This book ... describes how universal writing problems have been dealt with by experienced writers, and it explains how the mistakes commonly made by novice writers can be avoided. The book is organized to be as practical as possible. It outlines the general principles of writing and then moves on to specific problems that writers encounter. Chapters 1-4 discuss the fundamental elements in a piece of creative writing-theme, setting, characters, and plot. Chapters 5-11 deal with the basic techniques for handling point of view, tone, description, dialogue, time, and imagery. Chapters 12 and 13 go over the mechanics of manuscript preparation and present a brief review of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Finally, Chapter 14 looks at writing as a career and offers suggestions on such things as marketing, inquiries, and agents. (Cont. in TofC).