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The Art of X-Ray Reading
by Roy Peter Clark • 2016
How to read a novel and come away with a toolbox, not just a story.
4.04
1k+
The Art of X-Ray Reading Summary
The Art of X-Ray Reading 91%
How to read a novel and come away with a toolbox, not just a story.
by Roy Peter Clark 2016
4.04
1k+ ratings
Several Short Sentences About Writing
by Verlyn Klinkenborg • 2012
Writing isn't about flow or formulas; it's about one clear sentence, then another.
4.13
4k+
Several Short Sentences About Writing Summary
Several Short Sentences About Writing 90%
Writing isn't about flow or formulas; it's about one clear sentence, then another.
by Verlyn Klinkenborg 2012
4.13
4k+ ratings
Reading Like a Writer
by Francine Prose • 2006
Workshops preach rules. Real craft is learned one Chekhov sentence at a time.
3.77
12k+
Reading Like a Writer Summary
Reading Like a Writer 90%
Workshops preach rules. Real craft is learned one Chekhov sentence at a time.
by Francine Prose 2006
3.77
12k+ ratings
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
by George Saunders • 2021
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
4.53
26k+
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain Summary
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain 90%
Seven Russian classics, read one line at a time, reveal the hidden machinery of great fiction.
by George Saunders 2021
4.53
26k+ ratings
How Fiction Works
by James Wood • 2008
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
3.99
8k+
How Fiction Works Summary
How Fiction Works 90%
How do novels create the illusion of a thinking mind? A master critic explains the techniques.
by James Wood 2008
3.99
8k+ ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy 90%
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013
3.93
248 ratings
Your Creative Writing Masterclass
by Jürgen Wolff • 2012
A hundred great novelists teach you fiction's craft secrets, from character to voice.
3.88
182
Your Creative Writing Masterclass Summary
Your Creative Writing Masterclass 90%
A hundred great novelists teach you fiction's craft secrets, from character to voice.
by Jürgen Wolff 2012
3.88
182 ratings
The Art of Subtext
by Charles Baxter • 2007
What a character won't say, can't hear, and can't admit: the hidden engine of unforgettable fiction.
4.02
1k+
The Art of Subtext Summary
The Art of Subtext 90%
What a character won't say, can't hear, and can't admit: the hidden engine of unforgettable fiction.
by Charles Baxter 2007
4.02
1k+ ratings
How to Write Short
by Roy Peter Clark • 2013
Tiny texts, big impact: the craft moves that make short sentences stick harder than long ones.
3.77
1k+
How to Write Short Summary
How to Write Short 90%
Tiny texts, big impact: the craft moves that make short sentences stick harder than long ones.
by Roy Peter Clark 2013
3.77
1k+ ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 90%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist
by Orhan Pamuk • 2010
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
3.95
3k+
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist Summary
The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist 90%
Why great novels put you in a trance even as you know every word is invented.
by Orhan Pamuk 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
Writing Alone, Writing Together
by Judy Reeves • 2002
How to start a writing group that provides feedback, builds accountability, and keeps you writing.
4.01
78
Writing Alone, Writing Together Summary
Writing Alone, Writing Together 90%
How to start a writing group that provides feedback, builds accountability, and keeps you writing.
by Judy Reeves 2002
4.01
78 ratings
How to Read a Book
by Mortimer J. Adler • 1940
Beyond words: the four-level method for reaching real understanding in serious books.
3.98
28k+
How to Read a Book Summary
How to Read a Book 90%
Beyond words: the four-level method for reaching real understanding in serious books.
by Mortimer J. Adler 1940
3.98
28k+ ratings
Book Lust
by Nancy Pearl • 2003
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
3.77
4k+
Book Lust Summary
Book Lust 89%
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
by Nancy Pearl 2003
3.77
4k+ ratings
The Art of Fiction
by John Gardner • 1984
Master the craft that makes readers forget the page and live inside your story.
