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The Writer's Bookshelf W-Writes

A-E F-H I-O P-V W-Writes Writing-Z

Wabi Sabi for Writers
Richard R. Powell
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor, Avon, MA 02322
1593375964 $12.95 www.adamsmedia.com 1-800-872-5627

Wabi Sabi for Writers is a philosophical source of inspiration for intermediate to advanced writers. Author Richard Powell, who studied at the Kootenay School of Writing under such acclaimed authors as Margaret Atwood and David McFadden, Wabi Sabi for Writers emphasizes that while perfection is great to strive for, the struggle to create flawless beauty is in essence a false idea in an imperfect universe - absolute "perfection" is impossible, yet imperfection contains within its own sense of timeless beauty. Written in a soothing style of narrative flow, Wabi Sabi for Writers applies ancient Japanese aesthetic to modern practical principles and suggestions, and is filled cover to cover with tips, tricks, and techniques for improving one's writing production rate. From the value of personally experiencing and connecting with nature, to applying the concept of "yugen" in hinting at depths below the surface and engaging the conscious mind to puzzle over the unseen, Wabi Sabi for Writers is an invaluable and inspirational tool for promoting personal fulfillment as well as improved quality in one's writing.

Wannabe A Writer?
Jane Wenham-Jones
Accent Press
c/o Dufour Editions, Inc.
PO Box 7, Chester Springs, PA 19425-0007
9781905170814, GBP 7.99 www.dufoureditions.com 1-800-869-5677

Writer professionally is a daunting task for the uninitiated. In a single and comprehensive volume, 'Writing Magazine' columnist Jane Wenham-Jones uses solid information liberally laced with humor to help aspiring writers figure out where they need to start, how they are to finish, and that eternal question besetting all ambitious authors: 'Will anyone ever publish it when you have?' in "Wannabe A Writer?". This thoroughly 'reader friendly' instruction manual is as informed and informative as it is entertainingly demystifying. "Wannabe A Writer?" features a wealth of practical tips and insights on writing and getting published from a number of successful authors, professional literary agents, and commercial publishers. Of special note is the section 'Novels Are Not The Only Fruit' which examines writing as therapy, writing as revenge, words of warning, memoirs and life stories, other non-fiction, and a great deal more. Practical, accessible, written with flair and humor, Jane Wenham-Jones' "Wannabe A Writer?" is confidently and enthusiastically recommended to the attention of anyone who aspires to a professional career as a writer -- or simply can't help themselves from expressing thoughts on paper where other folk can read them!

The Way Of Story
Catherine Ann Jones
Michael Wiese Productions
3940 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
9781932907322, $22.95 www.mwp.com 1-800-833-5738

The script is the first basic building block of any film, theatre, or television project. "The Way Of Story: The Craft & Soul Of Writing" by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Catherine Ann Jones offers aspiring authors an integrative approach to writing all the various forms of narrative storytelling. Laced with anecdotal stories and personal insights from her own professional experiences as a writer of scripts, Catherine Ann Jones persuasively argues that craft alone is not enough for success in this highly competitive, highly volatile business. There must be an effective integration of storytelling technique and experiential inner discovery as a writer in order to produce scripts that are commercially viable and persuasive when it comes time to pitch them to producers. Of special note are the wealth of practical tips for writing a successful script whether it is for a play, a movie, or a television show. "The Way of Story" is especially recommended reading for anyone who aspires to writing a screenplay, and will provide invaluable insights into both the process and the marketplace.

Webster's All-In-One Dictionary & Thesaurus
Merriam-Webster
Federal Street Press
25-13 Old Kings Highway North, #277, Darien, CT 06820
9781596950467, $12.98, www.federalstreetpress.com 1-877-886-2830

Every reader, author, and publisher needs a good reference collection of dictionaries and thesaurus. But often space is limited to house a large collection of language reference works. "Webster's All-In-One Dictionary & Thesaurus" is ideal and recommended for a limited reference shelf space as it combines under one cover 67,000 clearly written dictionary definitions with 140,000 synonyms and antonyms. Thesaurus entry follows dictionary entry and is printed in a contrasting color making for a thoroughly 'user friendly' rapid look-up reference. Fully integrated, "Webster's All-In-One Dictionary & Thesaurus" is a 768-page hardcover compendium fully in compliance with Merriam-Webster standards. Also very highly recommended as inexpensive additions to personal, school, and community library language reference collections are Merriam-Webster's "Webster's Contemporary School & Office Thesaurus" (9781596950481, $7.98); "Webster's Contemporary School & Office Dictionary" (9781596950474, $7.98); and "Webster's New Explorer Vocabulary Skill Builder" (9781596950450, $9.98).

Webster's Business Writing Basics
Editors of Merriam-Webster
Federal Street Press
25-13 Old Kings Highway North, #277, Darien, CT 06820
1892859270, $9.98 www.federalstreetpress.com 1-877-886-2830

Webster's Business Writing Basics is a no-nonsense, easy-to-use handbook, self-improvement guide, quick reference, and all-around practical resource for business writers of all venues. From fifty different sample professional letters, to a straightforward handbook of grammar, style, and punctuation guidelines, tips on how to effectively use email in business, "netiquette" fundamentals, and much more, Webster's Business Writing Basics is enthusiastically recommended for anyone in or aspiring to join today's modern workforce. An especially invaluable reference for businesspeople who just graduated from college (the scholarly tone of most college writings differs from the brevity necessary to business writing), and businesspeople who may have learned English as a second language.

Webster's Contemporary School & Office Thesaurus
Editors of Merriam-Webster
Federal Street Press
25-13 Old Kings Highway North, #277, Darien, CT 06820
978159695048, $7.98 www.federalstreetpress.com 1-877-886-2830

The latest trade paperback edition of Webster's Contemporary School & Office Thesaurus combines effectiveness with affordability. Featuring 150,000 synonyms and antonyms, and a brief definition (with usage in a sentence) for each entry along with a list of its synonyms and antonyms, all organized alphabetically, Webster's Contemporary School & Office Thesaurus is as easy and convenient to use as ever. A "must-have" for writer's and student's desks everywhere, particularly those who have to create compositions without immediate access to the internet.

The Weekend Novelist
Robert J. Ray & Bret Norris
Billboard Books/Watson Guptill
770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
www.wgpub.com
0823084507 $16.95 1-800-451-1741

The Weekend Novelist is deftly co-authored by Robert J. Ray (author of eight novels) and Bret Norris (founder of the Norris Literary Agency) who collaborate to provide the reader with a collection of practical lessons on successfully writing a novel. This revised and updated edition is a superbly organized and presented "how to" workbook and manual that offers the novice a 52 weekend schedule that will enable the writer to plot their novel, sculpt their characters, develop plots with more than one protagonist, build sciences and scene sequences, create rough drafts, and even tap the power of their manuscripts by writing a memoir, rewriting the novel, or writing a screenplay. A year-long workshop under one cover, The Weekend Novelist is a perfect initiation into the work and techniques of writing a novel from scratch to finished manuscript.

The Weekend Novelist Re-Writes the Novel
Robert J. Ray
Watson Guptill Publications
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
www.wgpub.com
9780823084432, $16.99, www.amazon.com

The Weekend Novelist Re-Writes the Novel provides a follow-up to the best-seller WEEKEND NOVELIST and offers writers of all levels additional details on crafting their novel. You've finished the first draft: now it's time to apply the principles presented in The Weekend Novelist Re-Writes the Novel. It's all about revising and changing a manuscript for maximum impact: perfect for general or school lending libraries.

Weinberg On Writing
Gerald M. Weinberg
Dorset House Publishing
353 West St, New York, NY 10014
093263365X $24.95 dorsethouse.com

Weinberg On Writing: The Fieldstone Method by experienced and published author Gerald M. Weinberg is an informed and informative instructional reference to the process and skill of effective writing. Weinberg introduces the reader to forty-four exercises and offers many insightful tactics. Weinberg On Writing is an excellent detailing of all the necessary steps to be taken amidst the attempts and struggles of writing a book. Weinberg enlightens the readers to many original and particular strategies rarely recognized or pursued. Weinberg On Writing is very strongly recommended to all aspiring authors particularly oriented or favoring the presence of nature in their writing.

The Well-Fed Writer
Peter Bowerman
Fanove Publishing
3713 Stonewall Circle, Atlanta, GA 30339
0967059844 $19.95 wellfedwriter.com

The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As A Freelance Writer in Six Months Or Less is a 282-page compendium of tips, tricks and techniques essential for aspiring writers to "turn pro" and be able to support themselves on their earnings. In today's competitive marketplace, being talented and hardworking aren't enough. You've also got to be knowledgeable about the newspaper, newsletter, magazine, periodical, journal, and book publishers to whom you wish to successfully solicit and sell your work. Peter Bowerman draws upon his considerable experiences as a successful freelance writer and columnist in Atlanta, Georgia. His corporate list of clients ranges from The Coca-Cola Company, MCI, and Holiday Inn to The Discovery Channel, BellSouth, and Mercedes-Benz. He has published almost 200 columns and articles, as well as conducting seminars on writing. All that he has learned is distilled within the pages of The Well-Fed Writer, truly rewarding reading for aspiring freelance writers, copy writers, scriptwriters, columnists, journalists, and anyone else wanting to earn from what they write.

What Are You Laughing At?
Brad Schreiber
Michael Wiese Productions
11288 Ventura Blvd. #621, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
0941188833 $19.95 1-800-833-5738

Produce winning comedic screenplays using fiction and nonfiction alike with Brad Schreiber's What Are You Laughing At?: How To Write Funny Screenplays, Stories, & More. Included are over 70 excerpts from top screenwriters and pairing them with writing exercises and details on the differences between writing comedy for TV versus stage. There are eleven modes of comedic dialogue, 13 common problems screenwriters encounter and valuable insights into the rhythm and sound of words in What Are You Laughing At? Brad is himself a L.A. screenwriter, so his tips come from an insider's hand.

What Editors Do
Peter Ginna, editor
University of Chicago Press
1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
www.press.uchicago.edu
9780226299976, $25.00, PB, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: Editing is an invisible literary art where the very best work goes undetected. Editors strive to create books that are enlightening, seamless, and pleasurable to read, all while giving credit to the author. This makes it all the more difficult to truly understand the range of roles editors inhabit while shepherding a project from concept to publication.

Peter Ginna was most recently publisher and editorial director at Bloomsbury Press; before that he held editorial positions at Oxford University Press, Crown Publishers, St. Martin's Press, and Persea Books. He has taught editing in New York University's publishing program, and comments on editing, books, and publishing at the blog Doctor Syntax and on Twitter at @DoctorSyntax.

In "What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing", Ginna expertly compiles essays from twenty-seven leading figures in book publishing about their work. Representing both large houses and small, and encompassing trade, textbook, academic, and children's publishing, the contributors make the case for why editing remains a vital function to writers (and readers) everywhere.

Ironically for an industry built on words, there has been a scarcity of written guidance on how to actually approach the work of editing. "What Editors Do" will serve as a compendium of professional advice and will be a resource both for those entering the profession (or already in it) and for those outside publishing who seek an understanding of it. It sheds light on how editors acquire books, what constitutes a strong author-editor relationship, and the editor's vital role at each stage of the publishing process -- a role that extends far beyond marking up the author's text.

Taken collectively, "What Editors Do" treats editing as both art and craft, and also as a career. It explores how editors balance passion against the economic realities of publishing. "What Editors Do" shows why, in the face of a rapidly changing publishing landscape, editors are more important than ever.

Critique: Absolutely essential reading for anyone who aspires to be an editor, as well as critically important reading for authors and publishers with respect to the critically important role that editors play in the publishing process, "What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing" is also available in a digital book format (eTextbook, $9.00). Librarians should be aware for their collections that there is a hardcover edition of "What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing" (9780226299839, $74.00).

What's the Story?
Rudolph H. Weingartner
University Press of America
4501 Forbes Bouelvard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9780761852766, $16.99, www.univepress.com

Anyone can tell a story, doing it well is the real task at hand. "What's The Story?: Try Your Hand and Learn the Art of Writing" is a creativity exercise of sorts, as Rudolph H. Weingartner gives a description of countless characters who he has created simple little profiles for. The exercise comes in creating stories surrounding these characters to help would be authors get a grasp on fiction writing. "What's the Story?" is a fun and exciting way to practice the fiction writing process.

