Creative Writing

From Dani Shapiro, best-selling author of Devotion and Slow Motion, comes a witty, heartfelt, and practical look at the exhilarating and challenging process of storytelling. At once a memoir, a meditation on the artistic process, and advice on craft, Still Writing is an intimate companion to living a creative life. Writers - and anyone with an artistic temperament - will find inspiration and comfort here.

Compelling characters are what keeps readers turning pages and buying books—from fantasies to mysteries to the great literary novel. But how to do you create characters that feel three-dimensional and real on the page? Counsellor and author Eileen Cook shares common psychological techniques to help you build your characters and take your story to the next level. This book covers understanding your character's backstory and how it impacts their choices in your book by doing a structured counselling interview, personality structure, and the Stages of Change.

What happens when an 82-year-old writer embraces artificial intelligence to co-create her books? In Books by Bots?, Marie Campbell takes you on a deeply personal and refreshingly honest journey into the world of AI-assisted writing. Far from a technical manual, this mini book explores the real questions behind the headlines: Can a machine help write something meaningful? Do readers care if a book was crafted with AI? Is it ethical not to disclose AI involvement? And what does all this mean for writers — especially those reinventing themselves later in life? Blending insight, encouragement...

Unlock the Secrets of Fear. Master the Mechanics of Dread. Whether you’re crafting a pulse-pounding thriller or slow-burning supernatural horror, Writing Suspense and Horror is your complete guide to gripping your reader—and never letting go. This comprehensive handbook takes you deep into the psychology of fear and the structure of tension. Learn how to create unforgettable characters, build dread scene by scene, and design plots that twist, tighten, and terrify. From atmospheric worldbuilding to heart-stopping finales, this book covers everything from genre history to hands-on craft. ...

Writing: A Spiritual Voice is not a technical book. Of those, there are many wonderful ones. It’s about tuning into the writer’s spiritual voice and the unique ways our writing develops because of listening and responding to the Divine. If you are a spiritual seeker and a writer, you will want to use your writing in the same way we use everything to align and expand our spiritual being. Writing is a long-term career. It takes time, money, perseverance, openness to learning, and passion. Making a mark as a writer usually accelerates slowly. Keep going. Keep giving. Remain true. Trust ...

Are you tired of writing intermittently? Would you like to install a lifelong writing habit, one that gets your butt in the chair every single day? Then this is the book for you. Lifelong Writing Habit draws on well-tested neuroscience to help you install a daily writing habit that will endure for life. It contains a simple-to-understand system, with actionable steps at the end of every chapter.

Dive into the captivating world of "Poetry Unleashed" and embark on a transformative journey through the mesmerizing power of words. This enchanting anthology invites readers to experience the raw emotions, evocative imagery, and profound insights found within the artistry of poetry. Within the pages of "Poetry Unleashed," you will discover a diverse collection of poems that explore the depth and breadth of the human experience. From the bittersweet melodies of love and heartbreak to the triumphant verses of resilience and self-discovery, each poem unveils a new facet of our shared humanity...

The Mindful Creative Writing Teacher: A Toolkit for Creativity and Wellbeing is the essential companion for anyone teaching creative writing in today’s world. Francis Gilbert, bestselling author of I’m A Teacher, Get Me Out of Here! (Short Books), blends mindfulness, pedagogy, and social transformation in a pioneering approach to creative writing education. Inside, you’ll find: Research-informed strategies for building safe, inclusive, creative classrooms Mindful methods for feedback, assessment, and the art of redrafting Tools for decolonising the creative writing curriculum Ways to ...

Learning how to use narrative devices is the ultimate hack for writing interesting stories What narrative techniques help to surprise and interest the viewer? How can we unblock a plot that does not flow? How do you create suspense when the audience has already seen it all? How do resources such as Flebotinum, Rabbit Hole, or Red Herring work? Since humans emerged from caves, they have learned to tell stories to communicate and evoke emotions in others. While some do it monotonously, others manage to capture the attention of their audience and hold their interest until the end. How do they ...

