Creative Writing

What does it take to have a long writing life? Drawing on her years of writing, teaching, and practicing Zen, Natalie Goldberg shares the experiences that have opened her to new ways of being alive - experiences that point the way forward in our lives and our writing. The "great spring" of this book title refers to the great rush of energy that arrives when you think no life will ever come again - the early yellow flowering forsythia, for example.

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...

Most people do the same things when they are looking for a job • Apply to advertised Jobs • Send resume’s to recruiters and agencies • Wait for something to happen Through my conversations with jobseekers I have learned that • The average jobseeker can send over 100 applications for each phone screen they receive from an employer. • It takes up to 5 phone screens to land a face to face interview • It takes up to 10 face to face interviews to land a job • That’s a total of 1,000 applications sent out before you land the job you are looking for • An average of 6 months to ...

What keeps a reader curious? It’s the story. You might have a dazzling prose voice and plausible characters, but if nothing happens, the reader is likely to lose interest. So where do you find story ideas? How do you make them into a captivating read? What’s your personal vision? Do you know what genre you are best suited to write? What is literary fiction and how do you write that? How will you give your book depth without seeming preachy or bringing the plot to a standstill? What are the hidden structural patterns that ply the reader’s emotions, regardless of your genre or style? ...

At twenty-seven years-old, George Fairweather is “the voice of his generation”, a poet whose talent has garnered him accolades from the literary establishment and homage from the disenfranchised “hippie” youth of the late 1960’s.George is the embodiment of the times with his long hair, rebellious attitude and regular use of mind-expanding psychedelic drugs.Then the sudden and tragic death of Fallon, his friend, his muse and his lover shatters his world, his sanity and nearly ends his life.Katherine is the one person who stands between George and destruction. A hanger-on, a groupie...

Shatter the boundaries of traditional journaling and reconstruct your inner world through a revolutionary seven-step method that transforms ordinary reflection into extraordinary self-expression. Drawing inspiration from the artistic innovations of the early twentieth century, this guide invites you to deconstruct your experiences and reassemble them into revelatory new forms on the page. In a world that demands linear narratives and consistent perspectives, The Cubist's Canvas offers liberation through fragmentation, distortion, collage, rhythm, negative space, simultaneity, and synthesis....

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 ...

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.

This book will increase your child's word power, and you may learn something, too. A love of language is such an important skill, and this book explains the important of picking the right words and broadening your vocabulary with lots of examples. Learn the origins of the words gobbledygook and bop. Learn about compound words, metaphors, riddles, and even creating your own words. You'll also pick up some obscure words along the way from absquatulate to tintinnabulation and learn how lots of different words can describe similar activities.

Step into a whirlwind of imagination with the third volume of Seriously Smart Shorts—a vibrant collection of wildly original tales straight from the minds of young storytellers! Packed with humour, heart, and just the right amount of mischief, this anthology features everything from time-travelling wishes and misunderstood monsters to cheeky Skittles and heroic cats. Each story was dreamed up through the creative magic of an after-school storytelling club, where ideas are as bold as the characters who fill these pages. Curated and written by T.P. Heath, an experienced author and ...

If words describe a feeling or some words rhyme, you're listening to a poem. How else do you know? Quick, fun examples help you understand the beauty of poetry.

Musical Poetry is a glorious, glossy collection of entertaining, original pop music song lyrics. There are songs about life, lost loves, personal obsessions, friendship, pop culture, celebrities, sports, and even songs about UFOs. Packed with beautiful, full-color, authentic photos and super cool illustrations, Musical Poetry is a wonderful read, and a visually stunning coffee table book. James J. Caterino is the author of over ninety published books including Reviews and Essays, The Anti-Matter Girl, True Stories, I Want to Believe, Time Travel Stories, Pop Star, and The Promise.

There is a group of extraordinary individuals whose words have touched the lives of millions, fostering profound transformations that resonate deep within the soul. Authors' pens are guided by empathy, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to making a difference, creating literary alchemy that changes lives. Never underestimate the profound impact that words can have on our lives. Authors or writers with poignant narratives and heartfelt stories have always shown the true power of literature. The ability to capture the essence of the human experience, to articulate the depths of emotions...

Filled with practical tips and helpful advice, Dear Ally is a treasure for aspiring writers at any stage of their careers. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at how books get made, from idea to publication, and gives you insight into the writing processes of some of the biggest and most talented YA authors writing today.

A fast-paced supernatural thrill ride filled with demonic villains set in the heart of South Florida! My name is Patrick Bannon, and I'm a demonologist. Most people would agree that the study of demons isn’t a practical area of research. Lucky for me, Miami has never been a practical kind of city. With more reported cases of demonic possession than any other two cities combined, the jewel of South Florida can be a dangerous place for those who don’t respect it, and when trouble strikes, it falls to me to set it right. Now a renowned Catholic reverend is dead, and the church wants to ...

A selection of poems brought about by exposure to modern life. Cynical, quizzical, sometimes hopeful. Can we change the world or does it change us?These are 'Things I've Seen and Written Poems About'.

Creating a unique, immersive setting one life form at a time. This book is a detailed how-to guide on inventing the heart of every imaginary world - life. With chapters on creating gods, species/races, plants, animals, monsters, heroes, villains, and even undead, it draws on the author's quarter century of world building experience. Pointed questions, and an examination of answers and their repercussions, will help readers decide on goals, how to reach them, and whether they are even worth pursuing.

The ‘Creative Power Anthology’ is a unique collection of pieces written by Masters’ students at Goldsmiths’ university and pupils from schools local to Goldsmiths in South London. Many of the article investigate the value of creative writing. This is an instructive and inspiring book. Within these covers, you’ll learn: how students set up their own ‘literary cabaret’, bringing inclusive imaginative expression to the bars of London; how school teachers have transformed the dull rubrics of exam tasks into lively celebrations of creativity; how creative writing can be used to ...

Conflict is essential to story - regardless of genre. The friction between what a character wants and the lengths they will go to reach that goal is what pulls readers through your book. Great conflict is what leaves readers cheering (or crying) at the end of a story. Using humour and her deep knowledge of human behaviour, counsellor and award-winning author Eileen Cook will guide you through the causes of conflict, the differences between internal and external conflict, and show you how conflict resolution techniques can be turned upside down to ramp up the tension in your book.

Over the course of six weeks, listeners learn the radical new skill needed to take their creativity and their creative work to the next level: how to connect with the intuitive power within themselves and trust the answers they receive. For followers of the Artist’s Way program and newcomers alike, this exciting new guidebook will teach listeners how to find greater happiness, productivity, and creative inspiration.