I'm happy to announce that Cecilia Brainard's FUNDAMENTALS OF CREATIVE WRITING, REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION has been released and can be found at amazondotcom.
The Revised edition is a practical how-to-write book that can be used as a text book or it can be read by those interested in learning how to write. The author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, an award-winning fiction writer, who taught for over 25 years at UCLA Extension's Writers Program and other universities, shares all the tools needed to write fiction and creative non-fiction. She breaks down the basic elements of creative writing such as setting, scene, character, conflict, dialogue, plot, and so on into sections. Each section starts with a concept, followed by related exercises, and a story or two to illustrate the creative writing component just discussed.
This book includes the author's advice to beginning writers, and a lengthy interview of the author, in which the author discusses her background, what got her started in writing, the struggles she faced, her development as a writer. She also discusses the genesis of some of her stories including her three novels.
The author's no-nonsense approach makes this book useful to many instructors of Creative Writing who will appreciate the straightforward guidance, writing activities, and complementary stories in the book. This book, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, Revised and Expanded Edition offers more information to demystify and explain the writing process thus enhancing the learning experience of the beginning writer.
An earlier edition of this book was published in 2009 by Anvil in the Philippines, now out of print. The book was used by many teachers in their classrooms. During the time of Covid, and to help teachers and students, the author made the first edition Fundamentals of Creative Writing available online for free. Thousands availed of this pandemic free offer.