Initially an assignment for a library science class, this paper presents various definitions of the current creative writing phenomenon called "sudden fiction" (very short short stories with concise character sketches, and terse tales limited in length to several pages). The paper includes: (1) a list of well regarded sudden fiction…

In keeping with efforts of the National Council of Teachers of English to promote and recognize excellence in writing in the schools, this booklet presents the rankings of winning entries in the second year of NCTE's Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines in American and Canadian schools, and American schools abroad.…

In keeping with the efforts of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to promote and recognize excellence in writing in the schools, this booklet presents the rankings of winning entries in the third year of NCTE's Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines in the United States, Canada, and American schools abroad.…

This handbook is designed to take aspiring novelists from the concept of that first novel all the way through to completion, including the crucial step of marketing. The handbook discusses shortcuts to help save time, traps all new writers must avoid, inspiration to get a novel done, and checklists to guide every step. The chapters in the handbook…

Based on the idea that no piece of fiction will work without a strong infrastructure, this book explores how writers do what they do. The book uses anecdotes, helpful examples, and imaginative exercises to build a step-by-step approach to the structure of the short story and novel, always keeping in mind beginning and improving writers. Following…

More than 7,000 answers to the question "What can I write about?" are offered in this collection of writing topics for high school students. The topics are categorized in 12 sections: (1) description, (2) comparison and contrast, (3) process, (4) narrative writing, (5) classification and division, (6) cause and effect, (7) exposition,…

This book focuses on three types of revising: revising for style, revising for structure, and revising for meaning. The book's author shows, step by step, how three of his own short stories evolved from journal musings and early drafts to final, published versions. In addition, points are illustrated with examples from other contemporary writers.…