Books with category 📝 Creative Writing
Displaying 20 books

The Cemetery Of Untold Stories

2024

by Julia Alvarez

Literary icon Julia Alvarez returns with an inventive and emotional novel about storytelling itself that will be an instant classic.

Alma Cruz, the celebrated writer at the heart of The Cemetery of Untold Stories, doesn't want to end up like her friend, a novelist who fought so long and hard to finish a book that it threatened her sanity. So when Alma inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic, her homeland, she has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories—literally. She creates a graveyard for the manuscript drafts and revisions, and the characters whose lives she tried and failed to bring to life and who still haunt her.

Alma wants her characters to rest in peace. But they have other ideas, and the cemetery becomes a mysterious sanctuary for their true narratives. Filomena, a local woman hired as the groundskeeper, becomes a sympathetic listener as Alma's characters unspool their secret tales. Among them are Bienvenida, the abandoned second wife of dictator Rafael Trujillo, consigned to oblivion by history, and Manuel Cruz, a doctor who fought in the Dominican underground and escaped to the United States.

The characters defy their creator; they talk back to her and talk to one another behind her back, rewriting and revising themselves. The Cemetery of Untold Stories poses the question: Whose stories get to be told, and whose are buried? Finally, Alma finds the meaning she and her characters yearn for in the everlasting vitality of stories.

Readers of Isabel Allende's Violeta and Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead will devour Alvarez's extraordinary new novel about beauty and authenticity that reminds us the stories of our lives are never truly finished, even at the end.

The Fine Art Of Literary Fist-Fighting

2024

by Lee Gutkind

An account of the emergence of creative nonfiction, written by the "godfather" of the genre. In the 1970s, Lee Gutkind, a leather-clad hippie motorcyclist and former public relations writer, fought his way into the academy. Then he took on his colleagues. His goal: to make creative nonfiction an accepted academic discipline, one as vital as poetry, drama, and fiction.

In this book, Gutkind tells the true story of how creative nonfiction became a leading genre for both readers and writers. Creative nonfiction--true stories enriched by relevant ideas, insights, and intimacies--offered liberation to writers, allowing them to push their work in freewheeling directions. The genre also opened doors to outsiders--doctors, lawyers, construction workers--who felt they had stories to tell about their lives and experiences.

Gutkind documents the evolution of the genre, discussing the lives and work of such practitioners as Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Rachel Carson, Upton Sinclair, Janet Malcolm, and Vivian Gornick. Gutkind also highlights the ethics of writing creative nonfiction, including how writers handle the distinctions between fact and fiction. Gutkind's book narrates the story not just of a genre but of the person who brought it to the forefront of the literary and journalistic world.

عدالة وفن

2023

by Tawfiq Al-Hakim

هذا الكتاب هو إحدى مجموعات توفيق الحكيم القصصية الشهيرة.

Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First.

2021

by Laura Tremaine

In a world where social media often masks authentic connection, Laura Tremaine's Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. is a beacon for those seeking genuine relationships. This book isn't just a memoir; it's an invitation to engage in the lost art of personal storytelling.

With 10 thought-provoking questions, Tremaine leads the charge in sharing her own stories first—stories of failure, childhood, and relationships. These questions are more than mere icebreakers; they're a roadmap to deeper friendship and understanding.

As each chapter unfolds, readers are encouraged to ponder their own answers to these questions and to share them with friends. The magic of Share Your Stuff. I'll Go First. lies in its ability to foster connection, empathy, and openness. Reading this book feels like sitting down with a good friend over coffee, sharing laughs, tears, and those personal anecdotes that forge unbreakable bonds.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

For more than thirty years, Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice—it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind.

This thirtieth-anniversary edition includes new forewords by Julia Cameron and Bill Addison. It also includes a new preface in which Goldberg reflects on the enduring quality of the teachings here. She writes, "What have I learned about writing over these thirty years? I’ve written fourteen books, and it’s the practice here in Bones that is the foundation, sustaining and building my writing voice, that keeps me honest, teaches me how to endure the hard times and how to drop below discursive thinking, to taste the real meat of our minds and the life around us."

