Amazon.com
Like many savvy business people of the 21st century, David Bach offered his first pearls of financial wisdom to women, in his bestselling book Smart Women Finish Rich. Recognizing that these women are often accompanied by significant others and that money arguments are the number one cause of divorce in America, Bach has now broadened his scope. Presumably intended to help change this depressing statistic, Smart Couples Finish Rich is a well-written financial planning tool, packed with useful charts and information, inspiring examples, and practical advice.
For people who've been disappointed by the shallowness of some of the "quick tips" self-help books out there, the subtitle of this book is a little misleading. Bach's nine steps are not instant change techniques or chirpy little quips to recite to yourself whenever you go to balance your checkbook. Instead, the first few steps include a series of exercises that will help you determine what you know (and don't know, or understand) about saving and investing, what role money should play in your life (which includes understanding your values), and how to work together toward a common financial goal. From there, Bach teaches his readers how to account for "disappearing" money, how to build retirement, security, and dream baskets of wealth (providing detailed options for all three), and how to avoid the most common financial mistakes most couples make. Though the focus of the book is predominantly on working with your existing income, Bach includes a final chapter entitled "Increase Your Income by 10 Percent in Nine Weeks."
Bach's writing style is engaging and his advice is user-friendly. A successful financial planner, he obviously believes passionately in all the "fringe" benefits of being financially responsible but employs a no-nonsense approach that makes financial smarts available to everyone. So whether you're 25 and just starting out on the earning, saving, and spending road or you plan to retire next year; whether you've recently got hitched for the first time or you've just entered your fourth marriage; and whether financial planning comes first or last on your list of fun things to do, the advice in Smart Couples Finish Rich is worth heeding. It's not about becoming a money-obsessed bore, it's about getting smart... and rich. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
From first-time newlyweds to people on their second or third marriage, couples face an overwhelming task when it comes to money management. Nationally renowned financial advisor and bestselling author David Bach knows that it doesn’t have to be this way. In Smart Couples Finish Rich, he provides couples with easy-to-use tools that cover everything from credit card management, to investment advice, to long-term care. You and your partner will learn how to work together as a team to identify your core values and dreams, creating a financial plan that will allow you to achieve security, provide for your family’s future financial needs, and increase your income. Together, you’ll learn why couples that plan their finances together, stay together!
Download Description
Fighting about money is the number-one reason for divorce in America. David Bach knows that it does not need to be this way. In Smart Couples Finish Rich, David Bach makes his tips available for everyone trying to navigate the complex joint-finance waters.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful for all couples planning a future.......2007-09-04
Much of this information can be found elsewhere. I like his idea of dividing savings into the retirement, security, and dream 'baskets'. Many people do not understand that there are different types of savings and that they are all needed to live a happy and healthy life. He even gives advice on the types of investments for each 'basket'. Most of his advice is invaluable and the book is well worth it.
Self Help Finance.......2007-08-25
If found this book very helpfulas a new married couple. It is an easy read without all the financial jargon and is something you can read and actually put into use. Great resource!
Time Waits For No One..............2007-07-12
I originally purchased this book for my son and his wife, but after a month went by and I discovered that it was still laying near the computer where he left it, I picked it up and read it in one day. The information contained is concise, relevant, on-time and indispensable for any couple at any stage of their relationship, hey, as indicated by a scenario by the author, it might even save their relationship. My son and his wife are young, she budgets and is a spend-thrift but he is Houdini with his money, it just diappears: he can never account for his spending and he has not disciplined himself to save. I take the blame for this lack of discipline because I did not always actively encourage him to save his money. The book even addresses this issue, advising parents how to actively involve their children in financial matters. I wholeheartedly agree with David that financial issues should be taught in school. There should be a curriculum designed to address this deficiency in the American educational system. I just wish that I had had this book when I was married. It would have given me a head start, a tremendous guideline, a map, a light in the tunnel to the financial issues that have confronted me over the years. Young couples, married or not married, sit down and read this, it's practical and it is doable and you will not regret it, believe me...time waits for no one.
get control of your finances.........2007-06-27
This is the book which helped me priortize and organize my financial records and life. The information is organized into 3 baskets(retirement, security & dream) based on their priority. It has helped me immensely to
have discipline and control in my financial life. I followed the steps, plan to maximize my retirement contibution this year, now have a security fund, bought life & disability insurance to secure my family and organized my financial records using inventory planner.
Informative.......2007-06-10
I read this book aloud with my husband and we discussed it all along the way. It brings some common-sense ideals together in a well-explained, organized fashion and sells them well. We've all heard "pay yourself first," but this book explains how best to achieve that adage in today's financial environment.
The book is not just about cutting out gourmet coffee-- in fact it doesn't suggest that at all. The author illustrates how people typically fail to prioritize their savings by showing how easily they would spend $3 a day on a latte, but say they cannot afford to put away more money in their 401(k).
The author's idea of "baskets" gives couples a game plan for their retirement, security and recreation. The worksheets provided in the book are helpful by helping couples articulate their dreams and goals both individually and jointly. Couples may also be surprised when they sit down to analyze their current financial picture during one exercise in this book!
If you are ready for advice on a financial game plan, then this is a great book for you and your significant other. (See Bach's other books if the "couple" factor does not apply or appeal to you but you want to understand his philosophies.)
