Build confidence, ditch your inner critic, and finally write your book with simple habits you can start today. You can read this short read (~7,000 words) in about 30 minutes, so it won't get in the way of the one thing standing between you and your book: Action! Download today and make the book you've dreamed of a reality. Now includes a free sample chapter of David Kadavy's latest book, The Heart to Start.

    All contributors have been recent faculty members of the prestigious Warren Wilson Low Residency Program, including such literary favorites as Margot Livesey, Charles Baxter, Robert Boswell, Jim Shepard, Antonya Nelson, David Shields, and the editors themselves.Each writer was asked to submit an original story, accompanied by an essay describing the challenges of the story and how they were met. Since writers resist herding, the editors were happily surprised by the wide range of essays—"fiction writers, when given the space, think about their work very differently." We learn about the genesis of a story, how story evolves, what was eventually relinquished and why, and how a story—surprisingly—might "insist" on changing.Arranged alphabetically by author, and beginning with Richard Russo's cogent introduction, this volume is a treasure throughout.

    From clunky dialogue to poorly sketchedout characters, sagging pacing to exaggerated prose, these beginners' mistakes drive any agent or editor to their stock rejection letter, telling the aspiring writer "Thanks, but this isn't for us," and leaving many to wonder what exactly it is that they're doing wrong. Veteran writing coach, developmental editor, and writing instructor Jessica Page Morrell will fill in the gaps in every rejection letter you've ever received. In Thanks, But This Isn't for Us, Morrell uses her years of experience to isolate the specific errors beginners make, including the pitfalls of unrealistic dialogue, failing to "show, not tell," and over-the-top plot twists. These are just a few of the problems that keep writers from breaking through with their work. Sympathetic and humane, but pulling no punches, Thanks, But This Isn't for Us shows writers precisely where they've gone wrong and how to get on the right track. In sixteen to-the-point chapters, with checklists, exercises, takeaway tips, and a glossary, Morrell helps readers transcend these mistakes so that they don't have to learn the hard way: with another rejection letter.

    A Glossary of Literary Terms covers the terminology of literature - from literary history to theory to criticism - making it a valuable addition to any literary theory or literature course.

    Try a little Second Sight. In this collection of talks, a professional editor offers insights from the other side of the publishing desk on a wide range of writerly topics: * Terrific first lines and how they got that way * What makes a strong picture book manuscript * Why the Harry Potter series was such a tremendous success * Finding the emotional heart of your story * Worksheets and checklists for building characters and bolstering plot * The Annotated Query Letter from Hell * And an Annotated Query Letter That Does It Right With its wit, intelligence, and practical tools for analyzing and revising your work, Second Sight will be a first resource for writers of children's and young adult fiction. This book has not been endorsed or approved by J. K. Rowling or any of her publishers or representatives, and all thoughts expressed here on all matters, including the Harry Potter series, are solely Cheryl B. Klein's own, and should not be taken as the official opinions, intentions, or interpretations of any of the writers or publishers mentioned.

    Enter Plot Versus Character. This hands-on guide to creating a well-rounded novel embraces both of these crucial story components. You'll learn to: • Create layered characters by considering personality traits, natural attributes, and backgrounds • Develop your character's emotional journey and tie it to your plot's inciting incident • Construct a three-act story structure that can complement and sustain your character arc • Expose character backstory in a manner that accentuates plot points Seamlessly intertwine plot and character to create a compelling page-turner filled with characters to whom readers can't help but relate • And much more Filled with helpful examples and friendly instruction, Plot Versus Character takes the guesswork out of creating great fiction by giving you the tools you need to inject life into your characters and momentum into your plots.

     Many Chess books for beginners will overload you with information about openings, tactics, forks, history, notation, and lot of other things beginners don’t need to know and don’t understand. That might work for some people. But in this highly anticipated prequel to the Conquer your Friends series, I’m going to SHOW you how you can play the game of Chess AND WIN in a heinously short amount of time. Hi, my name is Maxen Tarafa, and I’m a Skill Artist. Most teachers struggle to show beginners how to play Chess because they forget what it’s like to start from the beginning. I specialize in working with beginners, post-beginners, and casual players, and now I’ve broken down the specific needs of the (absolute) beginner. You see, I believe Chess belongs to regular people who enjoy playing Chess with their friends or at home, not in the hands of “experts” who use incomprehensible terminology and notation. After working with several beginners, I realized their greatest struggle is not just remembering how the pieces move, but seeing the board beyond where the pieces physically sit. I’m going to show you how to play Chess using step-by-step images with arrows and interactive exercises Who is this book for? Perhaps, you’ve never played Chess but you’ve always wanted to learn and never had the chance. Or maybe, you’ve already learned how to move the pieces, but you need an easy, straight-forward refresher. Or perhaps, it’s time to show your son or younger brother how to play Chess and you want to review the basics, so you can make sure you nail the questions beginners commonly miss. Whether you’re brand new to Chess or you just want to pass the tradition down, this book is for you. In this book, you’ll learn how to: Quickly and confidently move each piece from Pawn to King Set up the board from memory quickly and correctly every…single…time Use my step-by-step method for commanding the puzzling Knight Harness the power of your own mind to visualize the board and gain an edge over your opponent Learn the little-known reason why most beginners lose and how to use it to your advantage Employ a three-question checklist to ensure you don’t lose your pieces for no good reason Blow your opponent’s mind! Predict your opponent’s strategy three moves ahead and stop their plan before they’ve even tried it I’ve taught beginner Chess players from age 5 to age 35 and beyond, anyone can learn and now’s your chance to finally learn the ancient game of Kings and Conquerors! Don’t miss your chance! Join the casual Chess revolution today!

