assemble them into collages that reveal just about anything you might ever want to know about yourself. Your passions. Your preferences. What tickles you. What ticks you off. What makes you happy. From discovering why a certain shade of blue makes you smile, to suddenly comprehending the source of a problem in a friendship, to recognizing your deep spiritual beliefs, the nine sections of The Illustrated Discovery Journal will lead you to the hidden side of your authentic self as no other book can.

Confident Conversation: How to Communicate Successfully in Any Situation


Mike Bechtle - 2008
    Whether you are an introvert who agonizes over what to say - or an extrovert who has no trouble talking, but often struggles to listen - 'Confident Conversation' harnesses existing personality strengths in order to employ practical tools for effective and eloquent communication.

Drop the Pink Elephant: 15 Ways to Say What You Mean...and Mean What You Say


Bill McFarlan - 2003
    Drop the Pink Elephant: 15 Ways to Say What You Mean...and Mean What You Say ...

Paying Back The Dead (A Millerfield Village Cozy Murder Mysteries Series 3)


Carrie Marsh - 2017
    This time who will be the target? The only thing worse than death is taxes… With two solved murders behind her, Laura Howcroft is more than content with her calm, tranquil existence as The Woodend Cottage Hotel receptionist. Little more than a year in the small village of Millerfield and Laura has already seen enough bloodshed to last her a lifetime. Things have been quite recently in the small British village and Laura can only hope they stay that way. Peaceful, calm and simple. But when Laura discovers she has a cousin in the village, an encounter that rapidly uncovers the unexpected murder of her cousin’s husband, Laura knows that the only way to help out is to investigate for her. With the Police pointing fingers at Judy Hugh, the wife of the recently deceased local tax official, Laura, Howard, and Monty are on the trail again. After all who in their right mind would want to murder a much-mistrusted tax official..? Can Laura uncover the real killer that left a tax-man horribly murdered? Or will her own recently-rediscovered cousin take the fall for the death of her husband? Page Count: Approx 250 pages. Paying Back The Dead will return to full price, $2.99 on April 21st. Get it now while it is at $0.99 now!

Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting


Robert McKee - 1997
    Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience. In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing readers with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.

21 Days of Effective Communication: Everyday Habits and Exercises to Improve Your Communication Skills and Social Intelligence (Positive Psychology Coaching Series Book 17)


Ian Tuhovsky - 2018
     As we travel on our journey through life, many of us pick up poor communication habits, but could these habits be holding you back from enjoying all the health, happiness, love and freedom you truly deserve? In 21 Days of Effective Communication, you'll learn not only why the way you communicate makes all the difference to your success, but also just how easy it is to eliminate bad communication habits, overcome your limitations and build better relationships. The best part? You can achieve all this - and more - within just three short weeks. Enjoy immediate improvements to the way you communicate, right from day 1 Packed full of fast, efficient methods for developing better communication skills, this highly practical, step-by-step guide is designed to start producing the results you need IMMEDIATELY. ● There are NO long-winded explanations ● NO complicated processes ● NO psychobabble and absolutely NO jargon... ...Just clear, simple, and powerful exercise you can use right away to: ● Breeze through any social situation feeling cool, calm, and confident at all times. ● Build meaningful, rewarding relationships at work, at home, and in your love life. ● Become a better listener and offer effective emotional support to those you care about. Accelerate your success and start achieving your biggest goals today with just a few, simple techniques Improving your communications skills is about much more than getting on better with those around you. By taking the easy-to-follow, actionable steps outlined in this book, you'll discover how effective communication can make an enormous difference in all areas of your life. Over the course of just 21 days, you'll learn: ● How changing one small word can make a huge difference in the way you approach challenges, overcome obstacles, and achieve your biggest goals. ● How the awesome power of gratitude can work miracles on your mood, your mindset, and your well-being. ● How to successfully persuade, engage, and ask the questions that get you the results you truly want, every single time. ● And much more! Unlock the hidden secrets to better communication and start transforming your life for the better today. Click the BUY NOW button above to order your copy of 21 Days of Effective Communication and you'll also receive a complete, 120 e-book, Mindfulness-Based Stress and Anxiety Management Techniques absolutely free.

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.