When Writers Drive the Workshop
Brian Kissel
Stenhouse Publishers
480 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101-3451
www.stenhouse.com
9781625310736, $28.00, PB, 186pp, www.amazon.com

"When Writers Drive the Workshop: Honoring Young Voices and Bold Choices " by Brian Kissel (an educator for more than twenty years, and a Professor of Literacy and Elementary Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte) is practical, engaging instructional study that asks classroom teachers to go back to the roots of a writing workshop asking what happens when students, not planned teaching points, lead writing conferences? What happens when students, not tests, determine what they learned through reflection and self-evaluation? Writing instruction has shifted in recent years to more accountability, taking the focus away from the writer. "When Writers Drive the Workshop" explores what happens when empowered writers direct the writing workshop. Through stories from real classrooms, Professor Kissel reveals that no matter where children come from, they all have the powerful, shared need to be heard. And when children choose their writing topics, their lives unfold onto the page and teachers are educated by the young voices and bold choices of these writers. Written in an engaging, teacher-to-teacher style, "When Writers Drive the Workshop" focuses on four key components of writing workshop, with an eye on what happens when teachers step back and allow students to drive the instruction: Conferring sessions where students lead and teachers listen; Author's Chair where students set the agenda and ask for feedback; Reflection time and structures for students to set goals and expectations for themselves; Mini-lessons that allow for detours based on students' needs, not teacher or curricular goals. Each of the five chapters comprising "When Writers Drive the Workshop" includes practical ideas, a section of Guiding Beliefs, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, and some Digital Diversions to help teachers see the digital possibilities in their classrooms. Impressively comprehensive, informative, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "When Writers Drive the Workshop" is an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, college, and university library Teacher Education instructional reference collections and supplemental studies reading lists.

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
Fred White
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
38 E. 29th Street
New York, New York 10016
9781599635309, $16.99, www.writersdigest.com

Where Do You Get Your Ideas? A Writer's Guide to Transforming Notions Into Narratives is a recommendation for any writer's reference library and covers six basic stages of writing, from idea to drafting and final product. It tells how to create and use a writer's notebook, where to locate ideas and inspiration, and how to develop said ideas into works of fiction and nonfiction using mapping and collaging techniques, among others. Exercises accompany specific ideas on getting better organized with accompanying online information including printable worksheets for further organizing and encouraging these inspirations. Any writer's reference collection will benefit from this specific approach to honing creative thinking.

Why We Read What We Read
Lisa Adams and John Heath
Sourcebooks
1935 Brookdale Road Suite 139, Naperville, IL 60563
140221054X, $16.95 www.sourcebooks.com

What are the social trends reflected by bestseller lists? Any interested in books, reading, and popular trends will find WHY WE READ WHAT WE READ: A DELIGHTFULLY OPINIONATED JOURNEY THROUGH CONTEMPORARY BESTSELLERS to be an involving survey, considering how successful best-sellers provide insights into social change. Both public lending libraries and schools specializing in modern social science analysis will find involving this exploration of how public issues are reflected in the best-selling book world.

Why, When, Where, & How To Write, Publish, Market, & Sell Your Book
Bill Thurwanger
Ripples On The Water
4750 East Union Hills, #1105, Phoenix, AZ 85050
978097968803, $17.95 www.ripplesonthewater2.com

Bill Thurwanger draws upon his real-world experiences as the author of five books to write "Why, When, Where, & How To Write, Publish, Market, & Sell Your Book", an instruction manual designed to provide aspiring authors yearning to become published with some useful strategies and effective tactics to achieve their goal. Some common problems that neophyte authors have to deal with are presented along with sage and practical advice for resolving or avoiding them. The eight succinct chapters comprising this spiral bound, 99-page reference, deal with such issues as a writer's qualifications and the kind of book to be written; the timing of when to write a book; how to write a book in terms of set-up, forms and formats, composition and substance; general information about copyrights, ISBN numbers, cover design, ordering page, book pricing, determining an appropriate publisher, book brokers, and more; pre-marketing a book through book reviews, press releases, contests, etc.; the role of an internet website and e-commerce; what to do with a book once it is published including the role of reviewers, media mail, book fairs, agents, book signings, and more; and selling the book through online book sellers, book stores, selling to major publishers, and the creation of proposals. "Why, When, Where, & How To Write, Publish, Market, & Sell Your Book" is instructive and recommended -- especially for authors who haven't got a clue about how to write, publish, and sell in today's highly volatile and competitive publishing industry. It won't be found in bookstores. The only way to obtain a copy is directly from the author through the website www.ripplesonthewater2.com -- but it is well worth the effort and the investment.

Why Write?
Mark Edmundson
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781632863058, $26.00, HC, 288pp, www.amazon.com

A prizewinning scholar and academician, Mark Edmundson is on the faculty of the University of Virginia. In "Why Write?: A Master Class on the Art of Writing and Why it Matters", Professor Edmundson tackles the critically important question that every writer, author, and novelist struggles with at some point in their literary careers in this day and age. Why write when it sometimes feels that so few people really read -- read as if their lives might be changed by what they're reading? Why write, when the world wants to be informed, not enlightened; to be entertained, not inspired? Writing is backbreaking, mindbreaking, lonely work. So why do it? Because writing, as Professor Edmundson explains, is one of the greatest human goods. Writing teaches us to think; it can bring our minds to birth. And once we're at home with words, there are few more pleasurable human activities than writing. Because this is something Professor Edmundson believes everyone ought to know he has created an effectively persuasive defense in behalf of essential reading (both practical and inspiring) for anyone who yearns to be a writer, anyone who simply needs to know how to get an idea across, and anyone else who finds themselves having or wanting to put pen to paper. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Why Write" is a consistently compelling read from beginning to end and very highly recommended for community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections. For the personal reading lists of students, aspiring writers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject, it should be noted that "Why Write" is also available in a Kindle format ($9.99).

Wild Ink
Victoria Hanley
Prufrock Press
PO Box 8813, Waco, TX 76714-8813
www.prufrock.com
9781593638641, $17.95, www.amazon.com

The young adult market is a primary source of revenue for the publishing industry and requires aspiring authors creating fiction and non-fiction works for a YA audience to be able communicate and connect with their audience if their books are to be successful in a highly competitive marketplace that includes school and community librarians, booksellers, and the adolescent to young adult reading public. "Wild Ink: Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing for the Young Adult Market" by successful YA novelist Victoria Hanley is a 302-page instruction manual that will prove indispensable to writers as she descriptively discusses the special needs of the YA genre, tips on staying inspired when writing for this specialized audience, as well as avoiding common mistakes when writing for teens. Of special note are the provision of writing exercises to hone skills necessary to capture the interest of teen readers, interviews with YA authors, bloggers, editors, and agents within the YA genre, and self-editing techniques appropriate for the YA genre. Of special note is Victoria Hanley's observations on dealing with rejection and time constraints. Informed, practical, and offering a wealth of superbly presented constructive information, "Wild Ink" should be considered mandatory reading for anyone seeking to write for a YA readership.

Will Write for Food, third edition
Dianne Jacob
Da Capo Press / Lifelong Books
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
9780738218052 $16.99 www.perseusbooksgroup.com

Now in an updated third edition, including a new chapter dedicated to making a steady income from food writing and more information about self-publishing/cookbook production, Will Write for Food is a guide especially for culinary writers. Chapters are filled with advice for crafting a standout blog with gorgeous photography, tips for successful freelance work or reviewing, and words of wisdom from award-winning writers, editors and agents. Practical, accessible, and insightful, Will Write for Food is an absolute "must-have" for anyone interested in making either side income or a solid living from culinary writing!

The Wizard Of Oz Vocabulary Builder
Mark Phillips
A. J. Cornell Publications
18-74 Corporal Kennedy Street, Bayside, NY 11360
0972743901 $19.95 1-718-423-4082

Mark Phillips' The Wizard Of Oz Vocabulary Builder is a unique vocabulary building guide, which teaches readers 1850 words through reading. The classic text of the memorable fable "The Wizard of Oz" is filled with literate terms, which are presented in bold with their express definitions at the bottom of each page. A recommended and unforgettable skill-improve-ment tool, The Wizard Of Oz Vocabulary Builder is especially recommended for the fans of Frank Baum (creator of the Oz books) and would prove a useful tool for building an impressive vocabulary for aspiring and professional writers who are invited to visit the dedicated website -- www.VocabularyBuilders.com

Women on Poetry
Caroll Smallwood, Colleen S. Harris & Cynthia Brackett-Vincent, editors
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611
Jefferson NC 28640
9780786463923, $45.00, www.mcfarlandpub.com

Being a poet is easy, being a professional is not so much. "Women on Poetry: Writing, Revising, Publishing, and Teaching" is a collection of advice and wisdom for aspiring lady poets, who are pursuing the medium to express themselves, and pursuing their own dreams. From getting published, teaching the history of women's poetry, and just general knowledge on the craft. The essays and pieces come a wide assortment of established female poets who share their own experiences on the way. "Women on Poetry" is a strongly recommended pick for any poetry hopeful.

The Women Writers Handbook
Ann Sandham, editor
Aurora Metro Books
www.aurorametro.com
c/o Publishers Group West (dist.)
www.pgw.com
9781912430338, $19.99, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Writers-Handbook-2020/dp/1912430339

Synopsis: Now in a newly revised edition of the publisher's inaugural publication of "The Women Writers Handbook" first published in 1990 (and which won the Pandora Award from Women-in-Publishing) features poems, stories, essays and interviews with over 30 women writers.

These women writers include both emerging authors and luminaries of contemporary literature such as: A.S. Byatt, Saskia Calliste, April De Angelis, Kit de Waal, Carol Ann Duffy, Sian Evans, Philippa Gregory, Mary Hamer, Jackie Kay, Shuchi Kothari, Bryony Lavery, Annee Lawrence, Roseanne Liang, Suchen Christine Lim, Jackie McCarrick, Laura Miles, Raman Mundair, Magda Oldziejewska, Kaite O'Reilly, Jacqueline Pepall, Gabi Reigh, Djamila Ribeiro, Fiona Rintoul, Jasvinder Sanghera, Anne Sebba, Kalista Sy, Debbie Taylor, Madeleine Thien, Claire Tomalin, Ida Vitale, Sarah Waters and the great-niece of Virginia Woolf -Emma Woolf.

Critique: Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited, "The Women Writers Handbook" by Ann Sandham (Commissioning Edtor for Ladybird Children's Books at Penguin Random House) also features an informative Foreword by Cheryl Robson (the Aurora Metro Books publisher). Of special note is the inclusion of a instruction article on how to operate a writing workshop, a five page Resource Directory (compiled by Saskia Calliste), and a fun one-page Quiz.

Informative, thought-provoking, inspiring, "The Women Writers Handbook" is an extraordinary, unique, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in both organization and presentation. Certain to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections in general, "The Women Writers Handbook" is unreservedly recommended for Women's Fiction, Literature, and Writing supplemental curriculum reading lists in particular.

Editorial Note: Together with the original writing workshops plus black and white illustrations, editor Ann Sandham has compiled this new edition of "The Women Writers Handbook" to celebrate Aurora Metro Publication's 30th anniversary as an independent publisher. 20% of profits from the sale of "The Women Writers Handbook" will to go to the Virginia Woolf statue campaign in the UK.

Women Writing on Family
Carol Smallwood & Suzann Holland
The Key Publishing House Inc.
1075 Bay St. Suite A102/230
Toronto Ontario M5S 2B2 Canada
9781926780139, $27.99, www.thekeypublish.com

Even as women move out of the home to become their own people, the family remains very important. "Women Writing on Family: Tips on Writing, Teaching, and Publishing" is a collection of essays from many women and writers who talk on their lives as professionals and life, touching on their places as mothers and wives trying to push their lives forward with a full plate. "Women Writing on Family" is a profound and thoughtful collection that should ring true for any career woman, mother, or lover.

Word By Word
John Tullius & Elizabeth Engstrom
TripleTree Publishing
PO Box 5684, Eugene, OR 97405
0966627261 $19.95 TripleTreePub.com

Begun in 1993 and taking place over the Labor Day weekend, The Maui Writers Conference is a well respected annual conclave in which writers and publishing industry professionals meet together to enhance their skills and understandings of the writing process. Word By Word: An Inspirational Look At The Craft Of Writing is drawn from conference participants and is a compilation of transcribed presentations made during the first six years of the event. Such luminaries as Richard Paul Evans, Terry Brooks, Ernest J. Gaines, Elizabeth George, Julie Garwood, David Guterson, Mitch Albom, Tony Hillerman, Ron Howard, Susan Isaacs, Barry Kemp, Ridley Pearson, Nicholas Sparks, Dave Berry and many others offer their wit, wisdom and experience in all phases of writing and publishing. Word By Word is an informative, occasionally inspiring, always practical "how to" anthology that is very highly recommended to writers of fiction, nonfiction, film and television scripts, and anyone who has ever wanted to set pen to paper and effectively record their ideas and stories for posterity.

Word for Word: A Writer's Life
Laurie Lisle
https://www.laurielisle.com
Artemis Editions
9781735980119, $28.95, HC, 290pp

https://www.amazon.com/Word-Writers-Life-Laurie-Lisle/dp/1735980110

Synopsis: Raised in a traditional 1950s New England family, Laurie Lisle rejected the boundaries of her upbringing and followed her drive to write. Coming of age during the women's liberation movement, she joined Newsweek shortly after it was sued for sexism, hoping to find new opportunities for women writers -- but she had to fight for every step forward.

"Word for Word: A Writer's Life" is the dramatic story of Lisle's determination to become a published author, from her early days in journalism to writing her groundbreaking biographies of legendary artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Louise Nevelson. Lisle discusses the demands of writing honestly about others and herself while unflinchingly sharing successes, stumbling blocks, and relationships that threatened to silence her written voice.