Average customer rating:
- sharing magic
- Improve your writing skills
- Excellent book for would-be writers of all ages!
- This book ROCKS! (Seriously)
- Writing Magic
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Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
Gail Carson Levine
Manufacturer: Collins
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ASIN: 0060519606
Release Date: 2006-09-19 |
Book Description
In Writing Magic, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine shares her secrets of great writing. She shows how you, too, can get terrific ideas for stories, invent great beginnings and endings, write sparkling dialogue, develop memorable characters—and much, much more. She advises you about what to do when you feel stuck—and how to use helpful criticism. Best of all, she offers writing exercises that will set your imagination on fire.
With humor, honesty, and wisdom, Gail Carson Levine shows you that you, too, can make magic with your writing.
Customer Reviews:
sharing magic.......2007-09-19
She's brilliant, honest, open, beyond helpful, sincerely encouraging. Thank you Gail for helping to give others a step up by sharing what you've learned along the way.
So many great ideas to help you get started, keep you pushing through, make your writing better. Levine generously shares an abundance of ways to write well. This is my favorite help-me-write book. Beyond highly recommended. Get it, read it, apply it.
Improve your writing skills.......2007-07-08
I am 12 years old. My dad bought this book for me. He thought I should write a review on this book. My opinion is: If you think you're horrible at writing, you might want to and should use this book. If you think you're great at writing, use this anyway to get better with writing. This book has good tips for writing better, writing better stories, and getting great ideas for better stories. The author has tips for writing good dialogue, making up unforgettable characters and more. But if you are looking for something interesting to read (like ficitions) find something else. This book can also help you with writing emails, essays, letters, and greeting cards. Reviewed by PJ.
Excellent book for would-be writers of all ages!.......2007-05-27
Gail Carson Levine jumps right into the writing game with to-the-point advice, offering many excercises to kick-start the creative juices and keep them flowing. You don't have to be a young adult to learn what she teaches. All you need is a love of storytelling and a desire to write better.
This book ROCKS! (Seriously).......2007-05-09
This book is the best! I love it. It helped me write so many amazing stories. Here is a bit from one of them.
I tossed and turned on my lumpy bed. My ragged blanket barley kept out the freezing cold of the winter night. I practically threw myself out of bed. I walked over to my bag of special stuff. It was a bag filled with stuff. It was almost everything from my house I could fit in on the day my Mama had died. Yeah it is sad.
My Papa died first when he was 36 years old. I was only 3. It was really sad and I first thought he was `broken'. My Mama and Sister and Brother had to explain the concept of dying to me. So then my Sis died she was 18 and I was 5. She died `cause her classmate had a disease and Sis caught it and she died. Except her classmate had more money and could afford the right treatment. We never were rich. Anyway then my Bro died `cause he got hit in the head with a baseball to hard. I was only 7. Then Mama died from complications from another baby in her stomach. I guess it kicked her to hard and she died.
Thanks for reading this.
Writing Magic.......2007-04-25
Levine, Gail Carson, Writing magic: Creating stories that fly, FSG, 2006
The art of writing has always given me so much pleasure even as I could never adequately understand the process; I loved to read the finished product but its creation always seemed wholly magical. Renowned writer Gail Carson Levine now breaks the process down into many learnable units including: dealing first with nagging feelings of self-doubt, how to get ideas, and the necessity to utilize all your senses to gather information to provide the many details needed to create characters, setting, action, and atmosphere. She emphasizes that the writer has to make paramount some reasons to care about what happens to the character(s); to accomplish the writer needs to be cruel to her character in order to garner "the reader's sympathy" and also provide a compelling reason to keep reading to find out what happens as the character struggles to overcome obstacles. This book which manages to be colloquially friendly and instructive should provide any child with both the inspiration and skills to improve their writing and includes an index to help the user refer back to useful points. A copy should reside in every classroom that wants to promote writing as a positive activity.
Customer Reviews:
I would HIGHLY recommend !!! Perfect starter book........2007-07-18
This book has GREAT, VERY USEFUL material in it. It is not overly detailed, but very usable. It should help any Church understand the outline of what it needs to do with visitors and greeting those visitors.
Most every basic thing is there to get started. I especially liked the idea of developing "Teams" who are responsible for different things. SO, overall, it is a perfect starter book. I would love to see the writer do a Part 2 edition where he would give more details, especially details on how to read visitor's body language so that you know whether to be just cordial with them or very friendly (personable).
WOW.......2007-01-30
I am currently working through this book with our first impressions person at Parkway. For us it is helping us see the church in a new light. It really isn't brain surgeon ideas...but it allows our teams to expand their sight with the church.
Sometimes people get comfortable or can't see the church larger than it currently is...this book is a great tool to open the eyes of your teams...
Also Mark is great and doing this stuff at one of the greatest churches to date...
"First Impressions" makes a lasting impression.......2007-01-12
First Impressions - Creating WOW Experiences in Your Church is a very easy to read book that has a significant number of useful ideas which can be used and modified for use in the church environment. Many of the suggestions are common sense but not easy to implement. Using the suggestions will put you closer to the customer - in your church. To look at practices in the church from the point of view of customer service will not please all church goers, but it makes sense when we stop to think that everything we do at church "speaks" - it sends a message. Are we sending the messages we want to send by having that pile of clutter in the corner? When we great newcomers, do we immediately sign them up to serve on a committee? - it could scare people away. This book provides many ideas and observations worth considering. I do recommend this book to you.
