The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines - Softcover

Tami D. Cowden; Caro LaFever; Sue Viders

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580650244 ISBN 13: 9781580650243

Publisher: Lone Eagle, 2000

Synopsis

All fiction writers want to write stories with great heroes and heroines--characters who leap off the page and capture the reader's imagination.

About this title

About the Author

Tami Cowden always wanted to be a writer, but practiced law for ten years before beginning pursuit of her dream in 1997. Since then, her articles and short stories have appeared in national and online publications. Tami has won awards for her short stories, including the 1997 Individual Achievement in Fiction Award from American Mensa, Ltd. and she is a double finalist in RWA's prestigious Golden Heart contest in 2000. Tami has presented writing workshops at the 1999 and 2000 RWA National Conferences, and at multi-genre writing workshops around the country. She has taught writing at the University of Colorado and currently teaches at the University of Denver as well as online writing classes. She is now working toward a Masters in English with an emphasis in teaching writing. Write to Tami at Tami@tamicowden.com.

Caro LaFever studied political science in college and backpacked through Europe and the Orient. She's been a ski bum, a waitress, a bookkeeper, a loan processor and an accounting software trainer. Finally deciding that she couldn't ignore her dream anymore, Caro started to write. A life-long reader of romance, she's written six books - fiction and non-fiction. A founding member of Heart of Denver Romance Writers, she's finaled several times in the prestigious Orange Rose contest and in the Emily contest. Her long contemporary, "Night Dreams," is a 2000 Golden Heart finalist. Her non-fiction book, "The Complete Writer's Guide for Heroes and Heroines," published by Lone Eagle and co-written with Tami Cowden and Sue Viders, was released in June of 2000. She writes a monthly column called "Beyond Writing" for Painted Rock's online magazine. She has guest lectured at the University of Denver, and teaches classes at Painted Rock.

Sue Viders is the author of 15 non-fiction books, numerous magazine articles and a former marketing columnist for several national publications. She is currently the editor of a national newsletter for artists, and has an on-going column for writers on line. She has taught writing at the University of Denver, and teaches class on-line with Painted Rock. Besides teaching on-line, she is in the process of finishing her first novel.

Reviews

Many books attempt to show writers how to create believable characters. This one is unlike the majority: it specifically identifies 16 "master archetypes," complete with thumbnail sketches and descriptions of specific qualities, flaws, background, styles, and possible occupations. The authors, all writers and writing instructors, detail eight male and eight female archetypes in Sections 1 and 2 and then in Section 3 discuss how the characters can interact and evolve, often warning that "a writer cannot simply lift the archetypes from these pages." Although these archetypes from these pages." Although these archetypes are admittedly rather stereotypical (e.g., the Chief, the Bad Boy, and the Warrior, or the Seductress, the Waif, and the Nurturer), the book does provide a thought-provoking exploration of character development and its myriad possibilities. Useful examples from literature, television, and cinema are included in the appendex. Although the book is written in an easily accessible writing style, it nevertheless contains more detail than would be needed for most undergraduate programs. It is therefore more suitable for advanced creative writing programs. Recommended for midsize to larger public libraries.
Angela M. Weiler, SUNY Libs. at Morrisville
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lone Eagle
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1580650244
• ISBN 13: 9781580650243
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 300