Price range: £3.49 through £12.50
Thought-provoking editorial exercises with a human touch.
E.J. Runyon weaves tasks and anecdotes together to draw the reader/writer along a brilliant journey of creative self-discovery… as well as self-editing.
Tell Me (How to Write) a Story will teach you solid storytelling practices for getting your ideas from your mind to the page.
If you want to transform raw ideas into effective storytelling, too many writing books tell you what to fix in a draft, but not why those fixes matter.
Tell Me (How to Write) A Story is a practical guide for writers who want to turn rough first drafts into confident, compelling stories. Because a good idea is not the same as a finished chapter. To get there, you need tailored practice, patience, and clearer editing decisions.
Using real examples from beginner writers, you’ll learn how to tighten paragraphs, strengthen dialogue, control pacing, and choose the right narrative approach for each moment in your story.
Structured in three progressive editing stages, this book builds on your existing work so you can improve at your own pace. Instead of vague advice, you’ll learn clear, usable techniques for identifying your specific weaknesses, and how to edit with precision and purpose.
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Practical, encouraging, and built on real examples rather than abstract rules, this is a craft guide for anyone who has found writing books long on diagnosis and short on the why. Readers who value the hands-on editing focus of Renni Browne and Dave King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, or the warm, do-the-work spirit of Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, will feel right at home, as will fans of classic craft writers like David Lodge and Arthur Plotnik.
Content Warnings: None
Tropes: None (non-fiction)
Keywords: writing a book;creative writing exercises for dummies;how to write a story;self editing for writers;how to edit a novel;creative writing for beginners;storytelling made easy;writing craft guide; self-editing for fiction writers; creative writing how-to; revision and editing techniques; how to write a story; turn first drafts into finished stories; improve book dialogue and pacing; writing exercises for beginners; books for aspiring novelists; for fans of Bird by Bird
If you are a retailer, stockist or book club interested in this title, please get in touch with us for our discount rates and return terms.
Full Sell Sheet: Download PDF Here
Author: E.J. Runyon
Category: Non-Fiction
Release Date: November 2013
Format: Paperback (978-1-908600-20-2)
Pages: 286
RRP: £12.50 / 16.00€ / $18.99
Format: eBook (978-1-908600-21-9)
RRP: £3.99 / 3.99€ / $3.99
With Thanks To:
BBeBooks Thailand (Formatting)
Venetia Jackson (Cover Design)
Sara-Jayne Slack (Editing)
Emily Gussin (Proofreading/Formatting)
Fiona Thomas (Proofreading)
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“E.J. has done much more than prove to me that writing is a mosaic skill, worthy of a myriad of effort, but also that it is a sharp-bladed pillow from which we all draw a precise dream.”
– V. Pittsenbargar
“E.J’s done exactly what I wanted and been searching for. Help about storytelling and the English language. Not just as in punctuation and grammar, but about the craft. I wanted to get my readers more engaged in my story. In swoops E.J. to save the day.”
– D. Chapman
“I’m glad I found E.J., she’s a wonderful coach. It’s like being a kid getting on a bike for the first time, and realizing what the pedals do. The revisions I’m doing now are helping me tell the story that I want to tell.”
– C. Murphy
E.J. Runyon lives in the US Northeast. Since 2002 she’s found herself moving on to smaller and smaller desert towns. Now, she lives in her own ‘tiny hobbit house’ while her life revolves around her own writing, online coaching business and, you know, being a better person day to day.
E.J.’s passion is focused on writing fine prose and on getting folks writing, her aim is coaching them in writing well. Many of the exercises in Tell Me (How To Write) A Story come from her years of experience in coaching and mentoring new authors.
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