The Art of Nonfiction - A Guide for Writers and Readers
In what way is the role of the subconscious different in writing than in editing? Should a writer's work "propagandize" for his particular philosophy of life? How does a writer acquire a distinctive style? How does one find good ideas for writing? Ayn Rand addresses these, and countless other, questions about the craft of writing in this extraordinary book. Culled (by Robert Mayhew) from sixteen informal lectures she delivered to a select audience in the late 1960s, this book offers theoretical insights and concrete advice. If you engage in any act of written communication—from lengthy books to brief letters-to-the-editor--this will be an invaluable guide for you.
Olivia Limoges is the subject of constant gossip. Ever since she came back to town-a return as mysterious as her departure-Olivia has kept to herself, her dog, and her unfinished novel. With a little cajoling from the eminently charming writer Camden Ford, she agrees to join the Bayside Book Writers, break her writer's block, and even make a few friends... But when townspeople start turning up dead with haiku poems left by the bodies, anyone with a flair for language is suddenly suspect. And it's up to Olivia to catch the killer before she meets her own surprise ending.
How to Be a Comedy Writer - Secrets from the Inside
Think you're funny? Writing successful comedy isn't just about having a gift for gags; you need to hone your talent and polish your humour to earn a living from making people laugh. If you want to write stand-up comedy, sketches, sitcoms or even a comic novel or film, How to be a Comedy Writer tells you all you need to know and more about the business, the structure of jokes and the nuts and bolts of a craft that can be learnt.
Any Human Heart: The Intimate Journals of Logan Mountstuart is a 2002 novel by William Boyd, a Scottish writer. It is written as a life-long series of journals kept by the protagonist, Logan Mountstuart, a writer whose life (1906–1991) spanned the defining episodes of the twentieth century, crossed several continents and included a convoluted sequence of relationships and literary endeavours. Boyd uses the diary form as a means of exploring how public events impinge on individual consciousness, so that Mountstuart’s journal alludes almost casually to the war, the death of a prime minister or the abdication of the king.
There are lots of good and Purge, by Sofi Oksanen even excellent novels. But really stunning, exceptional novels are rare. Purge (original title Puhdistus), written by Finnish-Estonian playwright, novelist, and activist Sofi Oksanen, a writer mostly unknown in the English-speaking world, is such a novel. Purge is her third novel, and has received a lot of well-deserved attention. With this book, Oksanen (born 1977) was the first ever writer to win both of Finland’s prestigious literary prizes—the Finlandia and the Runeberg. Then this marvelous piece of writing went on to win the Nordic Council Literature Prize as well.
