Writing & Publishing References Series

Do you love mystery stories, such as the Sherlock Holmes stories and those of Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie? Do you ever yearn to be a good writer of mysteries? Carolyn Wells was a prolific author of mystery novels. In this detailed book, she teaches the history, types, principles, devices, plots, and structures of mystery writings. This is virtually a miniature course in creative writing of the mystery story.Originally published in 1913, this was the first full-length book in English about mystery and detective fiction. Still valuable as an instruction manual after over a century, Well's wisdom and critical acumen brought to this volume has enabled millions of mystery writers world-wide to discover and dissect what makes a successful mystery story.She gives advice to would-be authors of this genre, including ghost and riddle stories as well as detective and crime mysteries. This authoritative work begins with a justification of mystery as a legitimate literary art form, with numerous quotations from authorities. Then proceeding systematically through her topics, she explains and illustrates the mystery-writing craft with excerpts from mystery works and quotations of literary critics and notable authors. Carolyn Wells wrote a total of more than 170 books. Among the most famous of her mystery novels were the Fleming Stone Detective StoriesThe lover of mystery will find many authors and stories cited and excerpted in this book, which would be a good resource for finding more material to satisfy the reader's thirst for the genre.Aspiring authors will find insights through the critical eyes of this successful mystery author and of the many authors whom she quotes. This edition was created by popular request to enable any beginning or established author to improve their skills by studying quality editions of classic bestselling fiction. Get Your Copy Now.- - - -In this book the author of those successful mystery stories, ‘The Clue,’ “A Chain of Evidence,’ “Curved Blades’ and others, takes the student into the laboratory where such novels are made and elucidates the processes clearly. But plot is by no means reduced to a formula. Instead, the resource and invention of the writer is stimulated to the utmost.“It is a book that will be read many times by the ambitious would-be writer.” -The Springfield Union“I cannot imagine any one leaving it unfinished, once having begun to read it. Yet, when you see it announced as ‘a complete practical study of the form, with examples from the best mystery writers,’ you not only smile, but feel sure that the author smiled, too. The table of contents is delicious. Chapter IV, for instance, is about ghost stories, and it is divided into four parts: a working classification, the ghost story, famous ghost stories, the humorous ghost story. Against attempting the last, by the way, the novice is warned….Miss Wells makes some surprising statements. ‘A true lover of detective fiction,’ she writes, ‘never reads detailed newspaper accounts of crime….Immensely interesting.’” -The NationCarolyn Wells was a prolific author of mystery novels. In this detailed book, she teaches the history, types, principles, devices, plots, and structures of mystery writings. ### About the AuthorCarolyn Wells was an American author of mysteries, verse, humor, and children's books. In 1910 she decided to devote herself to mysteries and became an early master of the genre, creating two memorable sleuths: Pennington Wise and Fleming Stone. Earlier in her career, she penned two humorous stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and a plethora of other great detectives. She was married to Hadwin Houghton, heir to the Houghton-Mifflin publishing company. She was a collector of poetry by other authors, and, upon her death, she bequeathed her collection of the works of Walt Witman to the Library of Congress. Why is the detective story? To entertain, to interest, to amuse. It has no deeper intent, no more subtle raison d'être than to giv

Who the Hell Writes Fiction For a Living, Anyway? Gentlemen, my cards are face up on the table. I have declared to the publisher that nearly every American who knows how to read longs to find his way into print, and should appreciate some of the dearly bought hints herein contained upon practical journalism. And, as I kept my face straight when I said it, he may have taken me seriously. Perhaps he thinks he has a best seller. But this is just between ourselves. As he never reads prefaces, he won't suspect unless you tell him. My own view of the matter is that Harold Bell Wright need not fear me, but that the editors of the Baseball Rule Book may be forced to double their annual appropriation for advertising in the literary sections. As the sport of free lance scribbling has a great deal in common with fishing, the author of this little book may be forgiven for suggesting that in intention it is something like Izaak Walton's "Compleat Angler," in that it attempts to combine practical helpfulness with a narrative of mild adventures. For what the book contains besides advice, I make no apologies, for it is set down neither in embarrassment nor in pride. Many readers there must be who would like nothing better than to dip into chapters from just such a life as mine. Witness how Edward FitzGerald, half author of the "Rubaiyat," sighed to read more lives of obscure persons, and that Arthur Christopher Benson, from his "College Window," repeats the wish and adds: "The worst of it is that people often are so modest; they think that their own experience is so dull, so unromantic, so uninteresting. It is an entire mistake. If the dullest person in the world would only put down sincerely what he or she thought about his or her life, about work, love, religion and emotion, it would be a fascinating document." But, you may protest, by what right do the experiences of a magazine free lance pass as "adventures"? Then, again, I shall have to introduce expert testimony: "The literary life," says no less an authority than H. G. Wells, "is one of the modern forms of adventure." And this holds as true for the least of scribblers as it does for great authors. While the writer whose work excites wide interest is seeing the world and meeting, as Mr. Wells lists them, "philosophers, scientific men, soldiers, artists, professional men, politicians of all sorts, the rich, the great," you may behold journalism's small fry courageously sallying forth to hunt editorial lions with little butterfly nets. The sport requires a firm jaw and demands that the adventurer keep all his wits about him. Any novice who doubts me may have a try at it himself and see! But first he had better read this "Compleat Free Lancer." Its practical hints may save him - or should I say her? - many a needless disappointment. (From the Preface) Get Your Copy Now.

