English Writing

For the last 20 years, George Saunders has been teaching a class on the Russian short story to his MFA students at Syracuse University. In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he shares a version of that class with us, offering some of what he and his students have discovered together over the years. Paired with iconic short stories by Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, and Gogol, the seven essays in this book are intended for anyone interested in how fiction works and why it’s more relevant than ever in these turbulent times.

The best stories about one of baseball's most colorful teams - updated to include their recent glory years. Since 1883, the Philadelphia Phillies have been up, down, and all around. Most recently, thanks to Charlie Manuel, the Phillies have become a National League powerhouse, with four NL East titles, two pennants and the 2008 World Series championship to show for it. In Tales from the Philadelphia Phillies Dugout Rich Westcott takes listeners behind the scenes into the glorious, quirky, and victorious stories that make this team the legend it is.

A soulful collection of nearly four decades of surf writing. In Deep transports listeners into the heart of the surfing world’s culture through the eyes and imagination of a master storyteller. George’s personality profiles, perspective essays, and travel accounts achieve a level of frank articulation that, much like the works of Theroux, Krakauer, and Finnegan, reveal as much about the man as it does his subjects. Peak transcendence and quiet reflection, famous beaches and lost islands, competitive triumphs and personal tragedies.

Coercive Relationships provides a beacon for survivors of partner abuse. Parker’s nonjudgmental, empathic voice offers knowledge gleaned from years of experience. Survivors gain answers to frequently asked questions: Am I being abused? Why do they hurt me? Why do I feel so crazy? What can I change? Why do they believe they should control us? How do I recognize abuse of power? How do I heal?Each chapter contains illustrative vignettes and suggestions for reflection to assist readers in discovering what they want. Coercive Relationships lifts the private shame survivors feel by connecting ...

Welcome to Morrissey County! This fictional region in Pennsylvania Amish country is home to several generations of strong-willed Amish women who know what they want in life, even if others disagree. Join these women on their search for love and acceptance. Morrissey County, 2022 Eliza Miller is keen on the Englisch life. She got a job in a large real estate company and worked her way up to being the boss’s secretary. The more she gets to know Englischers, the more she desires to break free of the shackles of her Amish community. Andrew Blythe has built up and sold several businesses since...

Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.

Betrayal. Enslavement. Redemption. Experience the story of Exodus like never before! Joseph, son of Jacob, is dead. His children – the people of Israel, are enslaved at the hands of the Egyptian pharaohs, beaten and oppressed. A single child is saved by his mother, given to the river for protection. He is found by the most unlikely of people – and grows to become the savior of the chosen people. From exile, kinghood, the Plagues all the way through to the Promised Land, Exodus Age is a retelling of the age-old history of Moses and his people through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and ...

Our unique audioteach method features the voice of a real tutor, Chris Sykes. He will guide you through your course with over seven hours of audio material, giving you tips and advice based on his many years of teaching and writing experience and helping you to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls. This course takes you from complete beginner or committed amateur to the point where you've completed, edited and redrafted your work and are ready for publication.

The pro football season of 1963 was dominated by the unexpected. In April, months prior to the beginning of play, it was revealed that two All-Star players, Paul Hornung and Alex Karras, were gambling on the sport and would be suspended from play for at least a year. Even worse, in May, one of the league’s bigger-than-life personalities, Big Daddy Lipscomb, was found dead, with police saying he perished from a heroin overdose, something those who knew him best still dispute.

The required classic textbook primer for all screenwriters. "Anatomy of a Screenplay" outlines the required profile for storytelling in feature films from Character Structure to Convergence. This extremely popular book is clear and concise and used in colleges and grad schools around the world.

