Good for discovering new writers
353700
This magazine is a fairly good place for writers to get started, and for readers to discover up-and-coming authors.
Stories are usually well-polished and formatted nicely for mobile reading. However, there are often minor editing errors where just a little care in proofreading would have made a huge difference.

My only concern is the price - it is a bit much. Overall, though, the stories are entertaining and worthwhile.
92586
This is a great way to sample new authors. Each story had its flavor to add to the overall content of the book and was a feast for the reader.
I voluntarily read the free ebook and this is my honest review.
4231983
L. Ron Hubbard is well known in the Science Fiction community as "the world's most prolific dead author," but perhaps his greatest contribution to the genre is the Writers of the Future contest.

This program is open to new writers only, and all work is reviewed by noted SF authors, anonymously (the submissions are numbered & coded.) The best from each quarter are chosen, and there are monetary prizes for the quarterly and annual winners. Part of the prize is that the work is published at the end of the year in that years book. Another part is that the winners are flown to LA for the awards ceremony.

Thus, each volume is completely full of new, unpublished work, by new authors chosen by the best writers in the field.

This is great for readers, because it ensures that nearly any fan will find a good proportion of the volume to be of interest to them, and the entire volume is full of well written stories. Interspersed in the book are how-to tips for new authors, so the book functions as a mini-textbook on SF writing, with articles about the business and well-written stories to demonstrate good writing.

But that is not the best part, the best part is that the program encourages new writers in the best possible mannerit pays them well for their work and publicizes it.

Over the 2+ decades that the program has run, it has launched a sizable number of new SF authors into their careers.

Any volume of this series is full of good reads, and they are often very fresh views in a field which has, over the decades, ranged from fresh and experimental to stodgy and hidebound. If you haven't read a particular volume, you cannot go wrong in reading it.

Algis Budrys, the editor for the past few years, is well known as both a writer and editor in the SF field.
2736735
New writer published, great for first timer!
657170
I don't claim to be a writer, per say, but I do have a keen interest in it and write poetry. I would like to tell my own story one day though, and that propels me.
I figured a book such as this one would give me some extra tips or tools, as well as connecting it to my Christian beliefs. Which it did.
While I enjoyed reading the stories, I felt I learned the most from each writing assignment. They were at the end of each devotional. This is where I learned what style of writing I have and ways to improve it. It was very beneficial for an amateur like myself. More experienced writers may feel differently, but I think it's a useful book for any writer.
2233921
I came to this collection of short stories because I was looking for another work by Maggie Bruce, whose mystery writing I like. I'm not a devotee of short stories, but I did notice that several of my favorite mystery writers were included (Susan Wittig Albert, Monica Ferris, and Gillian Roberts, for example), and I decided to give the book a try.  As Ms. Bruce indicates in an introduction to the volume, there are some features that bring the diverse group of crafts represented here together, but as a reader it's important to know that the interpretation of "craft" is very broad, and if you are a crafter looking for your specific interest, it may or may not be represented here. The diversity of crafts represented is exceptional, but some of them appear to me to be tangential ones, such as the story about macaroni art.  This is of course a personal view.

