A guide to writing for film and television. It details the first principles of screenwriting and advises on the best way to identify and formulate a story and develop ideas in order to build a vivid, animated and entertaining script. It introduces the reader to essential skills needed to write effective drama.

A guide to the hidden workings of plays and the trade secrets that govern their writing - by the acclaimed playwright Steve Waters.

Well-structured form and function can combine to bring a story alive and turn it into a great film. Award-winning screenwriter Cowgill articulates the concepts of successful screenplay structure in clear language and offers a study of memorable films from the thirties to present day.

What is the secret of good prose? Does writing well even matter in an age of instant communication? Should we care? This book tells about the modern art of writing, and shows us why we all need a sense of style.

The 'shadow line' is a term Royle uses to describe the faint line on the top edge of the text block that allows him to see whether a book on a shelf contains an inclusion - those items inserted into books and long forgotten.

In a sequence of intimate conversations with some of the most influential and insightful writers of the twentieth century, the author explores the importance of region, politics and history in their work and that of their predecessors.

A unique and indispensable guide to writing the short story. A collection of 26 specially commissioned essays from well-published short story writers who are also prize winners in the toughest short story competitions in the English language.

A practical sourcebook for educators, creative writers and all who seek to nurture the imagination

Umberto Eco explores the intricacies of fictional form and method. With a series of examples, ranging from fairy tales to Mickey Spillane, Eco draws his readers in by making them collaborators in the creation of text, and in the investigation of some of fiction's most basic mechanisms.

from amanda lovelace, celebrated poet and author of the women are some kind of magic series, comes slay those dragons - a powerful self-care journal, a place to begin writing your own story.

Fear is one of the most primal emotions, and one of the hardest to reason with and dispel. So why do we scare ourselves? Delving into the darkest corners of horror literature, films, and plays, Darryl Jones explores its monsters and its psychological chills, discussing why horror stories disturb us, and how they reflect society's taboos.

With a foreword by Neil Gaiman, this collection offers an insight behind the scenes of Discworld into a much loved and much missed figure.

Smell, Memory, and Literature in the Black Country is an interdisciplinary exploration of the relationship between smell and memory in which the contributions consider both personal and communal memory.

Now in paperback, an intellectual history of contrasting ideas around the power of the arts to engender personal and societal change - for better and worse. A fascinating account of the value and functions of the arts in society, in the private sphere of individual emotions and self-development and public sphere of politics and social distinction.

Practical, instantly usable techniques and advice for writers of fiction and non-fiction from master editor Sol Stein

Most publishers keep a "slushpile" - the stack of unsolicited manuscripts which contains a large percentage of preposterous or frightening book proposals, which might just conceal that one jewel of a bestseller or classic novel lying near the bottom. This book takes a tour through the 'do's and 'don't's of book proposal.

An expanded edition of a classic collection of interviews with the greatest songwriters of our time.

Pete "the Temp" Bearder presents the unwritten history, science and skill of spoken word. Stage Invasion answers some strangely unaddressed questions: This groundbreaking book explores a thriving ecology of artistry, and how it can serve us for cultural, social and political renewal.