This post includes a review of a book that I first posted
three years ago. I’m partly reposting it because I’m short of time but, mainly,
I’m reposting it because of a recent encounter with some young writers, aged 9
and 8 years. They are daughters of our friends, very keen readers, and they
love writing. They had both brought a story to read to us as part of their trip.
I was put on the spot and asked to give them some writing tips.
PHEW! This book sprang to mind and I raced to my bookshelf and
brought it out.
The book is packed full of advice, tips and writing prompts
FOR EVERYONE. As the blurb states ‘this
book contains essential skills for storytellers, the secret weapons of
successful authors, and over 50 prompts and exercises to inspire not only young
writers but old and gnarled ones like me too’.
There are four sections: Training your creative monster,
Monster mistakes, When your monster gets stuck, and Feeding your creative
monster. You don’t have to follow it from section to section, it’s designed for
dipping into.
The first exercise invites you to create your own creative monster
and give it a name. It suggests keeping your name secret because the mystery –
that secret bond between writer and monster - is part of its power. Some
monsters do reveal their names as Olaf’s illustrations point out and that is OK
too.
On every page, Olaf Falafel’s illustrations make you smile,
illuminate the concepts, and at times reassure you. For instance, the scary
wind–up monkey says, ‘I wouldn’t say I’m
evil but I do eat beans straight from the tin’.
It is not patronising or dull. The muses are mentioned, rich
vocabulary is used, and grammar and literary concepts are explained with
clarity and warmth. You will find an explanation of Chekhov’s gun and quotes
from Stephen King. It shows you how to create FSPs (Fantastic Story
Possibilities) and to play with metaphors but to mix them at your peril! It
encourages you to make mistakes, because at least you are making something, and
to write fearlessly. There is advice on how to start and run your own writers’
group and support on drafting and editing your work. The editing checklist is
brilliant. The pages of advice on adding rhythm and variety to your sentences
are the best!
The book emphasises the importance of developing your own
style and reminds us that, ‘There are a
lot of so-called “rules” for writing, but rules are like eggs. Not everyone
likes them, some are bad, and all of them were made to be broken’.
A creative monster should visit every school in the land and
deliver a copy to each classroom, but only after making the head teacher say
‘bum glue’ three times in morning assembly.
ISBN 978-1-4063-9662-1
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