| Description |
xvi, 367 pages ; 21 cm |
| Summary |
"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 bloodcurdling plot twist, including: -Harlan Ellison (R), on crafting the perfect story title -Jack Ketchum, on how economy of language helps create a truly frightening tale -Piers Anthony, on making fantastical characters feel genuine and relatable This collection of storytelling secrets from top genre writers-including winners of Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Bram Stoker awards-is essential for any writer looking to take a leap beyond the ordinary"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Contents |
Editor's Note --- Understand Your Speculative Genre -- Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Ideas? Making Speculative Fiction Speculative / Steven Saus -- Choosing Your Speculative Genre / Jule Selbo -- Writing Horror / Glenn M. Benest -- Introduction to the 1831 Edition of Frankenstein / Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley -- The Grimm Art of Fairy Tales / Kate Bernheimer -- Credibility / Vincent M. Wales -- How Do Sub-genres Impact Your Creation of a Hero? / Lisa Renee Jones -- Wood Knot Dew / Piers Anthony --- Ideas and Inspiration -- The Secret Room / Aimee Bender -- Steal from Your Dreams with a Twist of Fevered Writing / Kim Dower -- Writing About Your Childhood / Brian James Freeman -- How to Channel Your Imagination / Brittany Winner -- An Exercise in Dreamsnake / Vonda N. McIntyre -- Walking the Dog / Kealan Patrick Burke -- Magical Inspiration / Sabrina Benulis -- Unlimited Ideas / Elliot Laurence -- Creativity on Demand / Steven Barnes --- Story Development and Plotting -- The Constant Writer: How to Plot an Entire Story in Minutes and Never Run Out of Ideas / Diego Valenzuela -- Put It in Space / Danika Dinsmore -- Call of the Wylleen / Xaque Gruber -- The Joy of Six / Sequoia Hamilton -- Tarot for Writers / James Wanless -- Freelancing Sci-Fi TV / Michael Reaves -- When the World Turns to Shit, Why Should I Care? Character Arc in Dystopian Stories / Raymond Obstfeld -- Story Endings: Where Monsters Lurk / Lois Gresh -- Begin at the End... / Michael Dillon Scott --- High Stakes and Terror -- Of Heroes and Villains / William F. Nolan -- The Eleven Tenets of Fear / Christine Conradt -- Anatomy of Choice / Derrick D. Pete -- How Spielberg and Shakespeare Grab 'Em in Five / Todd Klick -- Bump in the Night / Sara B. Cooper -- Diabolical Evil for Beginners / Ben Thompson -- Seeking the Darkness / Edward DeGeorge -- The Setting in Horror / Lisa Morton -- Bringing Horror Home / Jan Kozlowski --- Building Worlds -- Fact into Fiction / E. E. King -- Durham Think Historical / David Anthony -- In Xanadu...Grounding the Fantastic / Mark Sebanc -- Humming the Sets: World Building That Supports the Story / Melissa Scott -- System Rules / L. E. Modesitt Jr. -- So, What Do You Know? Deepening Your World Building Through Point of View / Janice Hardy -- Feel Things Out / Kij Johnson -- Building Worlds Without Boring Your Readers or Becoming the Minister for Tourism / Chris Howard -- Follow the Money / Nancy Kress --- Theme and Meaning -- First, There Was the Title / Harlan Ellison -- Writing into the Spiritual Unknown / Pen Densham -- Catching Up with the Future / Douglas Mcgowan -- Creating Your Own Science Fiction / Marc Scott Zicree -- Teaching Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers / Richard Bleiler -- Understanding Yourself Better Through Creative Writing / Brianna Winner -- Giving Sentience to Ordinary Objects---An Object's Purpose / Devorah Cutler-Rubenstein -- Leaping into Landscape / Wendy Mewes -- Finding Your Spirit in Speculative Writing / Eric Stener Carlson --- Memorable Heroes, Villains, and Monsters -- Start with the Name / Diana Peterfreund -- How Characters Drive Plot / Karen McCoy -- How We Feel a Story / Eric Edson -- The Black Unicorn / Bruce McAllister -- Create a Power! / Jeffrey A. Carver -- Fundamentals of Writing / Derek Taylor Kent -- The Villain's Handbook / Jessica Page Morrell -- Oh, the Humanity: What Makes Monsters Tick / Stacey Graham -- The Uncanny Valley / Mark Sevi -- Metamorphosis / Brad Schreiber --- Communication and Relationships -- He Do the Police in Different Voices / Reggie Oliver -- More Than Words Can Say / James G. Anderson -- Creating Convincing Communication Between Humans and Supernatural Creatures / Gabrielle Moss -- What's Love-Got to Do with It? / Vanessa Vaughn -- Love Between the Species / Mario Acevedo --- Scene Construction and Style -- Economy / Jack Ketchum -- Using Your Senses / Rainbow Reed -- Make It Real / J. Michelle Newman -- Describe a Spiral Staircase / Lillian Stewart Carl -- Breaking the Was-ing Habit (and Making Friends with Your Active Verbs) / Jody Lynn Nye -- Surprise in the Twenty-fourth Century / Scott Rubenstein -- Break the Compass / Lance Mazmanian -- Paint It Dark: Creating an Eerie Atmosphere and Foreshadowing Ominous Events / Simon Clark -- The Choreography of Violence / John Skipp --- Practicing Your Craft -- What You Don't Need / Ramsey Campbell -- A Long and Lonely Road / David Brin -- Writing Is Seeing / John Shirley -- Flashing Yourself / Jay Lake -- Go for a Walk / Nicholas Royle -- The Art of Being Horrifically Prolific / Jeremy Wagner -- Surviving Writer's Burnout / Dana Fredsti -- How to Molotov Cocktail the Thorny Problem of Adaptions, Speculative and Otherwise (The Screenwriting Anarchist's Way) / Peter Briggs -- Writing the Series / Sharon Scott -- A Writer Writes / Joe R. Lansdale |
| Subject |
Science fiction -- Authorship.
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Fantasy fiction -- Authorship.
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Horror tales -- Authorship.
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English language -- Rhetoric -- Problems, exercises, etc.
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| Added Author |
Lamson, Laurie.
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| ISBN |
9780399165559 (paperback) |
|
039916555X (paperback) |
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