The basis of this book is that writing should be play-even for professional writers there has to be an element of fun and joy. As long as an author can keep having fun, they can write indefinitely and improve their craft. While I'm no fan of the Iowa Writer's Seminar, (and this book is steeped in that tradition), it has a lot of useful tips and exercises for writing a little every day, and improving your own writing. I could see this useful for teaching a creative writing class, or as a self-gui The basis of this book is that writing should be play-even for professional writers there has to be an element of fun and joy.
As long as an author can keep having fun, they can write indefinitely and improve their craft. While I'm no fan of the Iowa Writer's Seminar, (and this book is steeped in that tradition), it has a lot of useful tips and exercises for writing a little every day, and improving your own writing. I could see this useful for teaching a creative writing class, or as a self-guided seminar. For a fan of literature as opposed to a practitioner, there's also a lot to enjoy here, with a feast of short fiction, essays, poems, and plays used as examples. Sometimes it's a little hard to see the relevance to the theme of chapter, but as someone who mostly stays away from modern fiction this was a lovely sampling. This was a pretty good creative writing textbook in that it helped start some good discussions. Part of the reason it did that though, was by saying things that were somewhat controversial like 'Poetry should be spoken aloud' and 'it is impossible to write a good story using only summary.'
I had trouble with some of the limits that I felt the discussion sections put on creative writing, but still enjoyed the book. The reading selections (which I didn't read all of) were sometimes brilliant, other This was a pretty good creative writing textbook in that it helped start some good discussions. Part of the reason it did that though, was by saying things that were somewhat controversial like 'Poetry should be spoken aloud' and 'it is impossible to write a good story using only summary.' I had trouble with some of the limits that I felt the discussion sections put on creative writing, but still enjoyed the book. The reading selections (which I didn't read all of) were sometimes brilliant, other times trendy.
There was always something I loved, even if I disliked a lot of others. This review is also posted on my blog at This is a large and detailed book on how to engage in creative writing. Each chapter contains explanations of various elements such as ‘image’, ‘voice’, ‘character’.
It covers techniques of fiction writing, creative non fiction, poetry and drama. Each chapter contains short exercises scattered throughout the text but handily enclosed in highlighted text boxes. These can be undertaken in writing workshops or by an ind This review is also posted on my blog at This is a large and detailed book on how to engage in creative writing. Each chapter contains explanations of various elements such as ‘image’, ‘voice’, ‘character’.
It covers techniques of fiction writing, creative non fiction, poetry and drama. Each chapter contains short exercises scattered throughout the text but handily enclosed in highlighted text boxes. These can be undertaken in writing workshops or by an individual writer. At the end of each chapter, there are short stories, short pieces of creative non fiction, poems and short drama scripts.
The exercises are very useful and the explanations of the various categories are detailed and useful as well. This is a great textbook for use in creative writing workshops. I only have a few relatively minor quibbles. The first is that it is not always clear how the pieces of writing at the end of the chapter form examples of what has just been discussed. The second is that as the book goes on, the selections of material become a veritable gloom fest leading into serious slit your wrist territory.
Some of poetry on the other hand is a bit less maudlin and I found some of the pieces quite clever and amusing. Another problem is a purely geographical one. Working with this book in an Australian context the overwhelming focus on North American examples and literature has a rather alienating effect. But this can be easily remedied by modfiying the exercises to give them a more local flavour and choosing different short stories as examples. All in all, this is a wonderfully comprehensive text which can be used at both the introductory and advanced levels in teaching creative writing.
I was skeptical when my lead gave me the required creative writing textbook for the Front Range Community College CWI classes. I wasn't sure about a textbook for the craft. I've always taught technique by supplementing students with excerpts from Stephen King's, On Writing, Natalie Goldberg's, Writing Down the Bones, and others such as Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Gaston Bachelard's, The Poetics of Space, and while I still supplemented the text with these handouts, I read Janet Burroway's boo I was skeptical when my lead gave me the required creative writing textbook for the Front Range Community College CWI classes.
I wasn't sure about a textbook for the craft. I've always taught technique by supplementing students with excerpts from Stephen King's, On Writing, Natalie Goldberg's, Writing Down the Bones, and others such as Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Gaston Bachelard's, The Poetics of Space, and while I still supplemented the text with these handouts, I read Janet Burroway's book, assigned it, and was impressed. Personally, I was most impressed with the rhetoric. The basics on setting, voice, character, etc. Helped me return to the beginner's mind (I've mostly been working with published professional writers). The creative work in the book is good as well, and diverse, but I feel more comfortable teaching the work I already know.
So I also augmented a lot there-giving them Raymond Carver to read, and Flannery O'Connor, as well as other writers not included in Imaginative Writing. At one point, when I asked my students why they seemed to like my handouts more than the textbook, they answered two-fold: 1.
