Title: Creative Writing: How to unlock your imagination and develop your writing skills

Written by: Adèle Ramet

Published by: How To Books

This book is ideal for the beginner writer who wants an overview of the different genres whether they are writing for children or adults. It covers both fiction and non-fiction and has chapters on character, setting, dialogue, using personal experiences and how to submit to publishers.

Following the familiar how to book format, each of the ten chapters concludes with a handy checklist and an assignment to help you develop your skills and put what you have read into practice. There is also a very useful list of addresses for writing organisations and societies, as well as lists of websites and further reading where you can find more information.

I also have some of Adèle Ramet’s other books on my bookshelf:

Creating a Twist in the Tale: How to Write Winning Short Stories for Women’s Magazines

Writing Short Stories and Articles: How to Get Your Work Published in Newspapers and Magazines

And I have had the pleasure of attending one of her ‘Writing a Twist in the Tale’ workshop. I found her no-nonsense, direct to the point style was reflected in Creative Writing: How to unlock your imagination, develop your writing skills and get published.

Adele Ramet does not ‘tell’ you how to write better, she ‘shows’ you through concise, easy-to-understand examples. By following her advice, you’ll be able to recognise the areas that need sharpening in your own writing and know how to improve them. It is the kind of book you’ll want to refer to time and time again. Packed full of useful ‘insider’ tips on creating professional, potentially lucrative manuscripts it provides a comprehensive guide on how to write on a variety of topics.

It is full of essential tips to hone your skills and help you decide which area of writing you want to concentrate on, or specialise in. In my opinion, Creative Writing is a useful addition to the bookshelf and an invaluable tool for all aspiring authors.

This book was sent to me by the How to Books publishers to review on my blog. There is always a worry when I review books what happens if I don’t like it but, I must say I really like the format of the How to Books. I like the way they use case studies and checklists and they have assignments, so you can practice. A couple of my favourite books published by How To Books are the Pamela Cleaver books on writing for children:

Writing A Children’s Book: How to Write for Children and Get Published

Ideas for Children’s Writers: A Comprehensive Resource Book of Plots, Themes, Genres, Lists, What’s Hot and What’s Not