creative writing for dummies review

Creative Writing For Dummies

Maggie hamand.

386 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2010

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Creative Writing For Dummies Paperback – 28 Sept. 2023

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Unlock your creative potential and write something special

Ever dream of writing a book, article, poem, or play that means something to you―and maybe to someone else as well? Do you have an idea you're ready to get down on paper? In Creative Writing For Dummies, you'll learn how to unleash your creative side and become a confident and productive writer.

Discover the essential elements of storytelling, including structure, characterization, setting, dialogue, and plot, as you navigate the countless ways you can express yourself with the written word. Explore the media and methods you can use to help find an audience―from traditional to self-publishing, social media, blogging, and more!

Creative Writing For Dummies also shows you how to:

• Write in all sorts of different formats, including screenplays, scripts, creative nonfiction, poetry, short stories, novels, and beyond
• Navigate the world of social media and learn how it can contribute to getting your work read by more people in more places
• Understand the new, online nature of contemporary journalism and the proliferation of news and blogging sites

A can't-miss roadmap to getting your first―or hundred-and-first―story, poem, or script committed to paper, Creative Writing For Dummies is an essential read for aspiring, amateur, and professional writers everywhere.

• Print length 400 pages
• Language English
• Publisher For Dummies
• Publication date 28 Sept. 2023
• Dimensions 18.85 x 1.68 x 23.42 cm
• ISBN-10 1394196660
• ISBN-13 978-1394196661
• See all details

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Product description

From the back cover.

Unlock your creativity and make your writing sparkle

If you dream of being a writer―any kind of writer― Creative Writing For Dummies is for you! Inside, you’ll learn the basics of storytelling for fiction, travel writing, essays, scripts, and beyond. Discover your unique voice and develop the mindset of a writer with this beginner-friendly guide. Dynamic characters, compelling plots, and authentic dialogue are all explained right here. You'll also dive into the many fiction and nonfiction forms with writing exercises designed to help you develop your craft, find an audience, and get published.

• Finding inspiration
• Developing your storytelling skills
• Learning new writing techniques
• Exploring different styles
• Choosing your genre
• Editing your work
• Getting your work published or opting for self-publishing opting for self-publishing

About the Author

Maggie Hamand, PhD, is a novelist, nonfiction author, journalist, and publisher. She was the winner of the first World One-Day Novel Cup in 1994 with the novel The Resurrection of the Body, which was written in 24 hours and subsequently optioned for film and television. Her novel Virgin & Child was the 2020 Morning Star Book of the Year.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Dummies; 2nd edition (28 Sept. 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1394196660
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1394196661
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.85 x 1.68 x 23.42 cm
• 8,806 in Poetry (Books)

About the author

Maggie hamand.

Maggie Hamand is a journalist, novelist and non-fiction author. She was the winner of the first World One-Day Novel Cup and her novel, "The Resurrection of the Body", was first published by Michael Joseph and has been optioned for film and television. She has also had short stories published and shortlisted for prizes. She taught creative writing at Morley College, was Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, London and a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at London University of the Arts. She founded and was director of the acclaimed small independent publisher The Maia Press. She runs the Complete Creative Writing Course at The Groucho Club and has published "Creative Writing For Dummies" and "Creative Writing Exercises for Dummies". Her novels, "The Rocket Man" and "Dr Gavrilov", are now available as ebooks.

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Book description

Unlock your creative potential and write something special

Ever dream of writing a book, article, poem, or play that means something to you—and maybe to someone else as well? Do you have an idea you're ready to get down on paper? In Creative Writing For Dummies, you'll learn how to unleash your creative side and become a confident and productive writer.

Discover the essential elements of storytelling, including structure, characterization, setting, dialogue, and plot, as you navigate the countless ways you can express yourself with the written word. Explore the media and methods you can use to help find an audience—from traditional to self-publishing, social media, blogging, and more!

Creative Writing For Dummies also shows you how to:

• Write in all sorts of different formats, including screenplays, scripts, creative nonfiction, poetry, short stories, novels, and beyond
• Navigate the world of social media and learn how it can contribute to getting your work read by more people in more places
• Understand the new, online nature of contemporary journalism and the proliferation of news and blogging sites

A can't-miss roadmap to getting your first—or hundred-and-first—story, poem, or script committed to paper, Creative Writing For Dummies is an essential read for aspiring, amateur, and professional writers everywhere.

