Writer's Guide to Nonfiction
-
- $21.99
-
- $21.99
Publisher Description
A WRITER’S COMPASSDirection for your writing career
Don’t get lost on the publishing path. Just forge ahead with the Writer’s Compass. Drawing on decades of professional experience as an author, editor, writing instructor, mentor, and marketing consultant, Elizabeth Lyon helps you navigate the art and craft of writing—with clear, easy-to-follow directions:
NORTH
Getting Your Bearings
Understand your purpose and your audience; learn to refine your ideas, select effective titles, and find the best method of organization for any piece
SOUTH
Troubleshooting
Use checklists and guidelines to spot weaknesses and problems in leads, organization, conclusions, and style—and find out how to correct them
EAST
Learning to Market
Map a successful cover letter, query letter, or proposal, and discover a four-step process to facilitate publication and sales
WEST
Refining Your Vision
Brainstorm to gain perspective on your writing—and how it fits with your values, goals, and dreams
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"You know something others don't know and need," insists Lyon (Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write), and in her confident, optimistic writing primer, the first in the Writer's Compass series, she shows would-be authors how to find their area of expertise and turn it into an article, essay or even a book. Walking her readers through the writing process, from "What to I want to Say?" to "Writing About Ideas" and from "Troubleshooting and Problem Solving" to "Learning How to Market," Lyon crafts a detailed and practical course for the nonfiction novice. Those with a partially formed idea can turn to her section on different types of nonfiction pieces and the subjects to which they're suited, or her chapter on slants to determine the tone of a future piece. (A proponent of the look-before-you-leap school of creative endeavor, Lyon advocates a lot of planning before beginning a writing project.) Writers with a slightly clearer idea can ponder different leads, such as the one-line hook or the direct address, and methods of organization such as comparison and contrast. Almost all the chapters include multiple "maps," which might list "outstanding" memoirs and "choices for ending well," or guide readers through researching travel pieces and writing a query letter. Her troubleshooting section offers checklists for success, and, like all the other chapters, includes a sidebar on recommended reading. This detailed and practical guide may not guarantee writing hopefuls a book deal, but it distinguishes itself from other writing how-tos by its concrete and economical advice.
