Write Right!: Creative Writing Using Storytelling Techniques

Haven's breakthrough approach to creative writing uses storytelling techniques to enhance the creative writing process. This practical guide offers directions for 38 writing exercises that will show students how to create powerful and dynamic fiction. All the steps are included, from finding inspiration and creating believable characters to the final edit. Activities are coded by levels, but most can be adapted to various grades.

Haven's breakthrough approach to creative writing uses storytelling techniques to enhance the creative writing process. This practical guide offers directions for 38 writing exercises that will show students how to create powerful and dynamic fiction. All the steps are included, from finding inspiration and creating believable characters to the final edit. Activities are coded by levels, but most can be adapted to various grades.

VOYA

Language arts teachers understand, and try to convey to their students, that writing is an evolving task. They know that it is up to them to provide the strategies to ignite their students' efforts. Based on this premise, Haven's text succeeds as a clear, practical, and comprehensive resource for the labor and adventure of writing short stories in the classroom. In a methodical, systematic approach to crafting a believable short story, the book is divided into five parts. Beginning with a brief introduction about the myths and difficulties of writing a story, the author moves to a thorough explanation of character development, dialogue, point of view, and descriptionfundamental elements of storytelling. Word choice, evaluation, and editing are highlighted as well. There are activities designed to complement the terminology throughout the text and a glossary of writing terms. Other helpful features to note are the elaborately described writeright exercises, including "guided visioning" and "the sceneandsequel game," as well as a list of additional writing references. One shortcoming is that the author does not promote the reading of published authors as a source of inspiration and instruction for the fledgling writer; modeling an author's craft should not be forgotten when implementing these activities and strategies. Nonetheless, this text belongs in the classrooms of English and other teachers developing minilessons and activities to help students write their own short stories. Glossary. Index. Illus. Further Reading. 1999, Teachers Ideas Press, Ages Adult, 240p, $26 Oversize pb. Reviewer: Beth Gilbert

KENDALL HAVEN is a nationally recognized master storyteller and the author of numerous books, including Marvels of Math, Write Right!, and Close Encounters with Deadly Dangers. A former research scientist, he is based in Fulton, California.