The Snowflake Method-ten battle-tested steps that jump-start your creativity and help you quickly map out your story.

A mother-daughter story about the strong pull of tradition, and the lure and cost of breaking free of it. When Shoko decided to marry an American GI and leave Japan, she had her parents' blessing, her brother's scorn, and a gift from her husband-a book on how to be a proper American housewife. As she crossed the ocean to America, Shoko also brought with her a secret she would need to keep her entire life... Half a century later, Shoko's plans to finally return to Japan and reconcile with her brother are derailed by illness. In her place, she sends her grown American daughter, Sue, a divorced single mother whose own life isn't what she hoped for. As Sue takes in Japan, with all its beauty and contradictions, she discovers another side to her mother and returns to America unexpectedly changed and irrevocably touched.

Do you have a story idea inside you that you're dying to write, but you're not sure where to start? Are you already writing a novel, but the story has become too complicated and you don't know how to make progress? Maybe you already have your own novel outlining process, but you simply want to improve it? Or ... perhaps you don't have a story idea yet, but you just love the thought of writing a novel. Write a Novel Outline from Scratch! is an indispensable tool for storytellers of all levels and backgrounds. In this step-by-step guide, author Andrew Butcher shows you how to come up with a story idea and create a complete novel outline, including detailed character bios, location sheets, and loads of bonus tips that will transform your writing process into one that works! It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or experienced writer. It only matters that you want to outline an intricate story that will wow your readers. On top of that, learning to effectively outline and structure your novel means that when it comes to actually writing it, you'll write it faster, you'll write it better, it will need less revision, and--best of all--you'll get it published sooner! In this book, you'll learn how to: - Generate story ideas and expand them into a complete book outline from SCRATCH! - Weave plot lines together so intricately it will blow your readers' minds - Create vivid story locations that will transport your readers into your story world - Create fully developed characters your readers will love (or love to hate!) - Implement BONUS outlining tips that will forever change your writing process - Gain confidence in your writing by effectively outlining your story first The book includes links to loads of downloadable files to supplement your learning, and plenty of real-life examples from Andrew's first novel. There's even a FREE Scrivener template for Windows available for download, so if you're a Scrivener user, you can follow the exact template Andrew uses for outlining his stories. But don't worry, if you're not a Scrivener user, you will still benefit from reading this book! By the end of it all, you'll feel ready to write your book. So what are you waiting for? Dive in and start outlining your novel today!

This bestselling guide will help you choose the right type of outline to unleash your creativity as a writer, guide you in brainstorming plot ideas, and aid you in discovering your characters.

Author and former literary agent Nathan Bransford shares his secrets for creating killer plots, fleshing out your first ideas, crafting compelling characters, and staying sane in the process. Read the guide that New York Times bestselling author Ransom Riggs called "The best how-to-write-a-novel book I've read."

Storytelling isn’t complicated. We’ll prove it to you. Do you have an amazing idea for a novel but you struggle to get words on the page? Maybe the problem isn’t writer’s block. Maybe you need a writing process. Publishing veterans and bestselling authors Zach Bohannon and J. Thorn share their proven system for developing a plan that will bridge the gap between a collection of random notes and a cohesive first draft. This comprehensive book will teach you the foundations of fiction: Plot, Structure, Genre, Theme, Character, and World. Discover: Why you need a system to finish a first draft whether you plot or pants What Aristotle said about storytelling thousands of years ago that still applies today How studying Star Wars can make you a better writer What some of the most prolific authors believe about the craft How all stories can be reduced to three components Which archetypes create a more engaging reader experience How the Hero’s Journey is alike and different than the Virgin’s Promise Why you should cast your characters like a movie producer Developed over 10 years and applied on millions of words of fiction, Thorn and Bohannon will show you how to layer your approach and build a fantastic story from the ground up. No more staring at a blinking cursor when you sit down to write! Become a master storyteller today. Three Story Method will transform you from a struggling writer into a career author. Downloadable worksheet and full list of resources included! Get it now!

A luminous, powerful novel that establishes Rachel Cusk as one of the finest writers in the English language A man and a woman are seated next to each other on a plane. They get to talking—about their destination, their careers, their families. Grievances are aired, family tragedies discussed, marriages and divorces analyzed. An intimacy is established as two strangers contrast their own fictions about their lives. Rachel Cusk's Outline is a novel in ten conversations. Spare and stark, it follows a novelist teaching a course in creative writing during one oppressively hot summer in Athens. She leads her students in storytelling exercises. She meets other visiting writers for dinner and discourse. She goes swimming in the Ionian Sea with her neighbor from the plane. The people she encounters speak volubly about themselves: their fantasies, anxieties, pet theories, regrets, and longings. And through these disclosures, a portrait of the narrator is drawn by contrast, a portrait of a woman learning to face a great loss. Outline takes a hard look at the things that are hardest to speak about. It brilliantly captures conversations, investigates people's motivations for storytelling, and questions their ability to ever do so honestly or unselfishly. In doing so it bares the deepest impulses behind the craft of fiction writing. This is Rachel Cusk's finest work yet, and one of the most startling, brilliant, original novels of recent years. A Finalist for the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction One of The New York Times' Top Ten Books of the Year Named a A New York Times Book Review Notable Book and a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Vogue, NPR, The Guardian, The Independent, Glamour, and The Globe and Mail