Where do great ideas come from? how do we recognize them? how can language capture them? In his signature comic voice, " "Plottery, Dufresne answers these questions and more in chapters such as "Writing Around the Block, " and "The Art of Abbreviation. Dufresne demystifies the writing process, showing that while the idea of writing may be overwhelming, the act of writing is simplicity itself.
This is the most practical, direct, hard-nosed, generous, and useful guide to writing fiction. Brad watsonfinally, a truly creative―and hilarious―guide to creative writing, full of encouragement and sound advice. Drawing upon the wisdom of literature's great craftsmen, processes, creating a sense of place, developing a voice, Dufresne's lucid essays and diverse exercises initiate the reader into the tools, and techniques of writing: inventing compelling characters, editing your own words.
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100 Years of The Best American Short Stories The Best American Series ®
Heidi pitlor is a former senior editor at houghton Mifflin Harcourt and has been the series editor of The Best American Short Stories since 2007. Her most recent novel, was short-listed for the 2010 orange prize for fiction and for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Bark, A Gate at the Stairs, and her most recent story collection, was short-listed for the Story Prize and the Frank O’Connor Award.
Series editor heidi pitlor recounts behind-the-scenes anecdotes and examines, decade by decade, the trends captured over a hundred years. Houghton mifflin harcourt. Here is raymond carver’s “minimalism, ” a term he disliked, and Grace Paley’s “secular Yiddishkeit. Here are the varied styles of Donald Barthelme, Charles Baxter, and Jamaica Kincaid.
From junot díaz to mary gaitskill, from ZZ Packer to Sherman Alexie, these writers and stories explore the different things it means to be American. Here is ernest hemingway’s first published story and a classic by William Faulkner, who admitted in his biographical note that he began to write “as an aid to love-making.
The Best American Short Stories of the Century The Best American Series ®
Scott fitzgerald, joyce carol oates, philip roth, cynthia Ozick, Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, John Cheever, William Saroyan, Raymond Carver, and scores of others. Of all the great writers whose work has appeared in the series, only John Updike's contributions have spanned five consecutive decades, from his first appearance, in 1959.
Here are the stories that have endured the test of time: masterworks by such writers as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Willa Cather, F. Updike worked with coeditor Katrina Kenison to choose stories from each decade that meet his own high standards of literary quality. These are the writers who have shaped and defined the landscape of the American short story, who have unflinchingly explored all aspects of the human condition, and whose works will continue to speak to us as we enter the next century.
Since the series' inception in 1915, showcased the most compelling stories of each year, the annual volumes of The Best American Short Stories have launched literary careers, and confirmed for all time the significance of the short story in our national literature. Collections from years past yielded a rich harvest of surprises, stories that may have been forgotten but still retain their relevance and luster.
The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
Mariner Books. From the nuts and bolts of craft to the sources of inspiration, this book is for anyone who wants to write poetry-and do it well. The poet's companion presents brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing, each followed by distinctive writing exercises.
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The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: 50 North American Stories Since 1970 Touchstone Books Paperback
Boyle, anthony doerr, robert olen butler, dagoberto gilb, ron hansen, mary Gaitskill, Stuart Dybek, Peter Ho Davies, Janet Desaulniers, Kevin Brockmeier, Richard Ford, Junot Diaz, Deborah Eisenberg, Sandra Cisneros, A. M. Fifty remarkable short stories from a range of contemporary fiction authors including Junot Diaz, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jamaica Kincaid, and more, selected from a survey of more than five hundred English professors, short story writers, Amy Tan, and novelists.
Contributors include russell banks, Richard Bausch, Charles Baxter, Rick Bass, Amy Bloom, Donald Barthelme, T. C. Mariner Books.
Is Life Like This?: A Guide to Writing Your First Novel in Six Months
A patient teacher and an experienced writer, Dufresne focuses his expertise and good humor on helping aspiring novelists take their first tentative steps. Mariner Books.
FLASH!: Writing the Very Short Story
But now a brave new genre has emerged: very brief fiction. The history of fiction has been dominated by the novel and the short story. John dufresne’s characteristic warmth, and humor remind writers of the joy in the creative process, wit, making this a perfect guide for any writer interested in trying a new form.
Houghton mifflin harcourt.
Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within
. In this fresh approach to writing poetry, the coauthor of the perennially popular The Poet's Companion offers sharp insights into the craft of writing. Chapters on gender, race and class, addiction, metaphor and line invite each individual writer to find and to hone his or her unique voice. Touchstone Books.
Houghton mifflin harcourt. Not a means to an end, but an ongoing participation. A widely acclaimed poet and finalist for the national book Award, Addonizio meditates on her own process as she encourages writers to explore both their personal and political worlds, to seek inspiration from poets new and old, and to discover the rich poetic resources of the Internet.
Mariner Books.
In the Palm of Your Hand, Second Edition: A Poet's Portable Workshop Second Edition
This edition adds steve kowit’s famous essay on poetics “The Mystique of the Difficult Poem, ” in which he argues stirringly and forcefully that a poem need not be obscure to be great. Ideal for teachers who have been searching for a way to inspire students with a love for writing--and reading--contemporary poetry.
It is a book about shaping your memories and passions, dreams, your pleasures, obsessions, secrets, and sorrows into the poems you have always wanted to write. If you long to create poetry that is magical and moving, this is the book you've been looking for. Here are chapters on the language and music of poetry, and how to get your poetry started, the art of revision, traditional and experimental techniques, perfected, and published.
Not the least of the book's pleasures are model poems by many of the best contemporary poets, illuminating craft discussions, and the author's detailed suggestions for writing dozens of poems about your deepest and most passionate concerns. Mariner Books.
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
In this practical, simply and cogently, instructive handbook, he explains, based on the courses and seminars that he gave, the principles and techniques of good writing. Gardner’s lessons, exemplified with detailed excerpts from classic works of literature, sweep across a complete range of topics—from the nature of aesthetics to the shape of a refined sentence.
Touchstone Books. Mariner Books. Vintage. This classic guide, from the renowned novelist and professor, has helped transform generations of aspiring writers into masterful writers—and will continue to do so for many years to come. Houghton mifflin harcourt. Tilbury house.
The Art of Writing Fiction
Houghton mifflin harcourt. Vintage. Touchstone Books. Andrew cowan provides an insightful introduction that brings his own well-crafted prose style to bear on the processes and pleasures of writing fiction, offering practical and personal advice culled from his own experience and that of other published writers.
The art of writing fiction guides the reader through the processes of creative writing from journal-keeping to editing, offering techniques for stimulating creativity and making language vivid. Mariner Books. Tilbury house.