Author: Donald Maass
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 158297506X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Discover the Difference Between a So-So Manuscript and a Novel Readers Can't Forget We've all read them: novels by our favorite authors that disappoint. Uninspired and lifeless, we wonder what happened. Was the author in a hurry? Did she have a bad year? Has he lost interest altogether? Something similar is true of a great many unpublished manuscripts. They are okay stories that never take flight. They don't grip the imagination, let alone the heart. They merit only a shrug and a polite dismissal by agents and editors. It doesn't have to be that way. In The Fire in Fiction, successful literary agent and author Donald Maass shows you not only how to infuse your story with deep conviction and fiery passion, but how to do it over and over again. The book features: • Techniques for capturing a special time and place, creating characters whose lives matter, nailing multiple-impact plot turns, making the supernatural real, infusing issues into fiction, and more. • Story-enriching exercises at the end of every chapter to show you how to apply the practical tools just covered to your own work. • Rich examples drawn from contemporary novels as diverse as The Lake House, Water for Elephants, and Jennifer Government to illustrate how various techniques work in actual stories. Plus, Maass introduces an original technique that any novelist can use any time, in any scene, in any novel, even on the most uninspired day...to take the most powerful experiences from your personal life and turn those experiences directly into powerful fiction. Tap into The Fire in Fiction, and supercharge your story with originality and spark!
The Fire in Fiction
Author: Donald Maass
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 158297506X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Discover the Difference Between a So-So Manuscript and a Novel Readers Can't Forget We've all read them: novels by our favorite authors that disappoint. Uninspired and lifeless, we wonder what happened. Was the author in a hurry? Did she have a bad year? Has he lost interest altogether? Something similar is true of a great many unpublished manuscripts. They are okay stories that never take flight. They don't grip the imagination, let alone the heart. They merit only a shrug and a polite dismissal by agents and editors. It doesn't have to be that way. In The Fire in Fiction, successful literary agent and author Donald Maass shows you not only how to infuse your story with deep conviction and fiery passion, but how to do it over and over again. The book features: • Techniques for capturing a special time and place, creating characters whose lives matter, nailing multiple-impact plot turns, making the supernatural real, infusing issues into fiction, and more. • Story-enriching exercises at the end of every chapter to show you how to apply the practical tools just covered to your own work. • Rich examples drawn from contemporary novels as diverse as The Lake House, Water for Elephants, and Jennifer Government to illustrate how various techniques work in actual stories. Plus, Maass introduces an original technique that any novelist can use any time, in any scene, in any novel, even on the most uninspired day...to take the most powerful experiences from your personal life and turn those experiences directly into powerful fiction. Tap into The Fire in Fiction, and supercharge your story with originality and spark!
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 158297506X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
Discover the Difference Between a So-So Manuscript and a Novel Readers Can't Forget We've all read them: novels by our favorite authors that disappoint. Uninspired and lifeless, we wonder what happened. Was the author in a hurry? Did she have a bad year? Has he lost interest altogether? Something similar is true of a great many unpublished manuscripts. They are okay stories that never take flight. They don't grip the imagination, let alone the heart. They merit only a shrug and a polite dismissal by agents and editors. It doesn't have to be that way. In The Fire in Fiction, successful literary agent and author Donald Maass shows you not only how to infuse your story with deep conviction and fiery passion, but how to do it over and over again. The book features: • Techniques for capturing a special time and place, creating characters whose lives matter, nailing multiple-impact plot turns, making the supernatural real, infusing issues into fiction, and more. • Story-enriching exercises at the end of every chapter to show you how to apply the practical tools just covered to your own work. • Rich examples drawn from contemporary novels as diverse as The Lake House, Water for Elephants, and Jennifer Government to illustrate how various techniques work in actual stories. Plus, Maass introduces an original technique that any novelist can use any time, in any scene, in any novel, even on the most uninspired day...to take the most powerful experiences from your personal life and turn those experiences directly into powerful fiction. Tap into The Fire in Fiction, and supercharge your story with originality and spark!
