Unlock Your Inner Writer: A Guide to Creative Writing with a Writer's Notebook

Reader: Clear and simply written. Easy enough to use with youngsters and adults who consider themselves as 'novice' writers. Copy we received was clearly well used.

United Kingdom on Sep 12, 2023

BDiane: Such a great book not only for children but adults as well. As a person finally taking her writing seriously and wanting to start writing fiction this book has given me a blueprint of some sorts to how I can collect thoughts, feelings, and words that I might able to use in my stories. This book puts to death my feelings of not knowing what to write about. I have always been fascinated by people who collect things now I can say I'm a collector of thoughts, feelings, words, and stories. So thankful for this book.

United States on Apr 24, 2022

federica: Letto con piacere, ijglese semplice e lineare, l'autore fa molti esempi pratici di utilizzo del taccuino. Mi ha aiutata ad approfondire maggiormente l'uso di questo strumento per me e i miei studenti. Consigliato.

Italy on Sep 09, 2021

Krysta Belliston: I was inspired as a teacher and writer. I reflected on how to improve and I’m excited to put back the joy of writing in my classroom. It’s the one thing my students dread at the beginning of the year. I love all the list ideas for brainstorming or beginning to write —for FUN!

United States on Aug 13, 2021

Flaviana Fabozzi: Si, va benissimo.

Italy on May 30, 2021

Cassandra R. Jones: I am a published writer and I was excited to find this book for my kids to introduce them to the concept of the writers notebook I didn't actually expect the book to go into detailled explanations of what a writer notebook is and how to keep one it is a children's book after all and often books written for kids assume limited intellectual powers is part of childhood I was glad to see the author of this book was able to talk to children in an age appropriate manner he neither talked down to them nor used words they were unlikely to be able to understand on the contrary his word choice was most often whet their curiosity and thirst for more I can't ask for better than that

Canada on Jun 08, 2017

Whispering Stories: The book is easy to read and full of useful information. He quotes alot of high school students in his book who for their ages seem to have mastered the art of creative writing and poetry and it was nice to read their thoughts.
It gives some insight into the notebooks of some successful authors.
I found this book so helpful i bought another of his books, 'finding a process that works for you'

United Kingdom on Jan 07, 2015

Natasha L.: I am a student teacher currently in a middle school (7th and 8th grade) writing classroom. This book was recommended to me as a resource by my cooperating teacher. It is such a great resource! My coop has been using this book since September to create the students' Writers Notebooks, and it is phenomenal! The advice in here is awesome for anyone of any age looking to create a writer's notebook. The students seem to really like having a notebook that can also function as a journal. On days when they aren't instructed to write for ten or fifteen minutes in the beginning of class, I find that I still see students pulling their Writer's Notebooks out of their backpacks to write about whatever is on their mind. I asked one student who seemed to be so absorbed in his writing to the point of distraction what it was he was writing about. He responded that he is working on a story right now that he uses every opportunity he has to write in his notebook. Needless to say, a day or two later he told me he needed another notebook because he ran out of empty pages in his current writer's notebook! I am actually going to create my own once student teaching is over so I can organize my ideas and...

United States on Feb 11, 2012

Kimberlee A Kile: Kimberlee Kile
April 21, 2011

Fletcher, Ralph. (1996). A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. New York, New York: HarperCollins.

Fletcher's A Writer's Notebook is an adolescents' guide to everything that a writer's notebook should contain. The chapters are divided into important aspects of the writer's notebook such as lists, memories, and mind pictures. Fletcher's text is approachable and friendly to the young writer. Perhaps the most important use for the writer's notebook, according to Fletcher, is that it "gives you a place to live like a writer, not just in school during writing time, but wherever you are, at any time of day" (3). Through his own ideas and stories, Fletcher encourages young writers to think like writers and use their notebooks as a tool to store and "incubate" ideas (30).

Beginning writers are challenged to start small, by noting small, important, little details of their lives. He even urges them to write in fragments or lists in their notebooks because these always have the potential to lead to deeper writing. There is a chapter devoted to "mind pictures" where he encourages students to pay attention to their world and...

United States on Apr 26, 2011

Ram Sam: While this book is written for a Young Adult audience, I just love reading about writing (of course hoping to jump in someday and do it) and this is a very good book to get you going.
Fletcher takes you step by step into the hows and whys of creating and keeping a Writers Notebook, and discusses the birth of great ideas from little notes on life. He also touches on great tips like writing with honesty, including about things that hurt the most.
While I believe this to be an inspiring book for all (I now have 2 notebooks for my writing observations) I see it as an impressive gift, along with a small nice notebook, of course, for that little someone in your life who may have the gift to see, and write, life as it is to them. If you enjoy the idea of writing your self, this is a great place to start.

United States on Mar 20, 2002