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What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers
 
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What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (Paperback)

by Anne Bernays (Author), Pamela Painter (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Price: £8.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers + Your Writing Coach: From Concept to Character, from Pitch to Publication - Everything You Need to Know About Writing Novels, Non-fiction, New Media, Scripts and Short Stories + Wannabe a Writer?
Price For All Three: £22.97

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; Reissue edition (1 Nov 1991)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0062720066
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062720061
  • Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.4 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,116 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #6 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism > Novels & Novelists
    #7 in  Books > Reference > Writing > Editing
    #37 in  Books > Languages

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Product Description

Product Description
With more than twenty-five years of experience teaching creative writing between them, Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter offer more than seventy-five exercises for both beginners and more experienced writers. These exercises are designed to develop and refine two basic skills: writing like a writer and, just as important, thinking like a writer. They deal with such topics as: discovering where to start and end a story; learning when to use dialogue and when to use indirect discourse; transforming real events into fiction; and, finding language that both sings and communicates precisely. "What If?" will be an essential addition to every writer's library, a welcome and much-used companion.

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, 4 Jan 2007
By Lucy H. Pearce - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
As a writer and teacher of creative writing I find this a gold mine for starter activities and longer writing exercises. It lets you try out approaches and techniques rather than being a how to guide to creative writing- and most importantly shares with you the results of other writers (both famous and unknown) who have done the exercises.
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103 of 105 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent : useful chapters in bite sized pieces!, 2 May 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (Paperback)
The great thing about this book is that the chapters are so short and give you exercises to do right now without a lot of prerequisite preparation. I have written a few stories just based on the exercises. They unearth valuable memories that can be used to enliven stories.

The authors also point out that *everybody's* life is printworthy. If you take the time to remember the large tangle of interesting experiences you've had, many can be used in fiction.

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86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best exercise book I've found, 30 April 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers (Paperback)
I've done a lot of reading on writing fiction, and this is by far one of the best. While other books talk about how to go about writing, this one gives you exercises designed to guide you to putting those ideas into practice. It's guarenteed to improve your writing! My writing group has used it for about a year and the members love it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than what I thought
Being a complete novice at this writing game, I bought this book wondering what I'd done.
What if? Is very informative, entertaining and thankfully not too serious. Read more
Published 1 month ago by James Hewitt

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Quite simply ...this is a superb book, it will help you to tap into your personal history ..and craft that into something creative ....which will help you write, write, write. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Lala B

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and worth buying.
I like the fact this book gives you a mini-workshop you can take at home. Whereas it is not a substite for really tuition, it is a mine for new ideas and plots. Read more
Published on 25 April 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginning Writers Now Know Where to Turn!!!
I am a beginning writer with very little experience. This book, along with "Writing Down the Bones"(Natalie Goldberg) and "The Art of Fiction"(John Gardner),... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!
I teach creative writing in the UCLA Writer's Program (online) and always recommend this book to my students as one of the two best books (along with Janet Burroway's... Read more
Published on 23 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!
I teach creative writing in the UCLA Writer's Program (online) and always recommend this book to my students as one of the two best books (along with Janet Burroway's... Read more
Published on 23 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!
I have scores of books on writing, and this is among the very best. It not only teaches, but prompts story ideas at every turn. Truly worth your time and money.
Published on 19 Jul 1997

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent concise exercises for new/aspiring writers
These authors teach creative writing and use the results of their classroom curriculum to our benefit. The exercise introduction is by the authors or invited contributors. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 1997

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