Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block

Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block

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.

Block's candid, indispensable advice covers every part of the fiction writer's life, from process to profession:

• Plot and Story Structure: Turn a plodding plot into a page-turner by learning to distinguish ideas from structure and making things relentlessly difficult for your hero.
• Character Building: Breathe life into characters that refuse to talk by creating plausible, sympathetic, and original personalities drawn from your own unique experience.
• Dialogue and Voice: Master the art of "He Said She Said" with strong verbs and natural rhythms that let your characters speak for themselves.
• The Writing Life: Go from aspiring to professional by mastering self-discipline, handling rejection, and even using "creative procrastination" to your advantage.

Lawrence Block is one of the most widely recognized names in the mystery genre. He has been named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and is a four-time winner of the prestigious Edgar and Shamus Awards, as well as a recipient of prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. He received the Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers' Association--only the third American to be given this award. He is a prolific author, having written more than fifty books and numerous short stories, and is a devoted New Yorker and an enthusiastic global traveler.