A companion to "A Field Guide for Getting Lost" explores the ways that people construct lives from stories and connect to each other through empathy, narrative, and imagination, sharing anecdotes about historical figures and members of the author's own family.

Presents advice on the basic elements of narrative prose, covering point of view, sentence length and complex syntax, indirect narration, grammar, punctuation, and the sound of writing.

Fredric Jameson, in The Political Unconscious, opposes the view that literary creation can take place in isolation from its political context. He asserts the priority of the political interpretation of literary texts, claiming it to be at the center of all reading and understanding, not just a supplement or auxiliary to other methods current today. Jameson supports his thesis by looking closely at the nature of interpretation. Our understanding, he...

"This edition of the well-known text on the connection between mythology and storytelling contains a revised chapter on the Star Wars series, new illustrations and diagrams, and new chapters (presented in the appendices) on life force operating in stories, the mechanism of polarity in storytelling, the wisdom of the body, catharsis, and other concepts. The book is meant for all types of writers and outlines guidelines for plot and character development,...

"Presents an anthology of thirteen short stories by contemporary young adult authors, ranging from fantasy to the experience of Mexican Americans living in border cities. Each story is followed by an author's note, commentary by one of the editors on such topics as voice, imagery, and mood, and some, with story prompts." --

"Scenes are the building blocks for any work of fiction--the DNA sequence that makes a novel un-put-downable and unforgettable. When writers are able to craft effective, engaging scenes, they can develop a complete, cohesive story--and a mesmerizing experience for readers. Make a Scene Revised and Expanded Edition takes you step-by-step through the elements of strong scene construction and demonstrates how the essential aspects of a compelling story--including...

"El ser humano ha sentido siempre un fascinación innata por las historias. La habilidad de narrar aquello que nos rodea, de imaginar otros mundos, se considera un don. ¿Se puede aprender a narrar? Se puede y es necesario hacerlo. Saber narrar es un instrumento imprescindible para todos aquellos que sienten la necesidad de contar, a través de imágenes o de palabras, y no sepan cómo empezar. No es sólo un manual de creación literaria, periodística...

"Who would we be without stories? Stories mold who we are, from our character to our cultural identity. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions, and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story from...