This introductory creative writing text uses a unique, multi-genre approach to provide students with a broad-based knowledge of their craft, treating them as professional writers. Beginning by discussing elements common to all genres, this book underscores the importance of learning good writing habits before committing to a genre, encouraging writers to look beyond their genre expectations and learn from other forms. The book then devotes one chapter to each of the major literary genres: fiction, poetry, drama and creative nonfiction. These style-specific sections provide depth as they compare the different genres, furnishing students with a comprehensive understanding of creative writing as a discipline and fostering creativity. The discussion concludes with a chapter on digital media and an appendix on literary citizenship and publishing. With exercises at the end of each chapter, a glossary of literary terms, and a list of resources for further study, A Writer's Craft is the ideal companion to an introductory creative writing class. It has been listed as one of the 'Best Books for Writers' by Poets and Writers magazine.

“A novella compresses the world with a short story’s focus, but it explores that smaller space with a novel’s generosity.”—Josh Weil, author of The New Valley: Novellas While the novella has existed as a distinct literary form for over four hundred years, Writing the Novella is the first craft book dedicated to creating this intermediate-length fiction. Innovative, integrated journal prompts inspire and sustain the creative process, and classic novellas serve as examples throughout. Part 1 defines the novella form and steers early decision-making on situation, character, plot, and point of view. Part 2 provides detailed directions for writing the scenic plot points that support a strong but flexible narrative arc. Appendix materials include a list of recommended novellas, publishing opportunities, and blank templates for the story map, graphs, and charts used throughout the book. By turns instructive and inspirational, Writing the Novella will be a welcome resource for new and experienced writers alike.

A mainstay of many college writing programs by the best-selling author of Catching Heaven. Sands Hall has developed these essays, stories and exercises during twenty-four years as a writing instructor and freelance editor.

Getting a book successfully published is as much about talent and creative drive as it is a matter of determination and business practice. Luckily for would-be authors, this book delivers the how-to on both the creativity and the business. Lecturer and writing retreat leader Tom Bird introduces authors to their Divine Author Within, and guides them through the process of listening to this inner muse. They will learn how to tap into their "creative connected mind" and relax their "logical critical mind" so they will be able to write the book they've always wanted to--in just two drafts! Once the book is complete, writers learn how to sell their book. Bird instructs his readers how to successfully navigate the publishing world so that they can make the right choices for their work.

For Multiple Grades Models for Teaching Writing-craft Target Skills is your go-to guide for writing-craft instruction through exemplary and accessible literature models. Writing-craft Target Skills--those specific techniques that all good writers use to effectively craft clear and compelling fiction and non-fiction--are best taught through explicit modeling. Locating the appropriate mentor texts for every skill, however, can be a daunting and time-consuming task. This innovative resource puts more than 450 valuable literature models at your fingertips and matches them to thirty-three fundamental writing-craft Target Skills. To add variety and versatility to your K-8 writing classroom, Models for Teaching Writing-craft Target Skills includes a wide assortment of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry selections, ranging from picture books to intermediate texts. This revised and updated second edition also includes more than seventy Spanish literature models that are ideal for ESL/ELL writing-craft instruction. Save yourself time and energy by referencing four literature-model matrices, which alphabetically list fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and Spanish-text models. Each genre-specific matrix identifies multiple writing-craft skills so you can easily reference how to use many of the models to teach a variety of writing techniques. Models for Teaching Writing-craft Target Skills: Helps you fully utilize the strong connection between reading and writing; Increases the power of modeling in your writing-workshop lessons; Pre-selects and organizes a set of appropriate literature models to help you teach writing craft effectively; and Features Spanish literature models for teaching writing-craft skills to ESL/ELL students.

Great narratives are built piece by piece, through myriad small tasks and careful moves. In this landmark book, Robert Olmstead shows how distinguished writers past and present have built their fiction and nonfiction. Through this writer's-eye analysis of more than 150 of literature's most finely crafted passages, you'll learn to read like a writer. Then, more than 500 innovative exercises challenge you to experiment with - and expand upon - the techniques of the masters, so you can use them for great narratives of your own.

A collection of lectures addressed to young writers discussing topics ranging from poetry and drama to fiction and criticism. The discussions include Denise Levertov's "Origins of a Poem," Walker Percy's "The State of the Novel: Dying Art of New Science," Tom Wolfe's "Literary Technique in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century" and Arthur Miller's "The American Writer: The American Theater." Contains short biographical notes on the contributors, a brief history of Hopwood Awards and a list of the published prize-winning Hopwood manuscripts.