Front-Word, Back-Word, Insight-Out: Lessons on Writing the Novel Lurking Inside You from Start to Finish

by Smoky Zeidel

Front-word, Back-word, Lessons on Writing the Novel Lurking Inside You from Start to Finish Every day, people sit down in front of a blank computer screen or piece of paper and start to write their own version of the Great American Novel. Many never get beyond "Once upon a time...." Their stories remain stuck inside, where only they can hear them. That s because writing a book is easier said than done. Writing a good book is even harder. Why? Because novel writing is a skill that must be learned, just like a nurse must learn to take a patient s blood pressure, a pilot must learn how to fly, and a concert pianist must learn to read music. Based on her years of teaching writing workshops, author Smoky Trudeau has created a program of step-by-step lessons to teach you how to transform that story stuck inside you into good fiction. You'll learn winning techniques for starting your story and how to decide which character should tell it. You'll gather ideas for writing believable dialogue and developing characters readers will love and those they ll despise. You ll learn how to build tension, write an exciting climax scene, then gracefully bring your story to an end; and much, much more. Full of examples and exercises to help you hone your skills, Front-word, Back-word, Insight-Out is the must-read book for anyone who wants to unleash their inner author and free the stories lurking inside.

180 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2008

About the author

Smoky Zeidel is a novelist and poet, whose love of the natural world is thematic in all she writes. She taught writing and creativity workshops for many years at venues throughout the Midwest before succumbing to her bohemian urges and moving to Southern California. Her work has earned her two nominations for the prestigious Pushcart Prize.

Smoky lives in a ramshackle cottage in the hills outside Los Angeles with her husband Scott and a plethora of animals, both domestic and wild.

After breaking with her former publisher, Smoky took all her books off the market and went on an 22-month sabbatical from writing, during which time she pursued her love for fiber arts, sculpture, and painting. But words are in her soul; she signed a new publishing contract with Thomas-Jacob Publishing, LLC, and her novel, The Storyteller’s Bracelet, was released April 15, 2015.

Reviews

[Chelle Cordero · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you need help to get your creative mind going, this book will do it for you. Smoky Trudeau has some sure fire methods for kick-starting the brain into motion.

[Marie]

Added because I love the title. Between the cover, the description and the price, it's not one I'm going to make much effort to acquire.