The art and craft of storytelling : a comprehensive guide to classic writing techniques / Nancy Lamb.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Master the Power of Story

When you consider the thousands of years of storytelling that comprise our literary tradition, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the shadow of so many works. But there are common threads that link all stories--from Beowulf and Hamlet to Gone With the Wind and The Godfather to the story you're drafting right now in your head. These threads form the foundation that supports story--a foundation Nancy Lamb shows you how to access and master.

Whether you're writing a novel, a memoir, or a screenplay, The Art and Craft of Storytelling offers time-tested ways to translate a concrete idea into a polished work. In this book, you will find strategies for-

.Creating a successful a beginning, middle, and end while moving smoothly from one stage to the next
.Crafting memorable characters, choosing the best point of view for your story, and constructing authentic, compelling dialogue
.Integrating and navigating the more subtle elements of story, such as voice, tone, premise, and theme
.Understanding genres and subgenres and how they apply to your story
.Structuring plots that transform a ho-hum story into a page-turning read


The Art and Craft of Storytelling gives you all the tools you need to contribute your own story to our great tradition, to open new worlds to your readers, and to introduce new ways of thinking. This is the power and purpose of story. And by your writing, this is the tradition you honor.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Part I Building Plans
• 1 Time Frames: Story, Past and Present (p. 2)
• 2 Discovering Your Story: The Evocation of the Muse (p. 7)
• 3 The Genre Wars: From Romance to Literary Fiction (p. 12)
• Part II Foundation and Structure
• 4 Structural Design: Building What Works for You (p. 31)
• 5 Breaking Ground: How to Begin the Beginning (p. 39)
• 6 The Space-Time Continuum: Moving Forward (and Backward) Through Your Story (p. 52)
• 7 Enter the Bitch: The Power of Negative Voices (p. 65)
• 8 The Mid-Story Crisis: Rescuing Your Story From the Middle Muddle (p. 70)
• 9 Classical Drama: In the Age of the Page-Turner (p. 77)
• 10 The End: ... Or the End of the Beginning? (p. 87)
• Part III Structural Supports
• 11 Scenes: How They're Structured and What Makes Them Work (p. 100)
• 12 The Dynamic Duos: Story and Quest, Plot and Subplot (p. 119)
• 13 The Cast of Characters: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (p. 137)
• 14 Point of View: Who Tells the Story (p. 155)
• 15 Inner and Outer Dialogue: Authenticity and Credibility (p. 180)
• Part IV Interior Designs
• 16 Keeping Your Promise: Premise, Theme, and Moral (p. 191)
• 17 The Promise Continued: Voice and Tone (p. 198)
• 18 Narrative Authority: Setting and Senses (p. 212)
• 19 The Write Way: The Finer Points of Good Writing (p. 221)
• Part V Finishing Touches
• 20 Coming Unglued: Dealing With Writer's Block (p. 236)
• 21 The Creative Spirit: The Care and Feeding of Your Muse (p. 240)
• Afterword (p. 248)
• Appendix Genre Reading List (p. 250)
• Index (p. 260)