Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

by Anne Lamott

A step-by-step guide to writing and managing the writer's life covers each portion of a written project, addresses such concerns as writer's block and getting published, and offers awareness and survival tips. Reprint. Tour. K. NYT.

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

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

by Robert McKee

Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. 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... (more)

The Creative Habit

Learn It and Use It for Life

by Twyla Tharp

All it takes to make creativity a part of your life is the willingness to make it a habit. It is the product of preparation and effort, and is within reach of everyone. Whether you are a painter, musician, businessperson, or simply an individual yearning to put your creativity to use, The Creative Habit provides you with thirty-two practical exercises based on the lessons Twyla Tharp has learned in her... (more)

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Making Your Novel Stand Out and Succeed

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Making Your Novel Stand Out and Succeed

by Donald Maass

This powerful book builds on the success of it predecessor-Writing the Breakout Novel-and takes readers to the next level: improving their work with practical, hands-on lessons and exercises. With patented techniques from his popular writing workshops, Donald Maass shows fiction writers exactly how to make their work stand out from the crowd. Readers will learn how to strengthen any novel-in-progress, with... (more)

Portable MFA in Creative Writing

by New York Writers Workshop

Writers can get the core knowledge of a prestigious $50,000 MFA program without paying tuition. With sound, nuts-and-bolts instruction and real-world career advice, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing is the only book speaking directly to the tens of thousands each year who don't make it into MFA programs. Topics include magazine writing, memoir and personal essay, poetry, fiction, playwriting and more: ... (more)

Some Writers Deserve To Starve: 31 Brutal Truths about the Publishing Industry

Some Writers Deserve To Starve: 31 Brutal Truths about the Publishing Industry

by Elaura Niles

While commitment and craft can take writers to the top, most will fail without the insider savvy needed to navigate the publishing industry. Not just another happily-ever-after writing book, this guide provides: -Twenty-seven cold, hard truths about the realities of getting published, including Nepotism Happens and Writers Rarely Help Other Writers -Easy-to-digest, quick lessons that are both browsable and... (more)

Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance (Studymates Writers Guides)

Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance (Studymates Writers Guides)

by Kate Walker

Are you a budding romance writer? Then learn from an expert. Kate Walker writes modern romance for women and sells internationally. Here, she explains her approach to writing novels that keeps the reader gripped and holds them with that vital "page turning quality". You can use all of the hooks you want to, but if your story does not have heart, it simply will not sell. This book will explain: The 3 most important... (more)

On Writing

by Stephen King

"Long live the King" hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a... (more)

Zen in the Art of Writing

by Ray Bradbury

"Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a land mine. The land mine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces back together. Now, it's your turn. Jump!" Zest. Gusto. Curiosity. These are the qualities every writer must have, as well as a spirit of adventure. In this exuberant book, the incomparable Ray Bradbury shares the wisdom, experience, and excitement of a lifetime... (more)

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Tags: writing books