Writing First

In this book, experienced nonfiction writer Stephen Haunts shares his journey of writing his debut novel, Diary of a Martian, and offers essential insights into how to successfully plan, write, and prepare a novel for publication.

Penguin presents the audiobook edition if First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran, read by Roy McMillan. The sentence is the common ground where every writer walks. A poet writes in sentences, but so does the unsung author who came up with Items trapped in doors cause delays. A good sentence can...

Every aspect of screenwriting is covered with an authority and credibility never seen in any book to come before. Told with honesty, humor, and vulnerability from the real-world perspective of a working, professional screenwriter, Kill the Dog reveals the secrets of what it takes to have a successful career as a Hollywood screenwriter.

Immortalized as Dean Moriarty by Jack Kerouac in his epic novel, On the Road, Neal Cassady was infamous for his unstoppable energy and his overwhelming charm, his savvy hustle and his devil-may-care attitude. A treasured friend and traveling companion of Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Ken Kesey, to name just some of his cohorts on the beatnik path, Cassady lived life to the fullest, ready for inspiration at any turn. Here are his autobiographical writings, the rambling American saga of a free man.

Writing a short book for children ought to be easy, right? Not if you don't know what you're doing. The picture book is an art form with a definite blueprint, and you deviate from it at your peril. Like all of the writing lessons from the Front books, this book is brief. There are other books with philosophies and backgrounds and lots of full color illustrations on glossy pages, and this isn’t one of them.

Hang On, I Wrote a Book?! A simple, jargon-free approach to finally writing and publishing your first book. From the author of the acclaimed indie novel How to Mend a Broken Mallet. Have you ever dreamt of writing a book but haven't got the first idea where to start? You're not alone. Every bestselling author, every indie success story and every writer you've ever admired once stared at a blank page wondering what on earth to write first. Maybe you've got a brilliant idea scribbled in a notebook. Maybe you've started three novels and never finished one.

If you've listened to his books The War of Art and Turning Pro, you know that for 30 years Steven Pressfield (Gates of Fire, The Afghan Campaign etc.) wrote spec novel after spec novel before any publisher took him seriously. How did he finally break through? Ignoring just about every rule of commercial book publishing, Pressfield's "first" novel not only became a major best seller (over 250,000 copies sold), it was adapted into a feature film directed by Robert Redford and starring Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Charlize Theron.

Want to write a book but have no idea where to start? Writing your first book can feel exciting, overwhelming, and intimidating all at the same time. You may have an idea you've been thinking about for years, but you're not sure how to turn it into a finished manuscript. Or maybe you've always wanted to become an author but don't know what to do first.

This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers’ brains and captivate them through each plot element. Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps...

Over the years, I’ve written multiple novels, and I have condensed my best tips and practices to bring you How to Write Your First Novel: A Guide for Aspiring Fiction Authors. No matter your plan for publishing your novel, you first need to write the book. I’ve broken down the critical elements of success in two parts: your writing habits and your writing craft.

This booklet from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, a UCLA Extension Writers' Program instructor for nearly a decade, helps authors love the project they most love to hate - writing a book proposal. She has taken the guessing out of the book proposal process. Now, there is no need to take expensive, time-consuming classes or spend hours reading a tome to find the voice and format that will propel an author's idea from a dream to reality.

To write for the theater, you need to know about theater. Ideas are easy to come by. Examine your background, interest, and beliefs. Examine the world around you. Exercises can help you come up with ideas. Choose the audience you want to reach, and write to that audience.

Chris Greenwood is the man behind Manafest: the globally successful rock and rap musician who’s sold millions of singles and albums world-wide. With over 20 years experience in the industry, both as a signed artist and an independent musician, Chris shares his incredible experience as a song writer and hit-maker in this audiobook.

Learning how to write your first novel can be overwhelming. You have to master outlining, writing, revising, and so much more...and it can be scary if you've never done it before. While it seems daunting, writing your first novel is simple when you have someone experienced to help you through it. In this writer’s guide, prolific writer M.L. Ronn shares an easy step-by-step process of writing compelling fiction that he's perfected after writing over 40 books.

The day before Murray McBride moves Jenny, his beloved wife of eighty years, into a memory care center, she convinces him to search for a case her grandfather buried long ago, said to contain “a treasure worth more than gold.” With the help of some new friends, Murray and Jenny retrace their steps from years before. Over the course of the day, Murray tenderly retells their love story—how they met, the challenges they faced and overcame, and their initial attempt at the quest.

Part craft guide, part writing coach and part cheerleader, this audiobook offers useful advice on a slew of common writing and publishing ailments, such as how to end procrastination, how to build a social media platform that reflects your personality, how to get your imagination to overflow with new ideas, how to listen to your intuition when receiving a critique on your work, how to overcome impostor syndrome, what to do when you're stuck in the query trenches, and so much more.

Would you like to write a non-fiction book that readers love? There's an art and science to writing a non-fiction book that excites your readers and which earns you money. My name is Bryan Collins, I'm an author from Ireland, and I've published a number of popular non-fiction books. In this detailed, yet practical writing book, I explain all you need to know about writing your non-fiction book, step-by-step.

Do you want to turn your writing hobby into a lucrative part or full-time career? What if you had the freedom to choose when and where you work? Maybe you’ve considered becoming a freelance writer for the web but weren’t sure how to you get started. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Heck, you might have already read a book or two on this exact topic - there are a few out there. So why would we write another one? Because rarely will you find a book that shows you the exact steps you need to take to accomplish a specific goal. And one that’s enjoyable to listen to to boot!

In the summer of 1869, John Muir, a young Scottish immigrant, joined a crew of shepherds in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. The diary he kept while tending sheep formed the heart of this book and eventually lured thousands of Americans to visit Yosemite country. First...

A reunion gone viral. A love story that's anything but fictional❤️‍🔥📖 Debut author Gemma Stanton knows romance readers love a bad boy - and she has the perfect prototype for her novel: Mason Moretti. High school hockey god-turned-pro player, Mason was Gemma's first crush, but she...