The Wild Girl

2014

by Kate Forsyth

Dortchen Wild fell in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she saw him. Growing up in the small German kingdom of Hessen-Cassel in the early Nineteenth century, Dortchen Wild is irresistibly drawn to the boy next door, the young and handsome fairy tale scholar Wilhelm Grimm. It is a time of war, tyranny, and terror. Napoleon Bonaparte wants to conquer all of Europe, and Hessen-Cassel is one of the first kingdoms to fall.

Forced to live under oppressive French rule, the Grimm brothers decide to save old tales that had once been told by the firesides of houses grand and small all over the land. Dortchen knows many beautiful old stories, such as Hansel and Gretel, The Frog King, and Six Swans. As she tells them to Wilhelm, their love blossoms. Yet the Grimm family is desperately poor, and Dortchen's father has other plans for his daughter. Marriage is an impossible dream. Dortchen can only hope that happy endings are not just the stuff of fairy tales.

The Interestings

2013

by Meg Wolitzer

In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge. The kind of creativity that is rewarded at age fifteen is not always enough to propel someone through life at age thirty; not everyone can sustain, in adulthood, what seemed so special in adolescence. Jules Jacobson, an aspiring comic actress, eventually resigns herself to a more practical occupation and lifestyle. Her friend Jonah, a gifted musician, stops playing the guitar and becomes an engineer. But Ethan and Ash, Jules’s now-married best friends, become shockingly successful—true to their initial artistic dreams, with the wealth and access that allow those dreams to keep expanding.

The friendships endure and even prosper, but also underscore the differences in their fates, in what their talents have become and the shapes their lives have taken. Wide in scope, ambitious, and populated by complex characters who come together and apart in a changing New York City, The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift and tilt precipitously over the course of a friendship and a life.

راوية الأفلام

ماريا مارجريتا فتاة يافعة من إحدى القرى الصغيرة بتشيلي، اشتهرت بقدرتها العجيبة على إعادة سرد قصص الأفلام ببراعة. فكلما عُرِض فيلم جديد في سينما القرية، جمع السكان لها النقود لكي تشاهده، أيا كان نوعه، سواء كان هذا الفيلم أحدث أفلام مارلين منرو، أو جاري كوبر، أو حتى فيلمًا غنائيًّا من المكسيك.

تشاهد الفتاة الفيلم، ثم تعود بدورها لتحكيه لهم بطريقتها الجذابة. يسرد لنا إيرنان ريبيرا لتيلير بأسلوبه السحري الرقيق والمؤثر قصة يسترجع فيها ذكريات دور السينما في أوج مجدها بأمريكا اللاتينية.

Exercises in Style

2011

by Raymond Queneau

Exercises in Style presents a simple plot: a man engages in an argument with another passenger on a bus. However, this anecdote is retold ninety-nine times, each in a radically different style. Imagine it as a sonnet, an opera, in slang, and in many more permutations. This virtuoso set of variations acts as a linguistic rust-remover and a guide to literary forms.

Fresh

2010

by Dennis Sharpe

FRESH is a collection of poetry created over a scant few months in late 2010. It moves in many different directions but manages to keep a consistent voice.

It has an urgency, and haphazardness to it that celebrates growth, change, and looking forward while still not forgetting what has gone before.

It proves that time spent in college can be good for more than binge drinking and sleeping ‘til noon; learning can actually take place as well.

The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, Volume 1 of 3

2010

by Anonymous .

The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights is a collection of enchanting stories that have captivated readers for centuries. When the beautiful Shahrazad gives herself to the bloody-handed King Shahriyar, she is not expected to survive beyond dawn. But using her wit and guile, she begins a sequence of stories that will last 1001 nights.

These stories include tales of 'ifrits and money-changers, princes and slave girls, fishermen and queens, and magical gardens of paradise. This volume also features the well-known tale of 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'.

