From the Book - 1st St. Martin's Griffin ed.
The writer's job may be different than you think
Come right in : first sentences, first paragraphs
Welcome to the twentieth century
Competing with God : making fascinating people
Markers : the key to swift characterization
Thwarting desire : the basics of plotting
The actors studio method for developing drama in plots
The crucible : a key to successful plotting
Suspense : keeping the reader reading
The adrenaline pump : creating tension
The secrets of good dialogue
How to show instead of tell
Flashbacks : how to bring background into the foreground
The secret snapshot technique : reaching for hidden treasure
How to use all six of your senses
Part III : fiction and nonfiction
Amphetamines for speeding up pace
The door to your book : titles that attract
Using the techniques of fiction to enhance nonfiction
Conflict, suspense, and tension in nonfiction
Guts : the decisive ingredient
Part V : literary values in fiction and nonfiction
Commercial? popular? literacy?
Increasing the effect on the reader through resonance
Triage : a better way of revising fiction
Reprieve : revising nonfiction
Part VII : where to get help
A glossary of terms used by writers and editors.
