"Featuring speculative fiction-writing exercises from Harlan Ellison (R), Piers Anthony, Ramsey Campbell, Jack Ketchum, screenwriters of The Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Next Generation, and many more. The fifth volume in the acclaimed Now Write! writing-guide series offers a full toolbox of advice and exercises for speculative fiction writers hoping to craft an engaging alternate reality, flesh out an enthralling fantasy quest, or dream up a...

Behind every acclaimed work of literature is a trove of heartfelt decisions. The best authors put painstaking—sometimes obsessive—effort into each element of their stories, from plot and character development to dialogue and point of view. What made Nabokov choose the name Lolita? Why did Fitzgerald use first-person narration in The Great Gatsby? How did Kerouac, who raged against revision, finally come to revise On the Road? Veteran editor and...

"Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can't let go...Cath just wants to hang out with her twin sister and write fanfiction. But now that they're in college, her sister doesn't have time for her. And life keeps pulling Cath further and further out of her shell. For the first time ever, Cath has her own social circle. There's...

"These seventeen essays by celebrated writers of color start a more inclusive conversation about storytelling and encourage readers and writers to re-evaluate the codes and conventions that have shaped their assumptions about how fiction should be written. Edited by Deepa Anappara, author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, and Taymour Soomro, author of Other Names for Love, this anthology features writers from around the world, from a diversity of...

[Here], Philip Athans uses classic examples from books, films and the world around us to explore what makes monsters memorable - and terrifying. You'll learn what monsters can (and should) represent in your story and how to create monsters from the ground up."--Back cover.

What she doesn't know about love could fill a book. With a successful career as a romance editor, and an engagement to a man who checks off all ninety-nine boxes on her carefully curated list, Lanie's more than good. She's killing it. Then she's given the opportunity of a lifetime: to work with world-renowned author and her biggest inspiration in love and life--the Noa Callaway. All Lanie has to do is cure Noa's writer's block and she'll get the promotion...

"Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love. ... Iris doesn't want any of that: dating, love, romance. She'll stick to her commitment-free hookups, thanks very much, except no one in her life will just let her be. ... Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she's completely out of ideas. Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar in Portland and meets a sexy stranger, Stefania, and a night...

The founders of "National Novel Writing Month" offer practical advice on how to organize and commit to writing stories and novels, and includes motivating essays from such popular authors as John Green and Scott Westerfeld.

"Novelist Jessica Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for novelists that applies the famed Save the Cat! screenwriting methodology to the world of novel writing. Revealing the 15 'beats' (plot points) that comprise a successful story--from the opening image to the finale--this book lays out the Ten Story Genres (Monster in the House; Whydunit; Dude with a Problem) alongside quirky, original insights (Save the Cat; Shard of Glass)...