Product Description

A major new coursebook for aspiring writers, which covers the creative process and 'going public' as well as the popular genres of fiction, poetry and life writing (or creative non-fiction). Each section offers advice and exercises as well as extracts for study and inspiration, taken from works by a diverse range of writers, from Virginia Woolf to Patricia Highsmith.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20890 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 664 pages

Review

‘For anyone getting going as a writer (and even for those who have already made a start), this is an invaluable how-to guide, full of useful tips, mind-freeing exercises, and inspiring wisdom from established authors. A book to banish the terror of the blank page.’ – Blake Morrison, journalist, critic and acclaimed author of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, including the multi-award-winning And When Did You Last See Your Father? (Granta, 1993)

From the Back Cover

Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings is a complete writing course that will jump-start your writing and guide you through your first steps towards publication.

Suitable for use by students, tutors, writers’ groups or writers working alone, this book offers:

• a practical and inspiring section on the creative process, showing you how to stimulate your creativity and use your memory and experience in inventive ways;
• in-depth coverage of the most popular forms of writing: fiction, poetry and life writing, including biography and autobiography, giving you practice in all three forms so that you discover and develop your strengths;
• a sensible, up-to-date guide to going public, to help you edit your work to a professional standard and identify and approach suitable publishers;
• a distinctive collection of exciting exercises, spread throughout the workbook to spark your imagination and increase your technical flexibility and control;
• a substantial array of illuminating readings, bringing together extracts from contemporary and classical writings to demonstrate a range of techniques that you can use or adapt in your own work.

Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings presents a unique opportunity to benefit from the advice and experience of a team of published authors who have also taught successful writing courses at a wide range of institutions, helping large numbers of new writers to develop their talents and their abilities to evaluate and polish their work to professional standards. These institutions include Lancaster University and the University of East Anglia, renowned as consistent producers of published writers.

Linda Anderson, the editor, is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. Her fiction has been published in Britain, Ireland, Australia and the US. She has taught at Goldsmiths’ College and Lancaster University, where she was Head of Creative Writing (1995–2002). She is currently Reader in Creative Writing at The Open University.

About the Author

Linda Anderson is an award-winning novelist (To Stay Alive and Cuckoo, both published by Bodley Head) and writer of short stories, poetry, performance pieces, and critical reviews. Her work has been published in Britain, Ireland, the USA, and Australia. She has taught at Goldsmiths' College and at Lancaster University for ten years, becoming Head of Creative Writing from 1995-2002. She has designed several successful courses including a training programme for new writing tutors and an MA in Creative Writing by distance learning. She has also worked as a producer and director for BBC Radio Drama. She has a PhD in Creative Writing.

Customer Reviews

Easy to read and full of good advice
I am studying this book in conjunction with the Open University course and I can say that this is the best creative writing book that I have ever read.
It suggests exercises to help you tap into your own creativity without being prescriptive and allows you to work out what is best for your own work, while providing readings that illustrate the techniques suggested.
Not just a book that you can work through but something that you can keep forever and flick through for inspiration whenever you get a little stuck.

Excellent workbook
This is the set book on the Open University Creative Writing Course. It has everything you need to get you started and develop your writing from using a journal to presenting work professionally. There are readings in the back of the book which illustrate the text.

Boost your creative writing
This book is fantastic. It gives a clear explanation of the various aspects of writing. There are lots of interesting and useful exercises to help you improve your writing.