How to Be a Writer

A writer is someone who writes. It sounds obvious, but many people who call themselves writers don't produce enough words in a year to fill a postcard. Other writers churn out thousands of words but never sell their work. This book tackles both problems: it gets you writing, easily and painlessly guiding through the dreaded 'writer's block'; and it divulges industry secrets that will help you to raise the quality of your work to a professional level. Writing is a business like any other. Successful writers know the rules and conventions that make their work stand out from the rest of the ‘slush pile’ – rules that are revealed in this book to help launch your writing career. The author has 14 years experience in the publishing industry and has written more than 20 books that have been translated into 6 languages. He has also written for stage, film, television and radio.

How to Write: Communicating Ideas and Information, New Edition
By Herbert E. Meyer, Jill M. Meyer

The New York Times' William Safire calls How to Write 'The most helpful book the beginning writer can buy.' No wonder it's sold more than 200,000 copies worldwide! Whether you are a student, a professional - or an aspiring writer - this little handbook will teach you how to communicate your ideas and information clearly and concisely. It will show you how to organize for any writing project, how to turn out a first draft, and how to polish that draft into a finished product.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well
By Laurie Rozakis

If you have trouble putting your thoughts down on paper, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Well has everything you need to know to make writing of any kind as easy as thinking or speaking. This guide gives expert advice on making your writing as clear and persuasive as possible, whether it's a thank-you note, a school paper, or an executive briefing. It provides easy-to-follow guidelines on structure, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, and style. You will find terrific tips on minimizing the time and energy taken up by tasks like research, note-taking, and proofreading.

How to Write a Dirty Story: Reading, Writing, and Publishing Erotica
By Susie Bright

Susie Bright, the reigning queen of contemporary erotica, shows you how to heat up sex scenes in everything from traditional novels and romances to science fiction and humor. This irreverent yet practical guide offers writing exercises as well as suggestions for nonwriting activities - to galvanize the imagination and raze any creative or psychological hurdle.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
By Stephen King

In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft - and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. Serialized in the New Yorker to vivid acclaim, On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how King's overwhelming need to write spurred him toward recovery, and brought him back to his life. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower - and entertain - everyone who reads it.

Ernest Hemingway on Writing
By Larry W. Phillips

Throughout Hemingway's career as a writer, he maintained that it was bad luck to talk about writing - that it takes off 'whatever butterflies have on their wings and the arrangement of hawk's feathers if you show it or talk about it'. Despite this belief, by the end of his life he had done just what he intended not to do. In his novels and stories, in letters to editors, friends, fellow artists, and critics, in interviews and in commissioned articles on the subject, Hemingway wrote often about writing. And he wrote as well and as incisively about the subject as any writer who ever lived....

Writing Fiction and Poetry: Essays by North Carolina Writers
By Sally Sullivan

Writing Fiction and Poetry is a collection of essays by twelve North Carolina writers. The essayists, six poets and six fiction writers, focus on a discussion of their writing processes with an emphasis on revision. Preceding each essay is a biographical sketch and following each is an interview with the writer.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style
By Laurie Rozakis

With this guide you'll gain what you need to be a great communicator at home and on the job. It provides solid information on grammatical rules and how and when to use them, friendly advice for adding variety and style to your writing, and tips, definitions, and warnings to help you along the way.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published
By Sheree Bykofsky, Jennifer Basye Sander

Getting a novel or other work published remains one of the most mysterious processes in business today. Using the comprehensive and easy-to-read format of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published, Second Edition, you'll learn practical steps to get your masterpiece published. Learn how to write book proposals and query letters, how to pitch ideas to agents and editors, how to write outlines and sample chapters, and how to deal with publishing companies.

Teach Yourself Grammar and Style in 24 Hours
By Pamela Rice Hahn, Ph.D. Dennis E. Hensley

Puzzled about punctuation? Having trouble getting your nouns and verbs to agree? Terrified at the thought of writing a paper or report? Whether you're struggling with structure or looking to spice up your writing, Macmillan Teach Yourself Grammar and Style in 24 Hours gives you the knowledge you need to achieve your goals. This straightforward guide presents invaluable information in a series of 24 one-hour lessons, helping you master the basics of grammar and style - one hour at a time.