In this frank memoir, Lisle asks what a writer-or anyone devoted to self-expression in the arts-needs to flourish and find fulfillment in work and life. She shares insights from artists and other authors and reflects on the way nature nurtures a literary life. Throughout, she examines how the private and professional parts of a writer's life intertwine, explores what enables words to flow and what stops them, and shows where the writing life can ultimately lead.

Critique: An inherently fascinating memoir, deftly crafted, impressively informative, thoughtful, thought provoking, truly memorable, and especially recommended reading for any and all aspiring writers, "Word for Word: A Writer's Life" will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to community, college and university library Contemporary American Biography collections in general, and Journalism/Authorship writing/publishing supplemental studies curriculums in particular.

Editorial Note: Laurie Lisle writes about the lives of American women, including her own. Her first biography was "Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe", which was followed by "Louise Nevelson: A Passionate Life". She has also written about being child free in "Without Child: Challenging the Stigma of Childlessness" and about gardening in the hills of northwestern Connecticut in "Four Tenths of an Acre: Reflections on a Gardening Life". Her fifth book is about her girls' high school, "Westover: Giving Girls a Place of Their Own".

Word Power
John Fleming
University Press of America
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9780761838043, $34.00, www.univpress.com

Words have power, and a grand vocabulary is a sure way to let someone know you aren't just any old dullard. "Word Power: A Dictionary of Fascinating Learned Words and Phrases for Vocabulary Enrichment" is, if one were to simplify it to the most simple of terms, a dictionary. However, its content focuses on a wider range of words from slang to archaic words to the obscene to even deeply scientific terms. "Word Power" is a must for anyone who wants to paint a picture with the English language and wants all the colors available.

Word Savvy Handbook: Use the Right Word
Nancy Ragno
Baneberry Books
9781733928731, $19.95, HC, 296pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: A quick, easy-to-use reference on word usage, "Word Savvy Handbook: Use the Right Word" by Nancy Ragno provides immediate answers to the word-usage questions that most frequently interrupt writers, causing them to stop writing and ask, "Is that the word I want?"

Now there is no need to search the Internet with the Handbook at hand because the deftly organized sections include: Words Commonly Confused; Words Commonly Misused; Non-Words and Other No-No's in Your Speech and Writing; Tricky Singulars and Plurals; and Words Commonly Misspelled.

"The Word Savvy Handbook: is not only a quick and easy reference, but a self-teaching tool. In addition to dictionary definitions it provides clear explanations, examples, memory aids, and self-correcting quizzes. As a bonus, the subject matter of examples and quizzes is informative and fun.

Critique: Impressively 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "Word Savvy Handbook: Use the Right Word" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to the personal reference collections for all aspiring writers. While especially appropriate for school and community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that the "Word Savvy Handbook" is also readily available in a paperback edition (9781733928700, $10.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.95).

Editorial Note: Nancy Ragno is an educational writer and co-author of a language arts series for grades K-8, "World of Language". In addition to language arts texts, she has written children's books and adult nonfiction. Her recently published books include: "Use the Right Word: Your Quick & Easy Guide to 158 Commonly Confused and Misused Words" (2016); "21-Day Journal: Start a New Habit" (2016); The President Did What?: Presidential Trivia Quiz" (2014); and "The Money Savvy Spending Journal" (2013).

Word Up!
Marcia Riefer Johnston
Northwest Brainstorms Publishing
2924 NE 27th Avenue, Portland, OR 97212
MindBuck Media Book Publicity
www.mindbuckmedia.com
www.HowToWriteEverything.com
9780985820305, $21.99, www.amazon.com

When Marcia Riefer Johnston was twelve years old she wrote an eight paragraph story which she submitted to 'American Girl' magazine who published it and paid her $15.00 -- it is clear that she was destined to be a writer! In "Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build from Them)" Marcia draws from her many years of experience and expertise in writing everything from family letters to journal articles to provide other aspiring writers with a 270 page instruction manual on writing more effectively for any purposed communications be they blog posts, emails, digital books, business summaries, e-zine articles, lab reports, novels, poems, scripts, speeches, web pages, term papers, or letters home. Methodically organized into three major sections (Up with Words; Up with Sentences and Paragraphs; Up with Writing), "Word Up!" is thoroughly 'user friendly' as Marcia writes with clarity, wit and wisdom. Of special note is the inclusion of the appendix article 'Up with Human-Crafted Indexes'. Of immense and practical value for novice writers, "Word Up!" is also very highly recommended for even experienced writers as a refresher course on using the written word to engage, entertain, and inform.

Words to Inspire Writers
Gregory Victor Babic
F.C. Sach & Sons Publishers
9780980372205, $20.00, fcsachandsonspublishers.com

Writing is a mentally draining job, and inspiration is the fuel to keep that tank filled. "Words to Inspire Writers: 1,100 Quotations, Over 300 Authors" is the battery many writers will enjoy. With quotes to help with every stage of writing to pondering a concept, putting it to paper, or editing it down, the book will prove to be many a writer's best friend. "Words to Inspire Writers" is a strong choice for a gift to any writer.

Write a Poem, Save Your Life
Meredith Heller
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way, Novato CA 94949
www.newworldlibrary.com
9781608687480, $16.95

https://www.amazon.com/Write-Poem-Save-Your-Life/dp/1608687481

Write a Poem, Save Your Life: A Guide for Teens, Teachers, and Writers of All Ages equates poetry production with personal growth efforts as it surveys how to move through life using literary expression in general and poetry in particular to heal and understand basic life issues. Writing poems is a cathartic experience that can encourage self-inspection, new revelations, and discussions that support self image and positive life approaches. Yet, most discourses about poetry writing approach it from a purely literary and style level and omit examples of the invitation process whereby writing leads to growth and new insights. The exercises and admonitions in this book are powerful paths to self-examination and realization which will prove cathartic and positive to readers who would do more than compose literary works and verses that impact others.

Write Better
Andrew T. Le Peau
InterVarsity Press
PO Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
www.ivpress.com
9780830845699, $18.00, PB, 272pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality" is primer on nonfiction writing and offers insights learned by Andrew T. Le Peau as a published author and an editor for over forty years, training, guiding, and cheering on hundreds of writers.

Here is a compendium of skills that writers can master ranging from finding strong openings and closings, to focusing on an audience, to creating a clear structure, to crafting a persuasive message.

With wide-ranging examples from fiction and nonfiction, Le Peau also demystifies aspects of art in writing such as creativity, tone, and metaphor. He considers strategies that can move writers toward fresher, more vital, and perhaps more beautiful expressions of the human condition. One aspect of writing that rarely receives attention is who we are as writers and how writing itself changes us.

Self-doubt, fear of criticism, downsides of success, questions of authority, and finding our voice are all a part of the exploration of our spirituality as writers found in these pages. "Write Better" reveals how the act of writing can affect our life in God.

Critique: Reflecting the experience and expertise of its author, "Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality" is unreservedly endorsed and recommended for the personal instructional reference collections of veteran writers, the occasional practitioner, a publishing professional, or any student just starting to explore such skills. While a core addition to community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Write Better" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.10).

The Write Book
Bob Perlongo
Art Direction Book Company
456 Glenbrook Rd., Glenbrook, CT 06906
0881082252 $12.95 1-203-353-1441

Compiled and edited by essayist and author Bob Perlongo, The Write Book: An Illustrated Treasure of Tips, Tactics, and Tirades is a humorous and yet very practical collection of advisory vignettes drawn from a roster of forty-six successful writers that range from William Shakespeare; Mark Twain; Stephen King; Lillian Hellman; and Harlan Ellison; to Louisa May Alcott; Ray Bradbury; Tennessee Williams; Agatha Christie; Arthur Miller; and Mickey Spillane; and John Steinbeck. Black-and-white illustrations add an extra chuckle here and there to what is an inherently helpful book that is so much fun to simply browse through that even readers with no special interest in a launching a writing career will still chuckle at its passages. The Write Book is highly recommended reading, especially for anyone who has ever considered or aspired to a professional writing career.

The Write-Brain Workbook
Bonnie Neubauer
Writer's Digest Books/F&W, dist.
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1582973555 $19.99 www.writersdigest.com

Writers seeking something more stimulating than a mere subject stimulation guide will welcome THE WRITE-BRAIN WORKBOOK: 366 EXERCISES TO LIBERATE YOUR WRITING. Playful and thought-provoking exercises range from finishing half-completed stories and filling in imagination blanks to using memories as a springboard to writing. THE WRITE-BRAIN WORKBOOK would initially seem inappropriate for libraries as it encourages filling in the blanks - but the color-coded pages make it somewhat difficult and lend to fill-ins elsewhere on white paper, and may make WRITE-BRAIN WORKBOOK a strong library lending tool.

The Write Crowd
Lori A. May
www.loriamay.com
Bloomsbury Academic
c/o Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10010
9781628923094 $19.95 pbk
9781628923087 $75.00 hc www.bloomsbury.com

Creative nonfiction teacher Lori A. May (University of King's College, Halifax) presents The Write Crowd: Literary Citizenship & the Writing Life, an informative book about the importance of community in the writing profession. The Write Crowd is filled with practical tips of how writers of all genres, skill and experience levels pool efforts to contribute to the sustainability of the literary community, and candid interviews with over fifty writers and editors. Readers, authors, and prospective writers are encouraged to join the literary community through engaging with literary journals, reading series and public workshops, advocacy and education programs, and more. It's possible to engage with peers and readers without sacrificing one's time and passion for the act of writing; The Write Crowd is an excellent guideline to deepening invaluable connections, while maintaining the balance that enables one to focus on quality writing. Highly recommended!

Write For Life
Sheppard B. Kominars
Cleveland Clinic Press
9500 Euclid Avenue, NA32, Cleveland, OH 44195
9781596240773, $14.95 www.clevelandclinicpress.com

Sheppard B. Kominars began teaching writing in 1956 at Washington College, has been a journal writer for more than fifty years, and has written two previous books on the subject of recovery. In "Write For Life: Healing Body, Mind, And Spirit Through Journal Writing", Kominars draws upon his more than half a century of experience and expertise in the subject to provide a wealth of insights and techniques into the utilization of writing to promote personal transformation, meet life's challenges, and acquire a deeper and more enduring satisfaction in our lives. "Write For Life" offers cogent advice and instruction on using a personal daily journal to confront emotional issues; break through frustrating mental blocks; deal with personal, professional, and medical crisis; renew and define life's meaning and purpose; free up intellectual creativity; and use or dreams and aspiration to build a better life. Although the principle focus of "Write For Life" is on using the material in this superbly written and highly recommended book as a self-help, self-improvement vehicle, there is also an invaluable relevance for aspiring writers who could utilize the keeping of a daily journal to enhance their own literary creativity regardless of the genre in which they are working.

Write From The Heart
Keith Miller
Paraclete Press
PO Box 1568, Orleans, MA 02653
1557250723 $79.95

Write From The Heart is an eight-session, two-video series complete with workbook wherein Keith Miller goes over the professional writing process in easy, step-by-step instructions. From getting the initial inspiration to finding the right title, from outlining to researching, from writing to re-writing, from marketing a manuscript to working with a publisher, Write From The Heart covers it all. Keith Miller is articulate, knowledgeable, practical, and inspiring. Write From The Heart is highly recommended video workshop for anyone seeking to break into print and become a "published author".

Write is a Verb
Bill O'Hanlon
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F&W Publications
4700 East Galbraith, Cincinnati, OH 45236
1582974594, $24.99 www.fwpublications.com

WRITE IS A VERB: SIT DOWN. START WRITING. NO EXCUSES offers writers an excellent survey of how to overcome common barriers to writing and self-expression. Writers who complete projects write and work through these barriers and while plenty of books admonish doing so, few offer up a program to achieve this goal. Chapters on changing set writing patterns to spark creativity, breaking up tasks, and tackling rewriting and polish present the author's own course, and even includes a DVD workshop which compiles all worksheets in the book in electronic form. Especially recommended for aspiring writers.

Write It Right
Dawn Josephson & Lauren Hidden
Cameo Publications
PO Box 8006, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938-8006
www.cameopublications.com
0974496626 $17.95 www.amazon.com

Write It Right: The Ground Rules For Self-editing Like The Pros is a consumable, no-nonsense guide to learning how to improve the grammatical quality of one's own writing and edit one's own copy in a professional manner. Chapters offer a variety of self-tests to identify one's most likely grammar problems, and offer keen advice in how to "think like an editor, not a writer" - from ground rules for going over writing, to how to select the right prereader for help in examining one's written copy, to tips for writing well when pressed for time, and much more. A practical-minded self-help book for writers of all skill and experience levels, from aspiring novelists to business or advertising copywriters to speechwriters, college students, journalists, and everyone else whose job hinges on the power of the written word. Highly recommended.

