Creative Writing

What exactly is a primary source? How does it compare to other types of sources? Emerging listeners need to know the difference. Listeners will also be introduced to the concept of plagiarism, how to choose sources for their writing and reports, checking source dates and accuracy, and more.

Welcome to a world where your writing dreams come true! This book is your friendly companion on the journey to becoming a published author. It’s designed to make the writing process feel approachable and exciting, guiding you every step of the way. Inside, you’ll find a treasure trove of practical tips, motivational insights, and a step-by-step plan to help you craft your story. We’ll debunk common myths about self-publishing and provide you with a comprehensive writing guide that makes the process simple and enjoyable. Plus, you’ll be invited to a special writing retreat to spark ...

"Cousins has given us a compelling biography of Keats' short and tragic life." MENSA Bulletin It is difficult; To get the news from poems; Yet men die miserably every day; For lack; Of what is found there. William Carlos Williams John Keats composed the most glorious jewels in the crown of English poetry. His are the most perfect poems in English. His letters are also considered a great literary achievement where he developed his ideas and concepts on art and life. The ability to transcend self by emotionally merging with nature's beauty became an essential credo for John Keats. His ...

Award-winning author Alex Temblador discusses one of the most contentious topics in creative writing: crafting a character whose identity is historically marginalized. What is “identity,” and how do unconscious biases and bias blocks impact and influence what we write? What is intersectionality? You’ll learn about identity terms, stereotypes, and tropes, and receive genre-specific advice related to various identities to consider when writing different races and ethnicities, sexual and romantic orientations, gender identities, disabilities, nationalities, and more.

CONGRATULATIONS , you are finally going to write your book! You have moved from planning to write a book, to actually writing one. It’s your goal to write a short book with clear benefits to the reader. But this isn’t your first attempt, is it? Maybe you have written your book a hundred times before and never finished because somewhere along the way, you end up stuck or hating your work. In other words, you lose the initial momentum and excitement you had for writing the thing. How to author and self-publish a book are questions that burn in your soul. Burn, baby burn. People who know ...

Years ago, Tabitha Brown started a 30-day personal challenge that she called “I Did a New Thing!” The challenge was simple. Every day she would do something she’d never done before. Sometimes it was something small like trying a new food. Other times, she’d step it up a bit and speak to someone she’d never spoken to before. Still other times, she’d do the hard thing—facing a fear that she had, like having that tough conversation with a friend. No matter what it was, the point was that she was going to take a leap of faith and watch God open up a new lane for her.

At just over 5,000 years old, writing is actually a relatively recent invention. It has become so central to the way we communicate and live, however, that it often seems as if writing has always existed. But the question remains: Who invented writing, and why?In these 24 fascinating lectures, you'll trace the remarkable saga of the invention and evolution of "visible speech," from its earliest origins to its future in the digital age.

"STORY BY NUMBERS" is an step-by-step, deep dive into story structure that will take your story from an underdeveloped storm of “cool ideas,” to a slick, compelling work with fully dimensional characters. It uses the protagonist’s inner conflict as the guide to developing plot points and meaningful conflicts.

An essay by James J. Caterino, the author of Girl Pop, Chrome Dome, What If, True Stories, To Meghan, I Want to Believe, The Girl from the Stars, Watch the Skies, and much more.

In 1976, Linda Trichter Metcalf, then a university English professor, sat down with pen and paper and intuitively started a self-guided writing practice that helped to bring herself into focus and clarify her life as never before. She and a colleague, Tobin Simon, introduced this original method into their classrooms.

It is my passion to share the art of storytelling with the next generation, teaching them important aspects through fun games—learning, while they didn’t realise they are learning. I launched an after school club teaching this craft. It has been an enormous success. This book is the product of one activity from the club. A Collection of Clever, Fun, Short Stories Inspired by Children Learning the Craft of Storytelling. T. P. Heath is a screenwriter and author of over twenty novels, mostly thrillers under the name Tim Heath, and the author of the Twiggy Rattlesnake series.