A Welcome "Welcoming" Book.......2007-01-05
Very helpful and many ideas on how to make your church more friendly to guests. I recommend it.
false impressions.......2007-01-03
did not like the lead the book took in order to attract members. Kind of like making a christian holiday on
a pagan holiday so person could still celebrate ocassion.
Book Description
In this book, Linda Seger shows how to create strong, multidimensional characters in fiction, covering everything from research to character block. Interviews with today's top writers complete this essential volume.
Customer Reviews:
Good deal.......2005-08-12
The book has been delivered brand new, in time. The contents of the book are above expectations and live upto to the reviews.
Keep it up guys.
there are better books on characterization.......2005-02-07
Unlike her book, Making a Good Script Great, this book is disappointing. Creating characters involves: "getting the first idea..., creating the first broad strokes, finding the core of the character...finding the paradoxes within the character..., adding emotions, attitudes, and values, adding details to make the character specific and unique" (p.23). These steps are then elaborated in separate chapters (although the elaboration consists mostly of extended examples of films most people--those who actually saw the films--would consider to be mixed bags at best, long series of autobiographical paragraphs, and extended quotes from screenwriters ruminating about their experiences in writing this or that character). Seldom is information actually added to that already given on page 23.
There are also chapters on backstory--use backstory only when you have to (p.56), minor characters, dialogue--"bad dialogue is difficult to speak...all characters sound alike...spells out every thought...simplifies people instead of revealing their complexity" (p.151), and nonrealistic characters. Also a chapter on avoiding stereotypes and other character problems such as unlikable characters and vague characters.
There is only enough actual information in the book to fill an article; but if you are a beginning screenwriter, this book (and many others) can be a help to you. The thing to be careful of is (a) emulating writing from movies that most viewers were lukewarm about. You want to learn the best techniques, not the mediocre ones. And (b) thinking that if you've read this book, you know all you need to know about characterization. You don't. Far from it.
Finally, Good Characters.......2004-10-06
Before I read this book, I have to admit - my characters were all pretty lame. Then, hey, I read this book, and boom! Ok, so they still need work, but this book made me understand how to keep characters exotic, good, and believable.
The first part of this book didn't interest me as much, because it was advising on how to make sure your characters are good on their background - of people who live in this world. This wasn't 'really' helpful for me, because I write fantasy in other worlds, but I picked up a few helpful things.
Then came a section on Dialogue, which was good too - at the time I was reading it I didn't realize it, I thought it was a bit dull, but then I realized I had started taking the advice unconciously.
But then came along the next part of the book, and I could hardly wait to pick it up each time. It explains greatly how to make sure your characters aren't hollow, and how they should respond in situations according to their attitudes and past life.
This book I highly recommend to any author who feels his characters aren't to their full potential (or if they don't want to admit that, this book was fun to read as well).
A great "How To" for new and experienced Writers.......2004-07-04
"Creating Unforgettable Characters" succeeds in giving practical steps in the development of character. The book covers several disciplines like psychology, acting, backstory and relationships in an effort to refine and inform the way you approach your characters. For more experienced writers looking to drill down rewrites, the digestible 'get to the freakin' point' style of the book helps you get to what you need, instead of wasting your time lording over topics you don't give shlip about (if I could only take a minute of life away from every author who's wasted my time patting themselves on the back for their puddling observations... there'd be a lot of dead folks in LA).
Particularly useful are the summarizations and categorical exercises at the end of each chapter, helping you immediately implement the lesson into your writing. There are also frequent exercises throughout the book to help jog your mind in relation to your characters.
Seger gives special attention to minor, supporting and nonrealistic characters which populate every script, but are often neglected. Seger's not asking for every character to be the central figure of your narrative... but they better be the central figure of their own story in some way. The book helps in creating characters, small and large, that have a reason for being. It's easy to neglect lesser characters, when they should be poignant and relevant.
Thankfully, Seger has the 'How' mentality that is missing from so many other books on writing. If you are new to writing, this is an excellent resource for illuminating all the elements that go into making a fully fleshed out character. If you're an experienced writer and are looking for a way to make your characters 'pop' off the page a bit more, "Creating Unforgettable Characters" could help you find that edge.
Unforgettable.......2003-10-12
This book is phenomenal for nearly any writer, because of the wide range of characters Seger uses as examples. She offers sage advice on making your characters unique and leaving a lasting effect on the reader/viewer. Readers of this book will undoubtly recognize every character referenced from movies, television and novels.
I keep returning to this book repeatedly, trying to find an idea, a thought, a quality to give my characters. And it always works.
Customer Reviews:
Lots of Helpful Hints........2007-01-19
The book would be a lot more useful to me if Swain did more showing and less talking about what he does. Its a glaring defect because people learn differently, and I require demonstrations to get it. In fairness, however, few writing teachers do as well as Swain. The book is a good addition to my toolbox; it just isnt excellent or a revelation.
