"Rhetoric is the author's term for the means by which the writer makes known his vision to the reader and persuades him of its validity; and he demonstrates convincingly that there is no essential difference between ostentatiously rhetorical novelists like Fielding and Dickens, and the admired masters of impersonality--Flaubert, James, Joyce ... this is a major critical work which should be required reading for everyone concerned in the academic study...

What makes a story a story? What is style? What's the connection between realism and real life? These are some of the questions James Wood answers in How Fiction Works, the first book-length essay by the preeminent critic of his generation. Ranging widely--from Homer to David Foster Wallace, from What Maisie Knew to Make Way for Ducklings--Wood takes the reader through the basic elements of the art, step by step.--From publisher description.

"Inside you'll find everything you need to know to spice up your story, move your plot forward, and keep your readers turning pages. Expert thriller author and writing instructor James Scott Bell show you how to craft scenes, create characters, and develop storylines that harness conflict and suspense to carry your story from the first word to the last. Learn from examples of successful novels and movies as you transform your work from ho-hum to high-tension."--P....

No more excuses! Anyone can write a novel, novelist Mosley advises, and in this book of tips, practical advice, and wisdom, he promises that the writer-in-waiting can finish it in one year. Intended as both inspiration and instruction, the book provides the tools to turn out a first draft painlessly and then revise it into something finer. Mosley tells: how to create a daily writing regimen to fit any writer's needs--and how to stick to it; how to...