Crossroads: Creative Writing Exercises in Four Genres

by Diane Thiel

Book by Diane Thiel

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Read For School

402 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Diane Thiel is author of Echolocations and Writing Your Rhythm: Using Nature, Culture, Form and Myth, and Resistance Fantasies (all Story Line Press). She is on the creative writing faculty at the University of New Mexico.

Reviews

[Terri Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this for a collage course that I am currently enrolled in at University of Phoenix. It is a creative writing class. So far I am enjoying the class and the book.

[Richard Jespers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many creative writing texts offer a smattering of examples from published, cherished texts, but well over half of Thiel’s book is comprised of perfectly apt examples to demonstrate all that she wishes to teach. Far from providing her book with padding (I see the wheels moving in the minds of some of you), her examples are a necessary part of the weft of her text. At a time when genres are losing their carefully tended boundaries, this book is a great one to help us understand that unraveling and make the most of it.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book served its purpose for my creative writing course as an undergraduate. The essays were as helpful as any writing book can be, and it's a textbook I've continued to hold onto.

[Alicia Zuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is my idea of a valuable textbook. Diane Thiel includes a very descriptive table of contents. She includes writing exercises with examples and all sorts of priceless information for new and experienced writers to brush up on. She includes four types of genres. Nonfiction, fiction, poetry and drama. I love this book and all I continue to benefit from it.

[Katie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just realized I should start adding all of my school textbooks. This was one of the shortest textbooks I have read. I read most of my school books from cover to cover. Some of them were way too long to read front to back. I liked this book because it included a ton of writing prompts. I had to write stories and memoirs for a Creative Writing course.

[Marichee · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an anthology, this book is just okay, but I would not recommend it as a writing instruction book. I found the information in it to be incomplete and somewhat "popular." In other words, it was written with the idea of selling to a commercial audience rather than giving concrete advice or good prompts for writing.

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of the way this book was constructed. Separating the content from the example was distracting and inconvenient. I will say that the exercises were fun (most of the time), but the example texts were mostly the same cliche example texts every other writing manual ever written draws upon. I wasn't overly impressed, but I did bookmark a fair number of exercises for later use.

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good essays. Pretty helpful in the creative writing department.

[Monique the Book Geek]

I read this book for school.