MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: Lessons in Writing Popular FictionEdited by Michael A. Arnzen and Heidi Ruby Miller

To be published by Headline Books, Spring 2011.

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MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction (coming from Headline Books in Spring, 2011) is an amazing anthology of instructional articles for fiction writers looking for advice on how to improve their writing and better navigate the mass market for genre novels.

Here's what makes MANY GENRES unique:

This book is like a genre writer's workshop in a bottle! Every contributor to this book is a seasoned veteran in the industry or a hot new writer...and many are bestsellers who have won multiple literary awards for their potent and entertaining genre fiction.

But more than that, these contributors know how to teach genre fiction. They are all trained teachers, visiting authors, or published alums from the MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program offered by Seton Hill University -- the only grad school dedicated to writing commercially-viable genre novels of quality.

The book is a hefty volume, with over 130,000 words devoted to genre fiction writing.

To learn more about this title and its contributors, visit: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/

MANY GENRES, ONE CRAFT: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction

TABLE OF CONTENTSPutting our Heads Together: An Introduction to Many Genres, One Craft by Michael A. Arnzen

CRAFT STYLE AND PROCESSYou Have To Start With Something, So It Might As Well Be Something Like This by Gary BraunbeckDon't Be a Bobble-Head, and Other Bits of Guidance by Timons EsaiasDumping the Info Dump by Maria V. Snyder Powerman Writes Women's Fiction: On Writing What You Know by Matt DuvallYour Very First Editor by Lee Allen HowardMake Revising Work for You, Not Against You by Adrea PetersPerfect Disaster: Don't Let Perfectionism Squash Your Creativity by Anne Harris

CHARACTER AND DIALOGUEM&Ms for Characters by Sharon Mignerey Tough Love: Make Your Protagonist Suffer by Randall Silvis

SIDEBAR: Be an Archetype, Not a Stereotype by Heidi Ruby MillerGoing Deeper: Point of View beyond the Basics by W.H. Horner

SIDEBAR: A Helpful Tactic: The Template Text by Timons Esaias

Empowering Female Characters by Barbara Miller

PLOT AND STRUCTUREDemystifying What Editors Want by Venessa GiuntaGive Your Reader Whiplash: Pacing in Fiction by K J HowePick Up the Pace by Tim WaggonerDeus Ex Machina Undergoing Repairs: Save Your Characters by Letting Them Save Themselves by Mike MehalekBlurring the Line: How Reality Helps Build Better Fiction by Scott A. JohnsonPut a Little Love in Your Plot: The Perks and Perils of Romantic Subplots by Ron Edison

SIDEBAR: Prevention: Techniques to Control Romance by Ron Edison

SETTINGSetting as a Character: It's More than a Backdrop by Susan Crandall Painting Your Setting with Concrete Nouns by Jason Jack Miller

SIDEBAR: Setting Limits: Working in Small Spaces by Jason Jack MillerWriting from Place across Cultures by Karen WilliamsSet in History by Mary Ann Mogus

GENRE GENRE AND ORIGINALITYGenre Unleashed by Michael A. ArnzenNo Such Thing as Original Sin by Thomas F. Monteleone I Write Genre Fiction But Want to Be a Real Writer Someday by John DeChancie Readers Resent Change by Tess Gerritsen

ROMANCE AND WOMEN'S FICTIONWrite from the Heart by Crystal B. Bright Creating My Niche in Romantic Suspense by Dana Marton

SIDEBAR: Heroes in Romance by Barbara MillerTalking about Dialogue by Natalie DuvallA Serious Look at the Funny Bone by Elaine Ervin

SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASYBuilding Science Fiction and Fantasy Worlds by Nancy KressDescription on the Edge: The Sublime in Science Fiction by Albert Wendland Cyberpunk Remastered: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Postmodernism by K. Ceres Wright

SIDEBAR: The Brass Tacks of Steampunk by Christopher Paul CareyTo Dream a Dragon by Rachael PruittSex, Death, and Chocolate in the Middle Ages: Adding Realism to Your Fantasy by Russ Howe

HORROR, MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE THRILLERSRuining Everything: Tips for Plotting a Mystery by Victoria Thompson Talking the Talk in Crime (and Other) Fiction by David ShifrenThe Element of Surprise: Psyching-out Readers of Horror, Mystery and Suspense by Michael A. Arnzen

SIDEBAR: Making Modern Monsters by Michael A. ArnzenDark and Story Nights: Mood and Atmosphere in Horror by Mary SanGiovanni The Shifting Grail: A Quest for a Good Read by Heidi Ruby MillerTo Thine Own Self Be True: Five Pieces of Advice for Potential Thriller Writers by David Morrell

CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT FICTIONTen Ways to Lose Your YA Reader by Patrice Luneski Linking Past to Present by C. Coco DeYoung Keeping It Real: Mixing Truth and Fiction in YA by Jennifer Brisendine

SIDEBAR: And The Award Goes To… by Teffanie Thompson WhiteIf You Write It, They Will See It: Picture Book Illustrations from the Writer's POV by Karen Lynn Williams

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHESI Write Short Stories by Michael Bracken Magical Realism as Genre: Or, Waiter, There's an Angel in My Soup by Jason Jack Miller

SIDEBAR: Essential Magical Realism by Jason Jack MillerThe Manga Explosion by Sally Bosco

SIDEBAR: From Far East to West by Sally BoscoA Primer for Writing Media Books by Steven Piziks

THE WRITER'S LIFELEARNINGLessons from the Vampire Slayer by Catherine MulvanyPursuing the Graduate Degree by Chun Lee The Pot-Bellied Pig Method of Critiquing by Kaye DacusWorking the Workshop: How to Get the Most Out of Critique Groups (Even the Bad Ones) by Michael A. Arnzen

WORKINGWriting More by Susan MalleryTime Management: Creative Paths to Productivity by Lee McClain

SIDEBAR: Nearly Finished by Nicole PeelerThe Seven Habits that Got Me Published by Shelley BatesHow to Get an Agent by Ginger Clark

SIDEBAR: Persist! by Michael A. ArnzeneFabulous: Publishing in a Paperless World by Penny DawnThe Teaching Writer by Lawrence C. ConnollyWhere Do I Go from Here? Being Orphaned by Leslie Davis Guccione

PROMOTINGGetting Your Words Out: The Basics of Promoting Your Fiction by Rebecca BakerI'll Scratch Your Back and You Promote My Book by Heidi Ruby Miller

SIDEBAR: Touring Virtually by Heidi Ruby MillerTo Be Reviewed or Not to Be Reviewed by Lynn Salsi Successful Book Signings: The Personal Touch by David Corwell

SIDEBAR: The Top Ten Excuses People Give… by David CorwellGuerilla Marketing: The Reality of Selling Your Book by Patrick PicciarelliNetworking at Conventions by Lucy A. Snyder

RESOURCES AND REFERENCESRelated How-To Books: A BibliographyReferences: In Print, Websites and Other Media

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To learn more about this title and its contributors, visit: http://manygenres.blogspot.com/