Telling Lies for Fun & Profit

Characters refusing to talk? Plot plodding along? Where do good ideas come from anyway? In this wonderfully practical volume, two-time Edgar Award-winning novelist Lawrence Block takes an inside look at writing as a craft and as a career. From studying the market, to mastering self-discipline and "creative procrastination," through coping with rejections, Telling Lies for Fun & Profit is an invaluable sourcebook of information. It is a must read for anyone serious about writing or understanding how the process works. This celebrated guide is a masterclass in the art, craft, and business of fiction writing: Plot Development: Learn to transform a fledgling idea into a compelling story and conquer the dreaded "plodding plot" for good. Character Development: Find out what to do when your characters refuse to talk and how to build plausible, sympathetic, and original people on the page. Overcoming Writer’s Block: Master the arts of self-discipline and "creative procrastination" to keep the words flowing, even when inspiration seems to have fled. The Writing Career: Get an Edgar Award-winner’s inside look at studying the market, handling rejection, and navigating the professional side of being an author.