808: Start Your Writing Journey!

The titles contained in this collection will help guide you through the process of writing your next novel, children's book, screenplay, and non-fiction piece. Topics of these books range from understanding the writing process, finding your voice, developing a writing schedule, and even includes author musings on the act of writing.

Updated August 24, 2023
H
Huntington Beach Public Library
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1

The amazing story generator : mix-and-match creative writing prompts
Paper Book
The Amazing Story Generator creates thousands of different story prompts! This flipbook for writers and other creative types allows users to randomly combine three different elements to generate a unique story idea. With hundreds of settings, characters, and plots to mix and match, the...

2

Appropriate : a provocation
Rekdal, Paisley
Paper Book
How do we properly define cultural appropriation, and is it always wrong? If we can write in the voice of another, should we? And if so, what questions do we need to consider first? In Appropriate, creative writing professor Paisley Rekdal addresses a young writer to delineate how the idea of...

3

The art of slow writing : reflections on time, craft, and creativity
DeSalvo, Louise A.
Paper Book
In a series of conversational observations and meditations on the writing process, The Art of Slow Writing examines the benefits of writing slowly. DeSalvo advises her readers to explore their creative process on deeper levels by getting to know themselves and their...

4

The aspiring screenwriter's dirty lowdown guide to fame and fortune : tough lessons you need to know to take your script from premise to premiere
Rose, Andy (Screenwriter)
Paper Book
A humorous and pithy guide to the craft of writing a screenplay and the business of being a screenwriter. Seeing your name on the silver screen beneath the words "Written By" is a moment most writers only dream of. But for those daring and talented few, brave enough to take...

5

Craft in the real world : rethinking fiction writing and workshopping
Salesses, Matthew
Paper Book
The traditional writing workshop was established with white male writers in mind; what we call craft is informed by their cultural values. In this bold and original examination of elements of writing - including plot, character, conflict, structure, and believability - Matthew Salesses asks...

6

Elements of fiction
Mosley, Walter
Paper Book
In his essential writing guide, This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley supplied aspiring writers with the basic tools to write a novel in one year. In this com-plementary follow up, Mosley guides the writer through the elements of not just any fiction writing, but the kind of...

7

Exploratory Writing : Everyday magic for life and work
Jones, Alison.
Paper Book
** Business Book Awards 2023 Finalist ** 'A really powerful book.' - Bruce Daisley Simple tools, extraordinary results. Everything we're learning about how we function best as humans in the digital age is pointing towards one of our oldest technologies: the pen and the page.<...

8

How to grow a novel : the most common mistakes writers make and how to overcome them
Stein, Sol.
Paper Book
Each year thousands of fiction writers, from beginners to bestselling author, benefit from Sol Stein's sold-out workshops, featured appearances at writers' conferences, software for writers, on-line columns, and his popular first book for writers, Stein on Writing. Stein practices what he...

9

The kite and the string : how to write with spontaneity and control - and live to tell the tale
Mattison, Alice
Paper Book
The Kite and the String is the only writing guide to explore both the stages of creative work and the practise of developing effective attitudes. Writing well does not result from following rules and instructions, but from a blend of spontaneity, discipline and particular attitudes toward the work....

10

The magic words : writing great books for children and young adults
Klein, Cheryl B.
Paper Book
The best children's and young adult novels take readers on wonderful outward adventures and stirring inward journeys. In The Magic Words, editor Cheryl B. Klein guides writers on an enjoyable and practical-minded voyage of their own, from developing a saleable premise for a novel to finding a dream...

11

The making of a story : a Norton guide to creative writing
LaPlante, Alice
Paper Book
The Making of a Story is a fresh and inspiring guide to the basics of creative writing--both fiction and creative nonfiction. Its hands-on, completely accessible approach walks writers through each stage of the creative process, from the initial triggering idea to the revision of the final...

12

Mastering plot twists : how to use suspense, targeted storytelling strategies, and structure to captivate your readers
Cleland, Jane K.
Paper Book
"...A unique and absolutely invaluable toolbox for any author..." -Kate White, New York Times best-selling author and former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Unlock the secrets to superior plot twists! The key to keeping people on the edge of their seat-...

13

Never say you can't survive
Anders, Charlie Jane
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE 2022 HUGO AWARD FOR BEST RELATED WORK From Charlie Jane Anders, the award-winning author of novels such as All the Birds in the Sky and The City in the Middle of the Night, this is one of the most practical guides to storytelling that you will ever read...

14

Process : the writing lives of great authors
Stodola, Sarah
Paper Book
Ernest Hemingway, Zadie Smith, Joan Didion, Franz Kafka, David Foster Wallace, and more. In Process, acclaimed journalist Sarah Stodola examines the creative methods of literature's most transformative figures. Each chapter contains a mini biography of one of the world's most lauded...

15

Welcome to the writer's life : how to design your writing craft, writing business, writing practice, and reading practice
Perhach, Paulette
Paper Book
Learn how to take your work to the next level with this informative guide on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing   With warmth and humor, Paulette Perhach welcomes you into the writer's life as someone who has once been on the outside looking in. Like a...

16

The writer's guide to beginnings
Munier, Paula
Paper Book
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...

17

The writer's practice : building confidence in your nonfiction writing
Warner, John
Paper Book
After more than two decades teaching college-level writing following the most established and well-regarded practices, writer, editor, and educator John Warner knew he could do better. Drawing on his classroom experience and the most persuasive research in contemporary composition studies, he...

18

Writing new adult fiction
Halverson, Deborah
Paper Book
Join the New Adult Fiction revolution! From Sylvia Day's Bared to You to Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster, new adult fiction has arrived--and it's hotter than ever. But there's more to this category than its 18-to-26-year-old characters: The success of your story...

19

Written : how to keep writing and build a habit that lasts
Evans, Bec
Paper Book
'What a lovely, friendly book. Made me feel cheerful, buoyant, less alone and keen to get on with my writing. Highly recommended.' Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Write It All Down 'If you want to go from "writing" to "written", then you need this book.' Graham Allcott...

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