Writing Handbooks – serie

What makes fantasy different from other types of fiction? How do you build a science fiction world? Does magic need rules? From outer space to cyberspace, from The Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter, fantasy and science fiction are more popular with readers than ever before, and offer a unique set of challenges to the writer. Award-winning author Lisa Tuttle draws on her own experience as writer, editor and teacher to offer practical advice and encouragement to the aspiring fantasy and science fiction writer. The book covers ideas, world-building, language, structure, short stories, writing for children, finding an agent and markets.

This guide to writing crime fiction is based on the author's analysis of the craft from the classic detective story of the 1920s and 30s up to the female private eye novels of the 1990s. It features tips on fictional structure, the plot and its characters, and on submitting a script to publishers.

This writer's guide explains how to write short stories and horror fiction for children and adults. The author shows how to build on the inital idea and develop characters and plot. There are ideas for selecting and approaching publishers and information about contracts and publication.

In the world of magazines, non-fiction offers the greatest opportunities for the freelance writer. Thousands of different titles, published weekly, monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly, cover every conceivable subject, creating enormous potential for the writer.Jill Dick's book has chapters on surveying the field, ideas, research, style and structure, selling work, interviewing, supplying pictures and problem solving.The author trained as a journalist and has worked on magazines both in the UK and overseas. Now a freelance, she understands well the challenges that face all writers and in this book helps them to become both professional and successful.'An invaluable addition to any writer's library' - The Good Book Guide.

Popular fiction includes romance, thrillers and fantasy but this book covers how to write all types of popular fiction. The guide explains how to start out, how to avoid pitfalls in writing and how to get your work published. The author stresses the prime importance of characters and advises spending time on their development and motivation at an early stage. She discusses the research, style, dialogue and construction in writing and includes examples of how to write, alternative publishing channels, organizations and reference books for authors. Rona Randall was also the author of "Broken Tapestry" which won the Major Award and "Dragonmede" which won a US Literary Guild Alternative Selection."

This book unlocks one of the great secrets about copywriting by revealing the vast range of opportunities that exist outside the world of TV advertising. The author shows how good writers are always in demand by companies and their agencies to tackle the mountain of brochures, mailers, letters and PR material they need to saty in business. With the help of this book, would-be writers, as well as establihsed writers and journalists, can learn more about this lucrative line of work and how to break into it. The author covers markets, briefings, style techniques, concepts and campaign development as well as practical aspects of freelance work such as handling invoices and organising your workload.

This updated edition looks at all the latest markets for comedy writers, with new material on writing 'The Office' style docu-comedies, writing for children's TV, and even how to try out your own jokes in stand-up comedy routines. Comedy has blossomed into one of the most high profile and glamorous areas of the entertainment industry but it is often perceived as one of the hardest writing jobs. In the third edition of this highly regarded handbook, John Byrne breaks down the basics of writing comedy into simple steps and shows how to make the most of your writing talent and your ability to market that talent.

With staff cutbacks across the whole of the newspaper industry, the role of freelances is essential and their opportunities have never been greater. Who does what in the making of a newspaper and how does the freelance fit into the editor's plans? This book deals with the importance of marketing and knowing your readers, first contact with editors, how to write regular columns and features, reviewing, interviewing and meeting deadlines - and how to acquire an inexhaustible flow of ideas. There is information on the essential business of writing including rights (and wrongs), tax, plagiarism, keeping records, rates of pay (and how to get paid), syndication, the power of the press, official organisations to help you - and more. With detailed chapters on style, research, making the internet work for you and the rewards of rewriting, this book covers everything you need to know for success.

Almost every writer, whether professional or beginner, has thought of a good sitcom idea at one time or another, but fleshing that idea out is a long and complicated process of character development, plotting, dialogue writing and rewriting and then putting the whole package together in a way that will attract producers. In this book, successful sitcom writers John Byrne and Marcus Powell break that process down into a series of easy to follow steps. With chapters devoted to concept, characters and plot through to proposals, commissioning and production, Writing Sitcoms covers every aspect needed for success in the UK.

Many of us have wanted to write a life-story but have been unsure how to set about it or how to bring such a project to completion. Whether you are planning to write about your own family or research the life of a famous historical figure, this book will assist, advise and encourage you. The author looks at all aspects of writing biography and autobiography, including: the reasons for biographical writing; choosing your subject; identifying your audience; research methods; organising the information; and writing up your material. There are also sections on legal issues, copyright and finding a publisher.

A practical guide to the process of play-writing, this book will take budding writers for the stage through the process, beginning with original inspiration, through plotting, structuring and characterization, to the successful realization of the idea. This revised edition includes a new chapter covering stage realism.

The craft of sitcom is possibly the hardest of all screenwriting genres, demanding a complex set of skills. How NOT to Write a Sitcom is a troubleshooting guide aimed at both the novice and the practising sitcom writer. It illustrates and explains the many pitfalls in concept, characterisation, plotting and dramatic/comedic writing,which pepper the hundreds of scripts submitted every year. Each point is illustrated with an example of the error and each section contains practical suggestions and exercises for the writer to apply to their own writing. The book makes no assumption of the reader other than an interest in the form. It contains interviews with current producers as well as interviews with successful practioners of the craft. Marc Blake is a script consultant, writer and teacher of writing for sitcom. In this book he acts as a `script mechanic' for writers - stripping a sitcom down to its component parts, isolating the faults and fixing them. What script editors and producers are looking for are scripts that work. Naturally they want a genius in embryo, but above all they first want to see something that is roadworthy.

Writing for Radio is an entertaining, accessible and informative book, providing a step-by-step guide to writing for this specific dramatic medium. A helpful approach to the process of writing a successful radio play from first draft to production draft and on into the recording studio, this book is suitable for first time writers, as well as established writers who simply haven't yet written for radio. A practical handbook that's both reliable and upbeat, providing an honest ‘insider’s view’ of how radio plays are written and recorded.

Comedy has always been one of the most high-profile, glamorous and potentially lucrative markets for scriptwriters, but it is also perceived as one of the hardest. In the fourth edition of this highly regarded handbook, John Byrne breaks down the basics of writing comedy into simple steps and shows you how to make the most of your own comedy writing talent and - just as importantly - your ability to market that talent.Here is a wealth of practical advice both on how to get your career off the ground and how to keep developing it. Whether you are writing comedy routines, sketches or sitcoms, and aiming your work at the page, the stage or the ever-expanding world of broadcasting, you will find something in this book to encourage, inform and inspire you.As with any art form, the basics of good comedy never go out of fashion. While the easy steps in this book are illustrated with examples of work by classic comedians old and new, you will also find useful advice on developing and adapting your work for the twenty-first century market, whether your aim is to promote your work online or simply to keep your gags fresh and topical in a world where the news changes by the minute and gets flashed around the world in seconds.