    Macy and director Gregory Mosher. It is written for any actor who has ever experienced the frustrations of acting classes that lacked clarity and objectivity, and that failed to provide a dependable set of tools. An actor's job, the authors state, is to "find a way to live truthfully under the imaginary circumstances of the play'.' The ways in which an actor can attain that truth form the substance of this eloquent book.

     You will learn the ancient secrets of human psychology: the nine fundamental fears that motivate human behavior the nine core character types the nine stages of character change and so much more Complete beginners and seasoned veterans will benefit greatly from this material. You don’t even have to be a writer. The only requirement is that you come open-minded and ready to learn. About story. About character. And about yourself. Scroll up and get your copy now. What readers are saying… "Highly recommended to the writer wanting an effective tool to help develop believable characters." ~ Amazon Andy "Full of useful ideas." ~ Untamed Pen "Great book—must have for creating characters and developing plot around them!" ~ Susan Mi "Great jumping off point for characters and arcs." ~ Gail Clifford "I heartily recommend this book as a great tool for all writers." ~ Harry Rankin "A wonderful book." ~ Candace Segar "Gave me that AHA! moment of epiphany. I would recommend this book." ~ Dcortez "A great piece for new and veteran writers suffering from character block." ~ Cullen "They don't get better than this. It will fix your story and possibly your life." ~Amazon Customer Scroll up and grab your copy today. Scroll up and get your copy now.

    Christine Amsden ~ "My Million Words of Crap" Darrell Bain ~ "The Story Behind The Pet Plague" Mayra Calvani ~ "Tips on Writing Your First Novel" Lee Denning ~ "Two Beginnings" Ginger Hanson ~ "Ten Lessons I Learned..." Toby Fesler Heathcotte ~ "The Manuscript from a Mystifying Source" Darby Karchut ~ "Wings" Linda Langwith ~ "The Serendipity Factor" Stephanie Osborn ~ "How a Rocket Scientist Becomes a Writer" Plus articles from Bob Boan, D Jason Cooper, Susan Goldsmith, Aaron Paul Lazar, Celia A. Leaman, Beverly Stowe McClure, Gerald Mills, Erica Miner, Bob Rich, Dorothy Skarles and Dan Starr.

    Get ready to laugh while you learn because the speaker is a natural storyteller and a witty observer of life.

     Imagine if you could use Scrivener for Windows like a seasoned professional, knowing the keyboard shortcuts, what the tools on the toolbar do; flying through the application and creating an amazing story without being distracted by having to look up how to use a feature every time you want to use it. In the back of your mind you know that the Scrivener software you bought is going to simplify your writing process and help you become more productive. You have heard about the cool split screen views, virtual cork boards and the collections feature where you can process all instances of a document at once even though you have it in several different collections. But best of all you’ve heard that you can export your content to multiple platforms without having to change the original draft document! Imagine the time you are going to save. Not to mention that if you can format your own work for export you will no longer be held hostage to the whims and schedules of anyone else. The problem is, before you can do all that, you have to learn how to use the Scrivener software. This can be time consuming if you try to learn from the Scrivener users manual which is highly technical and includes every conceivable function and feature of the software. Don’t get me wrong. The Scrivener users manual has every bit of information you will ever need regarding Scrivener because it is supposed to be like that, but it sure is difficult to weed out the bits that pertain to the project you want to write. I know because that is the way I had to learn it. What I would have liked was a Scrivener essentials guide with: Plenty of pictures, so that you can instantly recognize the regions of the user interface. Arrows pointing right at the buttons mentioned in the instructions, making them easy to find. Instructions embedded into the images they refer to so that they don’t drift onto the next page because of the personal settings on your Kindle. No distracting instructions for Macintosh users that send you on a wild goose chase after functions that are not supported by Scrivener for Windows. So I wrote a guide just like that. In it you will learn to: Open a project and customize your workspaces. Toggle between normal Text Editing Mode, Cork Board Mode and Outlining Mode and how to use each of them as well as how to use the distraction free Full Screen Mode. Split your screen to have two documents or two versions of the same document open at once. Manage your files and folders, whether you are starting from scratch in Scrivener or want to import your content from another writing application pre-sorted into chapters or sections. Make use of Scrivener’s editing tools like collections and snapshots (which takes a snap shot of the current state of a document so that you can revert to it if you don’t like your subsequent edits.) Compile your work for export to your agent, as a paperback or as an eBook. How to download some tools so that you can preview your content before you send it out. If you are ready to improve your writing process, scroll up, click the buy button and start making the most of your Scrivener Software today!

    

     Many of the most celebrated and successful authors are introverts, yet there remains a negative stigma around introversion. "The Introvert Writer" invites those who identify as introvert and have passion for the art and business of writing to discover their natural strengths while learning to overcome common obstacles. From our best writing comes from our truest selves and this book will help the introvert writer thrive. Jamie Arpin-Ricci, an established author in both the traditional and self-publishing worlds, has spent more than 20 years working with non-profits around personality and team dynamics. In this one of a kind resource, he applies his decades of expertise to the field of writing. This is the ultimate "How To" for every introvert writers collection

    How do you make your readers believe your characters are falling in love? How do you show that sizzle of attraction? How do you write a good kissing scene? How do you bring in the much-needed tension but still have your characters flirting and getting closer? In this book I take one of my romance novels (Acting Married) and I go through the entire novel with you, basically interrupting myself to tell you what I was thinking as I was writing the novel. It's like watching a movie with commentary. I pull back the curtain so you can see why I started it the way I did, why I decided to put certain scenes in, and what pushes the romance forward in the book. I preface all this with what I consider the essentials of a good romance novel, and I end with my list of well-loved romance tropes that you can draw from in order to write your own bestselling romance novel.