Pines and Plains Libraries

An award-winning author guides readers through the writing process, and includes examples from his own works, outlines for writing fiction and nonfiction, and excerpted pages from the author's writing notebooks.

The Newbery Award—winning author of Dead End in Norvelt shares advice for how to be the best brilliant writer in this funny and practical creative writing guide perfect for all kids who dream of seeing their name on the spine of a book. With the signature wit and humor that have garnered him legions of fans, Jack Gantos instructs young writers on using their "writing radar" to unearth story ideas from their everyday lives. Incorporating his own...

"Want to write a story but not sure where to start? Just pick a picture! Take a look inside to discover how easy it can be to write a story"--From the publisher's web site.

"One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying emotion to the reader in a unique, compelling way. When showing our characters' feelings, we often grab onto the first idea that comes to mind, and our characters end up smiling, shrugging, nodding, and frowning far too much. Need some inspiration to get you beyond the basics? Inside The Emotion Thesaurus, you'll find: emotion entires that list body language, thoughts, and visceral responses...

This book teaches readers how to plan and write fractured fairy tales. They will discover what a fractured fairy tale is, how to prepare a plot outline, develop characters, revise and edit the story, and write a final draft of the narrative. A variety of activities provide hints and tips along the way to support the development of characters, clear event sequences, plot elements, and the overall creative writing process.

Improve your writing skills and you love of the craft with secrets of the trade from a best-selling, award-winning author.

This book is an excellent resource for both teenagers and their teachers. From the development of characters, setting, voice, style, and plot, to the end with rewriting and polishing, readers are able to hone their writing skills. By using the "building your story" activities at the end of each chapter, they have opportunity to apply the techniques presented and experience the whole process. Hanley uses examples from familiar novels and authors such...

Every day throughout the world, people watch newscasts, read newspapers, and consume news online. But what goes into producing that news? How Journalists Work goes behind the scenes to give readers a glimpse at how reporters gather and synthesize information to produce the news reports that keep us informed. Easy-to-read text, vivid images, and helpful back matter give readers a clear look at this subject. Features include a table of contents, infographics,...