3.99
6k+
The Art of Fiction Summary
The Art of Fiction 89%
Master the craft that makes readers forget the page and live inside your story.
by John Gardner 1984
3.99
6k+ ratings
Make Believe
by Mac Barnett • 2026
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
4.38
3k+
Make Believe Summary
Make Believe 89%
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
by Mac Barnett 2026
4.38
3k+ ratings
Writing to Learn
by William Zinsser • 1988
Writing's real job is not transmission; it is discovery. How to think on paper.
3.81
2k+
Writing to Learn Summary
Writing to Learn 89%
Writing's real job is not transmission; it is discovery. How to think on paper.
by William Zinsser 1988
3.81
2k+ ratings
Good Prose
by Tracy Kidder • 2013
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
3.92
1k+
Good Prose Summary
Good Prose 89%
Everything a Pulitzer winner and his editor know about writing nonfiction that people finish.
by Tracy Kidder 2013
3.92
1k+ ratings
About Writing
by Samuel R. Delany • 2006
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
4.26
459
About Writing Summary
About Writing 89%
The sentence, not the world, is science fiction's true unit of meaning. A master explains why.
by Samuel R. Delany 2006
4.26
459 ratings
How to Write a Sentence
by Stanley Fish • 2011
A few logical forms generate all possible sentences. Master them, and content follows.
3.48
3k+
How to Write a Sentence Summary
How to Write a Sentence 89%
A few logical forms generate all possible sentences. Master them, and content follows.
by Stanley Fish 2011
3.48
3k+ ratings
On Writing
by Ernest Hemingway • 1984
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
4.02
5k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 89%
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
by Ernest Hemingway 1984
4.02
5k+ ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 89%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
How to Grow a Novel
by Sol Stein • 1999
The editor's craft playbook: what makes readers abandon a novel, and how to keep them turning pages.
4.06
845
How to Grow a Novel Summary
How to Grow a Novel 89%
The editor's craft playbook: what makes readers abandon a novel, and how to keep them turning pages.
by Sol Stein 1999
4.06
845 ratings
Novelist as a Vocation
by Haruki Murakami • 2015
Originality is subtraction: how writing badly in English gave a Japanese novelist his voice.
3.89
19k+
Novelist as a Vocation Summary
Novelist as a Vocation 89%
Originality is subtraction: how writing badly in English gave a Japanese novelist his voice.
by Haruki Murakami 2015
3.89
19k+ ratings
The Writer's Idea Book
by Jack Heffron • 2000
Never run out of material: habits and prompts to keep you writing through every block.
3.88
1k+
The Writer's Idea Book Summary
The Writer's Idea Book 89%
Never run out of material: habits and prompts to keep you writing through every block.
by Jack Heffron 2000
3.88
1k+ ratings
The First Five Pages
by Noah Lukeman • 2000
99% of manuscripts get rejected by page five. Catch the invisible flaws that trigger the no.
3.98
4k+
The First Five Pages Summary
The First Five Pages 89%
99% of manuscripts get rejected by page five. Catch the invisible flaws that trigger the no.
by Noah Lukeman 2000
3.98
4k+ ratings
The Writer's World
by Lynne Gaetz • 2005
Writing as a system: find your point, support it, revise until it holds. The textbook method.
3.67
15
The Writer's World Summary
The Writer's World 89%
Writing as a system: find your point, support it, revise until it holds. The textbook method.
by Lynne Gaetz 2005
3.67
15 ratings
Murder Your Darlings
by Roy Peter Clark • 2020
Voice, craft, and discipline: the writer's toolkit, handed down from Aristotle to Zinsser.
4.02
644
Murder Your Darlings Summary
Murder Your Darlings 89%
Voice, craft, and discipline: the writer's toolkit, handed down from Aristotle to Zinsser.
by Roy Peter Clark 2020
4.02
644 ratings
Steering The Craft
by Ursula K. Le Guin • 1998
Hear your prose, fix your grammar, and cut what drags: a master novelist's craft manual.
