 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Writing for Story (Reference) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
--Kirkus Reviews
"Learning to write the short story, always a challenge for budding fiction writers, is for Franklin ... the royal road to success in feature writing today, Thoroughly and methodically, he shows aspiring journalists how to 'nail down' the operative elements of a story--complication/resolution, flashback, foreshadowing, and pace--and, through close analysis of two of his prize-winning features, what to do and in what order to do it ... a sound, fertile book, recommended for attaining effective writing skills."
--Library Journal
Product Description
Stalking the true short story Drafting an effective outline Structuring the rough copy Polishing like a pro and the tips, tools, and techniques that will put your stories on the cutting edge
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
Customer Reviews
The workaday world of journalism, not academia, honed Franklin's skills. He served his apprenticeship under a quintessential irascible old editor, G. Vern Blasdell. The young Franklin learned his craft by squirming in his seat while awaiting the old man's verdict. Now it's his turn to teach but he's at a disadvantage Blasdell never faced. The reader doesn't work for him and won't oblige by twitching so much as one butt muscle. Franklin must win the reader's attention by the pure utility of his method.
Unlike most writers, Franklin has something in common with good mathematicians. He realizes that a formula can be memorized but if one doesn't understand the assumptions on which the formula is derived, one can never apply the formula successfully. This is as true in writing as it is in mathematics.
Franklin builds his case for formula carefully. He demonstrates the nature of each assumption-a complication must be significant to the human condition; if you can't see the complication, look for the action and work your way back to the motivation, etc. Once the reader understands the assumptions, the formula becomes a useful tool in the hand of the writer, not some abstract theory laid to rust in a forgotten corner of the mind.
Once the reader is hooked, Franklin introduces the outline. More than a butt muscle twitches here; the reader squirms as visions of that Roman numerated nemesis of junior high come to mind. But this is not what Franklin has in mind. Franklin talks of a simple three-word, five-sentence form called the conflict-resolution outline. Character-action verb-direct object, what could be simpler? Diving in and writing first and thinking later, but this would be less productive in the long run.
The conflict-resolution outline forces the writer to think though the elements of good story first and make sure these elements are present before the writing begins. This method means survival for a journalist faced with a deadline. This method insures a more satisfying and successful writing experience for any writer.
Franklin teaches the 'work smarter, not harder' principles of current business practice. The importance of this to writers can not be understated. Ultimately, all writing is business if one wants to be a successful writer. The writer must produce a good product that sells itself to the editor and in turn, the reader; otherwise the writer will be unpaid. In this book, Franklin earned his pay.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
