Huge Stack of Free Writing Books! Get them for #NaNoWriMo inspiration.

I was bowled over Sunday morning to discover half a dozen writing books free for Kindle and Nook! There's no telling how long they'll be free (just found out they are free only through November 12th), so get them while you can. I'm including the blurb for each one, since I have not read them yet, with the exception of Les Edgerton's excellent Hooked (see my review here). Don't miss your chance to snap up that one, and while you're at it check out his wonderful blog.  

Hooked, by Les Edgerton The road to rejection is paved with bad beginnings. Agents and editors agree: Improper story beginnings are the single biggest barrier to publication. Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading. It's just that simple.In Hooked, author Les Edgerton draws on his experience as a successful fiction writer and teacher to help you overcome the weak openings that lead to instant rejection by showing you how to successfully use the ten core components inherent to any great beginning. You'll find:Detailed instruction on how to develop your inciting incident. Keys for creating a cohesive story-worthy problem. Tips on how to avoid common opening gaffes like overusing backstory. A rundown on basics such as opening scene length and transitions. A comprehensive analysis of more than twenty great opening lines from novels and short stories. Plus, you'll discover exclusive insider advice from agents and acquiring editors on what they look for in a strong opening. With Hooked, you'll have all the information you need to craft a compelling beginning that lays the foundation for an irresistible story!

For Kindle click here | For Nook click here 

 

The Complete Handbook Of Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know About Creating & Selling Your Work Get advice from the best in the business on every part of the novel writing and publishing process! In The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing, 2nd Edition, you'll learn from the invaluable advice of established writers. Discover new ways to generate ideas, implement intriguing techniques, and find the inspiration you need to finish your work. This fully-revised edition includes a revamped marketing section that covers the unique challenges of today's publishing market and the boundless opportunities of online promotion.Inside you'll find expert advice from dozens of bestselling authors and publishing professionals on how to: Master the elements of fiction, from plot and characters to dialogue and point of view. Develop a unique voice and sensibility in your writing. Manage the practical aspects of writing, from overcoming writer's block to revising your work. Determine what elements your story needs to succeed in a particular genre—science fiction, fantasy, mystery, suspense, inspirational, romance (mainstream and Christian), or historical fiction. Find an agent, market your work, and get published—or self-publish—successfully. You'll also find interviews with some of the world's finest writers, including Margaret Atwood, Tom Clancy, Brock Clarke, Cory Doctorow, Dave Eggers, Elizabeth George, Jerry Jenkins, Stephen King, Megan McCafferty, Audrey Niffenegger, Joyce Carol Oates, Chuck Palahniuk, James Patterson, Richard Russo, Anne Tyler, John Updike, and Kurt Vonnegut. Their words will provide you with the guidance and encouragement of your very own writing mentor.The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is your one-stop resource for everything you need to know about the craft and business of creating a bestseller. 

For Kindle click here | For Nook click here  

 

Story Structure Architect, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt Build a Timeless, Original Story Using Hundreds of Classic Story Motifs!It's been said that there are no new ideas; but there are proven ideas that have worked again and again for all writers for hundreds of years.Story Structure Architect is your comprehensive reference to the classic recurring story structures used by every great author throughout the ages. You'll find master models for characters, plots, and complication motifs, along with guidelines for combining them to create unique short stories, novels, scripts, or plays. You'll also learn how to:Build compelling stories that don't get bogged down in the middle. Select character journeys and create conflicts. Devise subplots and plan dramatic situations. Develop the supporting characters you need to make your story work. Especially featured are the standard dramatic situations inspire by Georges Polti's well-known 19th century work, The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. But author Victoria Schmidt puts a 21st-century spin on these timeless classics and offers fifty-five situations to inspire your creativity and allow you even more writing freedom. Story Structure Architect will give you the mold and then help you break it.This browsable and interactive book offers everything you need to craft a complete, original, and satisfying story sure to keep readers hooked! 

For Kindle click here | For Nook click here

How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play by Barbara Baig Athletes practice. Musicians practice. As a writer you need to do the same. Whether you have dreams of writing a novel or a memoir or a collection of poems, or you simply want to improve your everyday writing, this innovative book will show you how to build your skills by way of practice. Through playful and purposeful exercises, you'll develop your natural aptitude for communication, strengthening your ability to come up with things to say, and your ability to get those things into the minds (and the hearts) of readers. You'll learn to: 1. Train and develop your writer's powers—creativity, memory, observation, imagination, curiosity, and the subconscious. 2. Understand the true nature of the relationship between you and your readers 3. Find your writer's voice. 4. Get required writing projects done so you have more time for the writing you want to do. And much more. Empowering and down-to-earth, How to Be a Writer gives you the tools you need, and tells you what (and how) to practice so that you can become the writer you want to be. 

For Kindle click here | For Nook click here

 

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book by Marilyn Ross "Self-publishing," say authors Tom and Marilyn Ross, "is a perfect example of the American dream." The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, then, is an aspiring self-publisher's dream. "This isn't a book of fancy theory," as the authors put it; "it's a practical handbook of state-of-the-art specifics." In 521 pages, it lays out everything you need to know to publish your own books, from start-up considerations to the possibility of selling to a big publisher: how to choose a name for your press, how to get an ISBN, what cover designs cost, how to find a reliable printer, how to price your book, where to find lighter-weight shipping envelopes, how to generate working capital. The authors' encyclopedic grasp of the ins and outs of self-publishing is matched by their natural good sense about self-promotion. Turn your signings into events, they recommend; get your books into a variety of venues; use the books as fundraisers for organizations; get online and get reviewed online. The price of this book is negligible considering the cost of proper self-publishing (between $12,000 and $25,000), and, oh, the headaches it will spare you! --Jane Steinberg

For Kindle click here | For Nook click here

Getting the Words Right by Theodore Cheney The Secret to Good Writing. When asked by the Paris Review what compelled him to rewrite the ending of A Farewell to Arms 39 times, Ernest Hemingway replied, "Getting the words right." His answer echoes what every successful writer knows: The secret to all good writing is revision.For more than twenty years, Getting the Words Right has helped writers from all professions rewrite, revise, and refine their writing. In this new edition, author Theodore Cheney offers 39 targeted ways you can improve your writing, including how to: create smooth transitions between paragraphs, correct the invisible faults of inconsistency, incoherence, and imbalance, overcome problems of shifting point of view and style, express your ideas clearly by trimming away weak or extra words. You'll strengthen existing pieces and every future work by applying the three simple principles—reduce, rearrange, and reword. Once the secrets of revision are yours, you'll be able to follow Hemingway's lead—and get the words right! 

For Kindle click here | For Nook click here

Hope you enjoy these books. Let me know what you think.