Write It Up
Paul J. Silvia, PhD
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
9781433818141 $19.95 www.apa.org/books

Write It Up: Practical Strategies for Writing and Publishing Journal Articles is a guide especially for academic writers of all skill and experience levels, including novices to the craft. Chapters focus on how to make a research article seize the reader's attention as well as efficiently deliver information, and the core premise of Write It Up is that academics should write to make a difference in people's hearts, minds, and the world at large, not just for the sake of getting published. From practical advice on grammar to tips, tricks, and common pitfalls when co-authoring papers, Write It Up is an absolute "must-have" for any scientific or academic seeking to build their reputation through published journal articles. Highly recommended!

Write Like Hemingway
R. Andrew Wilson
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield St, 2nd fl, Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com
9781598698961, $16.95, www.amazon.com

Ernest Hemingway was one of those rare authors whose literary contributions where to shape and influence American literature well beyond his own life time. His writing style was direct, laconic, and as a pioneer of modern romanticism, his novels were a significant departure from the literary styles of storytelling that preceded him and became a model for a great many novelists that came after him. In "Write Like Hemingway: Writing Lessons You Can Learn From The Master", by academician R. Andrew Wilson (an expert in composition, creative writing, and American literature) provides aspiring writers with cogent insights into just what made Hemingway's writing style so effective, how he was able to make his characters distinctively memorable, his storylines so complex even when his storytelling techniques were so succinct. But "Write Like Hemingway" is much more than just another 'how-to' writing guide based on the work of an accomplished author, Professor Wilson's informed and informative text will also be of immense interest and value to scholars and students of Hemingway's work, as well as the non-specialist general reader to whom Hemingway's novels and stories have had an enduring impact.

Write Like You Mean It
Steve Gamel
Brown Books Publishing Group
16250 Knoll Trail, Suite 205, Dallas, Texas 75248
https://www.brownbooks.com
9781612545271, $19.95, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Write-Like-You-Mean-Mastering/dp/1612545270

Synopsis: With the publication of "Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word" award-winning journalist and content writer Steve Gamel dives into his best advice for writers that he has gathered over the years.

With stories from his early years and frequent foibles as a journalist, Gamel equips aspiring writers with trade tips to learn, tools to utilize, and lessons to write stronger content. He has designed a compendium of experience based recommendations, instructions and insights that will be exceedingly useful to all kinds of writers: first-time writers, veteran writers, nonfiction writers, fiction writers, freelance writers, college writers, high school writers, writers who own their own business, and anyone else wanting to put pen to paper (a keyboard to computer) any kind of story of their own.

Simple steps in each chapter break down the productivity practices of creatives, the organization needed to get to the finish line, and the purpose behind it all: drawing readers in with quality content and style. Steve Gamel also discusses the intentional processes behind organizing ideas, conducting interviews, beating writer's block, networking, editing, and publishing. Whether an old hand at writing, a novice, or a college professor aspiring to write full-time, "Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word" will prove to be as informative as it is inspiring!

Critique: With instructive chapters organized into three major sections (Start Writing!; Writing to a Purpose; Write Like You Mean It to Be Read), "Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word" is further enhanced for the aspiring writer with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, and a six page bibliography of Reference and Resources for Further Reading, six pages of Endnotes. Practical, comprehensive, exceptionally well organized, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, "Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of aspiring and seasoned writers alike that "Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion for the Written Word" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Steve Gamel has an informative website about his work and services at https://www.editthisllc.com/about

The Write Prescription
Judith Hannan
Archer Books
601 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001
www.archerlit.com
9781941729038, $17.95, 320pp, www.amazon.com

Judith Hannan is the author of "Motherhood Exaggerated" (CavanKerry Press, 9781933880273, $21.00 PB, $9.99 Kindle), her memoir of discovery and transformation during her daughter's cancer treatment and her transition into survival. In "The Write Prescription: Telling Your Story to Live With and Beyond Illness" Hannan draws upon her personal and professional experience to provide the reader with an impressively written, organized and presented instructional guide and manual for setting down in a publishable format their own experiences when dealing with a serious illness or life-threatening injury afflicting themselves or a loved one. "The Write Prescription" is deftly arranged in three major sections: Getting Started; Parting the Curtains, Setting the Scene; Inside the System. Enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Introduction and 'How To Use This Book" commentary; "The Write Prescription" is further enhanced for the non-specialist general reader with Quick Prompts; An Ending and a Beginning: Where are You Now?; After the First Draft; and a Bibliography. Thoroughly informed, informative, and completely 'user friendly' from beginning to end, "The Write Prescription" is very highly recommended for community and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections. For personal reading lists it should be noted that "The Write Prescription" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Write, Right, Rite!
Gerald R. Oglan
Allyn and Bacon
75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116
0205344240 $26.00 1-617-848-7320

Write, Right, Rite! by educator and author Gerald R. Oglan is a field-tested guide for teaching pre-high school students how to edit and revise their own written work. Exercises, writing strategies, tips for assessments and a great deal more fill the pages of this practical, accessible, and highly useful supplement which is especially recommended for grade school teachers and would be quite appropriate for home school instruction as well.

The Write Start
Jennifer Hallissy
Shambhala Publications
Horticultural Hall
300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston MA 02115
9781590308370 $17.95 www.shambhala.com

THE WRITE START: A GUIDE TO NURTURING WRITING AT EVERY STAGE, FROM SCRIBBLING TO FORMING LETTERS AND WRITING STORIES is a 'must' for any creative writer's collection. It provides an inspirational writing 'how to' offering keys to instructing a child on the basics of writing and is intended for parents seeking to support writing efforts at home. The author worked with hundreds of parents and children and includes over fifty playful activities involving games, crafts and writing exercises. While this could also have appeared in our 'Education' section, it's reviewed here for its more general appeal to general lending collections and parents, as well as educator's libraries.

Write That Book Already!
Sam Barry & Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Adams Media Corporation
57 Littlefield Street, 2nd floor, Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com
9781605501475, $14.95, www.amazon.com

Writing is hard. Getting published is harder still. That's why "Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now" by Sam Barry (Marketing and Promotions Manager, HarperOne) and author/publicist Kathi Kamen Goldmark is such an invaluable instructional resource for aspiring authors. A 226-page compendium packed from cover to cover with sage advice and practical commentary, "Write That Book Already!" provides an overview with the 'life cycle' of a book from original idea to published book -- and the marketing, publicity, and promotion that comes next. From step-by-step instructions on writing book proposals and pitch letters, to obtaining an agent, to working with editors, "Write That Book Already!" covers every aspect of the publishing process -- including the option of self-publishing. Enhanced with a glossary of publishing terms, effective tactics for dealing with writer's block, and personal stories of writers who went on to eventual success despite earlier rejections, "Write That Book Already!" is a highly recommended addition to academic and community library Writing/Publishing reference collections, and an enduringly useful read for anyone aspiring to become a successfully published author.

Write Through the Crisis
Samantha Shad
Axillar Books
www.samanthashad.com
9781733865210, $11.99 paperback, $6.99 ebook

Write Through the Crisis comes from a "veteran of living through crises" and provides a powerful approach for unprecedented times, showing readers how they, too, can use the tools of writing to stave off depression, isolation, and ennui. Samantha Shad wasn't broke or quarantined, but she did survive living with a psychopathic mother who committed infanticide and created a life that always teetered on the edge of chaos and crisis after crisis. Shad turned to writing to mitigate the damaging effects of these constant challenges, and here advocates writing as a technique any literate person can use to heal themselves. She notes: "You don't have to like living in disaster-mode, but you can use it to make your life better. I did. This book tells you how to make the best out of a crisis by using it to write yourself to a richer soul." This approach advocates finding your own healing process and writing 'voice' and demonstrates how to do so by better understanding storytelling options, writing forms, how ideas and dreams are germinated to result in positive goals, and more. Psychology, creative writing tips, and self-help healing skills are woven into an account that should be a blueprint for those facing Covid who want to see and reach towards a light at the end of a challenging tunnel of darkness. As Shad discusses the mechanics of creating characters, plots, and themes, readers will be encouraged to put pen to paper to follow their own dreams. Why not? Those under quarantine now have all the time in the world to write their way to a better perspective, and with the lively, accessible Write Through the Crisis, they now have the tools to do so.

Write Tight
William Brohaugh
ISI Books
Box 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
www.isibooks.org
1882926889 $14.95 1-800-526-7022

Former editor of "Writer's Digest" magazine William Brohaugh presents Write Tight: How To Keep Your Prose Sharp, Focused And Concise, a practical guide to focusing one's message with grace, simplicity, and power, especially in today's attention-span deprived world of sound bites and distractions. From removing unnecessary syllables to excising gratuitous chapters, Write Tight identifies sixteen types of "flabby" writing (which says too little with too much verbage), offers "verbal aerobics" to hone one's skills, and even offers nonverbal devices such as sidebars and checklists to streamline one's manuscripts. Write Tight is a supremely valuable, "must-have" for aspiring writers in all fields from prose to nonfiction, journalistic copy, screenwriting and so much more.

The Write to Happiness
Samantha Shad
Morgan James Publishing
11815 Fountain Way, Suite 300, Newport News, VA 23606-4448
www.morganjamespublishing.com
9781642798098, $17.95, PB, 288pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: What happens when aspiring writers compose stories? Neuro science reveals that writing stories transforms their brains and their minds.

"The Write to Happiness: How to Write Stories to Change Your Brain and Your Life" by Samantha Shad is an impressively practical tool that can help writers to change their lives in the direction they choose. In this strikingly original writing manual, Samantha Shad teaches aspiring writers not only how to write great stories, but also how writing will change their life for the better.

The process of changing the brain and the process of writing a great story are the same. "The Write to Happiness" teaches professional story structure to help writers to understand and use the power of storytelling. Those writers will also learn why gossip is central to survival, how forgetting creates meaning, and why accurate memory is a joke!

Critique: Effective storytelling is at the heart of any writer's success in both fiction and non- fiction. "The Write to Happiness: How to Write Stories to Change Your Brain and Your Life" should be considered essential reading for anyone seeking to write either for their own personal and private benefit or for publication and the benefit or entertainment of others. While unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing collections, it should be noted that "The Write to Happiness: How to Write Stories to Change Your Brain and Your Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Samantha Shad was a member of the bar in three states and a practicing entertainment attorney in Beverly Hills before she turned her attention to screenwriting. She wrote twenty feature film scripts for the major studios, including Class Action (Twentieth Century Fox), as well as feature length and episodic television for each of the major networks, including the movie Vanished Without A Trace (NBC-Universal). Each story increased the joy in her life. She learned how to write her story to right her life. She now teaches advanced writing and leads seminars on how to Write to Happiness.

Write to Influence, second edition
Carla D. Bass, Colonel, USAF (Ret)
Orlean Press
9780997593020, $24.99, Paper, $9.99 ebook

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/write-to-influence-carla-d-bass/1132307936
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TDNFV9T

Want to improve your writing skills? Look no further than the second edition of Write to Influence! The original, published in 2017, is such a gem, so clearly written, and widely endorsed, one might wonder at the need for a revision. The answer lies in its wealth of new information, based on the author's highly acclaimed workshops. This book charts the course to success with clear examples and exercises, delivered with an acuity that many similarly sounding "how to write" guides don't begin to touch. Her material is anchored in the authoritative experience of a proven, successful author, who instinctively knows how to craft outstanding communications and demonstrates an intrinsic understanding of what makes the written word weak or powerful. In this second edition of Write to Influence! Carla produced another winning blend of a preeminent how-to guide for impactful messaging and an entertaining reading experience. Professionals in the workplace to students in high school and college, everyone can benefit from this book. Do yourself a favor... if you want to produce sterling results, this is well worth your time and investment!

The Write Type
Karen E. Peterson, Ph. D
Adams Media
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322
9781598694703, $12.95, www.adamsmedia.com

Committed or Conflicted? Organized or Chaotic? Lunch Hour or Log Cabin? What kind of writer is one, really? "The Write Type: Discover Your True Writer's Identity and Create a Customized Writing Plan" is a guide to help writers identify with who they are as a writer by going over preferred writing conditions such as mood, organization, deadlines, solitude, order, and other aspects of ones writing that may not be obvious to everyone. "The Write Type: Discover Your True Writer's Identity and Create a Customized Writing Plan" is highly recommended for any writer who can't seem to find the right groove or mood to really start cooking, and for community library shelves dedicated to writers. Also highly recommended from Adams Media in the subject, "Time to Write: No excuses. No distractions. No more blank pages" (9781598694383, $12.95) by Kelly L. Stone.

Write Your Book Now!
Gene Perret
Quill Driver Books
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721
www.quilldriverbooks.com
9781610350068, $15.95, www.amazon.com

Writing a book, whether it be a personal memoir or the next 'Great American Novel', is some of the hardest work anyone can ever take a hand in. But there are some 'tips, tricks & techniques' to help the novice author out and they are to be found in a 144-page compendium of commentary, instruction, and 'real world' advice by professional comedy writer Gene Perret in "Write Your Book Now!: A Proven System to Start and FINISH the Book You've Always Wanted to Write". Drawing upon his many years of experience and expertise, Perret shows the aspiring writer how to break a book project down into small sequential tasks; establish a workable, productive, realistic writing schedule; deal with the inevitable writer blocks, life distractions and delays; and keeping up motivation until the manuscript is finished and ready for publication. Thoroughly 'user friendly', "Write Your Book Now!" is an ideal instruction manual and especially recommended to beginning writers aspiring to a professional and successful career as a published author.