They found the literature I gave them to be more accessible and interesting, and 2. They hate writing in books; when I explained that textbooks are designed to be written in, they either retorted that they still couldn't bring themselves to do so, or they needed to sell their books back.
I think these are both good points, especially for a CWI class where almost no one is probably going to go on to become a professional writer, and thus, appreciate any book on writing the way I do. What I didn't expect was for the textbook to influence the order I taught the genres I'm expected to teach as much as it did. I was prepared to begin with poetry, then do CNF, and end with fiction. Burroway begins the book in chapters dedicated to the more universal aspects of creative writing such as voice, setting, character, so we read those chapters, studied the different types of work, and freewrote in whatever forms it took. Then, about four weeks into the semester, we focused on CNF. I think Burroway makes a valid point when she says people like to talk about themselves. Furthermore, because the demographic of my classes (even at a community college) still tend to be young adults, their lives (however short) are still all they really know, or have to write about.
Then we transitioned into Fiction. They had the basic storytelling skills down from writing CNF, they were getting comfortable with concepts like 'show don't tell,' and 'adverbs pave the road to hell,' and the best transition is no transition, which meant they were ready to branch out, and start making shit up. From there, we moved into Poetry (I chose not to cover Drama which is also in the book because I don't have to, and I don't feel that I have the expertise to do so). I'd never imagined doing poetry last, but then I read a passage from the textbook where Burroway says something like this: 'All the devices and techniques required for writing good prose are also needed for writing good poetry, only more so.'
She couldn't be more right. Aside from that quote, I realized poetry gave us a chance to explore other workshop methods. My class was large-starting with 18 students, and dwindling down to 15, which meant we didn't have time to workshop CNF or fiction in class. We had to break into smaller groups and do the critiques at home. Poetry, at least shorter poems, gave us the chance to finally workshop in class, which means exploring different techniques-such formats included: the workshop model where the author can't talk, but just listens and takes notes as his/her classmates discuss (in third person) what works and what doesn't. Also, this allowed the writers themselves to practice reading their work out loud; poetry is not only meant to be spoken and heard, something editorial happens when a writer reads his or her work out loud to a group of people that is different from when he or she reads it out loud by himself/herself.
I gave the textbook 4 stars instead of 5 because my students still resonated more with the handouts from King's, On Writing and Goldberg's, Writing Down the Bones. Both King and Goldberg are incredibly accessible, and there is something about getting advice straight from a master's mouth regarding craft that no textbook can ever manage. I also didn't always agree or understand why Burroway chose the creative work she did as samples of what she was addressing in each chapter, but that might just be due to the fact I'm stuck in my ways.
I use this story/writer for voice, and this one for setting, and this one for character, and so on. That said, I wanted her to surprise and inspire me with her choices, and she just didn't. Or rather, she didn't as much as I would have liked. I found the best creative work was in her CNF chapter. I've also only used this textbook once to teach one class. I know I'll be using it again, and many times, so I can see myself growing to understand the means to her madness and coming back here to change my review and my rating.
It really depends on how one teaches an intro. Class in creative writing, I think.
I don't personally like the break-down of image, voice, etc. Before / separate from the chapters on genre.
However, I can easily see how it would work and why the book was put together this way. It's just difficult for me in terms of time and getting students writing specific pieces that focus on structure, etc., as opposed to focusing on part of craft (such as image) while writing in any genre. But, what do yo It really depends on how one teaches an intro. Class in creative writing, I think. I don't personally like the break-down of image, voice, etc. Before / separate from the chapters on genre. However, I can easily see how it would work and why the book was put together this way.
Imaginative Writing The Elements Of Craft 3rd Edition Free Pdf
It's just difficult for me in terms of time and getting students writing specific pieces that focus on structure, etc., as opposed to focusing on part of craft (such as image) while writing in any genre. But, what do you do?
You can't teach everything at once! I am actually using this in a course called 'Teaching Literary Genres and Techniques.' It's an education course for students who are learning how to teach literature in secondary education; I do think it is an excellent text for understanding how literature works. I used this textbook for my Creative Writing class.
It was alright, but the author included a large amount of short stories and poems that were rather revealing of her political viewpoints. But whatever, I don't really care. I found the parts about poetry to be rather dull, but that is most likely just personal preference. All of the example pieces that were included were interesting and well-written. It is difficult to write a book about creative writing, so this book just had examples of prose I used this textbook for my Creative Writing class.
It was alright, but the author included a large amount of short stories and poems that were rather revealing of her political viewpoints. But whatever, I don't really care. I found the parts about poetry to be rather dull, but that is most likely just personal preference. All of the example pieces that were included were interesting and well-written. It is difficult to write a book about creative writing, so this book just had examples of prose and poetry that a person should emulate. But I guess that is the best that can be done. This book was okay, I didn't object to it or love it.
