Books like Characters, emotion & viewpoint by Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress offers a practical guide for writers to build vivid, multidimensional characters that drive a story, blending physical details with emotional depth through real-world excerpts and hands‑on exercises.

Walter Mosley’s practical guide urges writers to overcome hesitation, offering daily‑regimen advice, voice‑selection strategies and tips for drafting and revising a novel in a year.

Brian Kiteley’s essay offers writers practical tools and exercises for navigating creative writing challenges, focusing on technique, authorship, and reader engagement.

Learn how to let your story guide you rather than a rigid outline, with step‑by‑step guidance on core narrative ingredients and techniques used by master storytellers.

Get your stories off to a roaring start. Keep them tight and crisp throughout. Conclude them with a wallop. Is the story or novel you've been carrying around in your head the same one you see on the page? Or does the dialogue suddenly sound flat and predictable? Do the events seem to ramble? Translating a flash of inspiration into a compelling story requires careful crafting. The words you choose, how you describe characters, and the way you orchestrate conflict all make the difference—the difference between a story that is slow to begin, flounders midway, or trails off at the end—and one that holds the interest of readers and editors to the final page. By demonstrating effective solutions for potential problems at each stage of your story, Nancy Kress will help you... hook the editor on the first three paragraphs make—and keep—your story's "implicit promise" build drama and credibility by controlling your prose Dozens of exercises help you strengthen your short story or novel. Plus, you'll sharpen skills and gain new insight into... the price a writer pays for flashbacks six ways characters should "reveal" themselves techniques for writing—and rewriting Let this working resource be your guide to successful stories—from beginning to end. About the Author Although she began by writing fantasy, Nancy Kress currently writes science fiction, most usually about genetic engineering. She teaches regularly at summer conferences such as Clarion, and during the year at the Bethesda Writing Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, she is the "Fiction" columnist for Writer's Digest magazine. She has won two Nebulas and a Hugo, and lost over a dozen more of these awards. Her work has been translated into Swedish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, began by writing fantasy, among others.

Byatt and psychoanalyst Igne Sodré discuss six beloved novels—including Austen, Brontë, MLA and Morrison—in a witty, insightful study of how literature shapes readers’ lives.

"Every writer knows that as rewarding as the creative process is, it can often be a bumpy road. Have hope and keep at it! Designed to kick-start creativity, this handsome handbook from the executive director of National Novel Writing Month gathers a wide range of insights and advice for writers at any stage of their career. From tips about how to finally start that story to helpful ideas about what to do when the words just aren't quite coming out right, Pep Talks for Writers provides motivation, encouragement, and helpful exercises for writers of all stripes"--

A practical guide that teaches writers to build a compelling story structure using cognitive storytelling techniques, turning a rough idea into a detailed, researched blueprint for a powerful narrative.