Review and Giveaway - The Ficton Writer's Handbook by Shelly Lowenkopf

The concept of this book is rather interesting and is laid out in dictonary format, and as such would not be read cover to cover, yet this is exactly what I recommend you do.

This is a collection of  literary terms and articles and the e-book version which is the one I had access to is full of links which you can read and follow. This in turns leads you on a literary voyage of discovery.

From the Preface, the author recommends that you

 " Open the book anywhere, read an article, then follow the trail of links as far as it takes you. ... You'll see the intent and purpose in a dramatic way."

Through the pages the author shares his vast experiences gathered over his teaching career. He also shares his opinions and the book is littered with other reading options, although they do not all appear in the bibliography. Thankfully I realised in the early stages of reading and jotted the titles down. The bibliography has been reserved for books that the author believes are essential for development of the craft of writing. In fact the author says they are -

"The following titles are not mere recommendations; they are essentials for the professional writer and the avid reader: The sooner and closer they are read, the better."

 This was a great book to explore and use as a stepping stone to other reading, and it will certainly be a stable in the writers library.

About Shelly Lowenkopf:

Shelly Lowenkopf taught in the University of Southern California's Master of Professional Writing Program for 34 years, has taught at the annual Santa Barbara Writer's Conference since 1980, and has been guest lecturer in many schools and conferences. He is currently Visiting Professor at the College of Creative Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, with classes in noir fiction, the modern short story, genre fiction, and developing a literary voice. Lowenkopf has served as editorial director for literary, general trade, mass market, and scholarly book publishers, seeing over 500 books through the editorial and production process. His own short fiction has appeared widely in the literary press.

You can follow the author on Facebook & Twitter

Disclaimer - I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Giveaway - The author has very kindly provided a copy of his book as a giveaway to readers of this blog. 

The Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL - Print is for residents of the US and Canada only. E-Book for International residents in Mobi and ePub formats.

To enter the Giveaway - Please leave a comment on this blog post and then complete the Rafflecopter. The draw is open from 1st March 2013 until Midnight (GMT) on 11th March 2013, afterwhich the winner will be drawn and notified by email. A post will also be added to this thread so please make sure you subscribe. The winner is to requested to make contact with me within 4 days so I can make arrangements for the book to be sent.

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