The difference between amateur and professional.......2005-12-15
Years ago, at a garage sale, I stumbled on a copy of Swain's other book, Techniques Of The Selling Writer. Took it home, looked at it and decided it was beneath me -- or at least below the level I fancied I was writing at. A few years later, after three more novel rejections, I took it out and read it. Really read it. It's a basic book, I won't say it isn't. But it covered so much stuff I'd somehow missed. Like the creation of story scenes. When it had sometime to settle in my psyche I started selling short stories. Shortly after, I sold novels. I have now sold eight books -- some not under my own name -- and can live from my writing.
As for this book -- I never had a need for a character book. It's one of the things I do intuitively. However, when my husband was struggling with characters I thought "Well, Swain helped me, so..." and I bought him this book. He studied it and his next story was published.
I can't garantee these results -- there's so much to the selling of a story or novel that does NOT depend on technique of any sort -- but I can tell you that when I'm mentoring someone -- which I've done a lot since then -- and their issue seems to be technique, Swain's books usually cure the problem.
Creating Characters - Dwight V. Swain.......2005-04-18
"Creating Characters" is a great tool to own if you are a writer looking to create, build, or improve fictional characters. Its simplicity and balanced approach toward designing your characters inside and out will prove successful for beginners as well as a review for more advanced writers.
Though it's a great book to own if you are willing to dig for any helpful advice, it does have its major drawbacks. Its organization, at times, reads more like a student's compiled notes than a formally completed book. Chaotic, the chapters succeed in running into each other and create quite a confusion when it comes to understanding connections. Not only this, but I found that I disagreed with quite a bit of its advice.
For example, at the beginning of chapter five, the author stipulates that "happiness is the universal human goal." Maybe. But what I fail to understand is why Swain chose that as a centerpiece for so much of his book. There are many universal goals, so why choose happiness as the ultimate? "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" has a similar tone, but would have provided a more in-depth area to pursue, possibly even more interesting and challenging since it deals with a much more abstract, yet personal, goal.
Though I disliked the chaotic and highly disorganized layout, "Creating Characters" is still a great read if you don't mind sifting through all the verbage and oblivion in order to find the basic elements of character development.
"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all." -Leo Rosten
Happy Reading!
How to build characters that matter.......2005-04-11
Dwight Swain taught writing for many years and helped dozens of writers on their way to publication, including me. He practiced what he preached and sold successfully all his lifetime. There is no mystification in this guide, but solid how-to. An indispensable tool for the beginner and useful tips for the professional. Highly recommended. Jeanne Williams, Award-winning author of over 60 books
risky advice.......2005-02-02
A whole book on characterization may be just what you need. Is this it? The chapters treat the usual aspects or problems of characterization: making your character real, motivating your character, giving some background of your character, offbeat characters, heroes, amusing characters, describing characters, characterization through dialogue, characters in unfamiliar settings. The central thing, says the author, is to make your character care about something-your character, not necessarily your reader. "It doesn't matter whether this something is major or minor, cataclysmic or trivial." (p.1) Doesn't it? How is the reader going to feel about a character who cares about something trivial? According to Swain, this is unimportant. But be forewarned: it may be important to your reader if you choose such a protagonist for your novel.
Further: "Finding a character means...giving human form to aspects of yourself that you like, or dislike, or wish you had. ... all your characters are you." (p. 7) Besides the fact that many would disagree with this recommendation, it is risky advice.
The details of each chapter also will be familiar to anyone who has read other books on writing: give the sex, age, vocation and manner. (p. 15) "Manner is...style." (p. 16) And so it goes. How do you do characterization? Adjectives and incidents. (p. 18) This is the kind of vanilla advice this book consists of. "It's to your advantage to consider the tastes and prejudices of your particular audience." (p. 54) Such redundant statements are not so much untrue as they are unhelpful. To make your character likeable: "The character is striving to attain something. ...The character is today-slanted.... The character does not contradict readers' feelings or their basic beliefs." If only if were that simple!
In sum, if you haven't read many books on fiction-writing, you can get the basic ideas from this book, but you run the risk of thinking that you know how to do characterization after you finish. You won't. You'll only know some of the kinds of thing you can do. And even then, you won't have a clue which work better for your purposes than others.
Customer Reviews:
The Complexity of the human condition........2007-08-01
I'm disappointed in most of the other reviews of this book and the low rankings other readers gave it. Maybe they just don't get it. Maybe they have trouble seeing how complex we humans are. Most men, like myself, tend to be reluctant to show emotion in public. We tend to hide all but anger so we don't give away our weaknesses. I taught English grammar and literature for thirty years and although Ann Hood does not spend a lot of time on any one emotion, she manages to convey just how complex we humans are by quickly glossing over the thirty-six emotions she shows us in her book. I appreciate the way she organized her little book on creating character emotions. I wish I had read it soon after it came out in print. I would have added some of what she wrote into my lessons on characterization. Although I haven't read some of the other books out there about creating emotions, like the one by Orson Scott Card, which I plan to read next, I can not discount the fact that she has provided me with some valuable seeds for thought. As a teacher, I've learned that there are many ways to teach one thing and one method will not reach everyone. I have three books on this subject and Hood's is the first one I've read and I like her approach. I recommend this book to anyone who seriously wants to improve his or her writing and do not stop with just this one book. Read others so that you will really learn how to write. I'm also a writer. My wife has written national and international bestsellers. One book my wife wrote was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. I've edited my wife's work, and nothing woke me to the complexity of developing the characters I write about in my stories like this book did. I hope the other books I will read after this one add more to my growing knowledge. Reading this book was like opening a door and walking into a well-lit room. I get it. I finally get it. Maybe I'm just dense and it took someone like Ann Hood to wake me up so I understand what emotion is all about.
