WRITING YOUR WAY is a no-nonsense, jam-packed book on writing fiction that came directly out of the author's belief that most writing teachers need to cut their students a little slack. Edgar-winner Julie Smith's approach is to help you find your own writing method, not bombard you with “unbreakable” rules. But make no mistake, she's going to give you plenty of how-tos-on plot, character, setting, voice, point-of-view, dialogue, pacing and marketing. As well as plenty of practice exercises. And lots of motherly advice.
She also thinks most writing books are so absurdly padded they're a waste of students' time. Or they're all about getting in touch with your inner writer so you can finally get started. WRITING YOUR WAY is for the pre-published novelist who is way past that. It gets right to the point. Offering nuts, bolts, and marketing methods, it's a thick, dense concentrate of wisdom learned from years of actually… writing. Smith's the author of dozens of novels and short stories and the founder of Writers' Track, a method of teaching writing by conference call. She has also taught fiction both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.