Do you want to take your fiction writing to the next level? LEARN FROM THE MASTERS "Adam Sexton taught me how to read like a writer--and, in a way, how to write like a reader. For without first considering the experience of reading stories--seriously, thoroughly, the way Sexton does--you can't possibly write one worth reading." --Tara McCarthy, author of Love Will Tear Us Apart Many writers believe that if they just find the right teacher or workshop, their writing will reach new heights of skill. But why not learn from the best? In his popular workshops in New York City, creative writing instructor Adam Sexton has found that the most effective way for any writer to grasp on the elements of fiction is to study the great masters. Master Class in Fiction Writing is your personal crash course in creative writing, with the world's most accomplished fiction writers as your guides. You will learn: The art of characterization from Jane Austen Style and voice from Ernest Hemingway Dialogue from Iris Murdoch Description from Vladimir Nabokov The timeless techniques of plotting in the work of Joseph Conrad The ingenious structure of James Joyce Point of view from Toni Morrison Over the course of just ten chapters you can master all the components of great short story and novel writing. These are the most important lessons any writer can learn--a truly "novel" approach to writing that will enrich, inform, and inspire.

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." - Anton Chehkov If you dream of being a writer, why not learn from the best? In Your Creative Writing Masterclass you'll find ideas, techniques and encouragement from the most admired and respected contemporary and classic authors, including Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Anton Chekhov. Jurgen Wolff, bestselling author of Your Writing Coach, helps you translate these insights into action to master your craft and write what only you can write. From Robert Louis Stevenson to Mary Shelley, Alice Munro to Stephen King, Your Creative Writing Masterclass guide you through: finding your style, constructing powerful plots, generating story ideas, overcoming writer's block, creating vivid characters and crafting your ideal writer's life. Brimming with support and suggested activities to develop your writing skills, the book also features unique bonus advice, exercises, resources and sharing capabilities via the website www.YourCreativeWritingMasterclass.com.

Want To Find Your Voice? Learn from the Best. Time and time again you've been told to find your own unique writing style, as if it were as simple as pulling it out of thin air. But finding your voice isn't easy, so where better to look than to the greatest writers of our time? Write Like the Masters analyzes the writing styles of twenty-one great novelists, including Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, Franz Kafka, Flannery O'Connor, and Ray Bradbury. This fascinating and insightful guide shows you how to imitate the masters of literature and, in the process, learn advanced writing secrets to fire up your own work. You'll discover: • Herman Melville's secrets for creating characters as memorable as Captain Ahab • How to master point of view with techniques from Fyodor Dostoevesky • Ways to pick up the pace by keeping your sentences lean like Ernest Hemingway • The importance of sensual details from James Bond creator Ian Fleming • How to add suspense to your story by following the lead of the master of horror, Stephen King Whether you're working on a unique voice for your next novel or you're a composition student toying with different styles, this guide will help you gain insight into the work of the masters through the rhetorical technique of imitation. Filled with practical, easy-to-apply advice, Write Like the Masters is your key to understanding and using the proven techniques of history's greatest authors.

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Tan, a memoir about finding meaning in life through acts of creativity and imagination. As seen on PBS American Masters "Unintended Memoir." In Where the Past Begins, bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement Amy Tan reveals the ways that our memories and personal experiences can inform our creative work. Drawing on her vivid impressions of her upbringing, Tan investigates the truths and inspirations behind her writing while illuminating how we all explore, confront, and process complex memories, especially half-forgotten ones from childhood. With candor, empathy, and humor, Tan sheds light on her own writing process, sharing her hard-won insights on the nature of creativity and inspiration while exploring the universal urge to examine truth through the workings of imagination—and what that imaginative world tells us about our own lives. Where the Past Begins is both a unique look into the mind of an extraordinary storyteller and an indispensable guide for writers, artists, and other creative thinkers.

"52 great authors, their best short fiction, and their insights on writing"--Cover.

Margaret Atwood examines the nature of writing and the role of writers.

Experience the power and the promise of working in today' most exciting literary form: Creative Nonfiction Writing Creative Nonfiction presents more than thirty essays examining every key element of the craft, from researching ideas and structuring the story, to reportage and personal reflection. You'll learn from some of today's top creative nonfiction writers, including: • Terry Tempest Williams - Analyze your motivation for writing, its value, and its strength. • Alan Cheuse - Discover how interesting, compelling essays can be drawn from every corner of your life and the world in which you live. • Phillip Lopate - Build your narrator–yourself–into a fully fleshed-out character, giving your readers a clearer, more compelling idea of who is speaking and why they should listen. • Robin Hemley - Develop a narrative strategy for structuring your story and making it cohesive. • Carolyn Forche - Master the journalistic ethics of creative nonfiction. • Dinty W. Moore - Use satire, exaggeration, juxtaposition, and other forms of humor in creative nonfiction. • Philip Gerard - Understand the narrative stance–why and how an author should, or should not, enter into the story. Through insightful prompts and exercises, these contributors help make the challenge of writing creative nonfiction–whether biography, true-life adventure, memoir, or narrative history–a welcome, rewarding endeavor. You'll also find an exciting, creative nonfiction "reader" comprising the final third of the book, featuring pieces from Barry Lopez, Annie Dillard, Beverly Lowry, Phillip Lopate, and more–selections so extraordinary, they will teach, delight, inspire, and entertain you for years to come!