Immersion

Author: Ted Conover
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022611323X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
Over three and a half decades, Ted Conover has ridden the rails with hoboes, crossed the border with Mexican immigrants, guarded prisoners in Sing Sing, and inspected meat for the USDA. His books and articles chronicling these experiences, including the award-winning Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, have made him one of the premier practitioners of immersion reporting. In immersion reporting—a literary cousin to ethnography, travel writing, and memoir—the writer fully steps into a new world or culture, participating in its trials, rites, and rituals as a member of the group. The end results of these firsthand experiences are familiar to us from bestsellers such as Nickel and Dimed and Behind the Beautiful Forevers. But in a world of wary strangers, where does one begin? Conover distills decades of knowledge into an accessible resource aimed at writers of all levels. He covers how to “get into” a community, how to conduct oneself once inside, and how to shape and structure the stories that emerge. Conover is also forthright about the ethics and consequences of immersion reporting, preparing writers for the surprises that often surface when their piece becomes public. Throughout, Conover shares anecdotes from his own experiences as well as from other well-known writers in this genre, including Alex Kotlowitz, Anne Fadiman, and Sebastian Junger. It’s a deep-in-the-trenches book that all aspiring immersion writers should have in hand as they take that first leap into another world.

A Field Guide for Immersion Writing

Author: Robin Hemley
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
ISBN: 0820343730
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Book Description
For centuries writers have used participatory experience as a lens through which to better see the world at large and as a means of exploring the self. Considering various types of participatory writing as different strains of one style—immersion writing—Robin Hemley offers new perspectives and practical advice for writers of this nonfiction genre. Immersion writing can be broken down into the broad categories of travel writing, immersion memoir, and immersion journalism. Using the work of such authors as Barbara Ehrenreich, Hunter S. Thompson, Ted Conover, A. J. Jacobs, Nellie Bly, Julio Cortazar, and James Agee, Hemley examines these three major types of immersion writing and further identifies the subcategories of the quest, the experiment, the investigation, the infiltration, and the reenactment. Included in the book are helpful exercises, models for immersion writing, and a chapter on one of the most fraught subjects for nonfiction writers—the ethics and legalities of writing about other people. A Field Guide for Immersion Writing recalibrates and redefines the way writers approach their relationship to their subjects. Suitable for beginners and advanced writers, the book provides an enlightening, provocative, and often amusing look at the ways in which nonfiction writers engage with the world around them. A Friends Fund Publication.

The Writer's Guide to Deep POV

Author: S. A. Soule
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781530515448
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
No matter what genre you write, this second manual on the Deep Point of View technique should be kept as a vital reference in every writer's toolbox. This in-depth guide offers specific, practical tools for creative fiction writers on how to craft realistic settings, visceral responses, and lifelike characters. Crammed with even more examples and ways to eliminate shallow writing, this book provides the necessary techniques to master describing facial expressions, body language, and character emotions. This resource of endless inspiration will reveal how to dig deeper to "show don't tell," which is essential to crafting compelling dialogue, vivid scenes, and deepening characterization.

Deep Point of View

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781988069050
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Do you want readers to be so caught up in your book that they forget they're reading?Then you need deep POV.Deep POV takes the reader and places them inside of our characters--hearing their thoughts, feeling their emotions, and living the story through them. Compared to other writing styles, it builds a stronger emotional connection between the reader and our characters, creates the feeling of a faster pace, and helps avoid point-of-view errors and telling rather than showing.In Deep Point of View, writing instructor and fiction editor Marcy Kennedy brings her years of experience into showing you how to write deep POV. You'll learn specific, practical things you can do immediately to take your fiction to the next level.Each book in the Busy Writer's Guide series is intended to give you enough theory so that you can understand why things work and why they don't, but also enough examples to see how that theory looks in practice. In addition, they provide tips and exercises to help you take it to the pages of your own story, with an editor's-eye view. Most importantly, they cut the fluff so that you have more time to write and to live your life.

