Starting from Scratch A Different Kind of Writers Manual

From the best-selling author of  Rubyfruit Jungle and  Bingo, here is a writers' manual as provocative,  frank, and funny as her fiction. Unlike most  writers' guides, this one had as much to do with how  writers live as with mastering the tools of their  trade. Rita Mae Brown begins with a very personal  account of her own career, from her days as a young  poet who had written a novel no publisher wanted  to take a chance on, right up to her recent  adventures as a Hollywood screenwriter. In a sassy style  that makes her outspoken advice as entertaining as  it is useful, she provides straight talk about  paying the rent while maintaining the energy to  write; and dealing with agents, publishers, critics,  and the publicity circus; about pursuingj  ournalisim, academia, or screen-writing; and about rejecting  the Hemingway myth of the hard-living,  hard-drinking genius. In addition Brown, a former teacher or  writing, offers a serious examination of the  writer's tool--language, plotting, characters,  symbolism--plus exercises to sharpen the ear for dialogue,  and a fascinating, annoted reading list of  important works from the seventh century to the late  twentieth.

From the best-selling author ofRubyfruit Jungle andBingo, here is a writers' manual as provocative, frank, and funny as her fiction. Unlike mostwriters' guides, this one had as much to do with howwriters live as with mastering the tools of theirtrade. Rita Mae Brown begins with a very personalaccount of her own career, from her days as a youngpoet who had written a novel no publisher wantedto take a chance on, right up to her recentadventures as a Hollywood screenwriter. In a sassy stylethat makes her outspoken advice as entertaining asit is useful, she provides straight talk aboutpaying the rent while maintaining the energy towrite; and dealing with agents, publishers, critics, and the publicity circus; about pursuingjournalisim, academia, or screen-writing; and about rejectingthe Hemingway myth of the hard-living, hard-drinking genius. In addition Brown, a former teacher orwriting, offers a serious examination of thewriter's tool--language, plotting, characters, symbolism--plus exercises to sharpen the ear for dialogue, and a fascinating, annoted reading list ofimportant works from the seventh century to the latetwentieth."

Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-254).