Specific and helpful.......2006-02-19
Imagine my surprise when I recognized my own writing mistakes in the examples of bad writing. This immediately helped me take my writing to the next level. I have many cherished writing books, and this one holds up well in comparison. It is helpful because it's specific and focused. I couldn't wait to get to the computer and apply the things I learned in this book. I'm happy to add it to my bookcase.
Like Nasty Cough Syrup.......2005-12-11
The last few books I bought and read on writing from Amazon.com were excellent and I started this with high hopes. Unfortunately, I started skimming about three-fourths of the way through and ended up skipping the last couple chapters.
This book has a fault I have noticed with others. When they quote another work, it always falls flat. The quotes are taken out of context, we are missing all the author had to say about the character in the previous hundred pages or so. What this means, is the "good" examples she gives us seem, well, so so. Of course the bad examples stand on their own and are bad, something anyone would do with little thought.
Rather than so many chapters on each individual emotion, I would rather see more extensive general work. I would like to see many, many examples of good emotions written by the author herself, and not a quote from a book, but a paragraph written that stands on its own. Hood tries to set up the "good" examples, but it can only be done imperfectly.
Bad emotion writing are cliches (mad has a hatter, hungry as a horse, etc.) and miss identifying the emotion, anger instead of fear.
Good emotion writing accuratly and freshly describes the emotions the character feels.
In conclusion, like cough syrup, you have to take this, but could it just taste better? Worth reading, perhaps, but put it down in your priority list.
PS My short list of must reads:
The First Five Pages, Noah Lukeman
Writing the Breakout Novel, Donald Mass
45 Master CHaracters, Victoria Lynn Schmidt
Dialogue, Gloria Kempton
Description & Setting, Ron Rozelle
Scene & Structure, Jack M. Bickham
You Can Write a Novel, James V. Smith Jr.
PPS My short list of stinkers that slipped through:
Creating Character Emotions, Ann Hood
Writing Dialogue, Tom Chiarella
Theme & Strategy, Ronald B. Tobias
Short but good.......2005-08-21
This book makes a good attempt at explaining how to convey the emotions of ones characters. As an Augsberger, however, I need a little more assistence than this lent.
Great reference!.......2005-04-05
A masterful piece of work! Beautifully organized. Short, to the point, brilliantly concise. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! Far more effective and memorable than the well-known Clint Eastwood movie. Without blurring the line in any way, Ann Hood tells it like it is. A return to apprenticeship is called for where needed, and a good ready-reference is provided where not. She makes clear that ignoring these extremes could spell a quick trip to oblivion, shorthand for which is the bluntness of her message. Red flags, whistles, and horns of warning abound. If you are about to launch a writing effort saturated with raw emotion, you'd better pay heed. ##### This mastersroke of precise problem depiction should be a much dog-eared addition to every writer's library.
Book Description
Every novelist, screenwriter and oral storyteller faces the challenge of creating original and exciting characters. Archetypes--mythic, cross-cultural models from which all characters originate--provide a solid foundation upon which to fashion new and vastly different story people. 45 Master Characters explores the most common male and female archetypes, provides instructions for using them to create your own original characters, and gives examples of how other authors have brought such archetypes to life in novels, film and television. Worksheets are then included for writers to develop and map the lives of their own characters. * Excellent companion to the works of Joseph Campbell * The first and only book focusing heavily on the heroine's journey * Includes 45 black & white movie stills and line art depicting classic examples of each archetype
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-21
I've never written a review on a book, but as I read 45 Master Character I felt compelled to say something about it. I wouldn't call it a book on building characters, but it is great at structuring your character, and surprisingly, it helps structure plot too. What this book does best is give a framework that helps bring out ideas. It is one of my favorite books and will be permanently on my desk. CP
Lets review the text as it applies to myth - can we people........2007-06-07
...I've read two largely damaging reviews of this book, based on their very assumed impressions of the authors opinions' on gender. I would like to say as an owner of both this book and the heros and heroines book mentioned by one of the two reviewers, that this book looks at myth and archetypes through the only lenses available to her, and paints with a broad stroke sensibly and responsibly. - To approach myth and archetypes from a single, modern understanding of gender and identity, would be both foolish and negligent. There is no other way to delineate the inner and outer forms, be they journeys, traits, interactions, other than male and female, without dismissing all other previous understandings and mythic creations pre-20th century. Why should the author be forced to create a new language based on petty, semantic offensives' suffered by the possible yet improbable thin skins of potential readers. You may as well gripe about her choice of archetype titles, perhaps instead of businessman you prefer businesswoman, or business professional, even executive. To alter the impression of these histories, as handed down by time; to adjust them even slightly is to rob them of their meaning, to deny their philosophical implications. Is it so hard for you, in your own mind to imagine that the female character, a stifled, male wallflower as you put it, may easily replace stereotype, because of so, perhaps you should think about changing professions. What reason do you have to believe that her choice in using she instead of he, takes in any small part away from the information she is passing on. Yes, passing on, I'm not sure if you are aware of this but men and women are kind of different, they may be able to do all the same things, but they are in no way copies of each other, which is exactly what makes life so interesting, its what makes a book like this valuable in the first place. I enjoyed this book, found the clearly labeled sections easy enough to follow; perhaps you two should look for the up and coming scratch and sniff edition. To anyone thinking of buying this book, it is a very valuable reference, as is the other text mentioned - hero's and heroines, the link is above. It in no way does the writers job for you, but easily enriches the understanding of both literature and the human beings they represent. On behalf of the author, I'm sorry it's not perfect and up to the very high standards of some, but I'm sure in no short time those two will have versions of their own out, with all problems corrected, and every measly complaint and excuse put to rest even before they are realized.