Along with this landmark new translation, Robert Irwin's introduction discusses the many cultures The Arabian Nights has drawn on and the elaborate structure of the story-within-a-story that defines the collection. The book delves into the recurring themes of money, merchants, debts, locked doors, and the intricate dance of sex and power.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book

2008

by Jeff Kinney

Now every kid can write like a Wimpy Kid! An exciting companion to the bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

“First of all, let me get something straight: This is a journal, not a diary.” This innovative interactive journal based on Greg Heffley’s own “diary” lets kids express themselves in an exciting new way. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, kids will be asked:

  • What was the best dream you ever had?
  • The worst thing you ever ate?
  • The best secret you ever heard?
  • The most trouble you ever got in for something that wasn’t even your fault to begin with?

This Do-It-Yourself Book features art throughout, along with ruled and blank pages for readers to create their own stories, keep their own diaries, and record their favorites and least faves.

Includes a bonus full-color comics section featuring the collected cartoons of Greg Heffley and his best friend, Rowley.

Includes 16 pages of full-color comics!

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

2007

by Oliver Sacks

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks explores the intriguing place music occupies in the brain and its profound effects on the human condition. With his trademark compassion and erudition, Sacks presents a variety of what he calls musical misalignments.

Among the fascinating stories are:

  • A man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two.
  • An entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth.
  • Individuals with amusia, to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans.
  • A man whose memory spans only seven seconds—for everything but music.

This illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable book delves into the mysterious power of music, highlighting its ability to evoke memories, emotions, and sometimes uncontrollable forces within us. Musicophilia is a masterpiece that not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also sheds light on the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind.

Lighthousekeeping

Lighthousekeeping tells the tale of Silver ("My mother called me Silver. I was born part precious metal, part pirate."), an orphaned girl who is taken in by blind Mr. Pew, the mysterious and miraculously old keeper of a lighthouse on the Scottish coast. Pew tells Silver stories of Babel Dark, a nineteenth-century clergyman. Dark lived two lives: a public one mired in darkness and deceit and a private one bathed in the light of passionate love.

For Silver, Dark's life becomes a map through her own darkness, into her own story, and, finally, into love.

Jeanette Winterson, one of the most original and extraordinary writers of her generation, has created a modern fable about the transformative power of storytelling.

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting

2005

by Syd Field

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field is a classic guide that has launched a generation of successful screenwriters into the film industry. This revised edition offers a fresh insider’s perspective on the ever-evolving world of film.

From the initial concept to creating compelling characters, from the opening scene to the finished script, Field provides easily understood guidelines to help aspiring screenwriters—from novices to seasoned writers—hone their craft. Discover essential techniques:

  • Why the first ten pages of your script are crucially important
  • How to visually 'grab' the reader from page one, word one
  • The significance of structure and character as the foundation of your screenplay
  • Adaptation techniques for novels, plays, or articles into screenplays
  • Legal tips on protecting your work
  • Crafting great dialogue, creating memorable characters, and building a robust storyline

Filled with personal anecdotes and industry insights, this book is a step-by-step, comprehensive technique for writing a screenplay that will succeed in Hollywood. Syd Field, revered as the master of screenplay story structure, continues to set the gold standard for learning the art of screenwriting.

Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties

2004

by Ajahn Brahm

Laugh your way to enlightenment with this inspirational and light-hearted collection of stories from beloved Buddhist teacher Ajahn Brahm. The 108 pieces in the international bestseller Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? offer thoughtful commentary on everything from love and commitment to fear and pain.


Drawing from his own life experience, as well as traditional Buddhist folk tales, author Ajahn Brahm uses over thirty years of spiritual growth as a monk to spin delightful tales that can be enjoyed in silence or read aloud to friends and family.


Featuring titles such as “How to Be a VIP” and “The Worm and His Lovely Pile of Dung,” these wry and witty stories provide playful, pithy takes on the basic building blocks of everyday happiness. Suitable for children, adults, and anyone in between, this eloquent volume delivers insight and inspiration in a humorous and engaging voice.


