The Lure of the Pen: A Book for Would-Be Authors

The author offers practical guidance for aspiring writers, diagnosing common reasons manuscripts are rejected and urging sustained training and self-discipline. Chapters teach observation exercises, assessing values, and using wider reading to gain data, style, vocabulary, and musical phrasing, with methods for analysing other writers. Detailed, pragmatic advice covers practice before publication, holding reader interest, form and selection, local colour, atmosphere, story construction, common fallacies in fiction, rules for plotting, climaxes, use of scene transitions, versification, and the editor's role in revision. Closing sections explain how to approach publishers and the ethical responsibilities of authors toward their craft and readers.