The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History: A Handbook on Craft, Art, and H

The Nile on eBay   The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History by Dr Jack Dann

A comprehensive guide to the speculative sub-genre of alternate history fiction, this book maps the unique terrain of this vibrant mode of storytelling and then explains how to write it. First giving a concise conceptual overview and the critical tools to differentiate the different forms of counterfactual fiction, Jack Dann lays out the 'tricks of the trade' such 'Heinleining', how to create recognizable 'divergent points' and how to employ paratextual elements and 'layering' to overcome readers' unfamiliarity with invented counterfactual events and cultures. Alongside this, Dann takes you step-by-step through a complete short story to demonstrate, line-by-line, how alternative history fiction works. As well as Dann's exacting methodology for writing professional quality alternate history stories, this book also features a live-on-the-page Q&A with some of the most esteemed alternate history writers working today, including Kim Stanley Robinson, John Birmingham and Lisa Goldstein among many others, who will detail their own particular hacks, theories, processes, methods and strategies.Combining extensive and deep knowledge of the field with accessible writing advice, this is the ultimate guidebook to the broad and complex sub-genre of counterfactual and alterative history fiction.

FORMATHardcover LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Author Biography

Jack Dann is an internationally published author, editor, lecturer, anthologist and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland, Australia. He has written or edited over eighty books and his awards include the Nebula, World Fantasy, Aurealis, and Shirley Jackson awards. He received his PhD from the University of Queensland.

Table of Contents

About the AuthorAbout the Contributors1. A Few Introductory Notes and Thoughts About Alternate Historyand the Slippery Slope of Fiction2. Let's Examine What We're Talking About- Definitions and Divergence Points- 'Alternate History' and Science Fiction: a Potted History- Model making…3. Are we really Theorizing about History and Morality and Choice?- How To Bring Your Readers Up To Speed- Thinking About History…and Your Readers4. Taking a Break From Me: "White City" by Lewis Shiner5. Craft Problems and Solutions- Deconstructing Tesla and Assembling the Counterfactual Fiction Writer's Toolbox- A Quick Inventory6. The Tactics of Creating Counterfactual Texts: a Roundtable Q & AWith Kim Stanley Robinson, William Gibson, Pamela Sargent, Harry Turtledove, John Crowley, Michael Bishop, , Lisa Goldstein, John Kessel, John Birmingham, Barry N. Malzberg, Janeen Webb, Bruce Sterling, Mark Shirrefs, Christopher Priest, Terry Bisson, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Paul Di Filippo, Richard Harland, Howard Waldrop, Lewis Shiner, and George Zebrowski7. A Very Personal Meditation On Writing: Or How I Do It…and Think About It8. A Very Few Last Words About…YouAppendixBibliographyIndex

Review

A tour-de-force treasure trove ... Invaluable to authors at any stage in their careers. * Paul Levinson, Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Fordham University, USA *The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History is not only an incredibly readable and illuminating guide to the art of writing alternate history, it's also a superb introduction to alternate history as a genre. This book will be of great interest to anyone involved in writing or teaching alternate history and related kinds of literature. * Dr Sean Seeger, Senior Lecturer in Literature, University of Essex, UK *

Promotional

An authoritative guide to the unique terrain of alterative history and counter-factual fiction and how to write it, featuring advice from influential authors and practitioners in the field.

Promotional "Headline"

An authoritative guide to the unique terrain of alterative history and counter-factual fiction and how to write it, featuring advice from influential authors and practitioners in the field.

Feature

The first professional publication to explore alternative history and counterfactual fiction

Details ISBN1350351350 Short Title The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History Language English Year 2023 ISBN-10 1350351350 ISBN-13 9781350351356 Format Hardcover Publication Date 2023-08-10 Imprint Bloomsbury Academic Subtitle A Handbook on Craft, Art, and History Author Dr Jack Dann Pages 184 Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom NZ Release Date 2023-08-10 UK Release Date 2023-08-10 Illustrations 4 bw illus DEWEY 808.38768 Audience Tertiary & Higher Education AU Release Date 2023-10-04 We've got this

At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it.With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love!

TheNile_Item_ID:160167598;