When cultural critics with such wildly divergent views as Jacques Barzun, Christopher Hitchens, Joseph Epstein, Dana Gioia, and Morris Dickstein all agree about the merits of one contemporary essayist, shouldn't you find out why? "I never think except when I sit down to write." -- Attributed to Montaigne by Edgar Allan Poe From Montaigne in the sixteenth century to Orwell, Eliot, and Trilling in the twentieth, the best literary essayists combine a gift for observation with an abiding commitment to books. Although it may seem that books are becoming less essential and that a revolution in sensibility is taking place, the essays of Arthur Krystal suggest otherwise. Companionable without being chummy, engaged without being didactic, erudite without being stuffy, he demonstrates that literature, even in the digital age, remains the truest expression of the human condition. Covering subjects as diverse as aphorisms, dueling, the night, and the 1960s, the essays gathered here offer the common reader uncommon pleasure. In prose that is both vibrant and elegant, Krystal negotiates among myriad subjects-from historical writing as exemplified by Jacques Barzun to the art of screenwriting as not so happily represented by F. Scott Fitzgerald. His cardinal rule as a writer? William Hazlitt's "Confound it, man, don't be insipid." No fear of that. Except When I Write is thoughtful in the most joyful sense-brimming with ideas in order to give us the flow and cadence of someone actually thinking. Keenly observant and death on pretension, Krystal examines the world of books without ever losing sight of the world beyond them. Literature may be the bedrock on which these essays rest, but as F. R. Leavis aptly noted, "One cannot seriously be interested in literature and remain purely literary in interests." Except When I Write is a reminder of both the pleasure and the power of a well-tuned essay.

Academic Writing is a unique introduction to the subject. As the author puts it in her preface, “this book develops from a strong claim: namely, that style is meaningful.” In developing that theme, the author draws meaningfully on theory, especially genre theory, while remaining grounded in the particular. Giltrow presents and discusses examples of actual academic writing of the sort that students must learn to deal with daily, and to write themselves. As newcomers to the scholarly community, students can find that community’s ways of reading and writing mysterious, unpredictable and intimidating. Academic Writing demystifies the scholarly genres, shedding light on their discursive conventions and on academic readers’ expectations and values. Throughout, Academic Writing respects the student writer; it engages the reader’s interest without ever condescending, and it avoids the arbitrary and the dogmatic. The book also offers abundant exercises to help the student develop techniques for working productively at each stage of the scholarly writing process; mastering and summarizing difficult scholarly sources; planning; and revising to create good working conditions for the reader. The third edition of Giltrow’s extremely successful book incorporates extensive revisions that integrate the theoretical perspectives of genre theory into the whole of the book in a more organic fashion; the changes are designed to make the book both more attuned to scholarly practice and more accessible to the undergraduate student. Giltrow’s Academic Reading is designed as an accompanying reader for Academic Writing.

In his long career in literary journalism, Alex Hamilton has probably met and talked in depth to more of our great writers than anyone else, from the most critically acclaimed to the most hard-nosed bestsellers, from novelists to cartoonists, and in every genre, from Thrillers and Whodunnits to Short Stories, from Poetry to Science Fiction.This selection from a life’s work gives us a stimulating and rare insight into the minds and lives of some of the most fascinating creators of our modern culture. It’s a book that contains many surprises in the revelations given by some of the authors about their struggles and victories, the serious or humorous commitments made by them, and their addiction to the kind of fiction they like to write. The reader will soon realise that no two of these eighty-five featured authors – such as Kurt Vonnegut, Angela Carter, Stephen King, Daphne du Maurier, Ian McEwan, Jorge Luis Borges, Graham Greene or Margaret Atwood – are alike. Splendidly informative and serious, Writing Talk is also often very funny: a book to dip into as the mood takes, or to dive into hungrily. It will appeal to those with a passion for books and for the people who have written them.“I’ve been fortunate to talk to so many marvellous writers. Gathering some of these conversations into a book, rather than their brief life in a daily newspaper, offers a chance for readers to share my pleasure and to introduce a new generation to some past greats,” says Alex Hamilton, behind his reason to create Writing Talk.

