173 records matched your query       

Author:

Van Draanen, Wendelin, author.

Title:

Hope in the mail : reflections on writing and life / Wendelin Van Draanen.

Edition:

First edition.

Publisher:

Alfred A. Knopf,

Copyright Date:

2020

Description:

284 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Subject:

Van Draanen, Wendelin.
Authors--Vocational guidance.
Authorship--Technique.
Authorship.
Handbooks and manuals.

Notes:

"Borzoi Book."

Contents:

I-Your vault : Writer's gold -- Out of the ashes -- Putting hope in the mail -- Today could be the day -- Defining moments -- Patching bullet holes -- Shifting gears -- II-Writing : Finding your voice -- Fundamentals -- Characters around you -- Growing pains -- Knock-knock -- Backstory -- Trees and rocks -- Villians -- Setting -- Pet pigs and other distractions -- Beginning with the ending -- Infamous sagging middle -- Theme -- Hidden architecture -- Dialogue -- Writing chops -- III-Being a writer : Becoming a finisher -- Revision as archenemy -- Revise, rise, repeat -- Writer's block -- Little about research -- IV-Special cases : Mysteries -- Series is born -- World-building -- Chapter books -- Sequels -- V-Seeds and sprouts : Origin stories -- Boy scout vs. hoodlum -- Flipped -- Breakfast in Birmingham -- Swear to Howdy -- Starting line -- Running Dream -- Memory camp -- Secret Life of Lincoln Jones -- Bridge out -- Wild Bird -- VI-Peek behind the curtain : Because you asked -- Publishing limbo -- Day I met my editor -- Sequel about a sequel -- First arrival -- Editors -- Agents -- Copy editorts -- Book covers and illustrations -- Basic finance -- Traditional publishing -- VII-Final thoughts : Dodging death -- Be the oxygen.

Summary:

"Wendelin Van Draanen didn't grow up wanting to be a writer, but thirty books later, she's convinced that writing saved her life. Or, at least, saved her from a life of bitterness and despair. Writing helped her sort out what she thought and felt and wanted. And digging deep into fictional characters helped her understand the real people in her life better as well. Wendelin shares what she's learned--about writing, life, and what it takes to live the writing life. This book is packed with practical advice on the craft: about how to create characters and plot a story that's exciting to read. But maybe even more helpful is the insight she provides into the persistence, and perseverance, it takes to live a productive, creative life. And she answers the age-old question Where do you get your ideas? by revealing how events in her own life became the seeds of her best-loved novels. Hope in the Mail is a wildly inspirational read for anyone with a story to share."-- provided by publisher.

ISBN:

1984894676
9781984894670
1984894668
9781984894663

OCLC:

(OCoLC)1135487622

Locations:

GFPE771 -- Altoona Public Library (Altoona)

TCPG826 -- Bettendorf Public Library Information Center (Bettendorf)

SAPG074 -- Cedar Falls Public Library (Cedar Falls)

TYPH572 -- Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids)

XXPH787 -- Council Bluffs Public Library (Council Bluffs)

YCPD572 -- Hiawatha Public Library (Hiawatha)

SPPE104 -- Independence Public Library (Independence)

S1PD771 -- Johnston Public Library (Johnston)

YEPF572 -- Marion Public Library (Marion)

GDPF771 -- Urbandale Public Library (Urbandale)

GEPG771 -- West Des Moines Public Library (West Des Moines)