Write Your Story
Jennifer Carlson, Ph.D.
Privately Published
9781543954777 $24.95 pbk / $9.99 Kindle amazon.com

Synopsis: What if you wrote it all down? What if - in writing your experiences and sharing them - you begin letting go...of all of those good memories that you wish to share or not-so-good memories you're trying to forget? Only you know what you wish to share. That was until now.

Questions, quotes, and resources are contained in this self-start, easy-to-read, write your own biography, which allows you, the reader, to immerse themselves in content with the intention of surfacing their own memories and writing the story of their life.

Dr. Carlson's courageous life story is recounted in a way that supports and encourages others to write their own.

Critique: Illustrated with a handful of beautiful color photographs, Write Your Story: A Self-Start, Write Your Own Biography was created to help the reader realize the inner ambition to write their own biography. The motivational push to "just do it" lies primarily through example, as author Jennifer Carlson offers details of her life and her family in plain terms: "I hope to inspire you to write your own life story by sharing my own". Of particular note are the twelve pages of uplifting quotes from a wide variety of public figures. Write Your Story is engaging and thoughtful from cover to cover. It should be noted for personal reading lists that Write Your Story is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Write Your Tale Off!
Robert Brown Butler
CreateSpace
4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406
www.createspace.com
9781514849095, $14.99, PB, 204pp, www.amazon.com

In 1971 when Robert Brown Butler was a what he describes as a"cub ink-slinger" and living in Aspen for the summer, he met Saul Bellow, who was also living there. Bellow read some of Butler's writing, and advised him "to learn the writer's trade". Butler took the future Nobel Prize winner's advice to heart and subsequently has authored eight books: In 1981, The Ecological House, which describes how to design and build houses that are friendly to the environment; between 1984 and 2002, five books on architectural engineering for McGraw-Hill; in 2012, Architecture Laid Bare, a book for laymen that details the latest environmental and technical issues facing American architecture (website: architecturelaidbare.com); and in 2014, the Disaster Handbook, a book on disaster preparedness which to date has won nine literary awards (website: http://thedisasterhandbook .com). In "Write Your Tale Off!", Butler draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to create a kind of "literary tool box" for aspiring authors that contains the essential tools of the writer's trade. Each of its fifty short chapters describes one of these literary tools, exemplifies its use with a passage by a usually famous author, and reveals the "literary script" by which anyone can create and utilize each tool for the purpose of enriching their own writing project whatever it might be. Absolutely 'user friendly' in content, organization and presentation, "Write Your Tale Off!" will prove to be an invaluable, practical, and immediately applicable do-it-yourself instruction manual for any and all aspiring writers for whatever their subject or literary genre might be.

The Writer Behind the Words
Dara Girard
Ilori Press
PO Box 10332, Silver Spring, MD 20914
9780977019151, $12.95 www.iloripress.com

Award-winning author Dara Girard presents The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life, a handy guide for aspiring and professional writers alike to achieving success and an honest living in the field. Chapters cover the seven traits of successful writers; how to make one's writing output more prolific; dealing with doubt, depression, and writer's block; forming a sensible strategy for success; and much more. A highly motivational resource for developing a writer's work ethic.

Writer Profits: "How I Got the Gig"
Susan M. Carter, editor
Nasus Publishing
8917 Kell Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55437
0967029171, $14.95 www.writerprofits.com

Expertly compiled and deftly edited by Susan M. Carter, "Writer Profits" is a very special compilation of advice and commentary by fifteen professional writers who share their individual stories of pursuing and winning writing assignments of all kinds. Included in this group, each of whom wrote their own chapter, are both part-time and full-time writers, writers who right for fun and writers who ply their craft for profit, writers who write periodically and writers who write every day. Collectively, their stories reveal a wealth of tricks, tips and techniques that will have exceptional and practical value for aspiring authors seeking to break into print, as well as those novice authors seeking to land paid assignments. "Writer Profits" shows just how to turn a vacation into a book opportunity, turn quick tips into quick cash, become a recurring columnist, get writing referrals, establish and develop a technical writer career, become a script writer for television, and so much more. If you want a career as a professional writer, give a careful reading to "Writer Profits" and learn how to land gigs of your own!

Writer Watchdog Self-Publishing Directory, 2009 edition
New Vision Media
823-8 Burch Avenue, Durham, NC 27701
9780982267493, $19.99, www.amazon.com

Now in a newly released 2009 edition, New Vision Media's "Writer Watchdog Self-Publishing Directory" is one of the most valuable references any aspiring (or well experienced) self-published author could hope to include on the professional reference shelf. The word 'useful' is a profound understatement when it comes to describing the value of its more than two hundred resource listings, expert advice and commentary drawn from a variety of notable contacts from the publishing industry, and its listings of discounts for many services from many service providers with respect to the self-publishing process. In fairness, it should be clearly noted that the Midwest Book Review is well identified as one of those 'useful' entries in the chapter dedicated to 'Book Review Resources'. Of special note is the inclusion of a series of informed and informative articles from 'Using a Book Printer or a Self-Publishing Service', to 'The Cost of Editing and Not Editing', to 'Selling Books without Bookstores', to (my personal favorite) 'Why You Need Book Reviews', and so many more practical and applicable self-publishing specific contributions. Simply stated, anyone contemplating the prospect and possibility of self-publishing should begin with a careful perusal of the "Writer Watchdog Self-Publishing Directory".

Writer with a Day Job
Aine Greaney
Writer's Digest Books
4700 E. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati OH 45236
9781582979960, $17.99, www.writersdigest.com

Writer with a Day Job provides an invaluable collection of exercises to help integrate a side career of writing with a regular day gig. It's a talented dance to keep the daily grind of a job from sapping a writer's energy: this tells how to achieve that balance, providing exercises, ideas, and techniques to build creative expression into a daily work cycle. From planning a writing getaway to using one's lunch hour for writing, this is filled with keys to a writer's success, and is a pick for any literary or writer's collection.

The Writer Within You
Charles Jacobs
Caros Books
16 Pinecrest Drive, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
Atlas Book Distributors
30 Amberwood Parkway, Ashland, OH 44805
9780979363603, $19.95

Specifically written to be of value to retirees and other senior citizens, "The Writer Within You: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing And Publishing In Your Retirement Years" by author, editor, and publishing consultant Charles Jacobs provides the aspiring author with practical, detailed, useful and relevant information and guidance on how to write books and articles in six different genres, select the best publisher for a specific book and market, and how to promote their finished work. All of these principles and procedures are relevant for writers of any age, but are of specific utility to those ages 55 and older who have a wealth of life and career experiences to draw from in what they choose to write. While "The Writer Within You" is a stand-alone, single-volume, comprehensive instruction manual whose chapters cover becoming a writer, writing your book, publishing your book, marketing your book, marketing your book, writing and placing your articles, writing and promoting on the internet, and commercial writing. It should also be noted that Jacobs has created a retirement writing website at http://www.retirement-writing.com; plus a Retirement Writing Blog at http://www.retirement-writing.com/blog. You can even download a free sample chapter from the book at http://www.retirement-writing.com/press_room. If you are a senior who wants to try your hand at writing books and/or articles, the begin with a careful reading of Charles Jacobs' "The Writer Within You".

Writers' & Artists' Guide To How To Write
Harry Bingham
Bloomsbury Press
175 Fifth Avenue, Suite 315, NY, NY 10010
www.bloomsbury.com
9781408157176, $22.95, www.amazon.com

Writing novels and non-fiction for publication is competitive, hard work, and requires a certain amount of talent combined with practical skill. Simply stated, "The Writers' and Artists' Guide to How to Write" by Harry Bingham (founder of the Writer's Workshop and the author of six successful novels) is an essential, practical, instructive, and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide for aspiring authors wanting to become good enough that their work will be published and their readership satisfied. Novice authors will learn the core skills necessary for effective storytelling including the creation of characters, prose style choices, and all of the diverse tools that can come into play with writing fiction and non-fiction. Of special note is the section on manuscript editing and getting help when needed. Practical, realistic, informed and informative, "The Writers' and Artists' Guide to How to Write" is especially recommended for novice writers, but will also prove an enduringly invaluable reference for even the more experienced author.

Writers' & Artists' Hideouts
Andrea Brown
Quill Driver Books
1831 Industrial Way, #101, Sanger, CA 93657
www.QuillDriverBooks.com
1884956343 $14.95 1-800-497-4909

Writers' And Artists' Hideouts: Great Getaways For Seducing The Muse by literary agent Andrea Brown is a very special travel guide for writers, artists, actors, and other creative people seeking to find somewhere they can go to focus upon their work which is all to often interrupted in their primary homes, studios and offices with the demands of friends, family, and the pressures of day-to-day living. Ranging from the inexpensive ($19.00 per night hostels) to the extravagant ($1000.00 per night luxury hotels) Writers' & Artists' Hideouts covers the gamut. Arranged geographically into The Pacific Northwest; California; Hawaii & Alaska; The Southwest; The Rocky Mountain States; The Midwest; The Heartland; The Northeast; The Mid-Atlantic; and The Southeast, Writers' & Artists' Hideouts is further enhanced with the inclusion of an informative Introduction, advice on "How to Use This Book", security tips, an "Index by Venue"; and an "Index by City". If you need to "get away from it all" and consult your personal muse, then browse through the pages of Andrea Brown's Writers' & Artist's Hideouts.

Writers And Their Notebooks
Diana M. Raab, editor
University of South Carolina Press
718 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29208
9781570038662 $24.95 www.sc.edu/uscpress 1-800-768-2500

Writers And Their Notebooks is an anthology of essays by established and professional writers, discussing the value of simple notebooks to collect ideas, play around with words, discover new insights into evoking emotion with language, and much more. From sample journal entries that evolved into published pieces, to valuable advice for aspiring writers, to individual approaches to notebook keeping and much more, Writers And Their Notebooks is filled with tips, tricks, and techniques for getting creative juices flowing. An excellent supplementary reference for any would-be writer's shelf.

Writer's Block Busters
Velina Hasu Houston
Smith & Kraus, Inc.
PO Box 127, Lyme NH 03768
9781575255972, $17.95, www.smithandkraus.com, 1-888-282-2881

Sooner or later, every author will encounter the dreaded condition called 'writer's block'. This is when no ideas occur to the writer who may well sit and stair at a blank page in the typewriter or a blinking cursor on the computer screen for hours, days, weeks, and longer. For just such inevitable occasions, and drawing upon her many years of experience and expertise writing more than 30 plays (including fourteen of which were commissioned assignments complete with deadlines), Velina Hasu Houston has compiled a series of 'user friendly' and real-world productive activities and actions in "Writer's Block Busters: 101 Exercises To Clear The Deadwood And Make Room For Flights Of Fancy". Each exercise occupied a single page and is succinctly presented in one paragraph. Occasionally enhanced with quotable quotes, each exercise is designed to prompt the blocked writer to start composing on the spot. Here's an illustrative example: Homecoming: Character A has suffered torture, enslavement, insults, and disrespect in order to return to the side of a loved one. He or she returns home only to find that his or her loved one is gone. Place that sense of rupture and loss in your protagonist. Write. "Writer's Block Busters" should be on the ready reference shelf of every aspiring or seasoned author -- because no matter how gifted or inspired you may be in the pursuit of your craft, sooner or later that dreaded condition known as 'writer's block' will strike. That's when you will reach for your copy of "Writer's Block Busters" and be glad you have it handy!

A Writer's Coach
Jack Hart
Pantheon
c/o Random House
1745 Broadway, 17th floor, New York, NY 10019
0375423273, $24.95 www.pantheonbooks.com 1-800-726-0600

Jack Hart is the managing editor at 'The Oregonian' and a frequent lecturer at Harvard University's prestigious 'Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism'. In "A Writer's Coach: An Editor's Guide To Words That Work", Jack Hart draws upon his more than 30 years of experience and expertise to demystify the writing process and methodically present every step (and misstep) in the processes involved with putting down thoughts and information into print. Hart's emphasis is that good writing demonstrates energy, conciseness, personality, rhythm, clarity, as well as being 'mechanically correct'. "A Writer's Coach" is very highly recommended reading for all aspiring authors seeking to make writing stronger and more effective – be they novice beginners or seasoned experts.

The Writer's Compass
Nancy Ellen Dodd
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati OH 45235
9781599631974, $19.99, www.writersdigestbooks.com

The Writer's Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages breaks down the novel-writing process to a seven-stage series of steps and teaches writers to visualize their story's progress using these steps. From forming stories and building strong foundations to building a complete draft in seven stages, this provides structure and a seasoned approach to writers and especially recommended for new writers who will appreciate the 'story map' approach to viewing the entire novel from start to finish.

