Writing Stories : Fantastic Fiction from Start to Finish [Hardcover]

David L. Harrison (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

Inspiration and guidance for gathering story ideas, writing story outlines, revising, and all the secrets good writers use to make their stories shine.

Everything young writers needs to know to improve their stories: how to start a story, suggestions to help with plot, character, voice, and setting, how to end a story, and questions to ask when the story is done to help make revisions. The guide includes practical suggestions from the author and many other writers throughout. There are chapters on the special needs of several popular genres including realistic fiction, SF/Fantasy, and historical fiction.
An appendix lists guidelines for peer editing.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-9 - This reader-friendly title makes learning how to write stories interesting and enjoyable. Harrison details the process of writing, including the importance of a good beginning and ending, the elements of a story, genres, and how to revise the first draft and continue with rewriting before the final product is completed. He uses five types of sidebars ("Tools," "Techniques," "Helpful Hints," "Secrets," and "Try This"), all introduced in the first chapter, to give additional information, guidelines, or direction. What makes this book so valuable is that all of the ideas and suggestions are illustrated with fiction stories, including Harrison's own. These examples are identified with the title and author, indented, and set off with blue type. The author obviously feels comfortable writing for young people, and it shows in both the substance and enthusiastic tone of the text. Students may be encouraged to start their own writing career after reading this book. - Linda Wadleigh, Oconee County Middle School, Watkinsville, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. Here's a direct and plainspoken how-to book for middle-graders who want to write. Harrison begins by breaking down the elements of a story and giving concrete examples for young writers to make their own. He offers basic descriptions and tools for genre writing and careful instructions on revision and rewriting. The layout makes good use of spot color in fonts, headers, and boxes; text is broken into manageable bits that make the step-by-step advice as easy to grasp as building blocks. Harrison ends with fundamental advice: writers must read, and writers must write. Expect children to begin their writer's journal (the first and perhaps most important writer's tool) immediately. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Reference (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439519144
• ISBN-13: 978-0439519144
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,321,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Harrison was born in Springfield, Missouri. He has lived in Ajo, Arizona (as a boy), Atlanta, Georgia (as a graduate student), Evansville, Indiana (as a pharmacologist), Kansas City, Missouri (as an editorial manager) and back in Springfield (as a business owner). Counting his first poems at age six, David has been a writer most of his life and has produced 80 published books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that have won dozens of awards. He holds two degrees in science and two honorary doctorates of letters (MSU and Drury University). He is poet laureate for Drury and David Harrison Elementary School was named in his honor. He regularly speaks at conferences and visits schools.