Storytelling Fiction

A creative writer's shelf should hold at least three essential books: a dictionary, a style guide, and Writing Fiction. Janet Burroway's best-selling classic is the most widely used creative writing text in America, and for more than three decades, it has helped hundreds of thousands of students learn the craft.

Struggling to write powerful, engaging scenes in your novel? Mastering Your Scenes is the ultimate scene writing workbook for fiction writers, designed to banish writer’s block and help you write compelling, well-structured scenes with clarity and purpose. Whether you're a new author or a seasoned novelist, this fiction writing workbook gives you the tools to build scenes that drive your story forward and keep readers turning the page. Inside, you'll discover a practical, repeatable method for mastering each essential element of great scene writing. ✅ What You’ll Learn: How to write ...

All children mythologize their birth... So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's beloved collection of stories, long famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale. The enigmatic Winter has always kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she summons a biographer to tell the truth about her extraordinary life: Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth remains an ever-present pain.

Exploring the parallels between video games and the world’s most exciting, innovative spaces, this sequel to the groundbreaking Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds explains how the same techniques that pull players into games for hours at a time can be employed to draw participants into immersive experiences. Join Margaret Kerrison as she guides our next generation of immersive storytellers on a deep dive into the creative possibilities of this new realm of storytelling.

Make sure the kids aren’t around! Just because you’re a grown-up doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the art of the children’s bedtime story. Nick Offerman presents this collection of 12 short stories written in the style of a classic kids' tale, but with a decidedly dark and adult approach. What really happened after Snow White died, from the perspective of the one medically trained dwarf? A naive wizard professor reports back from the trenches of an underprivileged school of magic. And much more!

As a college and university instructor and the author of flash fiction, novellas, and the five-book series of novels comprising An Adventure of the Old West, the three-book series A Charlotte Hastings Paranormal Exposé, and the two-book series Vikings: An Epic Adventure, I share a lifetime of learning about writing satisfying, entertaining, fast-paced fiction. Learn to transform an idea for a story into a full-fledged story. Learn forty-two types of characters and how to make them come alive on the page. Learn the one-act, two-act, three-act, four-act, and five-act, character functions, ...

One warm night four children stood in front of a bakery. No one knew them. No one knew where they had come from. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are orphans. Can they find a home where they can stay together as a family?

Our tale begins where I’m from the Sun: The Gustafer Yellowgold Story leaves off. Emboldened from a putterbike race victory against his arch-nemesis, young sunling Gustafer Yellowgold heads to Earth to cure his ultra-rare case of Ice-Cream-Cone-Heart. Back on the Sun, Gustafer’s older brother, Ben, faces the heat from Mission Control when the journey doesn’t go as planned, and young Gustafer’s fate hangs in the balance.

Award-winning author and human rights activist Ishmael Beah brings us The Door to Tamba, a powerful story centered on a mining village in West Africa where the destruction of earth and pollution of life impacts the mind, body, and soul of communities. Hindolo, a storyteller, returns to his hometown after 30 years and recalls the solitary and formidable old man who opened his home to him and introduced a world of literature and imagination, which for many years, was his only escape. Hindolo begins writing the stories down on paper stolen from a nearby mine to share with his classmates.

Some children scream. Maya Sanders didn’t. At just seven years old, Maya is returned to a home filled with shadows—and when the system checks the boxes, she says nothing. Not because she’s okay. Because she knows silence is safer. When Maya is placed with Janine Thompkins, a foster mother who sees beyond behavior, a quiet war begins—not just for custody, but for truth. As Janine uncovers what Maya cannot say, she faces a system designed to measure compliance, not pain. A devastating, lyrical novel about the cost of being unheard—and the quiet revolution it takes to be free. Some ...

If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And it's as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation - and dark humor - toward middle age and mortality.

If you could repeat one year of your life, what would you do differently? This heartwarming and hilarious novel features three best friends who get the chance to return to the year they turned 40, the year that altered all of their lives in ways big and small - and get the opportunity to change their future. But it doesn't take long for all three women to learn that reliving a life and making different decisions leads only to new problems and consequences and that the mistakes they made may in fact have been the best choices.

The Boxcar Children: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are orphans. Can they find a home where they can stay together as a family? Surprise Island: The Aldens spend the summer on their own private island. There they meet a new friend with an amazing secret! The Yellow House Mystery: Years ago, a man vanished from the yellow house on Surprise Island. Why? The Aldens have found a clue to the mystery!

This ultimate guide for fiction writers demystifies the eight essential elements that every great narrative needs: concept, character, worldbuilding, theme, plot, structure, scenes, and pacing. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to supercharge your skills, this book is packed with practical insights, clear examples, and actionable tips. Each chapter breaks down the storytelling journey into easy-to-follow steps, empowering writers to craft unforgettable narratives.

One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story - from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others - and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself.

For more than 25 years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to listen without laughing.

Crafting Immersive Fiction: A Comprehensive Guide is the ultimate resource for writers eager to create stories that captivate from start to finish. Whether you're a new writer or a seasoned author, this guide offers the tools you need to craft unforgettable fiction. What’s Inside: Core Elements of Storytelling: Develop complex characters, authentic voices, and engaging arcs. Understand plot structure, from exposition to resolution, and how to balance themes and subtext to deepen your narrative. Building Conflict and Stakes: Master the art of tension, conflict, and pacing to keep readers ...

Mystery Ranch: The Aldens visit their mysterious Aunt Jane at her run-down ranch and make a surprising discovery! Mike's Mystery: A nearby house burns down while the Boxcar Children are staying with their Aunt Jane - and their friend Mike is blamed for starting the fire! Blue Bay Mystery: The Aldens are excited to visit a deserted South Seas island. But soon they discover clues that they are not alone. Is someone on the island watching them?

Three complete stories in one collection! Includes Mystery in the Sand, Mystery Behind the Wall, and Bus Station Mystery. In Mystery in the Sand, the Alden family is spending sunny days at the shore and summer nights in the mobile home right on the beach! One morning, Benny finds a gold necklace in the sand, and a search for its owner begins a trail of clues that leads to Tower House, the strange old mansion nearby. What will the Boxcar Children find there?

Three complete stories in one collection! Includes The Mystery of the Stolen Sword, The Basketball Mystery, and The Movie Star Mystery.