Why the Humorous Story Can Only Be Told by AmericansI do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told, for I have been almost daily in the company of the most expert story-tellers for many years.There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind—the humorous. I will talk mainly about that one. The humorous story is American, the comic story is English, the witty story is French. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story and the witty story upon the matter.The humorous story may be spun out to great length, and may wander around as much as it pleases, and arrive nowhere in particular; but the comic and witty stories must be brief and end with a point. The humorous story bubbles gently along, the others burst.The humorous story is strictly a work of art—high and delicate art—and only an artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in telling the comic and the witty story; anybody can do it. The art of telling a humorous story—understand, I mean by word of mouth, not print—was created in America, and has remained at home.The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it; but the teller of the comic story tells you beforehand that it is one of the funniest things he has ever heard, then tells it with eager delight, and is the first person to laugh when he gets through. And sometimes, if he has had good success, he is so glad and happy that he will repeat the "nub" of it and glance around from face to face, collecting applause, and then repeat it again. It is a pathetic thing to see.Very often, of course, the rambling and disjointed humorous story finishes with a nub, point, snapper, or whatever you like to call it. Then the listener must be alert, for in many cases the teller will divert attention from that nub by dropping it in a carefully casual and indifferent way, with the pretense that he does not know it is a nub.Artemus Ward used that trick a good deal; then when the belated audience presently caught the joke he would look up with innocent surprise, as if wondering what they had found to laugh at. Dan Setchell used it before him, Nye and Riley and others use it to-day.But the teller of the comic story does not slur the nub; he shouts it at you—every time. And when he prints it, in England, France, Germany, and Italy, he italicizes it, puts some whooping exclamation-points after it, and sometimes explains it in a parenthesis. All of which is very depressing, and makes one want to renounce joking and lead a better life.Get Your Copy Now = = =This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare’s finesse to Oscar Wilde’s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim’s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library ** ### About the Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He apprenticed with a printer. He also worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion's newspaper. After toiling as a printer in various cities, he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, before heading west to join Orion. He was a failure at gold mining, so he next turned to journali

Learn the Easy Way to Speak and Write Well. I found this book by accident while browsing through a now-defunct Los Angeles bookstore/cafe. It was the luckiest accident of my life.At that point I had been a professional writer for more than twenty years, but I rarely enjoyed my work, and I felt all of it was disposable in one way or another. At first, reading this book gave me an incredible, if unfamiliar, feeling of joy and self-confidence. Afterwards, I began to surprise the hell out of myself in terms of what I was able to accomplish. This little book is very practical and precise. The best plan is to follow the best authors and these masters of language will guide you safely along the way. There are chapters devoted to all the essential components to make writing interesting. Devlin delivers a concise book that allows you to starts improving your speech and writing quickly, and covers a truck load of good grammar taught well. As Devlin tells it: "In the preparation of this little work the writer has kept one end in view: To make it serviceable for those for whom it is intended, that is, for those who have neither the time nor the opportunity, the learning nor the inclination, to peruse elaborate and abstruse treatises on Rhetoric, Grammar, and Composition. "To them such works are as gold enclosed in chests of steel and locked beyond power of opening. "This book has no pretension about it whatever. It is neither a Manual of Rhetoric, expatiating on the dogmas of style, nor a Grammar full of arbitrary rules and exceptions. "It is merely an effort to help ordinary, everyday people to express themselves in ordinary, everyday language, in a proper manner. "Some broad rules are laid down, the observance of which will enable the reader to keep within the pale of propriety in oral and written language. Many idiomatic words and expressions, peculiar to the language, have been given, besides which a number of the common mistakes and pitfalls have been placed before the reader so that he may know and avoid them. "The writer has to acknowledge his indebtedness to no one in particular, but to all in general who have ever written on the subject. "The little book goes forth - a finger-post on the road of language pointing in the right direction. It is hoped that they who go according to its index will arrive at the goal of correct speaking and writing. "It is very easy to learn how to speak and write correctly, as for all purposes of ordinary conversation and communication, only about 2,000 different words are required. The mastery of just that many words, and knowing where to place them, will make us not masters of the English language, but masters of correct speaking and writing. "To use a big word or a foreign word when a small one and a familiar one will answer the same purpose, is a sign of ignorance. Great scholars and writers and polite speakers use simple words. "We find that a great many people who pass in society as being polished, refined and educated use less, for they know less. The greatest scholar alive hasn't more than four thousand different words at his command, and he never has occasion to use half the number. "It is the purpose of this book, as briefly and concisely as possible, to direct the reader along a straight course, pointing out the mistakes he must avoid and giving him such assistance as will enable him to reach the goal of a correct knowledge of the English language. It is not a Grammar in any sense, but a guide, a silent signal-post pointing the way in the right direction." Every writer should have this book as a ready reference and guide. Get Your Copy Now.

