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So, you want to be a writer .477. First published in 1988, Dear Writer is Carmel Bird's classic on fiction writing, now revised and expanded for this Vintage edition. Written as a series of letters from Virginia O'Day, proprietor of the O'Day Manuscript Assessment Service, to Writer, author of the short story 'The Scream at Midnight', Dear Writer covers everything the novice writer needs to know. Areas covered include: Dealing with writer's block The role of the imagination Where ideas come from The rhythms of prose Use of adjectives and adverbs Overstatement and understatement Keeping journals and diaries Points to check when revising a manuscript Pens, typewriters and word processors Preparing and submitting a manuscript This is a book to inspire as well as instruct as it takes the reader is through the processes of writing fiction. It is also an illuminating insight into the writer's craft. This edition is revised and expanded and includes two new appendices: the first explores the motivations of the fiction writer, and the second describes Carmel's personal experience of the creative process through the writing (and rewriting) of the short story 'The Golden Moment'.