4.24
6k+
Steering The Craft Summary
Steering The Craft 89%
Hear your prose, fix your grammar, and cut what drags: a master novelist's craft manual.
by Ursula K. Le Guin 1998
4.24
6k+ ratings
Writing 21st Century Fiction
by Donald Maass • 2012
Plot alone won't keep readers. The craft of making scenes and sentences pull with equal force.
4.34
882
Writing 21st Century Fiction Summary
Writing 21st Century Fiction 89%
Plot alone won't keep readers. The craft of making scenes and sentences pull with equal force.
by Donald Maass 2012
4.34
882 ratings
It Was The Best Of Sentences, It Was The Worst Of Sentences
by June Casagrande • 2010
Your sentences are losing readers. A guide to making every word pull its weight.
4.15
2k+
It Was The Best Of Sentences, It Was The Worst Of Sentences Summary
It Was The Best Of Sentences, It Was The Worst Of Sentences 89%
Your sentences are losing readers. A guide to making every word pull its weight.
by June Casagrande 2010
4.15
2k+ ratings
Borges on Writing
by Jorge Luis Borges • 1973
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
4.07
1k+
Borges on Writing Summary
Borges on Writing 89%
Plausibility trumps truth, short stories hinge on a situation, and great poems arrive unbidden.
by Jorge Luis Borges 1973
4.07
1k+ ratings
Write to the Point How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page
by Sam Leith • 2017
From Aristotle to email, the sentence craft that makes readers absorb ideas before they can resist.
3.73
195
Write to the Point How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page Summary
Write to the Point How to be Clear, Correct and Persuasive on the Page 89%
From Aristotle to email, the sentence craft that makes readers absorb ideas before they can resist.
by Sam Leith 2017
3.73
195 ratings
Storyteller
by Kate Wilhelm • 2005
Twenty-seven years of Clarion distilled: character drives story, and every word must earn its place.
3.93
350
Storyteller Summary
Storyteller 89%
Twenty-seven years of Clarion distilled: character drives story, and every word must earn its place.
by Kate Wilhelm 2005
3.93
350 ratings
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
by Gary Provost • 1985
Concrete techniques that turn stiff sentences into music and hesitant writers into confident ones.
4.03
2k+
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing Summary
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing 89%
Concrete techniques that turn stiff sentences into music and hesitant writers into confident ones.
by Gary Provost 1985
4.03
2k+ ratings
Description
by Monica Wood • 1995
Description isn't decoration: the craft of building a world readers can see, hear, and feel.
4.06
610
Description Summary
Description 89%
Description isn't decoration: the craft of building a world readers can see, hear, and feel.
by Monica Wood 1995
4.06
610 ratings
The Story Grid
by Shawn Coyne • 2015
Why stories fail, scene by scene: an editor's diagnostic that finds the break and the fix.
4.30
2k+
The Story Grid Summary
The Story Grid 89%
Why stories fail, scene by scene: an editor's diagnostic that finds the break and the fix.
by Shawn Coyne 2015
4.30
2k+ ratings
Refuse to Be Done
by Matt Bell • 2022
Finish your novel in three drafts: a rough discovery, a full rewrite, and a layered polish.
4.43
2k+
Refuse to Be Done Summary
Refuse to Be Done 89%
Finish your novel in three drafts: a rough discovery, a full rewrite, and a layered polish.
by Matt Bell 2022
4.43
2k+ ratings
The Writer's Portable Mentor
by Priscilla Long • 2010
A portable system for making writing a daily practice, mastering sentences, and getting published.
4.48
361
The Writer's Portable Mentor Summary
The Writer's Portable Mentor 89%
A portable system for making writing a daily practice, mastering sentences, and getting published.
by Priscilla Long 2010
4.48
361 ratings
Writing Prompts For Creative Writers
by Levon Sparks Salone • 2014
Pick a prompt. Use the words. Hit the word count. Fifty setups that turn resistance into pages.