The Writer's Desk
Jill Krementz
Random House Inc.
Jeffrey DeMann, Reviewer
0679450149 $35.00

When I think of all the social documentarians, I will first and foremost thank those who pay tribute to the creative souls, and Jill Krementz deserves our thanks. The Writer's Desk is exactly what it purports to be and much more. The reader is given not only a visual perception of these well-known authors, but an actual glimpse into the essence of quite private individuals. Those who take the time will receive a full value of scales in terms of photographs and word pictures. One cannot but feel an intimate connection with the writer's who are interviewed in this book. The private work world once reserved only for authors is now revealed. Krementz has firsthand knowledge of this by being wed to author Kurt Vonnegut. In addition, she has innate instincts which have connected her soul to that of the writer. The Writer's Desk is more than a collection of intimate photographs. The Writer's Desk documents the visual eye which few have ever seen. It is one those intangibles which the bibliophile simply must have in one's personal library.

Writer's Digest Dictionary of Concise Writing, The
Robert Hartwell Fiske
Writer's Digest Books
1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207
0898797551 $19.99 1-800-289-0963

Successful writers treat their readers to a quality of writing hallmarked by clarity and energy. Robert Fisk spotlights say-nothing phrases that have waddled into common usage and shows how to kick them out of your work thus making your prose lighter, tighter, easier to read and to understand. Part one is a hard look at wordiness -- how to spot it, and how to keep it from robbing your writing of power. Part Two is a dictionary that is several thousand entries strong where you will see wordy phrases, compact alternatives, and (in many cases) verbose and streamlined examples. The Writer's Digest Dictionary Of Concise Writing: Thousands of Alternatives to Wordy Phrases is a "must have" reference whether you are writing a school paper or the next great American novel.

The Writer's Essential Tackle Box
Lynn Price
Behler Publications
22365 El Toro Road, #135, Lake Forest, CA 92630
www.behlerpublications.com
9781933016344, $19.95, www.amazon.com

A 'truth in advertising' moment: the Midwest Book Review and an extensive interview with me form an entire chapter of "The Writer's Essential Tackle Box", a 368-page compendium of information and insight into the publishing industry in all of its elements and aspects by Lynn Price (Editorial Director of Behler Publications). But I can say with absolute sincerity that the Midwest Book Review is in excellent company and just one of the informative interviews along side those with publishing industry professionals such as Wilda Williams from 'Library Journal', professional literary agents such as Rita Rosenkranze, Andrea Brown, Laurie McLean, and Peter Cox, ABA President and Changing Hands bookstore owner Gayle Shanks, and so many others. "The Writer's Essential Tackle Box" addresses writers' boards, writer conferences, writer and publisher blogs, and a myriad of 'how to' books for writers. Of special note is 'The Writer's Survival Style Guide" delineating the most common mistakes made by aspiring authors seeking publication. Informed and informative, "The Writer's Essential Tackle Box" is very strongly recommended reading for anyone seeking to become a published and professional author in today's highly competitive, complex, and evolving publishing industry.

The Writer's Garden
Jackie Bennett, author
Richard Hanson, photographer
Frances Lincoln Publishers
www.franceslincoln.com
c/o Quarto Publishing Group
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1722
www.quartoknows.com
9780711238404, $25.99, PB, 176pp, www.amazon.com

Jackie Bennett is a former editor of "The Garden Design Journal","English Garden Magazine", and "Gardening with the National Trust". With "The Writer's Garden: How Gardens Inspired Our Best-Loved Authors" Jackie draws upon her years of experience and expertise to provide an informed and informative commentary on how their gardens influenced and even inspired such writers as Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, Charles Dickens, Virginia Wolf, George Bernard Shaw, Henry James, Thomas Hardy, William Wordsworth, Walter Scott, Rudyard Kipling, and more! Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with the superb photography of Richard Hanson, each entry includes an 'info box' called Written in Residence listing the works credited with being written at the garden graced residence of that particular author. Unique, inherently fascinating, consistently compelling, "The Writer's Garden" will prove to be of special interest to aspiring and practicing authors, as well as garden and gardening enthusiasts everywhere. While unreservedly recommended for community library collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Writer's Garden" is also available in a Kindle format ($11.91).

A Writer's Guide to Active Setting
Mary Buckham
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242
www.WritersDigest.com
9781599639307, $17.99, PB, 256pp, www.amazon.com

Setting is one of the most underutilized and misunderstood elements of the writing craft. And when writers do focus on setting, they often pull readers out of the narrative and jolt their attention from the action on the page. "A Writer's Guide to Active Setting: How to Enhance Your Fiction with More Descriptive, Dynamic Settings" by Mary Buckham (author of the USA Today bestselling Invisible Recruits series) will show you how to create vivid, detailed settings that bring your story to life. You'll learn how to deepen character development, anchor readers to a specific time and place, reveal backstory without slowing things down, elevate action sequences, and more. Drawing upon examples from authors writing across a variety of genres, as well as her own years of experience and expertise, Mary Buckham will illustrate exactly how the proper use of setting can dramatically improve your story. You'll learn what's effective about each passage and how you can use those techniques to make your story shine. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "A Writer's Guide to Active Setting" is very highly recommended for community library Writing/Publishing reference collections, and a "must read" instructional guide for all aspiring novelists and short story authors. It should be noted that "A Writer's Guide to Active Setting" is also available in a Kindle edition ($10.99).

The Writer's Guide to Corporate Communications
Mary Moreno
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, NY, NY 10010
http://www.allworth.com
1880559749 $18.95 1-800-491-2808

Freelance writers need to succeed in corporate communications: that's why this guide, written by a communications specialist, is so important. Moreno shares her expertise on finding clients, developing a portfolio, and setting fees, going beyond most books on business writing to cover the process which goes into writing scripts for business. Writers will find new job opportunities here.

Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature, The
Philip Martin
The Writer Books/Kalmbach Pub.
Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
0871161958 $16.95 1-800-533-6644

Philip Martin's The Writer's Guide To Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair To Hero's Quest is a collection of informative essays specifically written to help both aspiring and established writers improve the quality of their work, and create fantasy worlds to suspend disbelief and capture the imagination. Essay contributors include such notable talents as Patricia A. McKillip, Jane Yolen, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Peter S. Beagle. Chapters and essays cover such issues as generating ideas, constructing a coherent plot, and enhancing settings with your own brand of magic. The Writer's Guide To Fantasy Literature is a truly inspiring and insightful "must-read" for anyone looking to improve their fantasy writing - and the majority of its tips, tricks, and techniques would also apply to the writing of science fiction, historical fiction, or genre novels of any sort!

Writer's Guide To Magazine Articles, A
Patricia L. Fry
Matilija Press
323 East Matilija Street, Suite 110, Ojai, CA 93023
0961264268 $6.50 matilijapress.com

A Writer's Guide To Magazine Articles For Book Promotion And Profit is a 66-page compendium of ideas, tools, and inspirations for writers with respect to coming up with saleable magazine article ideas, finding the right magazine for them, writing effective query letters, working with editors, conducting interviews, doing research, locating expertise, actually writing the article, even recycling articles. Practical, effective, easy-to-read, A Writer's Guide To Magazine Articles is highly recommended for aspiring writers seeking to break into print, extrapolating articles into books, crafting news releases, submitting book reviews, and any other aspect of writing articles professionally -- and profitably.

A Writer's Guide To Persistence
Jordan Rosenfeld
Writer's Digest Press
F+W Media
1140 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.fwmedia.com
9781599638843, $16.99, 234pp, www.amazon.com

Persistence is defined as the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people, as well as the state of occurring or existing beyond the usual, expected, or normal time. For writers it means know matter how inconvenient or uninclined they may be to sit down and start writing, they compel themselves to do so if that article or poem or novel is to ever see print. But like so much else in the art and craft of writing, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Not when you have access to Jordan Rosenfeld's "A Writer's Guide To Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice". This 234 page instruction guide reveals practical ways to balance writing with the rest of your life: taming your busy schedule, increasing your productivity, and committing to a writing practice; provides sound advice for developing authentic work: finding your voice, writing bravely, and breaking the blocks to creative flow; explains methods for stretching your skills through craft and revision; and offers salient thoughts on pushing through rejection and doubt, submitting strong, nourishing yourself to avoid burnout, and keeping your mind and body fit. Especially for the aspiring writer seeking to establish their themselves as professionals and eventual achieve publication and a readership for their work, "A Writer's Guide To Persistence" will prove an invaluable and essential addition to their personal reference collections and reading lists. It should be noted that "A Writer's Guide To Persistence" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.99).

Writer's Guide To Powerful Paragraphs, A
Victor C. Pellegrino
Maui arThoughts Company
PO Box 967, Wailuku, HI 96793-0967
0945045050 $18.95 booksmaui.com

A Writer's Guide To Powerful Paragraphs by Victor C. Pellegrino is a straightforward, easy-to-understand how-to guide to improving the quality of one's writing, one paragraph at a time. Aspiring writers are provided with thirty different but effective ways to organize and write competent paragraphs, including paragraphs focused on chronology, physical or process analysis, classification, enumeration, cause and effect, dialogue, anecdotes, introductions, conclusions, transitions, and a great deal more. Highly recommended and quite "user friendly", A Writer's Guide To Powerful Paragraphs is a superbly organized and presented supplement for aspiring authors of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels ranging from the high school novice, through community college and university level writing assignments, to professional contract and free-lance authors.

The Writer's Guide to Psychology
Carolyn Kaufman
Quill Driver Books
2006 S. Mary Street, Fresno, CA 93721-3311
9781884995682, $14.95, www.quilldriverbooks.com

The human mind is one of the most difficult thing to understand, and it's so easy for a writer to get it wrong. "The Writer's Guide to Psychology: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment, and Human Behavior" acts as a resource explaining the finer details of these disorders and what a writer should know before diving into writing such characters. Hoping to dispel commonly used tropes such as raving lunatic serial killers, the truth about schizophrenia, the problem with hypnosis, and much more. Explaining how to make psychopathic characters work, "The Writer's Guide to Psychology" is a highly useful and recommended resource.

The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals, second edition
Moira Allen
Allworth Press
10 E. 23rd St., New York NY 10010
9781581157437, $19.95, www.allworth.com

The Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches & Proposals appears in its second updated edition to provide a single reference to learning how to make the perfect pitch to magazines, publishers and others. E-mail pitches and international markets are among the new topics of this updated edition, keeping it current for any writer's reference library.

The Writer's Guide to Self-Editing
Naveed Saleh
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476671598, $29.95, PB, 200pp, www.amazon.com

Over the years, technological advances have given publishers the ability to produce more books and online publications with greater speed. This new efficiency, however, has increased editors' workloads, limiting the amount of detailed editorial feedback they can provide authors. In turn, writers must become self-editors, ensuring that their text is nearly perfect upon submission. "The Writer's Guide to Self-Editing: Essential Tips for Online and Print Publication" by Naveed Saleh (who is a science writer and editor that has written for various online and print publications and is a long-time blogger at Psychology Today) serves as a guide to self-editing nonfiction print and online publications, including articles for general and academic audiences. It is both prescriptive and descriptive, drawing from stylebooks, dictionaries, research, and more to provide a full picture of both style and grammar. Also provided are techniques that boost search-engine optimization and engagement of Internet audiences. The single greatest weakness of most self- published authors is a lack of effective editing. "The Writer's Guide to Self-Editing" is thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, making it an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections.

A Writer's Guide to Speculative Fiction
Crawford Kilian & Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Self-Counsel Press Inc.
www.self-counsel.com
9781770403161, $19.95, PB, 168pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "A Writer's Guide to Speculative Fiction: Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Crawford Kilian and Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a instructive 'how to' manual that is comprised of of hands-on, practical, put-the-book-down-and-start-writing advice that speaks to new and emerging authors of science fiction and fantasy.

Crawford and Silvia are bestselling SciFi writers who have compiled this instructional guide offer far more than pep talks and success stories; they explain genres and how to bend and blend them, giving concrete suggestions for overcoming inevitable writing problems across genres: self-editing, creating plausible characters, and building a plot without writing formula fiction.

With a combined fifty years of experience, Kilian and Moreno-Garcia will save aspiring writers time, energy, and grief by showing them how to master the craft of storytelling and how to market their stories as successfully as possible. Their invaluable advice persuades readers to go beyond expectations of market and genre, pushing them to be better writers, and to add their own unique voices into the growing speculative fiction arena. For aspiring writers of the SciFi & Fantasy genre, this book will light the way to creating your own books.

Critique: Impressively informative, expertly organized, accessibly presented, and especially recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing collections, "A Writer's Guide to Speculative Fiction: Science Fiction and Fantasy" will prove to be invaluable and practical addition to the personal reading lists of anyone with an interest in writing (and having published!) their books and stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres.

Editorial Note: Crawford Kilian has been teaching and writing online since the 1980s. He has published more than twenty books, including Writing for the Web, Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Sell Your Nonfiction Book.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of Signal to Noise, Certain Dark Things, The Beautiful Ones, and the science fiction novella Prime Meridian.

