Language arts & disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing

Writing best-selling children's books: 52 brilliant ideas for inspiring young readers

by Alexander Gordon Smith

Some people think that writing for kids is easy - short books, no big words, non-existent attention spans and then fill in any gaps with pictures. But nothing could be further from the truth. Children are the...

Writing for Emotional Impact

by Karl Iglesias

There are three kinds of feelings when reading a story - boredom, interest, and WOW! To become a successful writer you must create the WOW! Feeling on as many pages as possible, and this requires writing that...

Creative Writing DeMYSTiFied

by Sheila Bender

Whether for high school, college or pleasure creative writing, you need to know the basic elements of the craft. Creative Writing DeMYSTiFieD gives you helpful suggestions for evaluating your work for freshness...

Beyond the Writers' Workshop: New Ways to Write Creative Nonfiction

by Carol Bly

An innovative new approach to teaching and writing creative nonfiction from veteran teacher and critically acclaimed author Carol Bly.

Teachers and writers everywhere are facing the limits imposed by the prevailing...

Writing Motherhood: Tapping Into Your Creativity as a Mother and a Writer

by Lisa Garrigues

Have you always wanted to chronicle your experience of motherhood, but never knew how to begin? Are you looking for an outlet for self-expression, but can't imagine how you could juggle one more thing? In Writing...

Poetry as Spiritual Practice: Reading, Writing, and Using Poetry in Your Daily Rituals, Aspirations, and Intentions

by Robert McDowell

"[When we read and write poetry,] it is as if a long-settled cloud in our mind suddenly dissipates, and we are divine once again." -- from the Introduction

Poetry is the language of devotion in prayer, chant,...

The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives

by Lajos Egri

Amid the hundreds of "how-to" books that have appeared in recent years, there have been very few which attempted to analyze the mysteries of play-construction. This book does that -- and its principles are so...

Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir

by Natalie Goldberg

Twenty years ago Natalie Goldberg's classic, Writing Down the Bones, broke new ground in its approach to writing as a practice. Now, Old Friend from Far Away -- her first book since Writing Down the Bones to...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting

by Skip Press

This guide is for anyone who has ever thought of screenwriting. Written by someone who has "been there, done that," and lived to tell the tale, it reveals the most popular genres, explains how stories need to...

The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer

by Sandra Scofield

A treasure-trove of scene-writing wisdom from award-winning author and teacher Sandra Scofield To write a good scene, you have to know the following:

• Every scene has an EVENT

• Every scene has a FUNCTION...

On Teaching and Writing Fiction

by Wallace Stegner & Lynn Stegner

Wallace Stegner founded the acclaimed Stanford Writing Program-a program whose alumni include such literary luminaries as Larry McMurtry, Robert Stone, and Raymond Carver. Here Lynn Stegner brings together eight...

Now Write! Nonfiction

by Sherry Ellis

An essential handbook for nonfiction writers, featuring the trusted personal writing exercises of today's creative nonfiction masters, including Gay Talese, A. J. Jacobs, Reza Aslan, John Matteson, and many...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Copywriter's Words and Phrases

by Kathy Kleidermacher

Market more successfully-with thousands of powerful, persuasive words. This reference is for anyone who needs to write effective marketing copy-for ads, catalogs, brochures, letters, press releases, displays,...

Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University

by Mark Kramer

Inspiring stories and practical advice from America’s most respected journalists

The country’s most prominent journalists and nonfiction authors gather each year at Harvard’s Nieman Conference on Narrative...

The Legacy Guide: Capturing the Facts, Memories, and Meaning of Your Life

by Carol Franco

The ultimate guide and companion for anyone who wants to record the story of his or her life or that of a loved one.

Have you ever wondered about an ancestor you know only as a compelling face in a faded family...

Writing Spirit: Finding Your Creative Soul

by Lynn Andrews

Lynn V. Andrews takes the reader with her as she goes on inward journeys with the help of the Sisterhood of the Shields, and relates the stories of others.

Join her as she is initiated into the Sisterhood and...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction

by Ron Benrey

The Christian fiction genre has been around since the late sixties, but the Left Behind series made it explode. This book walks you through the genre-what it is and isn't, how plot integrates with a Christian...

Unless It Moves the Human Heart

by Roger Rosenblatt

For more than forty years, distinguished author Roger Rosenblatt has also been a teacher of writing, guiding students with the same intelligence and generosity he brings to the page, answering the difficult...

140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form

by Dom Sagolla

Make the most of your messages on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites

The advent of Twitter and other social networking sites, as well as the popularity of text messaging, have made short-form...

Write Away: One Writer's Approach to the Novel

by Elizabeth George

Bestselling author Elizabeth George has spent years teaching writing, and in Write Away she shares her knowledge of the creative process. George combines clear, intelligent, and functional advice on fiction...