I did like reading all the different pieces though, aside from the political poems which are sure to date the book, especially ones about Obama. I read this book for a class at Berkeley. It's a nice overview of creative writing as a whole, covering four different genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama). It's weakness is that it covers four different genres. Between the exercises, the example literature at the ends of chapters, and the detailed appendix, there really isn't much time to spend on any particular genre. Entire books can be written on a single form, which means that this book has to gloss over certain things.
I didn't I read this book for a class at Berkeley. It's a nice overview of creative writing as a whole, covering four different genres (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama). It's weakness is that it covers four different genres. Between the exercises, the example literature at the ends of chapters, and the detailed appendix, there really isn't much time to spend on any particular genre. Entire books can be written on a single form, which means that this book has to gloss over certain things. I didn't always agree with certain terms or theories in the books, but it was a good textbook for a general writing class that needs to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. We've just begun theSpring 2008 semester, and this is my first term teaching this title by Burroway (whose book, 'Writing Fiction' I've often used for a class by the same title).
It's actually a multi-genre book, covering fiction, poetry, scripting, and creative non-fiction, so it's useful in Intro to Creative Writing courses (I'm using it in a 'topics' course in Horror & Suspense writing, because the examples she chooses cover the basics of the craft in great ways.any book that holds up A We've just begun theSpring 2008 semester, and this is my first term teaching this title by Burroway (whose book, 'Writing Fiction' I've often used for a class by the same title). It's actually a multi-genre book, covering fiction, poetry, scripting, and creative non-fiction, so it's useful in Intro to Creative Writing courses (I'm using it in a 'topics' course in Horror & Suspense writing, because the examples she chooses cover the basics of the craft in great ways.any book that holds up Annie Dillard's 'The Giant Water Bug' as an example illustrating 'imagery' is a friend of mine!). It is a bit general, but good for any new writer to take a look. For my Intro to Creative Writing course. I liked how Burroway separated her book into chapters.
Some examples she used at the end of each chapter (poems, non fiction and short fiction) kind of confused me because I thought they'd be better examples for other chapters. They were all good examples, though. She does have useful exercises. The fact that I got stuck on a few of them was a reflection on my own lack of skill. We did jump around but the format was such that we didn't have to go too line For my Intro to Creative Writing course. I liked how Burroway separated her book into chapters.
Some examples she used at the end of each chapter (poems, non fiction and short fiction) kind of confused me because I thought they'd be better examples for other chapters. They were all good examples, though. She does have useful exercises. The fact that I got stuck on a few of them was a reflection on my own lack of skill. We did jump around but the format was such that we didn't have to go too linearly. I do wish the revision chapter had more, though. I used this textbook for an Introduction to Creative Writing class.
While I think nobody explains elements of craft better than Janet Burroway, overall I was pretty disappointed with this textbook. The organization wasn't useful for a class that covers each genre separately, and I found myself having to supplement the readings with a lot of handouts. Students complained that the craft discussions in most chapters dragged on for too long, and honestly in some places I agreed with them. I won't be I used this textbook for an Introduction to Creative Writing class. While I think nobody explains elements of craft better than Janet Burroway, overall I was pretty disappointed with this textbook. The organization wasn't useful for a class that covers each genre separately, and I found myself having to supplement the readings with a lot of handouts. Students complained that the craft discussions in most chapters dragged on for too long, and honestly in some places I agreed with them.
I won't be using this book again. Janet Burroway is the author of seven novels including The Buzzards, Raw Silk (runner up for the national Book award), Opening Nights, and Cutting Stone; a volume of poetry, Material Goods; a collection of essays, Embalming Mom; and two children's books, The Truck on the Track and The Giant Jam Sandwich. Her most recent plays, Medea With Child, Sweepstakes, Division of Property, and Parts of Speec Janet Burroway is the author of seven novels including The Buzzards, Raw Silk (runner up for the national Book award), Opening Nights, and Cutting Stone; a volume of poetry, Material Goods; a collection of essays, Embalming Mom; and two children's books, The Truck on the Track and The Giant Jam Sandwich. Her most recent plays, Medea With Child, Sweepstakes, Division of Property, and Parts of Speech, have received readings and productions in New York, London, San Francisco, Hollywood, and various regional theatres. Her Writing Fiction is the most widely used creative writing text in America, and a multi-genre textbook, Imaginative Writing, appeared in 2002. From Barnard College and M.A. From Cambridge University, England, she was Yale School of Drama RCA-NBC Fellow 1960-61, and is Robert O.
Lawton Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Florida State University in Tallahassee.