Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine
Writing Craft. 176 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Bestselling author of Ella Enchanted and fairy-tale master Gail Carson Levine helps you make magic with your writing!
In Writing Magic, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine shares her tricks of the trade. She shows how you can get terrific ideas for stories, invent great beginnings and endings, write sparkling dialogue, develop memorable characters–and much, much more. She advises you about what to do when you feel stuck–and how to use helpful criticism. Best of all, she offers writing exercises that will set your imagination on fire.
With humor, honesty, and wisdom, Gail Carson Levine shows you that you, too, can make magic with your writing.
My Review:
I love Gail Carson Levine’s work. Some of her books are bright spots in my childhood, but even as an adult I’ve read and reread her work and thoroughly enjoyed it.
When I learned she had books on writing, I was ecstatic to read them! I found the second book she put out first and read through it and felt so inspired by it. Then I eventually found the first book, this one, and finally made time to read it. The last several years I’ve studied creative writing via online courses, podcasts, conferences, and a handful of craft books, but I’ve done so much study with non-bookish tools that I usually spent my reading on other subjects.
About two years ago I experienced some deep hurt that took me away from writing for a season. I’ve prayed through and desired to go back, but each time I tried, I petered out again. Partly I needed more time to heal, but partly, rebuilding the momentum from scratch after spending six years building it up is really, really hard. And this book is the first writing thing that made me feel like I could actually start writing again. <3
Levine is so incredibly creative. Her stories and advice brims with wonder and freedom. There’s no pressure, no mistakes, no judgement. She just brings out the fun in writing again. Each of these chapters are bite-sized, full of inspiring creative wonder, silliness, encouragement, and downright fun. It truly feels like stepping into a world of magic where anything is possible and all steps toward writing are progress, big and small.
Levine is a natural teacher and I can see why she’s run a blog for young writers for who knows how many years. I love that some of those blogs were collected and put into these two books, and I have treasured the rekindling of the joy of writing through this book. Thanks, Levine <3
Also, as a note, even as an advanced writer, none of these felt “too basic” or like I couldn’t find inspiration from them. I rather enjoyed the simplicity of going back to fundamental elements of writing that we all deal with, even as we grow deeper in our craft. I’d definitely recommend this one, and it’s totally kid-friendly, even for the youngest writers.
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Check out some of Levine’s fiction!
Fairest and Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg
If you liked this book, try:
Write Your First Novel, Creating Character Arcs, and Adorning the Dark