Table of contents

• About This Book
• Foolish Assumptions
• Icons Used in This Book
• Beyond the Book
• Where to Go from Here
• Focusing on Writing as Well as You Can
• Examining Why You Want to Write
• Identifying the Kind of Writing You Want to Do
• Discovering Your Own Specific Talent
• Practicing Your Writing
• Overcoming Common Writing Obstacles
• Letting the Ideas Come
• Playing with Words
• Offering Tips for New Writers
• Finding a Writing Time that Works for You
• Designating a Writing Space
• Assembling Your Writing Tools
• Avoiding Distractions
• Overcoming the Blank Page Syndrome
• Separating Drafting and Editing
• Organizing Your Writing: Developing a Routine and Sticking to It
• Learning to Live with a Degree of Chaos
• Writing from Experience
• Engaging Emotions
• Taking a Step Back: Reflecting on Your Experiences and Emotions
• Trying Techniques to Transform Your Experiences
• Defining Different Kinds of Characters
• Discovering Where Characters Come From
• Detailing Clues about Your Characters
• Portraying Personality
• Revealing Character Indirectly
• Avoiding Stereotypes and Tapping into Archetypes
• Remembering that Dialogue Is a Two-Way Street
• Distinguishing Voices
• Talking in Varied Situations
• Creating a Dynamic with Dialogue
• Revealing the Subtext
• Using Accents and Dialect
• Laying Out Dialogue
• Defining Voices
• Finding the Right Point of View
• Deciding How Close to Be to the Character
• Handling Multiple Narrators
• Recognizing the Power of Description
• Using All the Senses
• Employing the Tools of Description
• Creating a Sense of Place
• Creating Mood and Suspense
• Exploring Classic Plots
• Plotting Consciously and Unconsciously
• Asking the Central Question and Including the Essential Elements
• Hooking Your Reader
• Dividing Your Work into Chapters and Parts
• Following the Three-Act Structure
• Writing within a Time Frame
• Producing the First Draft
• Becoming Your Own Editor
• Recruiting a Trusted Reader
• Defining the Short Story
• Writing the Short Story
• Exploring Short-Story Genres
• Finding Short-Story Ideas
• Developing Your Writing Skills: Entering Short-Story Competitions
• Finding an Outlet for Your Short Fiction
• Growing a Short Story into a Novella
• Aspiring to the Literary Novel
• Creating Entertaining Commercial Fiction
• Dispelling the “It’s Easy to Write for Kids” Myth
• Before Schooling Begins: Writing for the Under 5s
• Learning to Read Alone: Writing for 5- to 9-Year-Olds
• Captivating the Confident Reader: Age 9 to 13
• Moving Toward More Mature Themes: Teenage Readers
• Exploring the Variety of Books for Children
• Setting Up the Dramatic Structure
• Getting Started and Developing Your Play
• Putting a Play Together: The Artistic Process
• Sorting Out Types of Play
• Formatting Your Script
• Seeing Theater Spaces
• Writing for Radio
• Getting Your Work Out There
• Writing a Screenplay: The Stages
• Preparing for the Collaborative Process
• Adapting an Existing Story
• Formatting a Screenplay
• Additional Considerations for Writing for TV
• Selling Your Script
• Getting Started with a Poem
• Reviewing the Main Elements of Poetry
• Listening to the Language of Poetry
• Finding a Poetic Form You Prefer
• Stick to the Facts: Writing News Articles
• Getting the Scoop: Putting Press Releases to Good Use
• Penning Features
• Providing Your Opinion: Writing Reviews
• Lining up a Reoccurring Column
• Interviewing Newsmakers
• Pitching and Selling Your Articles
• Considering Radio and Television Journalism
• Writing about Yourself: Autobiography
• Writing about Others: Biography
• Structuring Your Story
• Exploring the World of Narrative Nonfiction
• Writing Narrative Nonfiction
• Examining Genres within Narrative Nonfiction
• Reporting about Places
• Doing the Actual Travelling
• Tackling a Travel Book
• Making Your Blog Work for You
• Setting about Blogging
• Publicizing Your Blog
• Turning Blogs into Books
• Getting to Know the World of Publishing
• Looking at How Publishing Houses Are Organized
• Tallying the Mathematics of Publishing
• Being Accepted into the Publishing Process
• Finding Out About Agents
• Getting Your Book Ready to Send Out
• Weighing Some Self-Publishing Options
• Calculating the Cost of Self-Publishing
• Assisted Self-Publishing Services: Hiring Help
• Getting the Word Out: Marketing Your Self-Published Book
• Securing Reviews for Your Self-Published Title
• Chipping In to Help Cover Costs: Hybrid Publishing
• Author Beware: Avoiding Vanity Publishing
• Sharing Your Work with Other Aspiring Writers
• Fielding Feedback
• Taking In Local Readings, Events, and Launches
• Attending Book Fairs
• Frequenting Literary Festivals
• Considering a Writing Retreat or Residency
• Getting Out There and Read: Your First Work in Print
• Upping Your Odds of Publication: Entering Writing Competitions
• Write for Yourself
• Enjoy the Journey
• Be Specific
• Show, Don’t Tell
• Read and Re-read
• Be Open to What’s Around You
• Learn from Others
• Write and Rewrite
• Anticipate Rejection
• Don’t Give Up
• Practice Your Pitch and Keep it Short
• Ignore the Opinions of Family and Friends
• Perfect Your Work First
• Don’t Argue with Editors and Agents
• Attend Events and Maintain Your Image
• Network Like Mad
• Don’t Take a Rejection Too Personally
• Stay Positive and Believe in Yourself
• About the Author
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement

Product information

• Title: Creative Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition
• Author(s): Maggie Hamand
• Release date: October 2023
• Publisher(s): For Dummies
• ISBN: 9781394196661

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