Published in 2008
263 pages
Nancy Lamb is the author of 43 fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children. She is also the author of The Art and Craft of Storytelling and The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children.
Lamb serves on the faculty of the Big Sur Writing Workshop and the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop. She taught at the Hariette Austin Writing Program at the University of Georgia. And she also taught a master class in Singapore for the Media Development Authority. In addition to writing and teaching, she is also an editor and story strategist.
The Art and Craft of Storytelling has garnered high praise from professors, teachers and writers of both fiction and narrative non-fiction and is used to teach creative writing at several schools and universities throughout the country.
The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children is used to teach children’s and adult fiction classes at The University of California, Los Angeles and Berkeley; the University of Georgia; Georgia Southern University; and Stanford University, as well as many other writing classes, workshops and conferences.
What is this book about?
Master the Power of Story.
When you consider the thousands of years of storytelling that comprise our literary tradition, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the shadow of so many works. But there are common threads that link all stories–from Beowulf and Hamlet to Gone With the Wind and The Godfather to the story you’re drafting right now in your head. These threads form the foundation that supports story–a foundation Nancy Lamb shows you how to access and master.
Whether you’re writing a novel, a memoir, or a screenplay, The Art and Craft of Storytelling offers time-tested ways to translate a concrete idea into a polished work. In this book, you will find strategies for:
• Creating a successful a beginning, middle, and end while moving smoothly from one stage to the next
• Crafting memorable characters, choosing the best point of view for your story, and constructing authentic, compelling dialogue
• Integrating and navigating the more subtle elements of story, such as voice, tone, premise, and theme
• Understanding genres and subgenres and how they apply to your story
• Structuring plots that transform a ho-hum story into a page-turning read
The Art and Craft of Storytelling gives you all the tools you need to contribute your own story to our great tradition, to open new worlds to your readers, and to introduce new ways of thinking. This is the power and purpose of story. And by your writing, this is the tradition you honor.