The strongest contributions, in my opinion, are those of Susan Wittig Albert, Victoria Houston, Gillian Roberts, and Paula L. Woods. For most readers, some stories will be memorable, and others you may want to skip after trying them for a few pages. Some don't involve a murder at all, but there is always mystery and a setting that involves a particular craft.  That aspect seems a bit dated now, since there are fewer cozy mysteries that are centered around crafts. Today's fad seems to be mysteries that involve food or cooking.  Nevertheless, if you like short stories, crafts, and don't feel that every story has to be equally engaging, this is a good collection. If you can find it used and inexpensive, even better. Many of the stories are rewarding.
3720094
Book arrived in excellent and new condition as described.  The collection of short stories ranged from good to excellent pending on the authors.  Some were written by known writers, while others were new to me. I enjoyed reading stories by unknown authors, as it added unique flavor and was somewhat made more mysterious as we couldn't predict what the writer would have the characters do.  Naturally, with known writers or having knowledge of their styles made some more predictable. Some stories , but fortunately not many, were not worth printing...but we have to keep in mind of its source being that of pulp magazines....meaning  that variations in quality of its stories should and would  be expected.
599381
The author makes the claim that these prompts will be "thorough and creative" and he's not wrong. The prompts are enough to get you going without being overly detailed--they aren't so in-depth as to stifle your creativity. Nor are they short or generic. They are good ideas, good beginnings, that offer a starting point for writers. We can all go in very different directions with them. I'm trying to work my way through them chronologically (in the order they appear) but I have skimmed ahead and they all seem interesting. I look forward to getting to write for them all.
4603571
A very nice collection of essays on how to write fantasy heroes. There are some really big name writers, such as Glen Cook, Orson Scott Card, Janet Morris, and Brandon Sanderson, and some others that folks outside the genre might not recognize. I got something out of all the articles, though, and also discovered a couple of new writers whose work I want to try out now. Perhaps my favorite piece in the book was "Tropes of the Trade," by Ari Marmell. Good stuff overall, though.
677555
One of the great things about anthologies is discovering new authors you enjoy. Or perhaps that is the worst part because then you have to go out, buy, and read their other works! I particularly enjoyed the story by KT Pinto (link to her profile is available in the book description). Now I'm checking out her other works...
396784
A great benefit to getting a set like this, especially if you know you like at least one of the authors, is to find a new author to look into.
3613395
In Story Prompts That Work by Carly Berg, the author provides 52 prompts ranging from whimsical to methodical, each designed to jump start a short story writers creative juices. Utilizing many of her own stories as examples, the author takes us through how the prompts produce results.

Some of the prompts are intended to stimulate stories on a specific topic or within a defined genre, such as horror or fantasy. Other prompts are open-ended with the stories taking any number of directions based on the writers imagination.

Depending on your writing style and what you like to write about, I imagine some of these prompts will work better for you than others. I find the prompts falling into two categories. The first are those which could readily take me down a path to a viable story. Examples include #7 Spiritual Child, #22 Fish Out of Water, and #40 Fortune Cookie Message. The second are those that appear to be mind-expanding exercises, but may not prompt a story Id chose to write. Examples here include #9 Writing by the Numbers and #13 Tea Leaf Reading. There are many more in the former category than in the latter.

I often find myself writing stories with similar characters, plots, and settings, and I plan to utilize some of these story prompts to break into new territory. This is a reference book, not a book you read once and store away. The value is in the variety of prompts and the range of stories they are capable of enabling.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. I will keep it on my shelf for future use.
2050132
Picked it up over the weekend.  Really like the tips on how to find something to write about.  If your like me, your stuck wondering what in the world anyone would be interested in that you could write about.  Well he has an interesting exercise to start with.  I have a few ideas now, that I am actually looking forward to.
2898783
To go along with 15 Days to Write and Submit a Short Story, Joe Bunting wrote the book The Writing Practice 14 Prompts and is a great resource for new writers.  I have always wanting to contribute to the reading world my life experiences, some out of the ordinary, so others can relate to these experiences and have a point of reference and guide to get through different turmoils.  Joes Book 14 prompts has given me a way to start, and I have finally started. Great book.
This book was given to me by the Author for an honest review.
3645289
Author James Thornson has compiled a good dictionary of "how tos" for the aspiring nonfiction writer.  He gives suggestions that are often right in front of us but we neglect to see.  I especially liked the "idea notebook" suggestion and think it would give any aspiring author a useful book of information for creating a non-fiction book.  I liked that the book didn't go into writing and publishing as much but stayed true to the title.

Mr. Thornson has compiled a lengthy list of links for reader use.  I didn't check them all out, but did go to a few sites and found them just as he described.  For that reason the book would be a bargain for any author's library.

I rated the book four stars because of the repetition.  It actually might be a good thing, as we sometimes forget what has been suggested, but it felt a little like a fourth grade math class at times.  I don't mean that as a derogatory remark.  We can all use a little positive reinforcement, and that's how I took it.  However, it did get old by the end of the book.  Perhaps if the book were organized a little differently it wouldn't have been noticeable.

I am thankful to the author for the hours of research that must have gone into the writing of this book.  Overall it is a valuable tool to any writer who is considering writing non-fiction.
1635384
Geared towards non-fiction but has useful tips for fiction writers as well. There are some new ideas here that I'm going to put to use.
2076106
This is good for newer authors - therefore I give it 4 stars. But I didn't really learn anything new, so I can't say it was a good fit for me. Especially as I've been doing this for a few years. It's a great primer, but not for the advanced.