Ready to build a picture book? First, you’ll need the right tools. Listen to this title in the Writer’s Toolbox series and discover plenty of tips and tools to get you started. Soon you’ll be writing and showing stories like a pro!

This Scene Revision Manual Can Take Your Writing Skills to the Next Level and Make the Editing Process Fun! Every writer knows that scenes are the building blocks of every great story. Revision should be fun and never overwhelming. Many of us have written a scene and felt as though it was lacking something. Or perhaps you wrote an entire novel, but want to know how to make it shine. This scene revision workbook can improve anyone's writing and works for every genre to ensure that every scene is stronger, purposeful, and impactful. Using this self-editing guide for writers on my own ...

If you aren’t suffering, you aren’t creating. Right? Wrong! Writing can and should be joyful, fulfilling… even fun! Applicable to writers in all genres and disciplines—from screenwriters to novelists, journalists to picture book authors, aspiring to many-times published—The Happy Writer is a heartfelt and optimistic guide that will show you the way to a happier writing journey.

Writer’s block is real...and you've got it. There are many reasons people get it – their mind is preoccupied, the environment they’re writing in isn’t conducive to creating, the idea they’ve come up with isn’t particularly good, a lack of imagination or skill to develop the story, coming to the laptop with no idea to write about, and many more. Overcoming Writer's Block helps you understand the cause of your writer’s block then goes into detail on strategies for overcoming each one. Part of the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, Overcoming Writer’s Block answers all of your...

If you're aiming to win a flash fiction competition, you probably know how hard it is to write a compelling story in 500 words. The challenge of flash fiction lies not in the number of words, but the emotion and originality of the tale you can tell with these few words. Participating in competitions, with entry fees as low as $5 and prizes up to $1,000, isn't about luck; it's about skill and creativity. As a judge, I've seen over a thousand submissions, most of them perfectly polished. So choosing a winner is extremely hard, though the best often stand out on first reading and stay with you...

Do you carry a story inside you—one that stirs beneath the surface, whispering to be told? Are you a story catcher, inspired to gather and tell the stories of this time? Or perhaps you are a story carrier—one who tends to and keeps old stories alive so they may breathe among us once more. If so, you already know that storytelling is more than just words. It’s a vessel for profound alchemy and transformation. With Sacred Storytelling, you’ll be taken on an immersive journey with master storyteller Leah Lamb into the art of conscious storytelling as a living, ancient practice.

The essays in this collection are the work of a group of friends known as the Northwoods Essayists: The Write People. The name comes from a very special place where we first met each other, the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in The Woodlands, Texas. The group began in 2020, and its membership has evolved over time. Our current members include Hallie Moore, Mira Dessy, Dorothy Kennedy, John Hammond, and Ann McAlpin. Our friend and fellow writer Sharon Ossowski passed away while this book was in progress. We know you’ll be delighted by her wonderful essays in this collection. Our ...

An action-packed urban fantasy adventure set on the islands of Hawaii! I'm Marcus Aries, and as the duly-appointed guardian of the Hawaiian Islands, it’s my job to ensure peace and balance between the world of the supernatural and the mortal realm. Things have been quiet lately, and I couldn’t be happier about it. That is, until the recently appointed kingpin of the Hawaiian cartel showed up and offered me a job I can’t refuse. Now I’m stuck trying to track down a murderer. To make matters worse, I've agreed to serve as a security consultant for the upcoming United Nations meeting. ...

No one knows more about how to be creative than former Python and Fawlty Towers creator John Cleese. In this handy and often amusing guide he offers insights into his creative process and how you can come up with ideas, refine them and finally put them into action. Throughout, not only does he give immensely helpful practical advice, but he explains what is going on in our minds as look for inspiration or grapple to improve an idea. Learn at the feet of the master.