Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing by Rozakis, Laurie (2004) Paperback

by Laurie E. Rozakis

You don't have to be a complete idiot to glean something from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing, but it would help to be a complete novice. In a mere 300 or so large-print pages, author Laurie Rozakis sails through the fundamentals of writing novels, short stories, poetry, biographies, textbooks, reference books, magazine articles, plays, and screenplays. Then she offers primers on getting published, finding and dealing with an agent, and the legal issues involved. Whew! There is a lot of useful information here, but any given section tends toward the basic. The tone is perky and enthusiastic, slaphappy funny, and trying a little too hard to be hip--has poetry's place in the world really "changed more radically than Dennis Rodman's hair color"? Interesting tidbits Margaret Mitchell originally planned to call Scarlett, the protagonist in Gone with the Wind, Pansy; John McPhee "accumulated fifteen years of New Yorker rejections before the magazine began buying his articles." Best quirky if you're a romance novelist looking for a pseudonym, try combining the name of your first pet and your mother's maiden name; if you're a soap opera scriptwriter with the same quandary, combine your middle name with the street you lived on as a child.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help

Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick, but very basic primer in all the creative writing genres. Learned a few things I didn't know before.

[Vishal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A neighbor uncle lent me this book when I was hosting a workshop on Creative Writing and what a gem it is. The book came in the late 90s when there were no social media sharing writing tips and it's been handy beyond the workshop, having a detailed approach on various writing forms, from novel, script or screenplay, various forms of poetry and short stories, selling your work, writing blocks and making the moolah. The perfect book to accompany you and Laurie Rozakis's book is for all seasons. I love the exercises in the book on how to get back in shape particularly novel writing or beating the blues. As an aspiring writer or a reader, you need this book on the shelf.

[Terra Sanden · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was starting out my writing career, I did not know what to do and my writing needed a lot of work, but now after reading this book, I have improved my writing skills immensely as well as my novel and my poetry, and I still return to its pages when I need help. I strongly recommend this book to whomever is a beginning their writing career and needs advice.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great guide as an overall view of different types of creative writing. It also includes some exercises to get the creative juices flowing. In the last few chapters it discusses how to get published however some of the information is dated now due to advances in technology.

[Ye Aung · Rating 5 out of 5]

like it.

[Brittney Crook]

Skipped the glossary and notes because… obviously

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very basic overview of creative writing. I enjoyed that it was organized very clearly and provided a quick refresher of everything one learns in school about good writing. I found the author's enthusiasm was motivating, but in some instances was disingenuous. She insists throughout the book that every person has untapped writing talent and that with dedication, "anyone" can become a successful writer. Well, as "anyone" knows, that just isn't true. I'm sure "anyone" can improve their current level of writing skill by using this book, but you simply can't teach talent. In her defense, however, she does state that in order to get writing published, it has to sell...and what better way to sell her book than give us false hope? I did appreciate her honesty on the subject of getting published, consdiering how many other books on creative writing claim a one-way ticket to publication for the aspiring author. She pulls no punches, and provides plenty of statistics on just how unlikely it is for a brand new author to ever have his or her manuscript read. Sobering, really. All in all, a useful reference for literary terms, the publication process, and different kinds of contracts used in book deals.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far this book is good. It's giving me room to expand my level's and/or categories of writing while forcing me to stay grounded and realistic about how much of my time and effort I plug into what I write. I like that the book begins on a very basic level. It really is an "idiot's guide", but I'm not insulted...really!

[Judith Ann Kohnen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Idiot Books. Easy to read, loaded with information. This book covers the fundamentals of writing novels, short stories, poetry, biographies, textbooks, reference books, magazine articles, plays, and screenplays. It also has tips on getting published, finding and dealing with an agent, and the legal issues involved.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reference guide for everyone who wants to explore their creative writing for writing novels. It's a must read. I want to get the second edition too.

[Jay Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good but simple introduction to the many types of writing you can do, e.g. novels, short stories, memoir, screenplay, etc and some personal advice by Rozakis about the publishing business.

[Kresna Luginawati]

Wajib punya buku ini dan wajib kubaca. Dulu mau fotokopi punya temen kuliah, tapi gak enak karena takut ngerusak kertas dan sampulnya :D

[lee]

Very informative and vital to the creative writing process.

[Chris Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's was well written. The copy I read was dated, but had nuggets of information for the writer. I love all the Idiot's Guides

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative on Creative Writing.