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50 Books That Will Make You a Better Writer

50 Books That Will Make You a Better Writer
Literary genius — or at least competence — never blossoms in a vacuum. As much as many creative types like to pose as a mysterious lone wolves skulking through the fringes of society without ever becoming a cog in the machine, man, even their works have been shaped by their external experiences up to that point. Even a whole rejection of society still involves relation to it, albeit one defined by absence than presence. So despite what that "free spirit" in composition class claims, reaching out to fellow writers can still prove beneficial to those hoping to pursue the art as either a career or a hobby. Soaking up advice through any reads available opens up new worlds and ideas and can help mold a work from just OK to just plain awesome. Obviously, one must not take this article’s title too literally. Classics The Elements of Style by William F. Composition and Rhetoric The Office of Assertion by Scott F. Genre and Medium Literary Criticism, Reading and Analysis Notable Writers

Write & Get Paid Get Paid $100 Do you want to earn money online? Listverse was built on the efforts of readers just like you. Readers who didn’t have any experience as writers but decided to put a list together and send it in. So here is the deal: We will pay you $100 for your efforts. You don’t need to be an expert—you just need to have English equal to that of a native speaker, a sense of humor, and a love for things unusual or interesting. It works like this: You write your list (10 items per list minimum), you send it in, we reply and say “Great—we’ll publish it” and send you $100 by PayPal (don’t have an account? Either way you win—your list will be read by us and reviewed, and if it’s amazing it will appear on the front page of Listverse to be read by millions of people a month! We can not accept lists from writers who do not have a PayPal account; this is non-negotiable. The Rules The rules are really pretty simple. Pictures and Video Please note that we publish original articles. Ready to start?

7 Habits of Serious Writers Image credit: aless&ro With thanks to Michael Pollock for the article suggestion and title. I’ve been writing, on and off, since my early teens – but it’s only in the last three years that I’ve really taken my writing seriously. It’s made a dramatic difference. In the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside all sorts of great writers, during my MA in Creative Writing, and in my freelancing. Habit #1: Writing To be a serious writer, you have to write. Yes, that’s obvious. Maybe you’re one of them. Unfortunately, you won’t get any better at writing unless you actually write. I know it’s tough. You can do it. Writing “regularly” is key here. Get Serious Write. Habit #2: Focus Maybe you’ve planned to write for two hours on a Saturday morning. Writing is hard work – and you’ll come up with all sorts of distractions to keep you from it. Serious writers, though, know how to help themselves focus. Habit #3: Reading By reading, you’ll see how other writers tackle similar problems.

h2g2 - The Guide to Life, The Universe and Everything Prada launches creative writing contest Prada Prada is hosting a creative writing contest. Milan-based luxury brand Prada is teaming up with Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore for a new international writing contest called Prada Journal. "What are the realities that our eyes give back to us? That's the question posed by Prada as the theme of this latest artistic endeavour: an international short story competition designed to uncover and promote promising new literary talent. Judged by Prada and Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the contest's winner or winners will receive a €5,000 prize (about $6,500) and will see their winning story published as an online e-book, with a paper version distributed in Prada boutiques. The details of the competition are tucked away safely in the terms and conditions on the Prada Journal site. You're free to write about whatever you fancy, with a focus on "views of the world. This is far from Prada's first dip into the arts. The contest starts April 18, with final entries due by June 18.

General Writing If you are having trouble locating a specific resource please visit the search page or the Site Map. The Writing Process These OWL resources will help you with the writing process: pre-writing (invention), developing research questions and outlines, composing thesis statements, and proofreading. While the writing process may be different for each person and for each particular assignment, the resources contained in this section follow the general work flow of pre-writing, organizing, and revising. For resources and examples on specific types of writing assignments, please go to our Common Writing Assignments area. Academic Writing These OWL resources will help you with the types of writing you may encounter while in college. Common Writing Assignments These OWL resources will help you understand and complete specific types of writing assignments, such as annotated bibliographies, book reports, and research papers. Mechanics Exercises relating to spelling can be found here. Grammar Punctuation

74 Books to Read if You Love the Hunger Games If you haven't read the Hunger Games you really should! They're pretty awesome. Check them out: If you're already a fan of the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins... You should add these books to your to be read pile! (The recommendations are in no particular order.) Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie In a world where Officials pick your perfect mate, what happens when you’ve two choices? Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner A boy wakes up in a Glade with other boys knowing only his name, not how he got there, or how to escape the enclosed walls. Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry A young boy is given the job to retain the Community’s memories and to advise them using that knowledge, but he doesn’t like what he sees when he knows the past. Books of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau A city of light amidst the darkness begins to go black and survival means finding a way out by going through the unknown. Uglies Quartet by Scott Westerfeld Selection Trilogy by Kiera Cass UPDATE: Novellas added to series: The Prince , The Guard

25 Ways To Fight Your Story’s Mushy Middle For me, the middle is the hardest part of writing. It’s easy to get the stallions moving in the beginning — a stun gun up their asses gets them stampeding right quick. I don’t have much of a problem with endings, either; you get to a certain point and the horses are worked up into a mighty lather and run wildly and ineluctably toward the cliff’s edge. But the middle, man, the motherfucking middle. It’s like being lost in a fog, wandering the wasteland tracts. And I can’t be the only person with this problem: I’ve read far too many books that seem to lose all steam in the middle. Seems like it’s time for another “list of 25″ to the rescue, then. Hiyaa! 1. Fuck the three-act structure right in its crusty corn-cave. 2. Hey, when you fake an orgasm, you gotta commit. 3. The shape of a story — especially the shape of a story’s middle — is a lot of soft rises and doughy plateaus and zoftig falls. 4. 5. 6. Sometimes, a story just needs blood. 7. 8. Find approximate middle of book. 9. 10. 11.

How to use a semicolon First Edition Design Publishing Ordering Ebook and POD Our Packages. a bundle of something, usually of small or medium size E-Book - POD - Marketing - Misc - everything you need for success. Please order online by clicking the "click here to order now" buttons. All eBook and POD submissions receive a complimentary copy of our Marketing T.I.P.S 2015 Booklet. QUICK and EASY PROCESS: Step One Pick and order the items that best fit your needs. Step Two After you have placed your order you will receive a confirmation email from us. Step Three The final email of this process will be sent after we are in receipt of your manuscript and it has been reviewed. ** If you need cover art, please only order one time. ___________________________________________________view cart Item Details: Standard eBook Submission - we format your manuscript, prepare submission files, and publish to Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google and over thousands of other ebook distribution points. $149.00 - click here to order now $199.00 - click here to order now FAQ's Step One

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