Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he's teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what's left of his self-respect; he hasn't written-let alone published anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn't need Jake's help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as...

As a literary agent, Noah Lukeman hears thousands of book pitches a year. Often the stories sound great in concept, but never live up to their potential on the page. Lukeman shows beginning and advanced writers how to implement the fundamentals of successful plot development, such as character building and heightened suspense and conflict. Writers will find it impossible to walk away from this invaluable guide - a veritable fiction-writing workshop...

Discusses and analyzes twenty plots that recur in all genres of fiction and provides information for writers on how to develop the plots for use in their own stories.

Take a peek inside this book and you'll find some characters (though they're still a bit sketchy). They'll be perplexed to see you, so they'll quickly try to track down their author (who has a lot more work to do). What you won't find is a story, or a title, because, guess what? The book isn't finished yet! But surely the author must have a story to tell? In this charming "meta" picture book, children of all ages are encouraged to interact with a...

"As the author of twenty-four novels, Elizabeth George is one of the most successful--and prolific--novelists today. In Mastering the Process, George offers readers a master class in the art and science of crafting a novel. For many writers, the biggest challenge is figuring out how to take that earliest glimmer of inspiration and shape it into a full-length novel. How do you even begin to transform a single idea to a complete book? Elizabeth George...

Award-winning author Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner. Packed with case studies, exercises, and dozens of examples from best-selling authors.

Aimed at helping the aspiring writer to navigate the complex world of adding plots within their story so it carefully reveals certain information needed to build storylines and characters. "Her expertise and warmth come through strongly in this, her second master class of writing: Plotting to Enrich Your Back Story. Her first instructional guide, An Introduction to Writing, succeeded because Anne used her master class to guide aspiring writers through...