Arts & Music Books > Literary Criticism & Theory Arts & Music Books > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Entertaining, extremely useful
Disadvantages: The publishing advice aimed at Americans

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy was published in 1990 by Orson Scott Card. Card is an American sci-fi and fantasy author probably best known for his story Ender's Game. The advice in the book is based on his own experiences and he clearly knows something because he's written numerous novels and been very successful as a writer. This book is an excellent guide for those who wish to write stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres. ...
...This chapter contains advice on how to spark a reader's interest, ways to describe things and other incredibly useful concepts. The Life and Business of Writing: This chapter is about getting published and writing as a business. While this is the least interesting (and least useful) chapter, it still contains some valuable information for any potential author. ~~~ My Recommendation ~~~ If you're not interested in writing, you should probably give ... Read review

Advantages: an entertaining read, an intellectual pleasure
Disadvantages: may be frustrating for some

...brilliant job) and find out if I still enjoyed it. Fear nothing, you members who get a rash when reading too much about the plot, there is none, in fact the plotlessness (unplottiness?) is an essential feature of the book, we'll come to this later. I love the first chapter (it only has the figure [1] instead of a title). Read the very first lines, "You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel 'If on a winter's night a traveller. Relax. ...
...the hassock. In the hammock, if you have a hammock . . . Of course, the ideal position for reading is something you can never find" etc. etc. Reading these lines I get the feeling the author knows me, he's with me in the same room watching me reading his own book, eerie! He then tells me what it was like when I went to the bookshop to buy the book, what it is always like when I buy a book, how I feel surrounded by zillions of books asking me to ... Read review

Advantages: Very useful book
Disadvantages: None

Stewart Ferris' book, How to be a writer is both small and very short. It is also, however, one of the most useful books on writing that I have ever owned. Ferris is quite clearly a professional writer. He writes no more than is required to put over his point. It is broken down into three sections covering preparation for writing, practicalities of writing and technicalities of writing. It covers every possible aspect of how to start writing, ...
...of the craft of writing) how to edit your various drafts, how and when to seek an agent. He also touches on how to approach different types of writing, comedy writing, fictional writing, writing for the stage, for radio. For the screen (large and small) how to write factual articles, writing songs, whether or not to bother with writing classes or courses, tips and techniques for dealing with writer's block, and so forth. He also deals with self-publishing, ... Read review

Advantages: Attain Happiness, Tranquility and Ultimate Success
Disadvantages: Nil

The book "The Magic of Thinking Big" was given to me as a gift by one of my colleagues. At first I thought, at this age, what achievements I can accomplish by reading this book, as I have already reached the evening of my life. But I was proved wrong, as I started to read the book, I got deeply engrossed in it. It put me in a mode of self analysis and I started to evaluate my life in terms of what I read in those pages. I got convinced that I was ...
...Magic of Thinking Big' in the year 1959. This classic has been read by millions of readers and has helped them in selling better, managing better, to earn more money and consequently attain greater happiness, peace and tranquility. The author gives methods which are very practical. He expresses his ideas and techniques with utmost originality and uses very simple language to convey them to the readers. He explains each technique with a dramatic illustration ... Read review

Advantages: In-depth aid to learning the art of poetry writing, clear, friendly instruction
Disadvantages: Quite a lot of info to take in, not designed for dipping in and reading bits

...Poetry writing has the bonus of being a hobby you can partake in practically anywhere - on the bus, waiting for the bus, in the garden, on the loo. All you need is a pen and paper and you're away. In theory that is. But blank paper can be intimidating, ailing many a poet with the debilitating 'Writer's Block'. Add to that the massive reputation of great poets from yesteryear - Keats, Milton, Wordsworth and all, and the modern works of poets like ...
...this absorbing book written by the popular actor and broadcaster, Stephen Fry, steps in to help, gently encouraging us to analyse the rhythms and structure of successful poetry and saying (without being in any way patronising) that we too can be poets. This rather weighty tome is hardly along the lines of something like Writing Poetry for Dummies. At some 386 pages long and in the same type size throughout with only a new chapter for respite, it's ... Read review