Ads #50: BEST CREATIVE WRITING BOOKS FOR BEGINNERS

1. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Scribner

Print Length: 320 pages

Release Date: 2 June 2020

Price: ₹1,199.00 (price may vary)

Review

Twentieth Anniversary Edition with Contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S TOP 100 NONFICTION BOOKS OF ALL TIME

Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.

“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

About The Author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

2. The Elements of Style

Author: William Strunk (Author), E. White

Publisher: Pearson

Print Length: 128 pages

Release Date: 1 October 1999

Price: ₹1,469.00 (price may vary)

Review

You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book's unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing.

About The Author

William Strunk, Jr. first used his own book, The Elements of Style, in 1919 for his English 8 course at Cornell University. The book was published in 1935 by Oliver Strunk.

E. B. White was a student in Professor Strunk's class at Cornell, and used "the little book" for himself. Commissioned by Macmillan to revise Strunk's book, White edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of The Elements of Style.

3. Zen in the Art of Writing

 

Author: Ray Bradbury

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Print Length: 136 pages

Release Date: 21 May 2015

Price: ₹747.00(price may vary)

Review

In this exuberant book, the incomparable Ray Bradbury shares the wisdom, experience and excitement of a lifetime of writing. The first thing a writer should be is – excited Author of the iconic FAHRENHEIT 451, the ILLUSTRATED MAN and the MARTIAN CHRONICLES, Ray Bradbury is one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Part memoir, part master class, ZEN IN the ART OF WRITING offers a vivid and exuberant insight into the craft of writing. Bradbury reveals how writers can each find their own unique path to developing their voice and style. ZEN IN the ART OF WRITING offers a celebration of the act of writing that will delight, impassion and inspire.

About The Author

Ray Bradbury (22 August 1920 - 5 June 2012) published some 500 short stories, novels, plays and poems since his first story appeared in WEIRD TALES when he was twenty years old. Among his many famous works are FAHRENHEIT 451, the ILLUSTRATED MAN and the MARTIAN CHRONICLES.

4. STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST

Author: Austin Kleon

Publisher: GENRIC

Print Length: 400 pages

Release Date: 1 January 2022

Price: ₹199.00(price may vary)

Review

Austin Kleon is a writer and artist living in Austin, Texas. He's the author of two bestselling books: Steal Like an Artist, a manifesto for creativity in the digital age, and Newspaper Blackout, a collection of poetry made by redacting newspaper articles with a permanent marker. He speaks about creativity for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. Steal Like an Artist" is a New York Times best-selling book written by Austin Kleon that presents a unique and creative approach to generating new ideas and developing one's artistic voice.

The book emphasizes the importance of embracing influence, rather than fearing it, and encourages readers to explore their own unique perspectives and creative impulses. Through a series of engaging and insightful chapters, Kleon offers practical advice and inspiration to aspiring artists, writers, and other creatives. He discusses the value of working within limitations, the benefits of embracing mistakes and failures, and the importance of cultivating a creative community. The book is filled with colorful illustrations, hand-written notes, and thought-provoking quotes, making it a visually stimulating and entertaining read. Whether you're an established artist or simply looking to unlock your creative potential, "Steal Like an Artist" is a must-read that will inspire and empower you to take your creativity to the next level.

About The Author

Austin Kleon is a writer and artist living in Austin, Texas. He's the author of two bestselling books: Steal Like an Artist, a manifesto for creativity in the digital age, and Newspaper Blackout, a collection of poetry made by redacting newspaper articles with a permanent marker. He speaks about creativity for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. Visit him online at www.austinkleon.com.

5. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

Author: Natalie Goldberg

Publisher: Shambhala Publications Inc

Print Length: 224 pages

Release Date: 2 February 2016

Price: ₹1,195.00 (price may vary)

Review

The all-time best-selling writer's handbook turns thirty.

With insight, humor, and practicality, Natalie Goldberg inspires writers and would-be writers to take the leap into writing skillfully and creatively. She offers suggestions, encouragement, and solid advice on many aspects of the writer's craft: on writing from "first thoughts" (keep your hand moving, don't cross out, just get it on paper), on listening (writing is ninety percent listening; the deeper you listen, the better you write), on using verbs (verbs provide the energy of the sentence), on overcoming doubts (doubt is torture; don't listen to it)—even on choosing a restaurant in which to write. Goldberg sees writing as a practice that helps writers comprehend the value of their lives. The advice in her book, provided in short, easy-to-read chapters with titles that reflect the author's witty approach ("Writing Is Not a McDonald's Hamburger," "Man Eats Car," "Be an Animal"), will inspire anyone who writes—or who longs to.

About The Author

Natalie Goldberg lived in Brooklyn until she was six, when her family moved out to Farmingdale, Long Island, where her father owned the bar the Aero Tavern. From a young age, Goldberg was mad for books and reading, and especially loved Carson McCullers’s The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, which she read in ninth grade. She thinks that single book led her eventually to put pen to paper when she was twenty-four years old. She received a BA in English literature from George Washington University and an MA in humanities from St. John’s University.

Goldberg has painted for as long as she has written, and her paintings can be seen in Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World and Top of My Lungs: Poems and Paintings. They can also be viewed at the Ernesto Mayans Gallery on Canyon Road in Sante Fe.

A dedicated teacher, Goldberg has taught writing and literature for the last thirty-five years. She also leads national workshops and retreats, and her schedule can be accessed via her website: nataliegoldberg.com

In 2006, she completed with the filmmaker Mary Feidt a one-hour documentary, Tangled Up in Bob, about Bob Dylan’s childhood on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. The film can be obtained on Amazon or the website tangledupinbob.com.

Goldberg has been a serious Zen practitioner since 1974 and studied with Katagiri Roshi from 1978 to 1984.