This book contains both encouraging, uplifting stories and thoughtful teachings in Ajahn Brahm’s characteristic joyful style. Ajahn Brahm helps us navigate all of life’s difficulties and beautiful moments. Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung? is certain to be an enjoyable addition to any individual or family’s most treasured collection.

Letters to a Young Poet

In 1903, a student at a military academy sent some of his verses to a well-known Austrian poet, requesting an assessment of their value. The older artist, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), replied to the novice in this series of letters — an amazing archive of remarkable insights into the ideas behind Rilke's greatest poetry. The ten letters reproduced here were written during an important stage in Rilke's artistic development, and they contain many of the themes that later appeared in his best works. The poet himself afterwards stated that his letters contained part of his creative genius, making this volume essential reading for scholars, poetry lovers, and anyone with an interest in Rilke, German poetry, or the creative impulse.

Twice-Told Tales

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of such short-fiction masterpieces as Young Goodman Brown and The Minister's Black Veil, is regarded as one of the most significant American writers of the nineteenth century. Twice-Told Tales is a collection of short stories that showcases Hawthorne's unique ability to weave intricate tales that delve into the human psyche and moral complexities.

This volume gathers many of his most famous short works, providing a fitting compendium of his literary achievements for newcomers or longtime Hawthorne fans alike. The stories, originally published in magazines and annuals, bring forth themes of individuality, societal norms, and the supernatural.

Contents Include:

  • The Gray Champion
  • Sunday At Home
  • The Wedding Knell
  • The Minister's Black Veil
  • The Maypole of Merry Mount
  • The Gentle Boy
  • Mr Higginbotham's Catastrophe
  • Little Annie's Ramble
  • Wakefield
  • A Rill From the Town Pump
  • The Great Carbuncle
  • The Prophetic Pictures
  • David Swan
  • Sights From a Steeple
  • The Hollow of the Three Hills
  • The Toll-Gatherer's Day
  • The Vision of the Fountain
  • Fancy's Show-Box
  • Dr Heidegger's Experiment
  • Legends of the Province House
  • The Haunted Mind
  • The Village Uncle
  • The Ambitious Guest
  • The Sister Years
  • Snow-Flakes
  • The Seven Vagabonds
  • The White Old Maid
  • Peter Goldthwaite's Treasure
  • Chippings with a Chisel
  • The Shaker Bridal
  • Night Sketches
  • Endicott and the Red Cross
  • The Lily's Guest
  • Footprints on the Sea-Shore
  • Edward Fane's Rosebud
  • The Threefold Destiny

Red Earth and Pouring Rain

1995

by Vikram Chandra

Red Earth and Pouring Rain combines Indian myths, epic history, and the story of three college kids in search of America. This captivating narrative includes the monkey's story of an Indian poet and warrior and an American road novel of college students driving cross-country.

An Indian student, home from college in the U.S., shoots a monkey who turns out to be the reincarnation of a poet. Subsequently, the two take turns telling their stories. The poet recalls epic deeds of glory in fighting the British Raj, while the student narrates tales of materialism and boredom in America.

In this astonishing tale, the gods Hanuman, Ganesha, and Yama descend on a house in an Indian city to vie for the soul of a wounded monkey. A bargain is struck: the monkey must tell a story, and if he can keep his audience entertained, he shall live. The result is a tale of nineteenth-century India: of Sanjay, a poet, and Sikander, a warrior; of hoofbeats thundering through the streets of Calcutta and the birth of a luminous child; of great wars and love affairs and a city gone 'mad with poetry'.

Woven into this tapestry of stories is a second, totally modern narrative, the adventures of a young Indian criss-crossing America in a car with his friends and his eventual return to his homeland.

Aesop's Fables

The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature.

First published in English by Caxton in 1484, the fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the story of the tortoise and the hare, or the boy who cried wolf?

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