Writer's Guide To Transitional Words And Expressions, A
Victor C. Pellegrino
Maui Arthoughts Company
P.O. Box 967, Wailuku, HI 96793-0967
0945045026 $9.95 1-800-403-3472

A Writer's Guide To Transitional Words And Expressions by Victor Pellegrino is a very specific and highly useful reference for writers of all ages and skill levels, ranging from novelists to journalists. It is quite simply a collection of lists of English words and phrases. Each list is offered as an effective verbal transition mechanism for authors seeking the best phrase "To Indicate Time Order," "To Indicate a Sequence," "To Emphasize or Intensify," "To Substitute for 'Said'" and a dozen other lists. Perhaps most useful is A Writer's Guide To Transitional Words' unusual format layout, which makes an index tab for each list instantly visible upon opening to any page - which in turn makes finding the list one wants to consult a supremely quick and easy process. A Writer's Guide To Transitional Words is an enthusiastically recommended reference for professional writers of all walks, since the type of phrases it presents are not ones that are quite so easily gleaned from a common thesaurus. Also highly recommended is Victor Pellegrino's companion book A Writer's Guide To Using Eight Methods Of Transition (0945045034, $5.95).

Writer's Internet Handbook, The
Timothy Maloy
Allworth Press
1880559803 $18.95

Writers using the Internet would do well to consult this guide, which provides a step-by-step approach to getting connected. From the basics of Internet research and its applications to writing objectives to how authors have marketed and sold their skills on the Net, this provides new and traditional writers alike with a range of computer-oriented applications choices.

A Writer's Journey
Carren Strock
Gray Rabbit Publications
1380 East 17 Street, Suite 2233
Brooklyn, NY 11230
www.fantasticbooks.biz
9781604599206, $14.99, www.amazon.com

Carren Strock was informed by one of her college professors that she was not cut out to be a writer. She believed that judgment and gave up her dream of becoming a published writer for the next fifteen years. Then an unusual set of circumstances led her to writing articles for national magazines and the sale of her first nonfiction book to a major New York publishing house. "A Writer's Journey: What to Know Before, During, and After Writing a Book" is the colorful and engaging story of her unlikely journey to become a published author. But more than a simple personal memoir, "A Writer's Journey" also offers other aspiring authors a wealth of information on what to consider before starting to write, what to understand while engaged in writing, and what to know after writing a book is completed. Of special note are the tips about the different types of publishers, how to make marketing a book an enjoyable experience, avoiding common mistakes, and the value of persistence! "A Writer's Journey" should be considered a 'must read' for anyone aspiring to become a published author or establish a professional career as a writer.

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
Christopher Vogler
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615933150, $29.95, PB, 510pp

https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Journey-Anniversary-Mythic-Structure/dp/1615933158

Synopsis: Celebrating twenty-five years since it's first edition was published, "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers" by Christopher Vogler is now released by Michael Wiese Productions in a newly updated and expanded fourth edition.

Originally an influential memo Vogler wrote for Walt Disney Animation executives regarding The Lion King, "The Writer's Journey" details a twelve-stage, myth-inspired method that has galvanized Hollywood's treatment of cinematic storytelling.

A format that once seldom deviated beyond a traditional three-act blueprint, Vogler's comprehensive theory of story structure and character development has met with universal acclaim, and is detailed herein using examples from myths, fairy tales, and classic movies.

As an instructional guide and manual, "The Writer's Journey" has changed the face of screenwriting worldwide over the last 25 years, and continues to do so to this very day.

Critique: Expertly written, organized and presented, "The Writer's Journey - 25th Anniversary Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers" must be considered essential reading for all aspiring script writers and storytellers. It should be noted for community and college/university library Writing/Publishing collections that "The Writer's Journey - 25th Anniversary Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers" is also available in a library hardcover edition (9781615933235, $39.95).

Writer's Legal Guide, The
Tad Crawford
Allworth Press
10 East 23rd Street, #210, NY, NY 10010
1581150040 $19.95 1-212-777-6395

Now in a newly updated and expanded second edition, Ted Crawford's The Writer's Legal Guide continues to authoritatively answer virtually every question writers are likely to face concerning their rights and the law. Extensively revised to cover recent developments in the law, The Writer's Legal Guide is an essential addition to every professional or aspiring writer's reference shelf as it covers such topics as gaining and keeping copyrights; copyright registration and deposit; work for hire and joint works; infringement, fair use, and permissions; libel and invasion of privacy; The Freedom of Information Act; contracts; magazines and syndication; electronic rights and new media; agents and agency contracts; vanity presses and self-publishing; grants and public support for writers; collaboration; even taxes and estate planning. Sample forms and contracts essential to every writer's business or legal transactions are provided, along with a selected bibliography and a complete index. Highly recommended.

The Writer's Little Helper
James V. Smith Jr.
Writer's Digest Press/F&W, dist.
4700 East Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
1582974225 $19.99 writersdigest.com

From time-saving tips to insights on how a believable dialogue is created and how a compelling pace is maintained, The Writer's Little Helper: Everything You Need To Know To Write Better And Get Published packs in specific tips and references for writers of fiction who wish to improve their style and quality of work. The format here is unique: it especially lends to browsers who just wish to hone in on a particular area of interest or improvement: checklists, boxed outlines and notes, the use of color bullets and more allow for quick, breezy reference. An exceptional guide for any who would absorb the foundations of good writing solid and who would hone improvement routines.

Writer's Little Instruction Book, The
Paul Raymond Martin
Writer's World Press
35 North Chillicothe Road, Suite D, Aurora, OH 44202-8741
0963144170 $8.95 1-330-562-6667

The Writer's Little Instruction Book offers 385 secrets for writing well and getting published. Each of these short, pithy gems of practical wisdom providing essential information and instruction along with often-needed motivation. These are proven techniques and down-to-earth advice to help aspiring and emerging writers polish and publish what they write. Here are to be found words of affirmation and inspiration to "kick-start" the writing process, the "do's and don'ts" on the business of writing and on working with agents and editors; as well as "how-to" information on self-editing, coping with rejection, conquering writer's block, and much more. If you are an aspiring writer serious about having your work published, then read The Writer's Little Instruction Book -- and keep it handily nearby at all times.

Writer's Market 2018
Robert Lee Brewer, editor
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, OH 45242
www.writersdigest.com
9781440352638, $29.99, PB, 896pp, www.amazon.com

Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded 97th edition, "Writer's Market 2018 " fully lives up to it's subtitle of 'The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published'. Comprised of thousands of current listings for book publishers, magazines, contests, literary agents, internet resources and more, this new edition of "Writer's Market 2018" includes an invaluable webinar by C. Hope Clark for aspiring authors on funding a writing career. Of special note are the lists of professional writing organizations, samples of query letters, and a free digital download of Writer's yearbooks, featuring the 100 Best Markets. Exceptionally well organized and thoroughly 'user friendly' in presentation, "Writer's Market 2018" should be considered a core and indispensable reference work for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing collections.

Writer's Market Companion, second edition
Joe Feiertag et al.
Writer's Digest Press / F&W Publications
4700 E Galbraith Rd Cincinnati OH 45236
1582972915 $19.99 1-800-289-0963

Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Writer's Market Companion is the collaborative effort of Joe Feiertag, Mary Carmen Cupito, and the editoral staff of Writer's Digest Books. Featuring tested advice for improving one's research and interviewing skills, writing for online markets, successfully sell fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays, and much more, Writer's Market Companion is packed from cover-to-cover with vital, need-to-know business advice. The second edition is especially enhanced with query letter samples and electronic submission guidelines that cater to the demands of writing markets in the twenty-first century. Writer's Market Companion is a "must-have" resource and reference for anyone seeking to write professionally.

Writer's Notebook: A Guided Journal to Plan Your Story
Liz Delton
www.lizdelton.com
Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing
9781734523102, $11.95, PB, 126pp, www.amazon.com

Synopsis: "Writer's Notebook: A Guided Journal to Plan Your Story" by Liz Delton is specifically intended for anyone who has ever wanted to write a book. It will also have practical value for experienced writers engaged in starting their next story.

Aspiring authors can get their thoughts on paper by writing all your story ideas in this pre-organized journal. This notebook is part blank journal, part guided story planner. There's plenty of room for to customize notes, and enough guidance to help figure out plot, characters, and publishing goals.

Critique: A consumable instructional guide and thoroughly 'user friendly' DIY manual, "Writer's Notebook: A Guided Journal to Plan Your Story " is an especially recommended and highly valued addition to any writer's personal reference shelf.

Editorial Note: Liz Delton writes and lives in New England, with her husband and amazing son. She studied Theater Management at the University of the Arts in Philly, always having enjoyed the backstage life of storytelling. She loves reading and writing fantasy, especially the kind with alternate worlds. Liz is the author of the Arcera Trilogy, and the Realm of Camellia series. World-building is her favorite part of writing, and she is always dreaming up new fantastic places.

Writers on the Edge
Diana M. Raab & James Brown
Modern History Press
5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
9781615991082, $19.95, www.modernhistorypress.com

Creative people have a predisposition to addiction it is often found. "Writers on the Edge: 22 Writers Speak About Addiction and Dependency" discusses the struggles many writers have faced as they have been consumed by their addiction, be it the obvious drug and alcohol addictions to the more misunderstood sex addictions as well as food addictions, and other compulsions that can ruin our lives. "Writers on the Edge" is a strong addition to writing collections, with interest to social issues and general self-help collections as well.

Writers on the Job
Thomas E. Kennedy & Walter Cummins
Hopewell Publications
P.O. Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560-0011
9781933435213, $15.95, http://www.hopepubs.com

Writing is not a job that pays well at entry level. In fact, it's not a job that pays at all for most - "Writers on the Job: Tales of the Non-Writing Life" has twenty writers telling their stories of working the grind - something familiar to many in the entertainment industry of waiting tables to get their big break. Twenty writers tell their stories of how they get along while submitting their stories, novels, and essays abroad, sure to be an inspiration to many trying to hack their way through the craft. "Writers on the Job: Tales of the Non-Writing Life" is highly recommended to any writer just starting out, and for community library writing/publishing collections with a focus on memoirs.

Writer's Online Marketplace
Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F&W Publications, Inc.
1507 Dana Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45207
1582970165 $17.99 1-800-289-0963

Debbie Ohi's Writer's Online Marketplace is a definitive guide to getting published online. She provides an informative overview of today's online publishing landscape; methods for crafting queries and submissions addressing the specific needs of the online marketplace; using the Web to network, promote and sell work; making a web site; electronic rights; the differences between writing for print and writing for online publications; email basics that will ensure a positive response from editors; and invaluable information on who's buying what and what types of markets are now available on the Web. Enhanced with tips and advice from dozens of successful online writers, hundreds of Web site listings, a comprehensive section with details for 300 paying online markets (including what they want, how much they pay, contact information), Writer's Online Marketplace is an essential, core reference for any writer seeking to be published online for fun or profit.

The Writer's Partner
Martin Roth
Michael Wiese Productions
11288 Ventura Blvd., PMB 821
Studio City, CA 91604
0941188329 $19.95 1-800-833-5738

In The Writer's Partner: 1001 Breakthrough Ideas To Stimulate Your Imagination, television script writer Martin Roth draws upon his many years of experience and expertise to present a compendium of quick and easy "things to do" to get started with a writing project, or embellish one already underway. From ideas for character development and plotting, this invaluable resource goes on to address genre categories including science fiction, horror, romance, comedy, sports, crime, westerns, and more. A truly "user friendly" text is further enhanced with appendices on "Web Wordage"; "National Hockey League Teams"; and "Additional Sports League Official Offices". The Writer's Partner is a valuable and practical addition to any writer's reference shelf.

Writer's Partner for Fiction Television and Screen, The
Martin Roth
Index Publishing Group
3368 Governor Dr. #273, San Diego, CA 92122
1568661487 $19.95

Build stories suitable for television and screen with the aid of a writer's guide which is filled with ideas and techniques for producing screen-oriented writing. This will prove a perfect choice for any working in the theater arts: it provides plot lists, common plot problems and challenges, and plenty of detailed information to spark a production.

The Writer's Portable Mentor, second edition
Priscilla Long
University of New Mexico Press
MSC05 3185, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM 87131-0001
www.unmpress.com
9780826360052, $24.95, PB, 368pp, www.amazon.com

Priscilla Long is a writer of poetry, creative nonfiction, science, fiction, and history. In this newly updated and expanded second edition of "The Writer's Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life", she continues to draw upon her years of experience and expertise to designed an instructional guide and manual as a means of mentoring writers at all levels, from beginning to quite advanced, by offering a wealth of insight and crafting models. Based upon her twenty-plus years of teaching and creative thought, "The Writer's Portable Mentor" provides the tools necessary for the successful structuring a book, story, or an essay. "The Writer's Portable Mentor" deftly trains writers in observation and in developing a poet's ear for sound in prose. Priscilla also scrutinizes the sentence strategies of the masters and even offers practical advice on how to publish. This newly revised second edition is updated to account for changes in the publishing industry and provides hundreds of new craft models to inspire, guide, and develop every writer's work. Expertly organized and throughly 'user friendly' in tone, commentary, and presentation, "The Writer's Portable Mentor" is explicitly and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted that "The Writer's Portable Mentor" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.95).