Your future as a writer is in your hands. Whether you are a newcomer or an accomplished professional, a novelist, story writer, or a writer of nonfiction, you will find this book a wealth of immediately useful guidance not available anywhere else. As Sol Stein, renowned editor, author, and instructor, explains, "This is not a book of theory. It is a book of useable solutions-- how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place." You will find one of the great unspoken secrets of craftsmanship in Chapter 5, called "Markers: The Key to Swift Characterization." In Chapter 7, Stein reveals for he first time in print the wonderful system for creating instant conflict developed in the Playwrights Group of the Actors Studio, of which he was a founder. In "Secrets of Good Dialogue," the premier teacher of dialogue gives you the instantly useable techniques that not only make verbal exchanges exciting but that move the story forward immediately. You won't need to struggle with flashbacks or background material after you've read Chapter 14, which shows you how to bring background into the foreground. Writers of both fiction and nonfiction will relish the amphetamines for speeding up pace, and the many ways to liposuction flab, as well as how to tap originality and recognize what successful titles have in common. You'll discover literary values that enhance writing, providing depth and resonance. You'll bless the day you read Chapters 32 and 33 and discover why revising by starting at page one can be a serious mistake, and how to revise without growing cold on your manuscript. In the pages of this book, nonfiction writers will find a passport to the new revolution in journalism and a guide to using the techniques of fiction to enhance nonfiction. Fresh, useful, informative, and fun to read and reread, Stein on Writing is a book you will mark up, dog-ear, and cherish.

Matthew's dream is to be a writer. Too bad he's the only one who seems to see the potential in himself. During his senior year of high school, Matt is beginning to feel the pressures of his dreams closing in around him. Still, he has no idea how he should go about being a writer at all. That is, until his English teacher--the intolerable Ms. Castro--informs him that he will be tutoring a sophomore by the name of Lexi O'Reilly. Suddenly, Matthew finds something worth writing about. As his writing makes its way around the school, life begins throwing Matt for quite the loop. His new girlfriend has become distant, his friend Kat turns and runs at the very sight of him, and his boss--world-renowned author Sheldon Craig--is still being a total douche bag. Just when everything was beginning to fall into place, it's slipping back out again and falling to pieces. Meanwhile, Matthew is simply trying to do the right thing to fix it all. The trouble is, he hasn't quite figured out what that is yet.

The Arvon Book of Crime and Thriller Writing is an essential guide to writing in these exciting genres. Part 1 explores the nature and history of the genre and helps you get started with ideas, planning and research. Part 2 includes tips by bestselling crime writers: Mark Billingham, S. J. Bolton, Alafair Burke, Lee Child, N. J. Cooper, Meg Gardiner, Tess Gerritsen, Sophie Hannah, Jim Kelly, Laura Lippman, Gayle Lynds, Alex McBride, Val McDermid, Dreda Say Mitchell, Sara Paretsky, Jill Paton Walsh, George Pelecanos, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, S. J. Rozan, Guy Saville, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Dana Stabenow, Andrew Taylor, Charles Todd and Laura Wilson. Part 3 contains practical advice--from shaping plots and exploring your characters to the meaning of writer's block, the power of the rewrite, and how to find an agent when your novel is complete.

Before European settlers arrived in North America, more than 300 distinct languages were being spoken among the continent's Indigenous peoples. But the Euro-American emphasis on alphabetic literacy has historically hidden the power and influence of Indigenous verbal and nonverbal language diversity on encounters between Indigenous North Americans and settlers. In this pathbreaking work, Phillip H. Round reveals how Native North Americans sparked a communications revolution in their adaptation and resistance to settlers' modes of speaking and writing. Round especially focuses on communication through inscription—the physical act of making a mark, the tools involved, and the social and cultural processes that render the mark legible. Using methods from history, literary studies, media studies, linguistics, and material culture studies, Round shows how Indigenous graphic practices embodied Native epistemologies while fostering linguistic innovation. Round's broad theory of graphogenesis—creating meaningful inscription—leads to new insights for both the past and present of Indigenous expression in a range of forms. Readers will find powerful new insights into Indigenous languages and linguistic practices, with important implications not just for scholars but for those working to support ongoing Native American self-determination.