A very helpful resource.......2007-01-05
I enjoy creating characters, but I've always had problems not defining them enough. When I first saw this book, I thought it would help me in my character creation process. The moment I started flipping through the pages, my thoughts were affirmed.
Victoria Lynn Schmidt delves into many archetypes of characters that have come up in history, literature and film, and shows the traits that make up each universal archetype. I was also blown away at how she gives suggestions on how they would play off other character archetypes. For example, the Warlock would make for a great adversary for the Male Messiah (seeing this put pieces together for my latest story).
She also goes into depth on the masculine and feminine journeys, and how each acts and reacts to conflicts. This pattern can really help with setting an underlying structure for a story if you don't know where to go next.
I definitely consider this book to be a valuable asset to a writer's collection of resources.
Decent book to have around for writers interested in myth.......2006-12-27
This book just about lives up to its title. As you might expect it lists lots of archetypal character models to get you thinking about how you might want to develop your own characters. One of the spotlight reviews above lists exactly what these are.
There are a few caveats to the methodology of this book. Firstly, the author is writing from a point of view engrained in many psychology theories, but rarely, if it all appropriately cites where she got these views. One surprising example to me was when she listed Maslow's hierarchy of needs (as a character motivation consideration) and cited it as coming from another book about writing instead of the man who invented the theory!
Secondly, she suggests in the beginning of the book that an archetype isn't a stereotype, but doesn't back that up. In my opinion an archeype is a stereotype, so you should be very careful in only thinking of these things in terms of starting point inspiration and not as copy and paste character types. The book is a bit slim on creative exercises, and usually asks the same questions about every archetype, like "What does your character fear?" that do little to spark your imagination.
However, as a book strictly with some fun ideas about how to see myths, fantasy tales, and epics and the characters that might surround them, this book is really a great idea. I think she captured in small detail a great variety of archetypes, and the real disappointment is that she didn't include lots of classical story excerpts in the same volume. You could do much worse than to keep a book like this around, just don't expect it to do your dreaming and truth searching for you.
USING ARCHETYPES BEATS STARTING WITH A BLANK PAGE.......2006-12-08
45 MASTER CHARACTERS, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, explains the value of archetype characters, and why authors should study and use them. Heroes, villains, and support characters are outlined, as well as journeys for both male and female characters. Far from cookie-cutter writing, this book explores the use of archetypes as a springboard for injecting new life into fiction. This approach to beefing-up characters absolutely beats starting with a blank page.
Amazon.com
I felt as if I were being told interior design secrets that had been kept from me for years. Curtains have always been something I thought should be left to the experts -- or at least to J.C Penneys. But who better knows what a room needs than yourself? Some of the projects I especially enjoyed were how to make velvet rose tiebacks and a stained glass window shade and how to add painted effects to your curtains with stencils.
Book Description
The best-selling comprehensive guide to creating your own window treatments. Learn to make professional-looking curtains, drapes, blinds, and valances-from choosing the best style to cutting, making, and fitting. Over 35 practical, step-by-step projects.
Customer Reviews:
The BEST yet!.......2007-02-19
I've ordered 6 books, and this was the BEST of the lot! (published by Reader's Digest) Yes, it's a 1994 copyright, but the looks & styles haven't changed that much in 13-years. There are over 200 photos that lend to a myriad of ideas for each room of your home. Each chapter (there are 5 in this 192-page hardcover book) outlines what one needs to consider when deciding on a style/look for windows. I found the book VERY THOROUGH: advice on considerations for window shapes/sizes, room-by-room inspirational ideas, actual step-by-step instructions for creating each style (with sketches) for all levels of sewing ability, how to measure one's windows, photos & descriptions of all types of fabric, trims, & shades and the why/when/purpose of using them; sewing techniques & fabric care, etc.; I could go on and on! There are so many wonderful window treatments, that I wish I had more windows now! I'm certainly not disappointed with this book -- in fact I'm absolutely THRILLED. Had I received this book first, I wouldn't have ordered the other 5!
Nothing ultimate about it.......2007-01-18
Nothing "ultimate" about this book. Gives a few general suggestions and directions, but does not offer anything different or unusual. Pictures and ideas are limited and not worth the cost of the book. You're better off with an Architectural Digest magazine if you're looking for ideas.
