Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing
If you’re reading this, you’re probably a writer, or you aspire to be one.
So where do you start? How do you navigate this craft and find your place in it? What’s the best way to turn your thoughts and ideas into words, paragraphs, and pages?
Ready, Set, Write shows you what you can write and how you can write it.
Explore various forms of creative writing and stretch your author muscles as you create and polish new and original works. Learn how to stay motivated and inspired, and put together your own writer’s tool kit packed with everything you need to do your work.
Plus, get tons of ideas for projects and activities to help you write more along with tried-and-true writing tips that will help you write better.
Created for hobbyists and aspiring professionals alike, Ready, Set, Write is structured to be used by individuals or in the classroom. It’s ideal for young and new writers, and it works as a refresher for seasoned scribes.
Are you ready to start your writing adventure? Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing will show you the way.
Check Out the Reviews
Melissa Donovan’s Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing is an excellent overview of the craft of creative writing and a valuable resource for beginning or continuing one’s journey in creative writing.
Donovan begins her book by explaining what creative writing is, reasons for writing, and how to get started. Next, she describes how creative writing looks. If you think creative writing ends with fiction stories and novels or poetry you’re only touching the tip of the iceberg. Donovan gives brief descriptions of all types of creative writing, from the familiar stories and poems to letters and song lyrics.
The section on tools for writing is straight-forward and practical; it may be irrelevant for seasoned writers, but helpful for novices. “Getting Creative” is a useful section detailing how to get creative and stay creative, with suggestions such as reading, observing, and practice, practice, practice.
The next section is titled “Doing the Work,” and Donovan offers suggestions and helps for actually doing the act of writing. Reading books about writing (like Ready, Set, Write) make writing sound fun, but it is a different story when you’re staring at a blank page or screen. Donovan gives encouragement regarding inevitably terrible first drafts and proposes ideas for staying motivated and getting in “the zone.”
The final section, “Keep Writing,” is chock-full of various tools, tips, and ideas. Donovan’s compiled list of writing tips contains so many treasures to unpack, and her list of projects and prompts will keep a writer busy for months.
Overall, this is an excellent guide book for creative writing. It is a great place to start if you want to get into creative writing. If you are already a seasoned writer, there will not be as much new information, but I think even expert writers can gather inspiration and motivation from Donovan’s questions, practices, and tips.
I will enjoy having this book handy to refer to when I need motivation or help at any point in my writing process: getting started, getting writer’s block in the middle, or finishing up a project and polishing the draft.
***I was given this book as a member of Writing Forward’s Book Review Team, but all opinions are honest and my own.
Ready, Set, Write is the perfect tool for aspiring writers who need a little structure and clarity on the various types and approaches to the writing process. The book is structured to provide descriptive information in the beginning of each chapter and end with a suggested activity. The book is an easy read and can easily be implemented as a daily workbook activity. I enjoyed the overview of different writing mediums and decided to complete the activities as a daily writing goal. So far, the task acts as a motivator and I can move on to other projects.
Ready, Set, Write is an easy read that provides questions to think about and activities at the end of each chapter. It’s an excellent book that you can refer back to time and time again. One particular chapter resonated with me so much I picked up a book I had been working on and was finally able to finish the rough draft. This is definitely a book to have in your collection of writing tools. I would recommend this book for all writers – from beginners to seasoned ones; there’s always something new to learn.
Something for Everyone!
Aspiring writers as well as experienced writers will find Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing informative, helpful and refreshing. The chapters are short; easy to digest. There are questions accompanying chapters, and activities to sharpen your skills (and to enjoy!).
If you’re a beginner, it’s a thorough introduction. Use it like a scope and sequence to discover what you’d like to delve into more deeply. I’d recommend reading it before you attend a writers conference—and again after you get home.
Advancing writers will see if there are any holes to be filled. It’s also a fun nudge, an encouragement, and you’ll likely find ideas you haven’t come across before.
Read straight through or skip and dip as desired.
I found technology tips to help me, as well as a variety of ways to organize my work. And I will refer to this book again for inspiration.
You’ll find resources, ways to curate your ideas, how to cultivate creativity, and where to find writing ideas. You are sure to find a project to try out.
Prepare to mine this gold field of a book!