What If . . . . . . every classmate passed the bar exam -- except one? . . . the killer left a calling card -- the ace of spades? . . . she was a sleeping beauty -- but it wasn't prince's kiss that woke her up? . . .he had history of obsessive behavior-- and then he developed a passion for. . .
Thousands of Stories Are Just Waiting to be Told -- By You
If you have the passion and energy to write fiction, but have trouble finding an idea and getting started, this is the perfect book for you. Lou Willett Stanek has helped scores of new authors in her acclaimed writing workshops--and now she shows you how to look and listen, how to find stories and begin shaping them like a writer.
Here's how to find inspiration from neighbors and strangers, reshape classic tales, cull current events and use other tricks of the writing trade so effectively you'll soon find yourself brimming with ideas, your imagination revved to its full potential. Begin with a snippet of overheard conversation, an unexpected event, a simple character trait, a place, a problem--Ms. Stanek teaches you to get past "what really happened" and reinvent reality in ways that will astound and delight you, and hold a reader's attention.
Here too are hundreds of "what-ifs," simple situations you can guide to endlessly different conclusions--and use to learn new ways to fashion plot, describe character, develop conflict, paint with language, create a setting, employ flashbacks, build suspense, and much, much more. For every writer who could use a jump-start, from novice to pro, here is a book that will help you keep the faith and. . .
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Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Horrible:
I wasted money on this. I had no idea a book could be so disorganized and confusing. STORY STARTERS didn't make good on it's title, but it succeeded in one thing: landing itself into my trash bin.
Worth a look, but don't get your hopes too high:
What is most astonishing is how poorly written this book--a writing reference book after all!--is. The text is full of syntax errors, run-on sentences, and muddled descriptions. Here's an example (from p. 29) containing all three: "When John, the librarian/mystery writer I work with, grew peevish about my repeatedly saying, 'The pacing is toooooo slow,' he gave Cleveland, his PI, a friend on the force (not what you'd expect), reworked (sic) the narrative into dialogue, and went zipping on." Still,... more info
"Write from experience, not about it":
This isn't just a book of story starters. It's a book on how to write stories, with a bunch of story starters finishing off each chapter (and plenty of suggestions worked into the material). The topics covered range from developing your character to stock characters and archetypes, conflict, using current events to inspire your stories, naming your character, using animals as minor characters, and more. The author approaches some of the material from the point of view of how you can use it to inspire ideas... more info
This Is Only Ok:
I was really hoping that I would learn something new from this book. It's good for story starters like the title says. However, in a weird way the author talks to you like you were a six year old. If the writer had taken the time to work on his `ideas' and writing for the book it would have been better. However, it is a good book for some one who is starting.
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