Machine derived contents note: Contents -- Introduction: A Nation of Writers 3 -- Part One. NUTS AND BOLTS 9 -- 1. Begin sentences with subjects and verbs. 11 -- 2. Order words for emphasis. 15 -- 3. Activate your verbs. 19 -- 4. Be passive-aggressive. 23 -- 5. Watch those adverbs. 27 -- 6. Take it easy on the -ings. 31 -- 7. Fear not the long sentence. 36 -- 8. Establish a pattern, then give it a twist. 41 -- 9. Let punctuation control pace and space. 45 -- 10. Cut big, then small. 50 -- Part Two. SPECIAL EFFECTS 57 -- 11. Prefer the simple over the technical. 59 -- 12. Give key words their space. 64 -- 13. Play with words, even in serious stories. 68 -- 14. Get the name of the dog. 72 -- 15. Pay attention to names. 76 -- 16. Seek original images. 80 -- 17. Riff on the creative language of others. 84 -- 18. Set the pace with sentence length. 88 -- 19. Vary the lengths of paragraphs. 93 -- 20. Choose the number of elements with a purpose in mind. 98 -- 21. Know when to back off and when to show off. 103 -- 22. Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction. 107 -- 23. Tune your voice. 112 -- Part Three. BLUEPRINTS 117 -- 24. Work from a plan. 119 -- 25. Learn the difference between reports and stories. 124 -- 26. Use dialogue as a form of action. 128 -- 27. Reveal traits of character. 133 -- 28. Put odd and interesting things next to each other. 137 -- 29. Foreshadow dramatic events and powerful conclusions. 142 -- 30. To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers. 146 -- 31. Build your work around a key question. 150 -- 32. Place gold coins along the path. 155 -- 33. Repeat, repeat, and repeat. 159 -- 34. Write from different cinematic angles. 165 -- 35. Report and write for scenes. 169 -- 36. Mix narrative modes. 174 -- 37. In short works, don¿t waste a syllable. 179 -- 38. Prefer archetypes to stereotypes. 184 -- 39. Write toward an ending. 188 -- Part Four. USEFUL HABITS 193 -- 40. Draft a mission statement for your work. 195 -- 41. Turn procrastination into rehearsal. 200 -- 42. Do your homework well in advance. 205 -- 43. Read for both form and content. 210 -- 44. Save string. 214 -- 45. Break long projects into parts. 219 -- 46. Take an interest in all crafts that support your work. 223 -- 47. Recruit your own support group. 228 -- 48. Limit self-criticism in early drafts. 232 -- 49. Learn from your critics. 236 -- 50. Own the tools of your craft. 240 -- Afterword 245 -- Acknowledgments 246 -- Writing Tools Quick List 249 -- Index 255.
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