Self help books and booklets written and published by the StorytrackS team

The Basic Guides booklets form a straightforward introduction to the art of writing publishable fiction. They are written by members of the StorytrackS team, who are all published novelists themselves. In these short guides, you'll find all the information you need to get you started on your novel or short story, and - even more importantly - to see your project through.

Titles currently available:

StorytrackS on Plot

This booklet explains what a plot should be, how it works and why so many new authors get the structure of their stories wrong. We take you through all the stages of planning and laying out your novel, so that when you actually come to write it, you'll have a road map which will make sure you'll see it through to the end. We help you to decide if you need a sub-plot, and if so how to use it effectively. There's also a useful section on emergency repairs, telling you how to fix all kinds of problems if your story should break down. If you feel plotting might be your weak point, this booklet will show you how to do it well.

In this succinct and useful booklet, we explain the parts your characters should play in any kind of story, and how you can use these children of your imagination to the best effect. We show you how to create believable, sympathetic heroes and heroines, and also how to present a satisfyingly horrible villain your reader will love to hate. We explain why characters whom the author loves might prove unsympathetic to the reader, and what you can do to make your reader love your characters as much as you do yourself. If any publisher has ever said he didn't warm to your characters, this booklet is for you!

When a first time novelist starts to write a story, he sometimes doesn't consider point of view. But every novelist needs to decide if his story will work best in the first or third person, if he needs to give subsidiary characters narrative viewpoints of their own, or if the story needs to be seen through just one person's eyes. We explain the pros and cons of all the possible narrative viewpoints, show you how they operate in practice, and how they can work best for you. If you're burning to tell an exciting story but feel unsure about your narrative technique, you need this booklet.

What should dialogue do? How can it be used effectively in fiction? What are the essential differences between real-life conversation and dialogue in novels? Many new authors would need to think long and hard about the answers to these three questions, but StorytrackS has summarised all you need to know in one easy-to-follow booklet. If you want your dialogue to sparkle, and your characters to carry on speaking inside your reader's head long after he has finished your novel, you need this StorytrackS basic guide.

It's an old publishing cliché that Humour Always Sells, but how exactly do you write a really funny novel? This basic guide shows you how to be entertaining without being facetious, how to build comic tension, and how to write the kind of fiction that will make the reader laugh out loud. We summarise all you need to know about the basics of romantic comedy, farce and black humour, and we also suggest writing strategies that will ensure your book really is funny.

This is a step-by-step guide on how to write a synopsis which will help you to sell your novel. Busy agents and editors will be tempted to read on if they find your query letter and synopsis intriguing, interesting, and well-written. These few pages, along with your opening chapter, are probably the most important parts of any submission.

StorytrackS on Pace

Keep the pages turning. A plot is like a journey, and when a reader picks up your novel, you'll want them to go on reading, not sample a few sentences, then put it down. So how do you keep them interested? This booklet explains how you can construct a great opening, a cracking good middle, and a satisfying end.

The StorytrackS Basic Guides Booklets are 'wonderfully practical - they act as working guidelines that any writer can follow and which can improve any writer's skills, whether beginner or more advanced' - Richard Bell, Consultant Editor, Writers News and Writing Magazine.

More titles are currently in production and will be available soon - watch this space!

Each booklet costs £1.50. When ordering, please enclose an A5 size SAE with a first or second class standard rate stamp. See Contact Details for address.

These are self-help books on the art of creative writing originally published by How To Books and written by Marina Oliver, a member of the StorytrackS team who is a well-published novelist (over fifty titles in many genres, under her own name and several pseudonyms) and a highly-respected script doctor who has helped many authors to become published novelists.

'If you are a would-be writer or newly-fledged one, this may well be the book for you. It is packed with practical suggestions about how to write and sell successfully.' (Writers' Express)

'Lots of diagrams, well-illustrated examples and a lively style make this both reassuring and inspiring.' (Myslexia)

As priced, post free. Please make cheques payable to Marina Oliver and send your order to:

Tudor House, 32 Beech Walk, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 7NU

Visit the Tudor House website at www.tudorhousepublisher.co.uk

The Tudor House books can also be ordered from Amazon at www.amazon.co.uk