Writing Prompts For Creative Writers Summary
Writing Prompts For Creative Writers 89%
Pick a prompt. Use the words. Hit the word count. Fifty setups that turn resistance into pages.
by Levon Sparks Salone 2014
Invisible Ink
by Brian McDonald • 2010
Forget formulas: the deep craft of story is a hidden framework of theme, pain, and dramatic irony.
4.38
2k+
Invisible Ink Summary
Invisible Ink 89%
Forget formulas: the deep craft of story is a hidden framework of theme, pain, and dramatic irony.
by Brian McDonald 2010
4.38
2k+ ratings
The Art of Nonfiction
by Ayn Rand • 2001
Skip the mystique: nonfiction writing is a system, and the outline is its non-negotiable start.
3.98
537
The Art of Nonfiction Summary
The Art of Nonfiction 89%
Skip the mystique: nonfiction writing is a system, and the outline is its non-negotiable start.
by Ayn Rand 2001
3.98
537 ratings
A Writer's Notebook
by Ralph Fletcher • 1996
A notebook habit turns raw noticing into finished writing. Everything starts with what you catch.
4.06
1k+
A Writer's Notebook Summary
A Writer's Notebook 89%
A notebook habit turns raw noticing into finished writing. Everything starts with what you catch.
by Ralph Fletcher 1996
4.06
1k+ ratings
The Creative Writing Coursebook
by Julia Bell • 2001
Forty authors teach the exercises and craft tools that turn rough drafts into publishable work.
3.95
363
The Creative Writing Coursebook Summary
The Creative Writing Coursebook 89%
Forty authors teach the exercises and craft tools that turn rough drafts into publishable work.
by Julia Bell 2001
3.95
363 ratings
Monkeys with Typewriters
by Scarlett Thomas • 2012
Fiction is craft, not chance: the rules for plot, character, and sentences that grip readers.
4.17
534
Monkeys with Typewriters Summary
Monkeys with Typewriters 89%
Fiction is craft, not chance: the rules for plot, character, and sentences that grip readers.
by Scarlett Thomas 2012
4.17
534 ratings
Word Painting
by Rebecca McClanahan • 2014
Most writing advice says 'show, don't tell.' This one teaches you how, sense by sense.
4.13
816
Word Painting Summary
Word Painting 89%
Most writing advice says 'show, don't tell.' This one teaches you how, sense by sense.
by Rebecca McClanahan 2014
4.13
816 ratings
On Writing
by Stephen King • 2000
Stories get found, not built. Read voraciously, write privately, cut ten percent.
4.34
321k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 89%
Stories get found, not built. Read voraciously, write privately, cut ten percent.
by Stephen King 2000
4.34
321k+ ratings
They Say / I Say
by Gerald Graff • 2006
Write academic arguments that respond to others, not just declare. Templates that show you how.
3.77
6k+
They Say / I Say Summary
They Say / I Say 89%
Write academic arguments that respond to others, not just declare. Templates that show you how.
by Gerald Graff 2006
3.77
6k+ ratings
This Year You Write Your Novel
by Walter Mosley • 2007
Your unconscious writes the story. Give it ninety minutes a day and stop censoring.
3.81
2k+
This Year You Write Your Novel Summary
This Year You Write Your Novel 89%
Your unconscious writes the story. Give it ninety minutes a day and stop censoring.
by Walter Mosley 2007
3.81
2k+ ratings
On Writing Well
by William Zinsser • 1976
Your personality is the only writing tool: how to strip away everything that buries it.
4.23
31k+
On Writing Well Summary
On Writing Well 89%
Your personality is the only writing tool: how to strip away everything that buries it.
by William Zinsser 1976
4.23
31k+ ratings
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