Writing a novel can be a slow, painful and lonely process. Many writers never manage to achieve their goal. This inspirational book will help you to rediscover the joy of your craft and rekindle your creative fire.Leading contemporary authors offer you support, guidance and encouragement as well as a fascinating insight into the craft of writing:Jill Dawson - getting started; Andrew Miller - creating characters; Meg Rosoff - finding your voice; DBC Pierre - convincing dialogue; Adam Foulds - ...

A working father whose life no longer feels like his own discovers the transforming powers of great (and downright terrible) literature in this laugh-out-loud memoir.Andy Miller had a job he quite liked, a family he loved and no time at all for reading. Or so he kept telling himself. But, no matter how busy or tired he was, something kept niggling at him. Books. Books he’d always wanted to read. Books he’d said he’d read, when he hadn’t. Books that whispered the promise of escape f...

With an introduction by Geoff Dyer and personal insights into how some of the most internationally known authors have crafted their best loved works, How to write fiction is a must-read for every aspiring fiction writer. Comprehensive exercises by Kate Grenville to accompany each stage of the writing process will help to embed your learning as your novel progresses.Chapters are:Jill Dawson on Getting startedAndrew Miller on CharacterRachel Cusk on Point of ViewMeg Rosoff on VoiceDBC Pierre...

Elizabeth George is one of the most successful writers of crime fiction in the world. All her novels have appeared on bestseller lists in the UK, USA and Australia and several of them have been adapted for television by the BBC as the Inspector Lynley Mysteries. She has also written a collection of short stories and edited two crime anthologies. Now she shares this wealth of experience with would-be novelists and with crime fiction fans. Drawing extensively on her own work, and that of oth...

A far-ranging, invigorating and irrepressible collection of essays on literature, cinema, art - and everything in between - from the MAN BOOKER PRIZE- and WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED author of Feel Free and Swing Time'Alarmingly good' Metro'Striding with open hearted zest and eloquence between fiction (from EM Forster to David Foster Wallace) and travel, movies and comedy, family and community in a self-portrait that charts the evol...

In this spellbinding book, the man described by the Daily Telegraph as 'possibly the best living writer in Britain' takes on his biggest challenge yet: unlocking the film that has obsessed him all his adult life. Like the film Stalker itself, it confronts the most mysterious and enduring questions of life and how to live.

Crime fiction is the single most popular genre in international publishing and Australia has some of the finest practitioners when it comes to walking the mean streets and nailing the bad guys.Whether you're a fan of crime fiction, true crime or a would-be crime writer, this collection of essays will provide laughter, understanding, insight, ideas, advice and hopefully some inspiration. Learn about Shane Maloney's near-death experience in a freezer, Leigh Redhead's adventures as a ...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE'An intense, succulent read that's intermittently dazzling' THE TIMES'Chilling, exquisitely moving' DAILY TELEGRAPH'A superb memoir - and one of the best books on addiction I have ever read' EVENING STANDARDA. A. Gill's memoir begins in the dark of a dormitory with six strangers. He is an alcoholic, dying in the last-chance ...

Written by one of the country's leading experts on the short story, Write Short Stories - And Get Them Published is ideal if you want to write creatively in a genre that is increasingly attracting attention from publishers, and which offers plenty of competition and festival opportunities for you to showcase your work.It will help unlock your imagination and creativity, and to discover stories you didn't know you had. It will help you to observe the world around you more sharply, a...

From one of Australia’s most successful comedians comes The Cheeky Monkey, a practitioner’s guide to the art of comedy writing. Both insightful and practical, The Cheeky Monkey explains the principles of sitcom writing and guides the reader in how to apply them. Seeded with exercises to aid the developing comedy writer, this book will help you to:- Write jokes- Create funny stories- Build comic characters- Develop a sitcom- Sell your si...

Write a Novel - and Get It Published is an informative yet creative, user-friendly and straightforward guide to writing good fiction. It covers everything from story arcs and themes to characterisation and language, and offers plenty of practical advice for those facing the dreaded writer's block as well as practical writing exercises for those wanting to refine their skills. Additionally, it gives a full guide to available creative writing courses and plenty of further reading resources. ...

**'A sprinkling of delightful nuggets about the uses and abuses of the English Language'**Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year'[There are] myriad delights in Ben Macintyre's musings on language' The Times, Books of the Year_____________________Do you know your geek-speak from your geek-chic? Ever wanted to put Humpty Dumpty together again? Can you distinguish Spanglish from Chinglish?We adapt words from other l...