Creative writing Books

Book SynopsisGregory Fraser is Associate Professor of English at the University of West Georgia, USA.Chad Davidson is Associate Professor of English at the University of West Georgia, USA.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent tool for knowledge-making inside and outside the classroom. -- Rich Rice, Texas Tech Univeristy, USA‘An excellent book about how to develop critical judgement, and a very lively exploration of human understanding. Analyze Anything does what it claims, and it does it with style.‘ -- Dr Graeme Harper, Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Honors College, Oakland University, USACritical thinking skills are at the core of the Humanities and here is one of the few books that explains how to analyse systematically. This is a 'how to' book for literature students but also for anyone interested in how to critique the world around them.It looks at symbols, layers, approaches, and techniques, but what's more it explains why they're important. Like all the best study guides this is a clear, accessible, and readable textbook that will greatly help students improve the ways they think and write. -- Peter Childs, Dean of Research and Professor of Modern English Literature, University of Gloucestershire, UKTable of Contents1. The Analysis of Signs; 2. The Characteristics of Theory and Analysis; 3. Choosing a Sign to Analyze; 4. Questioning the Meanings of the Sign; 5. Responding Analytically; 6. The Five-Theories Model of Analysis; 7. Polishing and Presenting the Analysis; 8. Beyond the Five-Theories Model of Analysis; Bibliography; Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJulie Armstrong is Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, where she teaches Creative Writing in an interdisciplinary Contemporary Arts Dept. In addition to her scholarly publishing, she has also written, poetry, television scripts and two works of experimental fiction: Mirror (2010) Troubador and Dream Space (2012).Table of ContentsIntroduction: What is Experimental Fiction? 1. Modernism i. When was/what was modernism? ii. What was being explored in modernist fiction? iii. Who was writing modernist fiction? iv. What were the techniques and forms of modernist writing? Writing Exercises Further Reading 2. The Beats i. When were/what were the Beats ii. What was being explored in Beat literature? iii. Who was writing Beat literature? iv. What were the techniques and forms of Beat writing? Writing Exercises Further Reading 3. Moving Into Postmodernism i. What is/was postmodernism? ii. What is/was being explored in postmodern fiction? iii. Who is/was writing postmodern fiction? iv. What are/were the techniques and forms of postmodern fiction? Writing Exercises Further Reading 4. A New Era for Fiction i. What is being explored in experimental fiction of the new era? ii. Who is writing experimental fiction today? iii. What are the techniques and forms of contemporary experimental fiction? Writing Exercises Further Reading Conclusion Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisFraser Grace is a playwright and former actor and performance poet. His first play, Perpetua, was joint winner of the Verity Bargate Award and was produced by Soho Theatre/Birmingham REP. Since then he has written for theatres all over the UK, including Breakfast with Mugabe for the Royal Shakespeare Company, whose production won the John Whiting Award in 2006 and a Silver Sony Award when broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and the World Service. The play has since been revived in the UK, and has enjoyed extended runs in the USA, both off-Broadway and in California, in 2014. Since 2011 Fraser has convened the Master's Playwriting Course at the University of Birmingham, UK. Clare Bayley is an award-winning playwright. Her plays include Blue Sky, The Container, which won a Fringe First and the Amnesty International Award (Udderbelly, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007) and has been produced at the Young Vic, London (2009) and in Cardiff, Baltimore US, Toronto Canada and Melbourne Australia. For radio she has written In The Van, a 15 Minute Drama for BBC Radio 4 (2012), Portobello Beach for BBC Radio Scotland (2012), and for BBC Radio 4: The Secret Place, The Bringer of Sweets and Northern Lights. She is a former theatre editor of The Independent and currently teaches creative writing at London South Bank University, UK.Trade ReviewA readable and mostly comprehensive introduction to writing for the stage for new playwrights … For true beginners this book would be an extremely helpful companion on their journey … It will likely be useful to the lone emerging playwright or in conjunction with an introduction to playwriting course. Grace and Bayley update some of the older playwriting texts and earnestly steer away from being overly prescriptive. For these reasons Playwriting is a useful addition to the bookshelf. * Theatre Topics *[In] this comprehensive guide to writing for the stage by award-winning playwrights Fraser Grace and Clare Bayley ... there are illuminating tips from 20 established writers – Frank McGuinness, Tom Stoppard and April De Angelis among them. * Youth Drama Ireland *Table of ContentsForeword Introduction: Scriptwriter, Dramatist, Author, Hack Part I: Playwriting - The View from Above Reflections 1 Reflections 2 A Brief History of the Theatre Part II: Tips and Tales - Guest Contributors Part III: Write On - The View from the Ground Writing The Industry The Production/Rehearsal Process Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisCreative activities such as riddles and cartoons help students generate the vocabulary, ideas, and enthusiasm they need to develop strong writing skills.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNicholas Rudall, whose acclaimed translations of Ibsen and the Greek classic playwrights have brought a fresh perspective to the American theater, turns his talents to one of the Norwegian dramatist's most provocative plays. In a rebuke to the Victorian notion of community as well as to the blessings of democracy, Ibsen creates a situation in which one man must stand alone to face the forces allied against him. In a coastal town, a community-minded physician has promoted the development of public baths in order to attract tourists. When he discovers that the water supply for the baths is contaminated and attempts to publicize the failing and correct it, he and his family are all but driven out of the town he was trying to save.Trade ReviewA new translation by Nicholas Rudall brings fresh perspective to Ibsen's drama. * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHere's your ticket to the greatest mystery-writing workshop ever!In this extraordinary compilation, more than three dozen members of the Mystery Writers of America share insights and advice that can help make your writing dreams a reality.You'll learn how to:   • Develop unique ideas   • Construct an airtight plot packed with intrigue and suspense   • Create compelling characters and atmospheric settings   • Develop a writing style all your own   • Write convincing dialogue   • Choose the appropriate point of view   • Work with an agent   • Conduct accurate research   • and much, much more! You'll also find special guidelines for creating clues, dropping red herrings, and writing medical, legal, historical, true crime, and young adult mysteries. It's all the information you need to solve the mystery-writing riddle!

