Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Books for Writers Editor, Jane Steinberg FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * "The Eleventh Draft," edited by Frank Conroy * "2000 Writer's Market" * "Ernest Hemingway on Writing" * "The Novelist's Notebook" * "The New York Times Manual of Style & Usage" * Amazon.com Presents the Best of the Century "The Eleventh Draft" edited by Frank Conroy http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062736396/entertainmentsit For "The Eleventh Draft," Frank Conroy solicited essays about writing from 23 fiction writers--all of them one-time Iowa Writers' Workshop students or faculty members. "My instructions to them," says Conroy, "were deliberately vague.... Leaving it open seemed to me to heighten the chances of getting the strongest and least predictable work." Conroy guessed right. Beyond the shared sentiment that writing is hard work, there is, blessedly, no common thread here. For T. Coraghessan Boyle, writing is an addiction as powerful as "putting a bottle to your lips or a spike in your arm." James Hynes claims that writing takes such a toll that "just writing this essay is probably as bad for me as a pack of cigarettes." And Barry Hannah describes writers as "not always the most vital people in the room, but often nearer ghouls sniffing at the trough of other living blood." "2000 Writer's Market" edited by Kirsten C. Holm http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0898799163/entertainmentsit There's a reason the annual "Writer's Market" is many a writer's most cherished, and dog-eared, possession. Where else--besides the prohibitively expensive "Literary Market Place"--can one find detailed listings for over 1,750 magazines, 1,150 book publishers, and 250 script buyers? Just for kicks, let's throw in 70 pages worth of contests and awards; 60 literary agents (and 20 script agents) who swear they're willing to work with new writers; 35 newspaper syndicates; and 35 greeting-card companies. With so many prospective markets gathered between two covers, you're certain, it seems, to find a loving home for your precious prose or poesy. "Ernest Hemingway on Writing" edited by Larry W. Phillips http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684854295/entertainmentsit "Throughout Ernest Hemingway's career as a writer," says Larry W. Phillips in his introduction to "Ernest Hemingway on Writing," "he maintained that it was bad luck to talk about writing." Hemingway seems to have courted bad luck. Phillips has amassed a slender book's worth of Hemingway's reflections on writing, culled from letters, books, interviews, speeches, and an unpublished manuscript. These musings are arranged into topics such as "Advice to Writers," "Working Habits," and "Obscenity" (of which there is plenty here). Sometimes ponderous, other times offhand, these thoughts form a portrait of a man driven to create not solely the best writing he could, but the best writing, period. "The Novelist's Notebook" by Laurie Henry http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1884910424/entertainmentsit There is a page in "The Novelist's Notebook" for figuring out what keeps you from beginning your novel, and one for imagining your characters 20 or 40 years after your story ends. Author Laurie Henry offers paths for finding a subject, and for reaching a story's denouement. Perhaps you hunger for a simple writing exercise ("present the mood of a crowd"), or to enrich the writing you are already doing. "Think of the least likely action you can imagine any of your characters doing," Henry suggests, "and then make them do it." These writing exercises are all over the map, but somehow the book works. "The New York Times Manual of Style & Usage" by Allan M. Siegal and William G. Connolly http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812963881/entertainmentsit "A foolish consistency," Emerson insisted, "is the hobgoblin of little minds." That may well be, but editors have enough reasons to reject your work; don't let sloppy inconsistencies be one of them. "The New York Times Manual of Style & Usage" was written for the paper's editors and writers, but it is a fine, up-to-date resource for anyone's use. Our language is ever-mutating, and a guide such as this will ensure that you understand the impact your words might have before they reach print. Should you use "Native Americans" or "American Indians"? Did you know that "thermos" is no longer a trademark, but that "Popsicle" and "Dumpster" are? Writing, when you get down to it, is nothing more than the careful choosing of words. This style book will ensure that you don't choose "carat" when you mean "karat," "jury-rigged" when you want "jerry-built," or "V-8" when you could have had a "V8." A naysayer may bridle against the strictures of such a rule book, but the authors believe "the rules should encourage thinking, not discourage it." Plus, "a rule," they say, "can shield against untidiness in detail that might make readers doubt large facts." We'd call the book "user-friendly," but that, we've learned, can be downright "reader-tiresome." --Jane Steinberg was a longtime editor at Seattle Weekly and a stringer for Glamour magazine. She now writes from her home in New Jersey. AMAZON.COM PRESENTS THE BEST OF THE CENTURY ******************************************* As the century comes to a close, Amazon.com takes a look at the landmarks in books, music, and video of the past 100 years. Selected by our editors, our lists take you decade by decade from the turn of the century all the way to the end of the millennium. But don't just take our word for it; cast your vote for the best book, video, and CD in our best-of-the-millennium poll for your chance to win our customers' 300 favorite music, book, and video titles. Books of the century ****** Does Aunt Ida send Polka CDs when you'd prefer Pop? Create an Amazon.com Wish List and save everyone the agony of the unwanted gift. Wish list
Clueless as to what to get your Kentucky cousin for Christmas? Send him an e-card and tell him to set up an Amazon.com Wish List so you can easily find and send him his heart's desire. Wish card ****** You'll find more great books, articles, excerpts, and interviews in Amazon.com's Reference section at Reference
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