The Writer's Quote Book
Jim Fisher, editor
Rutgers University Press
100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8099
0813538823 $22.95 http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu

Edited by Jim Fisher (professor emeritus, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania), The Writer's Quote Book is intended for aspiring writers combating writer's block, writer's of all walks, genres, and seasons, and book lovers who simply relish the printed word. Compiling the thoughts of five hundred published writers about the quintessence of literary life and what it means to write, The Writer's Quote Book offers passages ranging from one sentence to one paragraph long, each with its own distinct and often witty insight. Highly recommended. "Turning out flashy, dense, complicated prose is a breeze; putting things down in simple terms that anyone can understand takes brainwork." -Patricia T. O'Conner

Writers Rehab
D. B. Gilles
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615931569, $12.95, www.amazon.com

Sooner or later (and more than once!) a writer will suffer from what is called 'writer's block', the condition of having nothing come to mind to put down on paper or type into a computer screen. That's why "Writers Rehab: A 12-Step Program for Writers Who Can't Get Their Acts Together" by professional playwright, script consultant, and novelist D. B. Gilles will prove to be such a useful source of encouragement at such times. This compact, pocket-sized, 156 page compendium is packed from cover to cover with tips, tricks, techniques, and practical observations on how to overcome the forces behind the infamous 'writer's block'. Simply stated, wither a novice or a more experienced author, you need to have a copy of "Writers Rehab: A 12-Step Program for Writers Who Can't Get Their Acts Together" on your personal and professional reference shelf. It should be noted that "Writers Rehab: A 12-Step Program for Writers Who Can't Get Their Acts Together " is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.39).

Writer's Resource Handbook, The
Daniel Grant
Allworth Press
188055979X $19.95

From locating writer's residency programs to seeking career advancement programs, this packs in a wealth of information for aspiring professional writers. Understand the industries which utilize - and pay for - the written word with this all-inclusive resource guide.

The Writers' Room Survival Guide
Niceole Levy
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
Dreamscape Media
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781615933464, $29.95, PB, 230pp

https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Room-Survival-Guide-Screw/dp/1615933468

Synopsis: A writers' room is a space where writers, usually of a television series, gather to write and refine scripts. The television industry has long had a collaborative model for writing shows. With the explosion of scripted shows, and the competition among the networks and streaming channels, a "fluidity has developed to the way shows are created." The writers room follows no single formula; it is an open-ended process with a range of set-ups. Room sizes vary from two to thirty, depending on the budget and number of episodes, each room with its own rules. "Mini-rooms" exist for limited series and smaller shows, mostly those haven't gotten the thumbs-up. (Wikipedia)

Writers' rooms can be a heaven or hell, depending on a few things. The best rooms foster inclusive and productive creative flow. The worst create a toxic stew of bad feelings and doubt. Both kinds and everything in between require basic knowledge of how the room works. These fundamentals are best learned before you go in. The mystery box of the writers' room need not stay sealed shut forever.

Critique: With the publication of "The Writers' Room Survival Guide: Don't Screw up the lunch order and other keys to a happy Writers' Room" by experienced film and television writer Niceole Levy provides aspiring script writers with a true insider's perspective on what its like to work on script developments as a group process in a room with two or more additional writers working on joint writing projects. A unique, informative, insightful, and fascinating read throughout, "The Writers' Room Survival Guide: Don't Screw up the lunch order and other keys to a happy Writers' Room" is a 'must' for all aspiring script writers and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject of how films and TV shows are made. While absolutely recommended as essential additions to professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted that "The Writers' Room Survival Guide: Don't Screw up the lunch order and other keys to a happy Writers' Room" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Dreamscape Media, 9781666626704, $22.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Niceole Levy (https://niceolelevy.com/about) studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts which eventually yielded the epiphany that she preferred writing. She completed the Master of Professional Writing program, also at USC. She is also an alum of the CBS Writers Mentoring Program, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and the WGAw Showrunner Training Program, Niceole has written on Ironside, Allegiance, The Mysteries of Laura, Shades of Blue, Cloak & Dagger, Fate: the Winx Saga, and S.W.A.T. She also co-wrote a feature, The Banker, with former Allegiance showrunner and director George Nolfi, available on AppleTV+. Niceole is currently a co-executive producer on Graymail, which will air on Netflix, and has several TV and feature projects in development.

Writer's Rule, The
Helen Gurley Brown
William Morrow
0688159060 $22.95

Learn how to create and publish positive prose through The Writer's Rule, written by a founder of Cosmopolitan and a writer for over three decades. Brown rose to the pinnacle of her profession: this imparts her basic formulas for creating - and testing - successful pieces. Recommended for aspiring writers.

Writer's Sourcebook, The
Rachel Friedman Ballon
Lowell House
1565654668 $26.00
Make the transition from writing exercises to writing prose through a step-by-step account which begins with a 20-minute exercise and which continues through examinations of fundamental skills and writing motivations. Beginners learn about building plots and characters, using material from different sources, and producing fiction for both print and the screen.

A Writer's Space
Eric Maisel
Adams Media
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322
9781598694604, $12.95, www.adamsmedia.com

Writing is an art form, and all artists need a place to brainstorm and ponder their ideas – both mentally and physically. "A Writer's Space: Make a Room to Dream, to Work, to Write" recognizes this fact and gives advice for writers on how to create this space. Finding one's inner muse, optimizing one's time with the pen or keyboard, and creating both an office and ritual are all topics covered in this fine guide for any artist, whether with literary goals or not. "A Writer's Space: Make a Room to Dream, to Work, to Write" is highly recommended for community library writing and publishing collections.

Writer's Tax Guide, The
Michael Arthur Jones, CPA
Veritas Publishing Company
Box 325, McMinnville, OR 97128-0325
0965578704 $19.95 1-800-247-6553

The Writer's Tax Guide: Writing And Writing It Off is a comprehensive, "reader-friendly" tax guide that includes numerous examples of how professional and hobby writers are affected by provisions in the tax code. Each classification of writer is shown to bring with it certain tax benefits as well as disadvantages. Because of the crucial importance of a writer's taxpayer classification, all rules presented in the The Writer's Tax Guide are examined from both "business" and "hobby" points of view. A unique feature is a section at the end of each chapter "Questions You Should Ask Your Tax Preparer." Chapters also provide guidance in sections entitled "If Your Prepare Your Own Tax Return". The Writer's Tax Guide is very highly recommended for any writer who has earned money from their writing.

Writer's Tool Kit, A
Caroll Dale Short
Court Street Press
P.O. Box 1588, Montgomery, AL 36102
1588380459 $15.95 writerstoolkit.com

Carroll Short's A Writer's Tool Kit: 12 Proven Ways You Can Make Your Writing Stronger - Today! is an immensely useful, accessible, and practical guide for beginning and experienced writers alike. Chapters cover a variety of ways to trim down and spice up one's grammar and prose, from pruning excess pronouns to using narrative sequence to make a story flow better, to bringing spoken dialogue to zest-filled life. Filled with examples and just plain solid advice, A Writer's Tool Kit is invaluable reading for all writers striving to improve their personal or professional wordsmithing abilities!

The Writer's Way, ninth edition
Jack Rawlins and Stephen Metzger
Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
www.cengage.com
9781285438542 $126.95 pbk / $24.99 ebook www.cengagebrain.com

Now in an updated ninth edition, The Writer's Way is a professional textbook designed especially for college writing courses. Formulated around a whole language approach, and the core principles of knowing one's audience and having a good reason to write, The Writer's Way is an intermediate to advanced guide applicable to students refining their skill in all types of writing, from academic research papers to written debates to prose fiction. "A research guide does more than list entries; it's a real instruction manual on doing research in the field. It may summarize or critique the sources it lists, review the biographical materials available, give an overview of what's being done in the field, and even suggest fruitful new lines of inquiry... If you can find a reference guide to your subject, and it isn't out-of-date, begin your research there." The Writer's Way is a superb resource for classroom use or self-study, and a "must-read" for every student seeking a college degree. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Writer's Way is also available in an affordable ebook edition ($24.99).

The Writer's Workout
Christina' Katz
Writer's Digest Books
c/o F+W Media
4700 East Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
9781599631790, $19.99, www.writersdigest.com

No one is going to get better at writing without practice, just like anything else. "The Writer's Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach" is a writing exercise guide from Christina Katz as she advises readers on how to improve their writing, appealing to your intended audience, and much advice on the most difficult wall for many to climb - publishing. With plenty of practical advice for life alongside the wisdom for literary pursuits, "The Writer's Workout" is a strongly recommended and top pick for writing and publishing collections.

The Writer's Workshop
Gregory L. Roper
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
F.M. Kirby Campus
3901 Centerville Road, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431
9781933859330, $18.00 www.isi.org 1-800-526-7022

It is a truism that people who have not read the great writers of English literature are less equipped to write as well as those who have. There are lessons available in the writings of such literary giants as Shakespeare, Milton, Conrad, Cicero, Aquinas, Dickens, Joyce, Hemingway, that can improve the narrative skills for written expression for high school students writing term papers, college students striving with creative writing assignments, aspiring authors yearning to see their manuscripts turned into books with the widest and most appreciative possible readership. "The Writer's Workshop: Imitating Your Way To Better Writing" by Gregory L. Roper (Professor of English and Directory of the Writing Program at the University of Dallas) is a complete-in-one-volume workshop instruction guide that can assist anyone from a home-schooled student, to a novice novelist, to an beginning playwright, to aspiring poet to write more effectively, fluently, engagingly, and successfully. Simply stated, "The Writer's Workshop" should be on the supplemental reading list of anyone wanting to successful express themselves through the written word and should be considered a core acquisition for personal, professional, academic, and community library Writing Reference Studies collections.

Writers Workshop Of Horror
Michael Knost, editor
Woodland Press
118 Woodland Dr., Chapmanville, WV 25508
www.woodlandpress.com
9780982493915, $21.95, www.amazon.com

Every author can improve with respect to their skills as storytellers, as providers of information, as artists and craftsmen of the written word. That's why the assembled wisdom, advice, experience, insights, examples and counsels from an impressive roster of successful and influential published authors that Michael Knots has deftly compiled and skillfully edited in the "Writers Workshop Of Horror" is so impressive and so highly recommended to the attention aspiring writers seeking to become published, as well as experienced authors wanting to hone their craft to even greater standards of accomplishment. Although the principle focus is on writing horror stories, the gamut of useable information provided is just as applicable to all other genres including romance, westerns, mysteries, science fiction, general fiction, and even biographies. The "Writers Workshop Of Horror" is a recommended addition to the professional reference collections of all dedicated authors and small press publishers.

writers.net: Every Writer's Essential Guide to Online Resources and Opportunities
Gary Gach
Prima Publishing
3875 Atherton Road, Rocklin, CA 95765-3716
0761506411 $22.00 1-916-632-4400

In writers.net, veteran Internet trainer and author Gary Gach gives writers of every medium valuable insight into using the Net in many aspects of their writing. From poetry and romance to technical writing and science fiction, Gach directs writers to appropriate forums, magazines, publishers, home pages, and many other resources that will help writers stay on top of developments in their field of specialty. writers.net also covers the most common uses of the Internet for writers including finding writing assignments, conducting research, improving one's writing, and carrying on discussion with other writers. For those new to the Internet, Gach provides an "Internet Primer for Writers" that includes basic terminology, a guided tour, and an essay that puts the Net in perspective for beginners. He also discusses the new worlds of electronic publishing, interactive and collaboratory writing, Net censorship, and cyberjournalism. There are three valuable Internet resources tied directly to writers.net. Research Central (http://www.primapublishing.com/other/76150641.html) is a hyperlinked version of Chapter 14. On this page, all 150 sites covered in the chapter are actively connected and immediately accessible to readers of writers.net and all other Netizens. Gach's Online Updates (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/2730/updates.html) is an online collection of updates, corrections, and additions to writers.net maintained by Gach. writers.net Forum is an unmoderated online forum. Prepublished and published writers are equally welcome. Discussion topics will span the subjects covered in writers.net and beyond. This is a free service to the writing community.

Writes Of Life
Robert Yehling
Koboca Publishing
PO Box 133, Tomales, CA 94971
www.kobocapublishing.com
0974499773 $10.95 1-813-994-6262

Robert Yehling draws upon his experience and expertise as an author of fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, the spoken word, and teaching workshops around the country in Writes Of Life: Using Personal Experiences In Everything You Write. An informed and informative introduction to the fine craft of writing, Robert Yehling deftly guides aspiring writers through the process and practice of using their own (and others) true life experiences by deliberately incorporating them into their writing style. A very strongly recommended and instructive resource and reference for novice writers searching for greater and easier expression through their authorship and compositions, Writes Of Life comprehensively and logically approaches the intricate art and medium of writing and in doing so has much to offer even the more experienced author.