February 2023 MBR The Writing/Publishing Shelf

The Writing/Publishing Shelf

Psychology for Screenwriters
William Indick, author
Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd., #1111, Studio City, CA 91604
www.mwp.com
9781615933471, $29.95, PB, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Screenwriters-Building-Conflict-Script/dp/1615933476

Synopsis: People's lives are made up of good and bad decisions, histories filled with triumph and pain, behaviors formed from a lifetime of experiences. A screenwriter's characters should be no different.

But writing psychologically complex characters requires an understanding of human behavior. Fortunately, as a screenwriter you will not need a PhD in psychology to add complexity to your work.

With the publication of "Psychology for Screenwriters: Building Conflict in Your Script", William Indick (an author, active screenwriter, screenwriting consultant, and an Associate Professor of Psychology at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey) will help you add psychological depth to your script with insights from brilliant psychological theorists like Freud, Jung, and Adler.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, a careful reading of "Psychology for Screenwriters: Building Conflict in Your Script" will enable even the most novice of screenwriters to create memorable characters and engaging conflicts that will have their audiences enthralled. While highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing collections in general, and supplemental Screenwritng curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "Psychology for Screenwriters" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).

Editorial Note: William Indick (https://bulletproofscreenwriting.tv/william-indick) earned his bachelors degree in psychology (1993) and masters degree in music therapy (1996) from New York University. His other books include Media Environments and Mental Disorder (2021), The Digital God (2015), Ancient Symbology in Fantasy Literature (2012), The Psychology of the Western (2008), Psycho Thrillers (2006), and Movies and the Mind (2004).

Mining Your Past
Richard Lee Zuras
Belle Isle Books
http://www.belleislebooks.com
c/o Brandylane Publishers
5 South First Street, Richmond, VA 23219
www.brandylanepublishers.com
9781958754030, $17.95, PB, 194pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mining-Your-Past-Richard-Zuras/dp/195875403X

Synopsis: No one has ever seen the world the way you have. This is a truth that noted author, poet, and professor Richard Lee Zuras knows well.

As a writer, mining your past for its characters, its lessons, its regrets, and its joys can feel intimidating, but it leads to authenticity in any writer's work that simply cannot be replicated. No one has seen the world the way you do, and so learning how to tap into that world as you create new stories is an invaluable way of finding your voice.

"Mining Your Past: A Creative Writing Professor's Guide" is an accessible and informative writing guide in which Professor Zuras skillfully combines his previous written works and personal histories with concrete tools for any readers looking to integrate their own pasts into authentic writing.

Refreshingly reader-focused, "Mining Your Past" provides the aspiring writer with tangible methods for uncovering their unique world view in order to create more compelling and genuine storytelling. The reader will step away with a greater faith in their potential as writers and with a better understanding of their own pasts, making this an essential read -- especially for novice writers searching for a way to share their stories, as only they can tell them.

Critique: A complete course of informative and practical instruction for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing collections, "Mining Your Past: A Creative Writing Professor's Guide" will be of special and enduring value for anyone with an interest in writing stories, poetry and song lyrics. In full compliance with the old adage of 'Write What You Know', this throughly 'user friendly' DIY instructional is unreservedly recommended for novice writers and has a great deal of insightful and thought-provoking value for even the more experienced author, essayist, song writer, or poet.

Editorial Note: Edward Lee Zuras (http://www.belleislebooks.com/richardleezuras.html) is a professor of English & Creative Writing at the University of Maine at Presque Isle where he has taught creative writing for more than twenty years. His own stories and poems have appeared in dozens of literary journals including Story Quarterly, South Dakota Review, Weber Journal, Big Muddy, Jabberwock Review, Lake Effect, Chicago Quarterly Review, Laurel Review, Yemassee, Xavier Review, Confrontation, Red Rock Review, and Passages North. Richard has held writing conference scholarships at Bread Loaf, Wesleyan University, and Pirate's Alley Faulkner, and is the author of the novels The Bastard Year, and The Honeymoon Corruption as well as the poetry collection Birds at the Post Office (all from Brandylane Publishers).

