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So You Want to Write (2nd Edition): How to Master the Craft of Writing Fiction and Memoir
 
 
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So You Want to Write (2nd Edition): How to Master the Craft of Writing Fiction and Memoir [Paperback]

Marge Piercy (Author), Ira Wood (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 1, 2005

“This is a great book, no matter what stage of writing you’re at!”—The Writer Magazine

“Here is a must-have for would-be writers. Put this on the shelf right beside Strunk and White.”—Booklist

“Addresses all the elements of successful writing.”—Tampa Tribune

“Advice on getting your work published is worth the cost of the book alone.”—St. Petersburg Times

A featured selection of the Writer’s Digest Book Club; chosen by The Writer Magazine as a Best Book of the Year; compared by the American Library Association to Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style; acclaimed by critics, students and teachers and adopted by universities across the country, the unique collaboration between a major American novelist and a publisher is back in a revised second edition, bigger and better than ever.

The most useful and entertaining writing book on the market, the updated second edition has new exercises and expanded essays, covering every aspect of writing and publishing fiction and memoir:

How to begin a piece so that a reader can’t put it down
How to create compelling characters
How professional writers use dialogue
How to narrow a strategy for telling the story of your life
How to write about painful material without coming off as a victim

Included are hundreds of insider tips, such as:

The seven important things when writing about loved ones
The 10 most destructive things writers do
What no one will tell you about rejection letters
FAQs about agents and how much writers really earn
What to do if your work is continually rejected

Marge Piercy is a New York Times best-selling novelist and memoirist. Ira Wood is a novelist and publisher. Their workshops, given nationally, address overcoming the inner and outer barriers to creativity.


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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marge Piercy is the author of 16 novels, including the bestsellers Gone to Soldiers and The Longings of Women and the classic Woman On the Edge of Time, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir, Sleeping With Cats. The author of 16 books of poetry, she is the most anthologized poet of her generation. Her work has been translated into 18 languages. Ira Wood is a publisher as well as the author of two novels The Kitchen Man and Going Public and the co-author (with Marge Piercy) of the erotic thriller Storm Tide. His workshops, given nationwide, emphasize the importance of the writer's craft and overcoming the inner and outer barriers to creativity.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Leapfrog Press; 2 edition (August 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 097289845X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0972898454
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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4 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Second Edition even better than the first!, June 20, 2006
This review is from: So You Want to Write (2nd Edition): How to Master the Craft of Writing Fiction and Memoir (Paperback)
Most of the time, reading books about writing improves one's writing as much as reading *The Joy of Running* improves one's cardivascular system. I have taught fiction to undergrads, and I usually tell them to spend their time at the keyboard rather than reading how-to books, which tend to be either facile or studiously dreamy.

However, *So you want to write* is based on Piercy's and Wood's workshops and exercises, and while no book will substitute for a good workshop, this book is worth your time. The suggested exercises point one's writing in new directions. The analyses of fiction examples within the book elucidate what was done right as well as deliniate what in the passages should be revised. The expanded exercises are worth purchasing the second edition, even if you already own the first version. The info about rejection slips and what they *really* mean is illuminating. The practical information about how a $100,000 advance is poverty wages is horrifying and absolutely essential to know.

This is an excellent book for writers seeking to explore the craft and broaden their writing.

TK Kenyon
Author of Rabid: A Novel and Callous: A Novel
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Worthwhile, March 1, 2007
This review is from: So You Want to Write (2nd Edition): How to Master the Craft of Writing Fiction and Memoir (Paperback)
I don't generally read this kind of book because I've read most of them and they tend to give good, but general and somewhat idealistic advice. However this one has a helpful section on plot- a chapter laced with examples from their slush pile and workshop experiences. I also enjoyed the 10 Most Destructive Things Writers Can Do....
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Concrete analysis of fiction writing, with exercises, September 6, 2008
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This review is from: So You Want to Write (2nd Edition): How to Master the Craft of Writing Fiction and Memoir (Paperback)
I really appreciated the exercises in this book. It also has a very concrete analysis of what it takes to write good fiction. The only drawback of this book, for someone who is not interested in writing a memoir, is that various parts of the book pertain to memoirs (of course, this is in the title), so I found myself skipping those parts.
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