I Should Be Writing

Writing talent isn't some superpower handed down from on high. It's a skill that requires hard work, practice, and focus in order to grow. Join author and podcaster Mur Lafferty as she outlines the steps necessary to become a better writer, including staying healthy, choosing writing materials that best suit you, and following your inner muse while ignoring your inner bully. She then provides you with engaging writing excercises that will help you practice your writing skills.--Publisher.

So They Say You Should Write a Book is a first-time author's guide to book writing in the competitive publishing industry. Casually written and easy-to-understand, it is jam-packed with necessary insight, tips, advice, how-tos, quick-reference guides, and checklists to help you write the book you are destined to write.

George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times

“Equal parts motivation and inspiration . . . Bite-size, easy-to-read chapters coach new writers through everything from imposter syndrome to writer’s block.” —The Writer I Should Be Writing is everything you’d hope to find in a writing workshop, condensed into one highly effective journal. It’s time to stop dreaming about what you want to write and finally do it! Let award-winning podcaster Mur Lafferty, who in the past has interviewed authors including John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, Gail Carriger, Adam Christopher, and Kameron Hurley, guide you through the nuts-and-bolts process of honing your craft, including which writing myths to ignore, how to refine your creative process, listening to your inner muse while ignoring your inner bully, and more. This book also contains writing exercises that will help the blossoming writer strengthen the writer’s muscle of writing every day. These include everything from situational writer’s prompts to lists of ideas writers should try to jot down between writing sessions. With this helpful guide, you can make the phrase, “I’ve always wanted to write a story . . .” a thing of the past. Because you should be writing!

In a world where the superheroes have the best gifts, but are real jerks, Keepsie Branson has the power to prevent anything in her possession from being stolen ... not enough to make a difference, or so she thinks.

Author and former literary agent Nathan Bransford shares his secrets for creating killer plots, fleshing out your first ideas, crafting compelling characters, and staying sane in the process. Read the guide that New York Times bestselling author Ransom Riggs called "The best how-to-write-a-novel book I've read."

Write Like an Expert “This journal is a must-have for writers everywhere. With quotes from a diverse group of historical and modern authors to use as creative prompts on every page, you’ll be able to bring your writing inspiration with you wherever you go.” —Sassy Townhouse Living #1 New Release in Quotation References From famous all-time-great poets like T.S. Eliot to modern creatives like Roxane Gay, the selected writing quotes in this journal aim to instruct and inspire you to become a better writer. Writing Inspiration from Incredible Authors. Gathered by Brenda Knight and writing coach Nita Sweeney, author of Depression Hates a Moving Target, You Should Be Writing provides you with writing wisdom from a variety of accomplished authors. Creative Writing Practice for Every Genre. This writing journal with prompts helps you practice a wide variety of writing skills. The excerpts and prompts include: General advice: “Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.” - Zadie Smith Helpful instructions: “If you scribble your thoughts any which way, your reader will surely feel that you care nothing about them.” - Kurt Vonnegut Genre-specific writing ideas and tips for particular areas of writing, such as poetry or storytelling: “For those whose bucket-list entails seeing their name on the spine of a book, it boils down to the power of persistence.” - Marlene Wagman-Geller If you were inspired by the creative writing prompts and advice in 642 Things to Write About, Complete the Story Journal, or Piccadilly 300 Writing Prompts, you’ll love Brenda's and Nita's You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving.

At once kind and hilarious, this compilation of the Nobel Prize-winning poet’s advice to writers is illustrated with her own marvelous collages In this witty “how-to” guide, Wislawa Szymborska has nothing but sympathy for the labors of would-be writers generally: “I myself started out with rotten poetry and stories,” she confesses in this collection of pieces culled from the advice she gave—anonymously—for many years in the well-known Polish journal Literary Life. She returns time and again to the mundane business of writing poetry properly, that is to say, painstakingly and sparingly. “I sigh to be a poet,” Miss A. P. from Bialogard exclaims. “I groan to be an editor,” Szymborska responds. Szymborska stubbornly insists on poetry’s “prosaic side”: “Let’s take the wings off and try writing on foot, shall we?” This delightful compilation, translated by the peerless Clare Cavanagh, will delight readers and writers alike. Perhaps you could learn to love in prose.

A travel writer takes a job with a shady publishing company in New York, only to find that she must write a guide to the city -- for the undead! Because of the disaster that was her last job, Zoe is searching for a fresh start as a travel book editor in the tourist-centric New York City. After stumbling across a seemingly perfect position though, Zoe is blocked at every turn because of the one thing she can't take off her resume -- human. Not to be put off by anything -- especially not her blood drinking boss or death goddess coworker -- Zoe delves deep into the monster world. But her job turns deadly when the careful balance between human and monsters starts to crumble -- with Zoe right in the middle.

More than 80% of the global population want to write a book, but the majority never do. Fear, anxiety, day jobs, family commitments, procrastination, depression, self-doubt, and the ubiquitous 'writer's block' all get in the way. But what if they didn't have to? Kristina Adams draws on her 20 years in the literary world to help you build a sustainable writing practice that adapts to your lifestyle, whatever that may be. You'll be the most productive you've ever been in no time.