Compiled and edited by a professor of writing with more than thirty years' experience, this book offers a collection of essays and exercises to aid writers. Among the contributors are Keats, Hemingway, B.F. Skinner and George Bernard Shaw.

In A Writer’s Companion, Louis D. Rubin, Jr., has drawn on his years of accumulated wisdom—as well as the advice of some fifty prominent writers from various fields—to put together in a single volume a vast array of information. Organized in such a way as to make it exceptionally easy to use, and enhanced by Rubin’s graceful and witty prose, A Writer’s Companion will merit a place on the desk of every serious wordsmith. It is also a book that will bring endless hours of pleasure to anyone who enjoys reading simply for the sake of gaining new knowledge. As Casey Stengel said, “You could look it up.”

From the daughter of the iconoclastic comedic performer, Kelly Carlin’s memoir A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George “is written in the DNA of a Carlin, honest, biting, savage, funny, sad, dark, and profound...Hold on; like George Carlin, this book gives you a hell of a ride” (New York Times bestselling author and multi-award-winning comedian Lewis Black). Truly the voice of a generation, George Carlin gave the world some of the most hysterical and iconic comedy routines of the last fifty years. From the “Seven Dirty Words” and “A Place for My Stuff”, to “Religion is Bullshit” and “The American Dream”, he perfected the art of making audiences double over with laughter while simultaneously making people wake up to the realities (and insanities) of life in the twentieth century. Few people glimpsed the inner life of this beloved comedian, but his only child, Kelly, was there to see it all. Born at the very beginning of his decades-long career in comedy, she slid around the “old Dodge Dart,” as he and wife Brenda drove around the country to “hell gigs.” She witnessed his transformation in the ’70s, as he fought back against—and talked back to—the establishment; she even talked him down from a really bad acid trip a time or two (“Kelly, the sun has exploded and we have eight, no-seven and a half minutes to live!”). Kelly not only watched her father constantly reinvent himself and his comedy, but also had a front row seat to the roller coaster turmoil of her family’s inner life—alcoholism, cocaine addiction, life-threatening health scares, and a crushing debt to the IRS. But having been the only “adult” in her family prepared her little for the task of her own adulthood. All the while, Kelly sought to define her own voice as she separated from the shadow of her father’s genius. With rich humor and deep insight, Kelly Carlin pulls back the curtain on what it was like to grow up as the daughter of one of the most recognizable comedians of our time, and become a woman in her own right. This vivid, hilarious, heartbreaking story is at once singular and universal—it is a contemplation of what it takes to move beyond the legacy of childhood, and forge a life of your own.

The Essential Writer's Companion is a complete guide to effective communication. It contains basic information on spelling, punctuation, word formation, style, grammar, and proofreading - all organized clearly and accessibly. Learn how to construct persuasive sentences and paragraphs to ensure that your written work is to the point and forceful throughout. Special sections on writing papers and reports and on doing research in the library round out this indispensable volume for school, home, or office.

From “the funniest writer in America,” a book about cooking and cleaning for people who don’t know how to do those things and aren’t about to learn (The Wall Street Journal). In addition to debunking popular myths about bachelors (they are in fact not creatures known to hang around the house in silk smoking jackets, sipping brandy from oversized snifters), #1 New York Times–bestselling author P. J. O’Rourke offers some useful advice about housekeeping—or how best to avoid it—in this priceless guide. For example: “Every month or so, take the curtains down—and throw them away.” In the inimitable and irreverent style that has made him one of America’s most popular humorists, O’Rourke provides an essential guide to the practical business of living in the modern world and proves that “Camus had it all wrong about the myth of Sisyphus—it’s not symbolic of life, just housekeeping.” “To say that P. J. O’Rourke is funny is like saying that the Rocky Mountains are scenic—accurate but insufficient.” —Chicago Tribune

First published a decade ago, A Writer's Book of Days has become the ideal writing coach for thousands of writers. Newly revised, with new prompts, up-to-date Web resources, and more useful information than ever, this invaluable guide offers something for everyone looking to put pen to paper — a treasure trove of practical suggestions, expert advice, and powerful inspiration. Judy Reeves meets you wherever you may be on a given day with: • get-going prompts and exercises • insight into writing blocks • tips and techniques for finding time and creating space • ways to find images and inspiration • advice on working in writing groups • suggestions, quips, and trivia from accomplished practitioners Reeves's holistic approach addresses every aspect of what makes creativity possible (and joyful) — the physical, emotional, and spiritual. And like a smart, empathetic inner mentor, she will help you make every day a writing day.

Provides the tools needed to hone a writer's abilities, and it's written in a style that keeps the brain from crying out in frustration or dying of boredom. Instead of slipping into a coma, writers will master the structure [of] coherent plotting; fiction elements such as point of view, atmosphere, narrative, and characterization; and learn to revise grammar and syntax without imploding under the weight of dull rules. Once those skills are mastered, the Companion details simple but effective ways to rewrite, edit, format, and prepare manuscripts for publication ... And that's just the beginning! -- From back cover.

Cover reads "anecdotes, comforts, recollections and other amusements for every writer, editor and reader." 4x6.5". Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Expert writing advice from the editor of the Boston Globe best-seller, The Writer's Home Companion Dissertation writers need strong, practical advice, as well as someone to assure them that their struggles aren't unique. Joan Bolker, midwife to more than one hundred dissertations and co-founder of the Harvard Writing Center, offers invaluable suggestions for the graduate-student writer. Using positive reinforcement, she begins by reminding thesis writers that being able to devote themselves to a project that truly interests them can be a pleasurable adventure. She encourages them to pay close attention to their writing method in order to discover their individual work strategies that promote productivity; to stop feeling fearful that they may disappoint their advisors or family members; and to tailor their theses to their own writing style and personality needs. Using field-tested strategies she assists the student through the entire thesis-writing process, offering advice on choosing a topic and an advisor, on disciplining one's self to work at least fifteen minutes each day; setting short-term deadlines, on revising and defing the thesis, and on life and publication after the dissertation. Bolker makes writing the dissertation an enjoyable challenge.

A COMPANION TO CREATIVE WRITING A Companion to Creative Writing is a comprehensive collection covering myriad aspects of the practice and profession of creative writing in the contemporary world. The book features contributions from an international cast of creative writers, publishers and editors, critics, translators, literary prize judges, and many other top professionals. Chapters not only consider the practice of creative writing in terms of how it is “done,” but also in terms of what occurs in and around creative writing practice. Chapters address a wide range of topics including the writing of poetry and fiction; playwriting and screenwriting; writing for digital media; editing; creative writing and its engagement with language, spirituality, politics, education, and heritage. Other chapters explore the role of literary critics and ideas around authorship, as well as translation and creative writing, the teaching of creative writing, and the histories and character of the marketplace, prizes, awards, and literary events. With its unprecedented breadth of coverage, A Companion to Creative Writing is an indispensable resource for those who are undertaking creative writing, studying creative writing at any level, or considering studying creative writing.