Fire in the Stone
Author: Nicholas Ruddick
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
ISBN: 0819569720
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
The genre of prehistoric fiction contains a surprisingly large and diverse group of fictional works by American, British, and French writers from the late nineteenth century to the present that describe prehistoric humans. Nicholas Ruddick explains why prehistoric fiction could not come into being until after the acceptance of Charles Darwin's theories, and argues that many early prehistoric fiction works are still worth reading even though the science upon which they are based is now outdated. Exploring the history and evolution of the genre, Ruddick shows how prehistoric fiction can offer fascinating insights into the possible origins of human nature, sexuality, racial distinctions, language, religion, and art. The book includes discussions of well-known prehistoric fiction by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, J.-H. Rosny Aîné, Jack London, William Golding, Arthur C. Clarke, and Jean M. Auel and reminds us of some unjustly forgotten landmarks of prehistoric fiction. It also briefly covers such topics as the recent boom in prehistoric romance, notable prehistoric fiction for children and young adults, and the most entertaining movies featuring prehistoric humans. The book includes illustrations that trace the changing popular images of cave men and women over the past 150 years.
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
ISBN: 0819569720
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
The genre of prehistoric fiction contains a surprisingly large and diverse group of fictional works by American, British, and French writers from the late nineteenth century to the present that describe prehistoric humans. Nicholas Ruddick explains why prehistoric fiction could not come into being until after the acceptance of Charles Darwin's theories, and argues that many early prehistoric fiction works are still worth reading even though the science upon which they are based is now outdated. Exploring the history and evolution of the genre, Ruddick shows how prehistoric fiction can offer fascinating insights into the possible origins of human nature, sexuality, racial distinctions, language, religion, and art. The book includes discussions of well-known prehistoric fiction by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, J.-H. Rosny Aîné, Jack London, William Golding, Arthur C. Clarke, and Jean M. Auel and reminds us of some unjustly forgotten landmarks of prehistoric fiction. It also briefly covers such topics as the recent boom in prehistoric romance, notable prehistoric fiction for children and young adults, and the most entertaining movies featuring prehistoric humans. The book includes illustrations that trace the changing popular images of cave men and women over the past 150 years.
A Fire Upon The Deep
Author: Vernor Vinge
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
ISBN: 1429981989
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 626
Book Description
Now with a new introduction for the Tor Essentials line, A Fire Upon the Deep is sure to bring a new generation of SF fans to Vinge's award-winning works. A Hugo Award-winning Novel! “Vinge is one of the best visionary writers of SF today.”-David Brin Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures, and technology, can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence. Fleeing this galactic threat, Ravna crash lands on a strange world with a ship-hold full of cryogenically frozen children, the only survivors from a destroyed space-lab. They are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. Tor books by Vernor Vinge Zones of Thought Series A Fire Upon The Deep A Deepness In The Sky The Children of The Sky Realtime/Bobble Series The Peace War Marooned in Realtime Other Novels The Witling Tatja Grimm's World Rainbows End Collections Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge True Names At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
ISBN: 1429981989
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 626
Book Description
Now with a new introduction for the Tor Essentials line, A Fire Upon the Deep is sure to bring a new generation of SF fans to Vinge's award-winning works. A Hugo Award-winning Novel! “Vinge is one of the best visionary writers of SF today.”-David Brin Thousands of years in the future, humanity is no longer alone in a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures, and technology, can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence. Fleeing this galactic threat, Ravna crash lands on a strange world with a ship-hold full of cryogenically frozen children, the only survivors from a destroyed space-lab. They are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. Tor books by Vernor Vinge Zones of Thought Series A Fire Upon The Deep A Deepness In The Sky The Children of The Sky Realtime/Bobble Series The Peace War Marooned in Realtime Other Novels The Witling Tatja Grimm's World Rainbows End Collections Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge True Names At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Fire on the Mountain
Author: Terry Bisson
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 1604862580
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 157
Book Description
It’s 1959 in socialist Virginia. The Deep South is an independent Black nation called Nova Africa. The second Mars expedition is about to touch down on the red planet. And a pregnant scientist is climbing the Blue Ridge in search of her great-great grandfather, a teenage slave who fought with John Brown and Harriet Tubman’s guerrilla army. Long unavailable in the U.S., published in France as Nova Africa, Fire on the Mountain is the story of what might have happened if John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry had succeeded—and the Civil War had been started not by the slave owners but the abolitionists.
