Reading A Writers Mind

Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction - First Thought to Finished Story is my first non-fiction book, and the first of a writing 'how-to' series.

After having more than 70 short stories published across a variety of genres, and years of face-to-face teaching, tutoring for a distance learning college, and of writing articles on fiction-writing techniques for the writing presses on both sides of the Atlantic, I have distilled my gathered experience in this accessible, show don't instruct, form.

Focusing on ten stories - from initial idea, through the story itself, to a commentary explaining the decisions made during the writing - the book offers a unique insight into one writer's creative process, offering a path to follow and highlighting the tools to use. Each commentary finishes with suggestions for using the discussed techniques in the reader's own fiction.

Sections include:
* Lyrical narrative v terse dialogue; using tone as a descriptive tool (Mainstream)
* Characterisation through deed and thought (Horror)
* A calendar structure using the Tell technique (Women's Fiction)
* The importance of pacing, and of duping the reader (Twist in the Tail)
* The use of alliteration, rhythm and subliminal detailing (Romance)
* Using the Show technique to elicit an emotional response (Cross-generational)
* Building fiction from a given line using an unsympathetic narrator (Crime)
* Working with a parallel storyline via past and present tense (SF)
* Making the everyday fantastical by preying on insecurities (Fantasy)
* Writing for performance and sound effects (Historical)
* Editing: ten common problems explored

Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005L4KY4W

Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005L4KY4W

I-Pad, Nook, Sony, etc: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85788

For an initial excerpt, see http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com/p/reading-writers-mind.htm or for longer excerpts visit the above links.

Learn the techniques to ensure your writing is focussed, so your reader keeps coming back for more.