Afraid I'm Not That Good With Illustrations.......2006-11-25
I bought four books in my quest to learn to properly sew curtains and drapes. I have been sewing since girlhood, but simple curtains and throw pillows are the farthest I've gotten into home decorating sewing. (I'm a grandma now).
This book only got 2 stars because of the lack of photos, not of finished window treatments, but of projects in the making. I find the illustrations not too good and in most cases too difficult to follow. Guess what? That leaves a person having to figure it out on her own - guess I could have done that without the book!
In fairness to the author, this book did have something the others did not. This book has fairly extensive sections on fabrics, types, colors, usages, care, colors. Also, the back has yardage calculator charts which no other book has. Unfortunately, I would not buy this book just for that.
I think if this book were to be published with photos instead of difficult to follow illustrations, it would be a must-have for my sewing library. As it is, I cannot recommend it.
Great Book!.......2006-05-07
I found this book to helpful in several ways. It has detailed sewing instructions along with great sketches and photos. I have made several of the projects and have been happy with all of the results. I am an experienced sewer, but even a novice could follow these instructions. Unlike another reviewer I do not think it is outdated at all. It is filled with classic, traditional treatments as well as some unique ones, --not half brained or trash styles like you find on Trading Spaces. I love this book and am glad to have it in my collection.
The world's leading window decorating authority.......2005-12-15
I really like this book; it is beautifully illustrated and has some equally beautiful photos. I concur with some other comments that "it is not for the beginner." It is an elegant and well put together book.
Charles Randall
Author of The Encyclopedia of Window Fashions
Book Description
Distilled from decades of teaching and practice, this book offers clear and direct advice on structure, pacing, dialogue, getting ideas, working with the unconscious, and more. Newly revised and expanded for this Third Edition, Creating Short Fiction is a popular and widely trusted guide to writing short stories of originality, durability, and quality. Celebrated short-story author and writing instructor Knight also includes many examples and exercises that have been effective in classrooms and workshops everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Best guide yet.......2005-12-31
First off, I've never taken a writing course in my life, so even though I feel I have some great ideas I have struggled with how to put them together. This book has really helped start to change that. I've gone through over half of Damon Knight's exercises and already I start to feel some of the barriers in my mind start to give. I don't know if I'll ever become a writer of fiction, however, this book certainly opens you up to the right path.
The process helps develop a whole different way of observing what you experience and how to go about communicate it to others in a way more interesting than a police line up.
Very solid fundamental group of lessons on how persuade your mind to put it all together into a form that makes sense before you learn how to find your own style.
Highly recommended.
Almost Typical. .......2005-11-14
First let me say the author has some excellent advice about using and staying out of the way of your unconscious thought processes. Amen! Brother Knight. Here's a useful analogy: Let's say your brain is your FM radio. The conscious part can deal with one station at a time. The unconscious part deals with all the stations simultaneously. So get-over the idea that you know what's happening. You dont. Otherwise the book is the same stuff contained in every other how-to-write book, and it's written better than many of the others. Something none of the how-to-write books address is taste. Editors and publishers buy what they like, readers buy what they like, and critics give a hooray! to books they like. One man's treasure is another man's trash.
Useful and inspiring.......2005-02-09
I'll say right off that I don't agree with everything proposed in this book, but even when I disagree, at least I was thinking about something that I had overlooked in my writing. That said, I didn't disagree with much. I didn't do any of the exercises - yet, but I will.
The book is a great read and has helped me realize why my previous stories had not been getting published. It gives a great outline to go back over 'finished' work and improve it exponentially. As a discouraged writer, I'm beginning to see the glimmers of inspiration again.
Practical advice from a talented writer.......2005-01-30
Knight's, Creating Short Fiction is, perhaps ironically, a short book but he manages to cover the craft of writing from nurturing talent to getting the story completed to what its like being a writer. A lecturer at the Clarion Workshop and author of many short stories and novels he knows how to write. But he doesn't give the reader a step-by-step guide to story writing. Such a recipe, in my limited experience, doesn't exist and Knight does well to avoid trying to give one. What the reader will find are discussions about the elements every story must have and how to use them. He also discusses what a story is and is not, how to generate ideas, and even a few work habits the reader might find effective.
The elements of stories and story writing can be found in many other books. Rather than simply parrot them, Knight is candid about which techniques he doesn't like and why; but that isn't to say the would-be author is allowed to break every rule. He give examples of stories and authors that show the successful use of a particular element or technique e.g. first person subjective point-of-view. And Knight includes diagrams that make the concept of story structure and viewpoint easier to understand. All of this advice is given in a conversational style that is never condescending.
Creating Short Fiction helped me to understand that, like painting or drawing, writing is highly individualized. Every art form has its accepted rules and techniques. And each artist must learn to build upon that foundation, combining the fundamental elements into unique patterns.
There are a few editorial errors, mainly of omission, that make the book feel as if it were the choicest bits from a much longer work. Overall this is an excellent book for the beginning writer, and perhaps the experienced one.
Short fiction writers.......2004-07-23
If you want to write short fiction, read this. It is clear. It is well written. It has what you need to know. It provides a few exercises, just the right number for practice but not so many as to aid procrastination. Yes, D. Knight wrote genre; he wrote it well. But don't be deceived, the insight and knowledge in this book is not limited to genre writing. This is not a formula book. This is not about paint-by-numbers writing. D. Knight thought about his craft and practiced it. If you want to write short fiction, read this.