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 1604862580
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 157
Book Description
It’s 1959 in socialist Virginia. The Deep South is an independent Black nation called Nova Africa. The second Mars expedition is about to touch down on the red planet. And a pregnant scientist is climbing the Blue Ridge in search of her great-great grandfather, a teenage slave who fought with John Brown and Harriet Tubman’s guerrilla army. Long unavailable in the U.S., published in France as Nova Africa, Fire on the Mountain is the story of what might have happened if John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry had succeeded—and the Civil War had been started not by the slave owners but the abolitionists.
Writing 21st Century Fiction
Author: Donald Maass
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1599634007
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Capture the minds, hearts, and imaginations of 21st century readers! Whether you're a commercial storyteller or a literary novelist, whether your goal is to write a best-selling novel or captivate readers with a satisfying, beautifully written story, the key to success is the same: high-impact fiction. Writing 21st Century Fiction will help you write a novel for today's readers and market, filled with rich characters, compelling plots, and resonant themes. Author and literary agent Donald Maass shows you how to: • Create fiction that transcends genre, conjures characters who look and feel more "real" than real people, and shows readers the work around them in new ways. • Infuse every page with an electric current of emotional appeal and micro-tension. • Harness the power of parallels, symbols, metaphors, and more to illuminate your novel in a lasting way. • Develop a personalized method of writing that works for you. With an arsenal of thought-provoking prompts and questions, plus plenty of examples from best-selling titles, Writing 21st Century Fiction will strip away your preconceived notions about writing in today's world and give you the essential tools you need to create fiction that will leave both readers and critics in awe.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1599634007
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Capture the minds, hearts, and imaginations of 21st century readers! Whether you're a commercial storyteller or a literary novelist, whether your goal is to write a best-selling novel or captivate readers with a satisfying, beautifully written story, the key to success is the same: high-impact fiction. Writing 21st Century Fiction will help you write a novel for today's readers and market, filled with rich characters, compelling plots, and resonant themes. Author and literary agent Donald Maass shows you how to: • Create fiction that transcends genre, conjures characters who look and feel more "real" than real people, and shows readers the work around them in new ways. • Infuse every page with an electric current of emotional appeal and micro-tension. • Harness the power of parallels, symbols, metaphors, and more to illuminate your novel in a lasting way. • Develop a personalized method of writing that works for you. With an arsenal of thought-provoking prompts and questions, plus plenty of examples from best-selling titles, Writing 21st Century Fiction will strip away your preconceived notions about writing in today's world and give you the essential tools you need to create fiction that will leave both readers and critics in awe.
Things We Lost in the Fire
Author: Mariana Enriquez
Publisher: Hogarth
ISBN: 0451495128
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
The “propulsive and mesmerizing” (The New York Times) story collection by the International Booker–shortlisted author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Our Share of Night—now with a new short story. The short stories of Mariana Enriquez are: “The most exciting discovery I’ve made in fiction for some time.”—Kazuo Ishiguro “Violent and cool, told in voices so lucid they feel spoken.”—The Boston Globe (Best Books of the Year) Electric, disturbing, and exhilarating, the stories of Things We Lost in the Fire explore multiple dimensions of life and death in contemporary Argentina. Each haunting tale simmers with the nation's troubled history, but among the abandoned houses, black magic, superstitions, lost loves and regrets, there is also friendship, compassion, and humor. Translated by the National Book Award-winning Megan McDowell, these “slim but phenomenal” (Vanity Fair) stories ask the biggest questions of life and show why Mariana Enriquez has become one of the most celebrated new voices in global literature.