The Writer's Guide to Beginnings

Author: Paula Munier
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440347174
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
Give your story its best start! The best beginnings possess a magical quality that grabs readers from the first word and never lets them go. But beginnings aren't just the door into a fictional world. They are the gateway to the realm of publishing--one that could shut as quickly as it opens. In The Writer's Guide to Beginnings, author and literary agent Paula Munier shows you how to craft flawless beginnings that impress agents, engage editors, and captivate readers. You'll learn how to develop the big idea of your story and introduce it on page one, structure opening scenes that encompass their own story arc, kickstart your writing with effective brainstorming techniques, and introduce a compelling cast of characters that drive the plot. You'll also examine the best-selling novels from different genres to learn the secrets that experienced writers use to dive straight into a story. With thorough examinations of voice, point of view, setting, dialogue and conflict, The Writer's Guide to Beginnings is a must-have tool for luring your readers in with your opening pages--and convincing them to stick around for the ride. "Writing a book? Hard. Writing the beginning of a book? Rocket science! Strap on your spacesuit, because thanks to Munier's nuanced, actionable breakdown of every possible aspect of a gripping opening, authors everywhere can now take their books to the stars." --K.M. Weiland

Coyotes

Author: Ted Conover
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0394755189
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
To discover what becomes of Mexicans who cross into the United States without a visa, Conover traveled and worked alongside them for more than a year. This is the chronicle of his journey. “Ted Conover has written a book about the Mexican poor that is at once intimate and epic. Coyotes is travel literature, social protest, and affirmation. I can compare this book to the best of George Orwell’s journeys to the heart of poverty.” --Richard Rodriguez, author of Brown and Hunger of Memory

A Writer's Guide To Persistence

Author: Jordan Rosenfeld
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1599638843
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Practice. Polish. Persist. Your writing journey can take you many places: hiking through steep mountains, traversing unknown territory, hurdling both roadblocks and rejections. Even the siren song of fame and fortune can distract you from your true purpose: to express yourself in an authentic and meaningful way, and to share your words with others. A Writer's Guide to Persistence is your road map through the rugged terrain of the writer's path. You'll discover advice and techniques for cultivating a fruitful, deeply meaningful writing life by practicing your craft, polishing your work, and persisting through even the toughest challenges. Inside you'll find: • Practical ways to balance writing with the rest of your life: taming your busy schedule, increasing your productivity, and committing to a writing practice • Advice for developing authentic work: finding your voice, writing bravely, and breaking the blocks to creative flow • Methods for stretching your skills through craft and revision • Thoughts on pushing through rejection and doubt, submitting strong, nourishing yourself to avoid burnout, and keeping your mind and body fit Filled with journaling exercises and much-needed motivation, as well as insights from best-selling writers in a variety of genres, A Writer's Guide to Persistence will help you find the joy and purpose inherent in a writer's life. Your journey to publication and success may take a lifetime, but you can sow the rewards of writing with every step. "A compassionate and intelligent guide for any writer who's just starting out or one who needs the understanding and encouragement of a great writing coach. Rosenfeld offers practical solutions for every concern, from how to find the time to write to getting through writer's block." --Patricia V. Davis, best-selling author

The Writer's Journey

Author: Christopher Vogler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780330375917
Category : Archetype (Psychology) in literature
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Book Description
The Writer's Journey is an insider's guide to how master storytellers from Hitchcock to Spielberg have used mythic structure to create powerful stories. This new edition includes analyses of latest releases such as The Full Monty.

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

Author: Fred D. White
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
ISBN: 9781440348754
Category : Authorship
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Discover the journey from initial idea to completed story."--Back cover.

Writing Abroad

Author: Peter Chilson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022644449X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Book Description
“Tell me all about your trip!” It’s a request that follows travelers as they head out into the world, and one of the first things they hear when they return. When we leave our homes to explore the wider world, we feel compelled to capture the experiences and bring the story home. But for those who don’t think of themselves as writers, putting experiences into words can be more stressful than inspirational. Writing Abroad is meant for travelers of all backgrounds and writing levels: a student embarking on overseas study; a retiree realizing a dream of seeing China; a Peace Corps worker in Kenya. All can benefit from documenting their adventures, whether on paper or online. Through practical advice and adaptable exercises, this guide will help travelers hone their observational skills, conduct research and interviews, choose an appropriate literary form, and incorporate photos and videos into their writing. Writing about travel is more than just safeguarding memories—it can transform experiences and tease out new realizations. With Writing Abroad, travelers will be able to deepen their understanding of other cultures and write about that new awareness in clear and vivid prose.