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA writing and creativity teacher for more than twenty years, Rosanne Bane has given thousands of writers the tools to bust through self-defeating writing behaviour. In AROUND THE WRITER''S BLOCK, Bane helps us understand where writer''s resistance comes from: the "fight-or-flight" responses hardwired into our brains, which can make us desperate to flee the source of our anxiety (writing) by any means possible. Using the most recent breakthroughs in neuroscience and a three-part plan that helps readers develop new, regular writing habits, Bane coaches us on how to rewire our brain''s responses to the anxiety produced by writing-turning writing from a source of stress and anxiety into a source of joy and personal growth. Do you want to write, but find yourself unable to get started? Edit your first page over and over and feel unable to move on? Keep your schedule so full that you don''t have time to write? You''re not alone. Many writers are plagued by "writer''s resistance," behaviour that prevents us from being able to get words down on the page. Writer''s resistance can make us feel adrift, hopeless, discouraged and ready to give up. The good news is that you can beat writer''s resistance. You just need to learn what''s going on inside your brain-and harness that knowledge to develop a productive writing habit. *Including Writer''s Block, Procrastination, Paralysis, Perfectionism, Postponing, Distractions, Self-Sabotage, Excessive Criticism, Over-scheduling and Endlessly Delaying Your Writing.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBy the author of Shred Sisters, longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize The Forest for the Trees should become a permanent part of any writer's or editor's personal library. -The Seattle TimesQuickly established as an essential and enduring companion for aspiring writers when it was first published, Betsy Lerner's sharp, funny, and insightful guide has been meticulously updated and revised to address the dramatic changes that have reshaped the publishing industry in the decade since. From blank page to first glowing (or gutting) review, Betsy Lerner is a knowing and sympathetic coach who helps writers discover how they can be more productive in the creative process and how they can better their odds of not only getting published, but getting published well. This is an essential trove of advice for writers and an indispensable user's manual to both the inner life of the writer and the increasingly anxious place where art and commerce meet: the boardrooms and cubicles of the publishing house.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThere's more to writing a memoir than just writing your life story.A memoir isn't one long diary entry. Rather, it's a well-crafted story about a crucial, often exceptionally difficult, time in someone's life. Writing & Selling Your Memoir talks readers through the process of telling their most personal stories in a compelling, relatable, and readable manner. Unlike other books dedicated to the art and craft of writing memoir, it teaches readers how to approach the genre with love, respect, and know-how without sentimentalizing it.Drawing on her experience working with New York Times best-selling memoirists, literary agent Paula Balzer carefully explores the genre and provides readers with step-by-step instruction on how to:   • Identify strong opening and closing points   • Find and develop a strong central hook that readers can relate to   • Structure a memoir to maximize readability   • Use dialogue and pacing to enhance intimacy   • Approach honesty and truthfulness   • Build a successful author platform around their memoir    • Get an agent's attention   • Get publishedFull of tips, techniques, detailed exercises, and examples from best-selling memoirs as well as sidebars from well-known memoir authors, Writing & Selling Your Memoir teaches you how to approach an often tricky genre and tell your story without sentimentalizing it.

Read more less