On Writing and Failure
Stephen Marche
Biblioasis
www.biblioasis.com
9781771965163, $12.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Failure-Field-Notes-Stephen-Marche/dp/1771965169

Synopsis: Failure is a topic discussed in every creative writing department in the world, but "On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer" by seasoned writer Stephen Marche is the book every beginning writer should have on their shelf to prepare them for rejections from the publishing industry.

Less an instruction guide on writing and more a 'how-to' manual on what you need to continue existing as a writer, "On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer" aptly describes the defining role played by rejection in literary endeavors and contemplates failure as the essence of the writer's life.

Along with his own history of rejection, Marche offers stories from the history of writerly failure, from Ovid's exile and Dostoevsky's mock execution to James Baldwin's advice just to endure, where living with the struggle and the pointlessness of writing is the point.

Critique: Simply put, "On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer" must be considered essential reading for anyone seeking to write for a living, be it as a novelist, essayist, poet, columnist, or any other writing genre. Itself exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "On Writing and Failure" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Writing/Publishing collections. It should be noted that "On Writing and Failure" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.79).

Editorial Note: Stephen Marche (http://www.stephenmarche.com) is a novelist, essayist and cultural commentator. He is also the author of half a dozen books, and has written opinion pieces and essays for the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Walrus and many others.

How to Write Erotica
Rachel Kramer Russel
Cleis Press
101 Hudson Street, Suite 3705, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
http://cleispress.com
9781627783194, $18.95, PB, 222pp

https://www.amazon.com/Write-Erotica-Rachel-Kramer-Bussel/dp/1627783199

Synopsis: Have you had intimate fantasies or simmering plotlines you've wanted to write but weren't sure how or where to start? With the publication of "How to Write Erotica", renowned erotica author and editor Rachel Kramer Bussel shows the aspiring writer how to turn those fragments into fully fleshed out erotic stories, novellas and novels.

An indispensable nonfiction DIY craft guide to writing erotic short stories and novels, Bussel draws upon her 20+ years of experience in the genre and walks writers through the ins and outs of erotic writing. Whether you want to see your work on the shelves of bookstores, pen sexy stories or letters for a partner or simply explore your creativity, "How to Write Erotica" is a thorough instructional guide and 'how to' manual.

Having taught erotic writing workshops at universities, conferences and sex toy stores across the world and online, Bussel knows how to make even those who blush at the word "sex" feel comfortable putting pen to paper. Her easy-to-follow method to penning erotica is broken down utilizing helpful tactics that include: Practical examples from her own writing process; Illustrative erotica excerpts; Interviews with over a dozen successful erotica authors; Numerous writing tips and prompts.

Aspiring erotic authors of all genders will learn everything they need to know about gaining inspiration from their everyday surroundings, breaking into publishing, promoting their work and making a name for themselves. From pseudonyms to BDSM, overcoming writer's block and crafting sultry, believable characters, Bussel's advice will have you seeing erotic possibilities everywhere. You don't need an advanced degree, previous writing experience or sexual experience to write good erotica. All you need is a keen imagination and a willingness to follow your lusty mind wherever it takes you.

Critique: A seminal, unique, and expertly written writer's guide to a specific genre that has always been a lucrative market, "How To Write Erotica" is particularly recommended for aspiring writers working in both erotic and romantic fiction. While unreservedly recommended for personal and professional Writer Instructional Reference collections, it should be noted that "How To Write Erotica" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.49).

Editorial Note: Rachel Kramer Bussel (https://rachelkramerbussel.com) is the editor of over 70 anthologies featuring over 700 authors, including The Big Book of Orgasms and the Best Women's Erotica of the Year series. She writes widely about sex, dating, books and pop culture, and has contributed to over 100 erotica anthologies, including Best American Erotica 2004 and 2006. She teaches erotica writing workshops online and in person and consults with authors via EroticaWriting101.com. She can be followed on Twitter @raquelita. Her books have won the IPPY (Independent Publisher) Award for Erotica and the Samois Anthology Award from the National Leather Association-International and she is also the winner of the Living in Leather John Preston Award.

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