Writing Magic audiobook

I'm pretty sure I owe Gail Carson Levine my soul for convincing me to save everything I wrote.When I was eleven and read this book for the first time, I was desperate for help: I could not control my drive to write, but knew that everything I wrote was garbage, and was caught in a constant cycle of hand-cramped creativity and furious rage over how incapable I was. I wanted to be able to improve, and although no book could ever be a magical fix, this one offered some helpful advice and got me thinking about writing in a more analytic, matter-of-fact way. "Writing Magic" taught me that writing was really not magic, and that there were simple things I could do to make my stories more readable. I owe a lot to this book, because even though I developed some bad habits from inaccurately following suggestions I took as rules, for the most part, this book did nothing but help my writing slowly develop. In the following years, I have read lots of other good books on how to write, but this was the one that began it for me, and gave direction to my uncontrollable creative urges. It and my memory of that age are inextricable. This was a huge part of my life, and became a significant part of my approach to writing of any kind.I was just now sorting through piles of papers, delighting in the heaps of old notebook paper stories I found. Back when I wrote them, I was keenly embarrassed and knew how bad they were, but now that I am years older, I see them through a different perspective. Technically, they are horrible, but because I was so young when I was writing them, the prose, vocabulary, and basic attempts are actually rather impressive. This is encouraging, and it's an experience I could only have had in a limited sense without Gail Carson Levine urging young writers to save everything they ever wrote, no matter how bad they thought it was.I have almost completely taken her advice, since it's not my fault that a computer crash in 2009 robbed me of a couple year's of stories. (I've never gotten over it. And if you're reading this review in 2050, this statement will still be true, because I never will get over that loss.) But thankfully, I wrote on both the laptop and notebook paper, so I still have many stories from that period of my life; thanks to this author's urging, I never threw them away. Weirdly enough, I'm eighteen now, and lots of time has passed since I first read this book and since I wrote those old stories. My perspective has changed, and just like she promised, I now see great value in everything I wrote, because it captures a frame of mind and a time that is now history. It's hard to believe that I'm really old enough to be having this experience, but skimming through piles of old stories made me stop and think about how deeply, powerfully grateful I am that I wrote, and that I saved all these stories diligently, no matter what I thought of them. Feeling that surge of gratitude, I knew I had to go dig up my Goodreads rating of this book and add a review. Thank you, Gail Carson Levine, for your influence on my writing and your effectual persuasion to Save What You Write.

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.comAlthough WRITING MAGIC is geared towards young adults, this is the perfect helper for anyone who has ever wanted to write a book. Creating stories is hard work. It takes practice, discipline, and dedication. It would be nice to think that writing a book simply means sitting down and typing up words, but, alas, it really doesn't work that way. Thankfully, though, we have Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Honor author of some of my favorite books (ELLA ENCHANTED, THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE, and FAIREST, to name a few) who has taken the time to put together WRITING MAGIC. Filled with tons of wonderful tips about becoming a great writer who creates even greater stories, there are also writing exercises to get those creative juices flowing. The book is broken down into five sections, with several categories in each: Section one is entitled Liftoff, which includes A Running Start, Why I Wrote This Book, Shut Up!, Eureka!, Getting into It, and Noticing. Section two, Heart and Guts, includes The Nitty-Gritty, The Kiss of Life, Character Helper, Suffer!, Talking, Back to Beginnings, Where Am I?, Who Am I?, Voice, and Happily Ever After--Or Not. Section three, Plowing Through, includes Stuck!, The Operating Room, and Writers' Groups and Other Helpers. Section four, Digging Deeper, includes Show and Tell, Abracadabra!, I'd Recognize Her with My Eyes Closed, Speaking Body Language, Method Writing, Writing Funy/Writing Punny, The Right Moniker, and Fiddling with Fairy Tales. The final section, called Writing Forever, includes Writing for Your Spirit, Putting Your Words Out There, and Exeunt Writing. I loved the writing exercises included in WRITING MAGIC. From the simple (writing brief character descriptions) to the more advanced (writing convincing dialogue), this book is a great tool for anyone. If you've ever wondered how to get started writing a story, ever questioned how to get that great book idea down on paper, this is the guide for you. Pick up a copy of WRITING MAGIC, try the exercises, take Ms. Levine's words to heart, and you're guaranteed to write anything--story, e-mail message, diary entry--with an easier flow and style.