"The art of writing is a living business," Declares Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in the Preface to this classic. "Literature is not a mere science, to be studied; but an art, to be practiced. Great as is our own literature, we must consider it as a legacy to be improved . . . if we persist in striving to write well, we can easily resign to other nations all the secondary fame." Renowned as a critic, teacher, and educational reformer, Quiller-Couch delivered a series of lectures at the University of Cambridge in 1913-14. His subjects--the artistic and vital nature of language as well as the skills needed to convey and receive the written word--remain as timeless as his advice. This book contains the eminent scholar's remarks from those lectures on the practice of writing, the difference between verse and prose, the use of jargon, the history of English literature, the ways in which English literature is taught at the university, and the importance of style. The principles and practical guidelines he sets forth in this volume offer aspiring writers an enduring source of guidance. Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (21 November 1863 – 12 May 1944) was a British writer who often published under the pen name of Q. A novelist and poet who was also a Professor of English, he helped to form the literary tastes of generations of literary students and scholars who came after him. He is primarily remembered for the monumental Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900 (later extended to 1918), and for his literary criticism. Every writer should have this book as reference and inspiration. Get Your Copy Now.

A practical treatise on the art of the short story, designed to present concretely the rules of the art. It is a working manual, not a collection of untried theories. It tells how to write a story with reference to the requirements of contemporary editors. "Both an interesting and useful book. While it is concerned with the special application of rhetorical principles to a particular department of literary art, it carries a general application that all literary workers may profit by, as in its chapters on Titles, Style, and the Labor of Authorship. Perusal of it is likely also to promote among readers a desirable repugnance to the inferior stuff which wastes time that might be better employed. Mr. Barrett's purpose is in the interest of novices who would learn the art of telling a short story as it should be told. His precepts are pointed with numerous critiques upon specimens of poor work, and enriched by references to various books and articles on the subject which amplify and re-enforce his presentation of principles and rules." -Outlook "Based upon deductions made by the author in the course of work as student, writer and critic of short stories. Specially brings out the requirements of contemporary editors. Principles laid down are illustrated by extracts from actual short stories, both good and bad." -The Book News Monthly "If the countless thousands of would-be authors who are writing or who contemplate writing a short story would diligently study 'Short Story Writing,' by Charles Raymond Barrett, Ph.B., many an over-worked editor would find his burdens lightened. For the would-be author will realize, after he has read Mr. Barrett's book, that to write a successful short story is an achievement beyond the power of ninety-nine men out of a hundred. The book is no mere presentation of theories on the part of the author. It is the result of careful analysis of the great short stories of the English language. Not only does the author show the inherent qualities of greatness which some of these stories possess, he also gives extracts from various amateur and unsuccessful stories, by which he shows plainly what a writer of short stories must not do. This treatment is one of the most helpful characteristics of his book. Mr. Barrett has treated the subject with admirable fullness....Readers of short stories as well as would-be authors will find the book interesting." -Public Opinion "Aims to give directions on all phases of the subject." -Printer's Ink "Competent young writers who seriously desire to do something worthwhile along the line of hte short story will do well to read Charles Raymond Barrett's 'Short Story Writing.' The author makes some very wise and remarkably practical suggestions. He defines the curious limitations and canons of this peculiar art form, the short story, in a clear and discriminating way. He classifies short stories, speaks helpfully of the selection of plots, talks judiciously of good and bad titles, of the use of facts, of character painting, of methods of narration, and of style. In the last chapter he gives sound advice on the quest of a market. Neither Mr. Barrett nor anyone else could turn the average man or woman into a successful short story writer, but Mr. Barrett can give a lot of good pointers." -The Chautauquan "A volume of definition, criticism and instruction. Sensible and based upon careful and intelligent study. Young writers will do wisely to read it and heed it." -Congregationalist "The book can hardly fail to be of much practical assistance to the novice in short-story writing." -Review of Reviews ** This book is an attempt to put into definite form the principles observed by the masters of the short story in the practice of their art. It is the result of a careful study of their work, of some indifferent attempts to imitate them, and of the critical examination of several thousands of short stories written by amateurs. It is designed to be of practical assistance to the novice i