Publisher: Hogarth
ISBN: 0451495128
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
The “propulsive and mesmerizing” (The New York Times) story collection by the International Booker–shortlisted author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and Our Share of Night—now with a new short story. The short stories of Mariana Enriquez are: “The most exciting discovery I’ve made in fiction for some time.”—Kazuo Ishiguro “Violent and cool, told in voices so lucid they feel spoken.”—The Boston Globe (Best Books of the Year) Electric, disturbing, and exhilarating, the stories of Things We Lost in the Fire explore multiple dimensions of life and death in contemporary Argentina. Each haunting tale simmers with the nation's troubled history, but among the abandoned houses, black magic, superstitions, lost loves and regrets, there is also friendship, compassion, and humor. Translated by the National Book Award-winning Megan McDowell, these “slim but phenomenal” (Vanity Fair) stories ask the biggest questions of life and show why Mariana Enriquez has become one of the most celebrated new voices in global literature.
Fire Year
Author: Jason K. Friedman
Publisher: Sarabande Books
ISBN: 1936747693
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
“Candid, cunning, brave, and wickedly funny,” these stories “will make you remember the first time you read Philip Roth” (Salvatore Scibona). Set it the Jewish communities of Georgia—from the 1920s to the present day—this Mary McCarthy Prize-winning collection investigates the crossroads of desire and religion in seven “funny, fearless outsiders’ tales . . . of sexual coming-of-age and temptation” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). A gay man attends his high school reunion in Savannah, where he’s pursued by the now-married golden-boy football star from his youth. An awkward teenager grapples with notions of God, superstition, and girls at his bar mitzvah. A curator’s assistant unearths the groundbreaking mystery of a Renaissance painter, and an even more surprising one in his personal life. A charitable cantor’s hopes for a budding romance are matched only by his remorse after acting on impulse. An aging widow, devoted to ancestral Jewish tradition, takes an unexpected stand against her modern-thinking grandson. In this illuminating collective of friends, family, and lovers dealing with shifting social norms in the South, “Friedman explores the balance between religious morality and personal desires in a style similar to Isaac Bashevis Singer and contemplates memory and loss as masterfully as Nathan Englander” (Southern Humanities Review). Though “Friedman works in that same O’Connor-Welty tradition . . . these stories shouldn’t be pigeonholed by regionalism or sexuality. In Friedman’s well made, rich, and finely paced stories, characters struggle to wed their desires to their community’s expectations and traditions—traits that resonate regardless of creed, address, race, or sexuality” (Los Angeles Review of Books).
Publisher: Sarabande Books
ISBN: 1936747693
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
“Candid, cunning, brave, and wickedly funny,” these stories “will make you remember the first time you read Philip Roth” (Salvatore Scibona). Set it the Jewish communities of Georgia—from the 1920s to the present day—this Mary McCarthy Prize-winning collection investigates the crossroads of desire and religion in seven “funny, fearless outsiders’ tales . . . of sexual coming-of-age and temptation” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). A gay man attends his high school reunion in Savannah, where he’s pursued by the now-married golden-boy football star from his youth. An awkward teenager grapples with notions of God, superstition, and girls at his bar mitzvah. A curator’s assistant unearths the groundbreaking mystery of a Renaissance painter, and an even more surprising one in his personal life. A charitable cantor’s hopes for a budding romance are matched only by his remorse after acting on impulse. An aging widow, devoted to ancestral Jewish tradition, takes an unexpected stand against her modern-thinking grandson. In this illuminating collective of friends, family, and lovers dealing with shifting social norms in the South, “Friedman explores the balance between religious morality and personal desires in a style similar to Isaac Bashevis Singer and contemplates memory and loss as masterfully as Nathan Englander” (Southern Humanities Review). Though “Friedman works in that same O’Connor-Welty tradition . . . these stories shouldn’t be pigeonholed by regionalism or sexuality. In Friedman’s well made, rich, and finely paced stories, characters struggle to wed their desires to their community’s expectations and traditions—traits that resonate regardless of creed, address, race, or sexuality” (Los Angeles Review of Books).
