This book provides clear, useful advice on how to write for college courses in history.

Give your story its best start! The best beginnings possess a magical quality that grabs readers from the first word and never lets them go. But beginnings aren't just the door into a fictional world. They are the gateway to the realm of publishing--one that could shut as quickly as it opens. In The Writer's Guide to Beginnings, author and literary agent Paula Munier shows you how to craft flawless beginnings that impress agents, engage editors, and captivate readers. You'll learn how to develop the big idea of your story and introduce it on page one, structure opening scenes that encompass their own story arc, kickstart your writing with effective brainstorming techniques, and introduce a compelling cast of characters that drive the plot. You'll also examine the best-selling novels from different genres to learn the secrets that experienced writers use to dive straight into a story. With thorough examinations of voice, point of view, setting, dialogue and conflict, The Writer's Guide to Beginnings is a must-have tool for luring your readers in with your opening pages--and convincing them to stick around for the ride. "Writing a book? Hard. Writing the beginning of a book? Rocket science! Strap on your spacesuit, because thanks to Munier's nuanced, actionable breakdown of every possible aspect of a gripping opening, authors everywhere can now take their books to the stars." --K.M. Weiland

Give your story its best start! The best beginnings possess a magical quality that grabs readers from the first word and never lets them go. But beginnings aren't just the door into a fictional world. They are the gateway to the realm of publishing--one that could shut as quickly as it opens. In The Writer's Guide to Beginnings, author and literary agent Paula Munier shows you how to craft flawless beginnings that impress agents, engage editors, and captivate readers. You'll learn how to develop the big idea of your story and introduce it on page one, structure opening scenes that encompass their own story arc, kickstart your writing with effective brainstorming techniques, and introduce a compelling cast of characters that drive the plot. You'll also examine the best-selling novels from different genres to learn the secrets that experienced writers use to dive straight into a story. With thorough examinations of voice, point of view, setting, dialogue and conflict, The Writer's Guide to Beginnings is a must-have tool for luring your readers in with your opening pages--and convincing them to stick around for the ride. "Writing a book? Hard. Writing the beginning of a book? Rocket science! Strap on your spacesuit, because thanks to Munier's nuanced, actionable breakdown of every possible aspect of a gripping opening, authors everywhere can now take their books to the stars." --K.M. Weiland

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 readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets—and it’s a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper. The vast majority of writing advice focuses on “writing well” as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail—they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain’s hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won’t hold anyone’s interest. Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.

Engage with the Next Generation of Writers! Wattpad is an online storytelling community where users can post their writing, such as articles, stories, novels, fan fiction, and poems. This platform offers writers the chance to connect directly with readers, fans, and story enthusiasts. With the ability to release stories and chapters one at a time, authors can receive continual encouragement and real-time feedback on their work. The Wattpad staff supports successful writers through their Stars program, which provides them opportunities to work with successful brands, publish to print, connect to film and television industries, and more. The potential of Wattpad for writers is limitless, and, for the first-time ever, the staff, writers, and stars of Wattpad have created the guide to help you launch and sustain a successful writing career through this platform. In The Writer's Guide to Wattpad, you'll learn how to: • Get started using Wattpad, prepare your writing to be published, and develop a unique cover design. • Interact with readers, use multimedia to enhance and tell stories, and leverage social media to create a stronger platform. • Attract the attention of an agent or publisher and sell copies of your work elsewhere. • Tap into the brand of Wattpad to understand their Stars Program, brand campaigns, and what success looks like. Written to be accessible to beginners and veterans alike, The Writer's Guide to Wattpad is your essential companion to navigating the Wattpad platform and brand, and leveraging your writing to millions of users worldwide.

Want to dictate up to 5000 WORDS an hour? Want to do it with 99% ACCURACY from the day you start? NEW EDITION: UPDATED to cover the latest Dragon Professional Individual v15 for PC & v6 for Mac FREE video training included! As writers, we all know what an incredible tool dictation software can be. It enables us to write faster and avoid the dangers of RSI and a sedentary lifestyle. But many of us give up on dictating when we find we can't get the accuracy we need to be truly productive. This book changes all of that. With almost two decades of using Dragon software under his belt and a wealth of insider knowledge from within the dictation industry, Scott Baker will reveal how to supercharge your writing and achieve sky-high recognition accuracy from the moment you start using the software. You will learn: - Hidden tricks to use when installing Dragon NaturallySpeaking on a Windows PC or Dragon Dictate for Mac; - How to choose the right microphone and set it up perfectly for speech recognition; - The little-known techniques that will ensure around 99% accuracy from your first install – and how to make this even better over time; - Setting up fail-safe dictation profiles with multiple microphones and voice recorders, without impacting your accuracy; - How to train the software to adapt to both your voice AND writing style and avoid your accuracy declining; - Strategies for achieving your entire daily word count in just one or two hours; - Many more tips and tricks you won't find anywhere else. At the end of the book, you'll also find an exclusive list of resources and links to FREE video training to take your knowledge even further. It's time to write at the speed of speech – and transform your writing workflow forever! Subject keywords: Dragon Dictate Naturally Speaking for PC Mac, dictating your book or novel, dictation for writers authors beginners advanced, creative writing guides, self publishing

Every writer wants to publish as widely as possible, and this book gives writers the tools to achieve a competitive edge and break into a wide range of markets. The second edition has been updated throughout and expanded to cover e-mail pitches, letters of introduction, pitching to international markets, how to pitch agents at conferences, and new markets such as greeting cards. This sprightly guide enables readers to expand their markets and increase sales by learning how to make the perfect pitch to magazines, publishers, corporations, and other potential clients. This indispensable resource provides writers with successful approaches to such topics as how to craft a query letter, create a nonfiction or fiction book proposal, approach newspapers with a column or syndication idea, get corporate freelancing jobs, and win a writing grant. Interviews with experts in a variety of fields and dozens of new examples of successful pitches, queries and proposals enliven and illustrate the text. Beginning and experienced writers will find this the perfect one-of-a-kind, desktop reference for developing the market approaches they need to sell their work.