Book Description
Spin your own web! Free CD-ROM included.
More people are overcoming their digital fears and producing Internet content rather than just absorbing it. Whether their product is a collection of essays, stories, reviews, jokes, or shopping lists, they want to share it with everyone—from family and friends to strangers across the globe. How do they do it? By starting right here. The Complete IdiotÂ's Guide® to Creating a Web Page and Blog—the only book of its kind— will help anyone build and maintain an Internet website or blog. Coverage includes:
• Step-by-step instructions for building a site from the ground up
• Important HTML tags
• Tips on using fonts, colors, and images
• Incorporating tables, forms, style sheets, and JavaScripts
• The new blog technology
• Plus! A “WebmasterÂ's Toolkit” on a companion CD-ROM, providing files used in this book.
Customer Reviews:
Very Comprehensive!.......2007-10-10
There are many books on the marketplace that teach the fundamentals of blogging, but this one takes it to a whole new level.
Written in a very understandable, user-friendly format, blogging newcomers will be able to effectively create a blog in no time at all. The information written by Paul McFedries, guides you through every step of the process, from the very basics of setting up your blog to more in depth HTML tutorials.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking to create a web blog without the frustration often associated to 'technical' type books. This one is far from that, two thumbs up!
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page & Blog.......2007-03-13
Although I have read other articles and books on Creating a Web Page, I still felt I was an "Idiot" before reading Paul McFedries book. It is well laid out and explains everything in simple language, so much so that I now understand what is involved, rather than just blindly following HTML. Although I read the book from beginning to end, it is possible to pick it up at any point if you want to learn a particular part of web design. This is a book that will also act as a reference that you go back to time and again as necessary. I now feel I have moved up a grade and would recommend the book to anyone else who felt they were in the same position.
Best book of its kind.......2006-04-25
I tried a bunch of the basic books on website and blog creation which covered the same subjec matter and content, and this one was definitely the best. McFedries presents his info in clear, precise terms. He seems to know what is important to learn and what isn't for the beginner/intermediate web designer. He is also funny (which all the idiot and dummy books are designed to be) but he is appropriately funny without being condescending or using really lame humor as some other books in these series tend to do. Also recommended at this level are Learn HTML in a Weekend and Blogger (which only covers the google Blogger program).
Creating a Webpage & Blog.......2005-08-09
This is a great book for beginners looking for information on how to start a website or blog for the first time. Paul McFedries walks you through step by step into HTML basics, a necessity for web page and blog structures. If a reader is wanting to learn HTML, basic web site knowledge, and javascripts this is the book to read. Paul McFedries is funny, knowledgable and, easy to follow.
Great source of web and blog wisdom.......2005-06-08
The point of this book, as is true in general of the Complete Idiot's Guide series, is to give a gentle, non-intimidating, and often humorous introduction to its topic. It's meant to help people who really know nothing about the web and about blogging create something that looks nice and accomplishes whatever purpose they have in mind for it. And in this, I believe this book succeeds beautifully.
Since you can so easily find a listing of book topics in the information Amazon provides, I'll just mention some of the things that particularly caught my attention in this book. One of those was the section on blogs. None of the other HTML books I've read have discussed the issue (probably because this is the most recent of them, put out in 2004). Not only does McFedries get into the how of blogging, but he also gets deeply into the social and historical details. There's plenty of information on formatting, programs, services, etc., but there's also great stuff in here about finding and building your audience, focusing on a topic or two, deciding on your posting frequency, writing interesting entries, getting along with other bloggers, and so on. I read this section with rapt attention.
Some CIG and For Dummies books make the mistake of providing what I call "perishable resources." That is, they tell you about a couple of specific hosting providers or whatever. I refer to these as perishable because by the time you read the book those companies have probably shut down, been bought, or changed enough that everything is different. For the most part McFedries doesn't make that mistake. Instead he tries to tell you how to find this sort of information on the web yourself, so you'll be able to figure out who is most currently a good choice.
There's a chapter in here on "the elements of web page style." Before I got to this chapter I was a little worried (this is where that intro line about the review score comes in). There are a lot of sites out there on the web that go crazy with wild fonts, bold and italics all over the place, frobbies that only work on one browser type or another, lots of huge images that take forever to load, horrid noises that play without asking first and scare your cats off of your lap (okay, I have some personal pet peeves here), and so on, and it seemed to me like all of McFedries' enthusiasm for the web tools at one's disposal could contribute to that. But then he wrote this wonderful chapter in which he explains things to help you make your web page appeal to visitors, and he covers a lot of these things in there.
I think this is a fantastic introduction to web site and blog creation--in particular the wide world of blogging, since there are so few other resources on that subject. I hope that McFedries continues to do revised versions of this book as the need arises, because this is a valuable resource.
Books:
- Spanish by Association
- Spanish for Gringos with Compact Discs
- Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners
- Suite Française
- Teach Yourself Hindi Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself Language Complete Courses)
- Teach Yourself Indonesian Complete Course Audiopack
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm
- The Concise Oxford English-Arabic Dictionary of Current Usage (Dictionary) (Dictionary)
- The Earliest English: An Introduction to Old English Language (Learning About Language)
Books Index
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