A Day of Fire
Author: Kate Quinn
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063310570
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 334
Book Description
From six bestselling authors, including New York Times bestseller Kate Quinn, comes a vividly imagined novel following the lives of those in ancient Pompeii on the fateful day Mount Vesuvius erupts. Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and these are their stories: A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii’s flourishing streets. An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire. An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished. A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue. A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls. A priestess and a prostitute seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried. Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each other’s paths during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063310570
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 334
Book Description
From six bestselling authors, including New York Times bestseller Kate Quinn, comes a vividly imagined novel following the lives of those in ancient Pompeii on the fateful day Mount Vesuvius erupts. Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain’s wrath . . . and these are their stories: A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii’s flourishing streets. An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire. An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished. A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue. A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls. A priestess and a prostitute seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried. Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each other’s paths during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
And After the Fire
Author: Lauren Belfer
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062428543
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
This literary thriller “explores the vexing question of whether art can be simultaneously beautiful and hateful . . . dazzle[s] while delving into dark places (NPR's Fresh Air). At the end of World War II, American soldier Henry Sachs takes a souvenir, an old music manuscript, from a deserted mansion in Germany and mistakenly kills the girl who tries to stop him. In America in 2010, Henry’s niece, Susanna Kessler, struggles to rebuild her life after an act of violence on the streets of New York City. When Henry dies, she uncovers the long-hidden music manuscript. She becomes determined to return it to its rightful owner, a journey that will challenge her preconceptions about herself and her family’s history—and also offer her an opportunity to make peace with the past. In Berlin, Germany, in 1783, amid the city’s glittering salons where aristocrats and commoners, Christians and Jews, mingle freely despite simmering anti-Semitism, Sara Itzig Levy, a renowned musician, conceals the manuscript of an anti-Jewish cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, an unsettling gift to her from Bach’s son, her teacher. This work and its disturbing message will haunt Sara and her family for generations to come. Interweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara, and their families, And After the Fire traverses over two hundred years of history, from the eighteenth century through the Holocaust and into today, seamlessly melding past and present, real and imagined. “Remarkably suspenseful . . . a literary thriller in the tradition of A. S. Byatt's Possession.” —Kirkus Reviews “Absorbing.” —Booklist, starred review “An intellectual thriller and a beautiful love story.” —Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Water for Elephants
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062428543
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
This literary thriller “explores the vexing question of whether art can be simultaneously beautiful and hateful . . . dazzle[s] while delving into dark places (NPR's Fresh Air). At the end of World War II, American soldier Henry Sachs takes a souvenir, an old music manuscript, from a deserted mansion in Germany and mistakenly kills the girl who tries to stop him. In America in 2010, Henry’s niece, Susanna Kessler, struggles to rebuild her life after an act of violence on the streets of New York City. When Henry dies, she uncovers the long-hidden music manuscript. She becomes determined to return it to its rightful owner, a journey that will challenge her preconceptions about herself and her family’s history—and also offer her an opportunity to make peace with the past. In Berlin, Germany, in 1783, amid the city’s glittering salons where aristocrats and commoners, Christians and Jews, mingle freely despite simmering anti-Semitism, Sara Itzig Levy, a renowned musician, conceals the manuscript of an anti-Jewish cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, an unsettling gift to her from Bach’s son, her teacher. This work and its disturbing message will haunt Sara and her family for generations to come. Interweaving the stories of Susanna and Sara, and their families, And After the Fire traverses over two hundred years of history, from the eighteenth century through the Holocaust and into today, seamlessly melding past and present, real and imagined. “Remarkably suspenseful . . . a literary thriller in the tradition of A. S. Byatt's Possession.” —Kirkus Reviews “Absorbing.” —Booklist, starred review “An intellectual thriller and a beautiful love story.” —Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Water for Elephants
Fiction and Social Research
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
ISBN: 9780761990352
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276
Book Description
This volume brings together writers from a variety of disciplines to explore and illustrate the possibilities of new narrative forms in social research. The book is arranged into four areas of concern: representation, subjectivity, critique, and postmodern discourse.
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
ISBN: 9780761990352
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276
Book Description
This volume brings together writers from a variety of disciplines to explore and illustrate the possibilities of new narrative forms in social research. The book is arranged into four areas of concern: representation, subjectivity, critique, and postmodern discourse.