Unlock the Secrets of Fear. Master the Mechanics of Dread. Whether you’re crafting a pulse-pounding thriller or slow-burning supernatural horror, Writing Suspense and Horror is your complete guide to gripping your reader—and never letting go. This comprehensive handbook takes you deep into the psychology of fear and the structure of tension. Learn how to create unforgettable characters, build dread scene by scene, and design plots that twist, tighten, and terrify. From atmospheric worldbuilding to heart-stopping finales, this book covers everything from genre history to hands-on craft. ...

William Gaddis published only four novels during his lifetime, but with those works, he earned himself a reputation as one of America's greatest novelists, the heir to Joyce and Nabokov. Less well-known is Gaddis' body of perceptive critical writings. Presented here is a wide range of Gaddis' original essays.

Annaliese Byler returns home to her family’s farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, just in time for Christmas. After spending months caring for her aunt in another district, she’s eager to reconnect with her family. However, a sense of uncertainty stirs in her heart, leaving her wondering if there is something more God is calling her to. Josiah Petersheim, a longtime family friend and skilled woodworker, has also returned to town after apprenticing under his uncle. As they reunite, the once-shy Josiah is now a confident man, though still gentle at heart. Their friendship is rekindled,...

Dig deep into the plain meaning of the Bible’s stories and commandments Would you like to know what the Old Testament (Pentateuch) is all about from a Jewish point of view? This book reveals the morals, ethics, and ideas behind the stories and commandments of one of the oldest books in the history of mankind – a book that serves as the foundation of Jewish and Christian religion. Given the difficult Hebrew in which the Old Testament was written and how challenging it is to translate and to explain, the author wanted to offer to the reader the simple meaning of the text (p’shat) in ...

(New for 2025!) Have you heard the buzz about AI but fear you’ve missed the boat? Are you a genre fiction writer—a creator of romance, fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, or mysteries—curious about AI writing tools but overwhelmed by all the technical jargon? Fear not, fellow storyteller! It’s not too late to harness the power of artificial intelligence to enhance your writing process. This isn't your typical tech manual. Authored by a USA Today bestselling romance writer who recognizes the distinct needs of fiction creators, this practical workbook cuts through the clutter and demonstrates...

The definitive, personal account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of Into the Wild. Read by the author. Also, hear a Fresh Air interview with Krakauer conducted shortly after his ordeal.

By age twenty, at the height of the Jazz Age, Trudy Ederle was the most accomplished swimmer in the world. She’d won Olympic gold and set a host of world records. But the greatest challenge remained: the English Channel. Only a few swimmers, none of them women, had ever made the treacherous twenty-one mile crossing. Trudy’s failed first attempt seemed to confirm what many naysayers believed: No woman could possibly accomplish such a thing. In 1926, Ederle proved them wrong.

Over the years the American writer Emma Larkin has spent traveling in Burma, she has come to know all too well the many ways this police state can be described as "Orwellian". The life of the mind exists in a state of siege in Burma, and it long has. The connection between George Orwell and Burma is not simply metaphorical, of course; Orwell's mother was born in Burma, and he was shaped by his experiences there as a young man working for the British Imperial Police.

Welcome to Morrissey County! This fictional region in Pennsylvania Amish country is home to several generations of strong-willed Amish women who know what they want in life, even if others disagree. Join these women on their search for love and acceptance. Morrissey County, 2000 Bridget Miller, the sister of devout Amish community member Aaron Miller, returns from life amongst the Englisch to a guarded Aaron who isn’t sure he can trust her and doesn’t want her affecting his happy life. He is determined to protect his family from Bridget’s influence. Steven Smoker wants nothing more ...

These four bestselling writing and thesaurus guides, “The Writer’s Guide to Character Emotion,” “The Writer’s Guide to Character Expression,” “The Writer’s Guide to Vivid Settings and Characters,” and "The Writer's Guide to Characters, Plots, and Scenes" have been combined to create one remarkable single volume! This comprehensive edition contains over 600 pages of guidance to inspire your creative muse with descriptive ways to craft a riveting novel that instantly grabs a reader’s attention. Writers will get the essential skills needed to significantly enhance their ...