Strong 8 out of 10 Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly is a book that teaches all about the ins and outs of writing. I do someday aspire to become a novelist, so this book really appealed to me. It gave me some fantastic pointers on how to write stories and characters. This book also goes in-depth about how to gather ideas for creating books. I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing all of the author's personal examples about how she came up with her writing. I read Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink, before I read this book, and I think this book provides a more tight and entertaining experience in terms of writing advice. This book is quite high on my re-read list since I want to re-experience some of the advice. One thing that stood out when recalling my brain for this book is all of the great examples that the author gave along with the advice, and I really appreciate that. If you have someone in your life who wants to be a writer, whether that be you or someone else, I'd recommend reading this book or recommending it to the said writer in your life.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I hate reading books on writing. They're all either dry, give bland advice, or they repeat what they say over and over again, and it feels like reading one of the countless OTHER books out there on writing.This book doesn't feel that way for me. I've adored Gail Carson Levine since I was a child. Ella Enchanted was one of the books that made me who I am today, steered my interests towards fractured fairy tales. I've read many of her books, and she is somebody I recommend to nearly everybody who asks. I hadn't realized she wrote two books on writing, so I was thrilled to find they were both only 3 dollars on Amazon! Levine doesn't go into much detail as to bore a reader, but the small details she gives makes an impact. She related her chapters to actual parts of her own life: she talks about how it was a struggle to finally get published, how peers have helped her, how shes used some of the actual prompts in this book to help her get through tough times. Many books on writing do the same, but Levine kept me interested. It's great (but scary) reading about how one of the favorite authors of my childhood struggled with the same things I've struggled with.She kept the style of this book personal and easy to follow, without force. My eyes usually begin to glaze over in other books on writing I've read, but that never happened here.I also enjoyed many of the prompts in this book. Basically, I love Gail Carson Levine, and while I feel I didn't learn much of anything new, I feel rejuvenated.

Cool little book. I always learn something new and important reading these.:)

I. Love. This. Book. Writing Magic is not the type of book on writing that tells you how to write. It is more a book of writing prompts and exercises. Mrs. Levine doesn't tell you how to write, she just gives you advice and examples of things like writing in the third person, or writing details in your stories. One of my favorite chapters is Writers' Groups and Other Helpers. It is about being involved in writers groups, or just letting others see your writing. As a writer I know how it is to let others see your writing. You worry if they will like it, you worry what people will say, etc. There is nothing wrong with helpful criticism, but there are times when a lot of criticism is not helpful and just plain mean. I've experienced that myself. What she says on how to deal with them not so helpful helpers is great advice.The book also talks about finding your own voice in writing and gives you prompts to help you. I've started writing a story with one of the prompts in the book and it is fun and great practice. There are many different prompts and writing exercises to pick from.But, you don't have to do the prompts or exercises. It is just a great book to read about writing. The way Mrs. Levine writes about writing, about connecting with your story, characters, details and just believing in yourself, is quite positive and inspiring. I think a lot of discouraged writers could use this book to give them some hope. Writers need positive and inspiring books like this because so many other books, web sites, people, often discourage writers and tell them they have hardly a chance of making it. This is definitely not one of those books. And I also like The Writer's Oath in the first chapter of the book.I've been writing for a long time and probably didn't need to read this, but I am glad I did. I feel that I've taken a lot from reading it. I highly, highly recommend this book for writers or those who want to start writing.

My mom ordered this book for me years ago (when I was in my early teens) after I read Ella Enchanted and wanted to read everything that Gail Carson Levine had to offer. She did not read the description so she did not realize that it was not a story, but rather a collection of tips on how to become a writer yourself. When this book arrived and I got my first glimpse of the cover and title I thought it would be about a girl who could write something down and then magic would happen from the words (like "Bedtime Stories" before it came out). I was initially disappointed but after I finally picked it up and started reading it, I was glad my mother had gotten it for me. Although I never became a writer, I spent several years wishing I could be and scribbling stories down in my notebooks. This book started me thinking I could do it if I wanted to and gave me a much bigger appreciation for all that writers do.

I read parts of this book during college for a creative writing class, but this is my first time finishing it. I appreciate Gail's words and advice so much more now that I've become a serious writer. So many things she says resonate with me, and I feel inspired (and nervous) to improve my craft.Wow, I highly recommend this book for writers of all ages. Yes, some of her examples are geared towards a more juvenile audience, but I feel they still can encourage anyone no matter the season or walk of life.Thank you, Gail, for your words!!

while this was written for young writers, I found it very inspiring as an adult. the content is concise and well thought out. there are plenty of writing exercises and they are not cheesy. her advice are solid and not just fluff. this is a good reference to return to again and again.

This was very much writing 101 for children and young adults. I enjoyed it but it wasn't groundbreaking. I more so enjoyed this book for seeing behind the scenes of Gail's books and seeing her specific writing process.

This is a great little book! It is obviously targeted at a younger audience and it is perfect for that. It's short, simple, but gives great information and is very encouraging. Even as an adult, I felt I came away a better, more motivated writer and, as a big fan of her other books, loved learning more about Levine's life and writing process!