What do a ladder and a cat have in common? Or grief and a slice of apple pie? Welcome to Weaving Metaphors, a soulful and surprising journey into the art of seeing meaning in the everyday. With warmth, wit, and a touch of midnight musing, author Linda A. Lavid invites you to explore unlikely pairings—two random nouns at a time—and discover how they connect, clash, or conspire to tell us something deeper about life. Part journal, part creative practice, and part spiritual whisper, this book is for thinkers, feelers, wanderers, and anyone who believes the world is more than it seems. Each...

WRITING A MEMOIR ISN’T FOR THE FAINT OF HEART It’s for the brave souls willing to yank skeletons out of closets, dodge flying monkeys, and march straight into the dark forest of family secrets—no breadcrumb trail, no map, just guts and a pen. A Memoir by Any Other Name is Still Your Story And guess what? You’re the only credible witness. Framing Your Memoir Through the Fairytale Lens is the magic potion you've been searching for—a fresh, imaginative guide that transforms memoir writing from overwhelming to empowering. Why Do Memoir Writers Get Stuck? Three reasons, my dear: You ...

Poetry is more than rhyming words on a page. A poem is crafted by carefully selecting each word and rhythm. But how does a poet get started? Finding inspiration is as easy as looking at a picture.

Are you ready to embark on a journey into the world of romance fiction? Dive into "From Pen to Passion," where the art of crafting captivating love stories awaits. In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover the keys to unlocking the secrets of the romance genre. Whether you're a budding writer or a seasoned author, this book is your passport to creating heartwarming and emotionally resonant tales of love, desire, and connection. What You'll Find Inside: Crafting Unforgettable Characters: Learn how to breathe life into your heroes and heroines, making them relatable, multi-dimensional, and...

The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult).

In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author and famously private writer Haruki Murakami shares with listeners his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.

Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the "creative types." But two of the leading experts in innovation, design, and creativity on the planet show us that each and every one of us is creative. In an incredibly entertaining and inspiring narrative that draws on countless stories from their work at IDEO, the Stanford d.school, and with many of the world's top companies, David and Tom Kelley identify the principles and strategies that will allow us to tap into our creative potential.

These short books can be written in less than a day. Indeed, you can write such a book in a few hours. The combining of 501 words or less with images will take you a few more days but can generally be completed in two or three days. In this book, I’ll describe how I created three books in this series, each in a different way, so you can see a few of the paths you can use to create these short powerful books.

Does your child have big ideas but struggles to put them into words? ✨ Story Writing Kit for Kids Ages 8-12 is the ultimate guide to turning daydreams into dazzling stories. 🖊️ With easy-to-follow steps, creative prompts, and relatable examples, this book helps kids take their wildest ideas and shape them into stories they can be proud of. 🌟 Why Your Child Will Love It We know how tricky writing can feel for kids. That’s why this book is designed to make the process fun, clear, and exciting. 🎉 Whether it’s a magical adventure or a thrilling mystery, kids will learn how to ...

Steve Almond shares the insights gleaned from three decades as a beloved teacher and mentor, and a considerably less-beloved literary rabble rouser. His tone is irreverent. His ideas are iconoclastic. And his approach is stubbornly, radically, empathic. The goal is to explode the well-meaning but misguided myths that hold us back from writing our deepest and most honest work, to awaken the joys of storytelling while also confronting how grueling the process can be.

Most writers struggle with creating a captivating story. The fastest way to improve your writing skills is by applying the Deep Point-of-View technique, which can transform any novel from mediocre storytelling into riveting prose. This fiction writing guide includes hundreds of amazing ways to use “show don’t tell” to submerge readers so deeply into a scene they will experience the story along with the characters. Plus, this useful author resource includes a thesaurus with inspiring word choices! Writers will learn to: Revise Shallow Writing Deepen Characterization Craft Realistic ...