Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
    Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
    Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
    Audiobook3 hours

    Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly

    Written by Gail Carson Levine

    Narrated by Gail Carson Levine

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fairy-tale master Gail Carson, the bestselling author of Ella Enchanted, guides writers of all ages on how to develop their craft, with practical advice and heartfelt encouragement.

    In Writing Magic, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine shares her tricks of the trade. She shows how you can get terrific ideas for stories, invent great beginnings and endings, write sparkling dialogue, develop memorable characters—and much, much more.

    She advises you about what to do when you feel stuck—and how to use helpful criticism. Best of all, she offers writing exercises that will set your imagination on fire.

    With humor, honesty, and wisdom, Gail Carson Levine shows you that you, too, can make magic with your writing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 24, 2013
    ISBN9780062319067
    Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
    Author

    Gail Carson Levine

    Gail Carson Levine's first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Ever, a New York Times bestseller; Fairest, a Best Book of the Year for Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal and a New York Times bestseller; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; A Tale of Two Castles; Stolen Magic; The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre; Ogre Enchanted; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction books Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink, as well as the picture books Betsy Who Cried Wolf and Betsy Red Hoodie. Gail Carson Levine and her husband, David, live in a two-centuries-old farmhouse in the Hudson Valley of New York State.

    More audiobooks from Gail Carson Levine

    Related to Writing Magic

    Related audiobooks

    Children's For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Set the Hook With Great Beginnings

      Oct 18, 2021

      As a novice fisher, I’ve only caught a few fish, but I’m already thinking about better ways to hook more. Likewise, as a writer, I think a lot about how to write beginnings that will hook readers. Just as fishing advice abounds, so too does writing a

      4 min read

    • Article

      Beat Sheet Or Cheat Sheet?

      May 5, 2022

      If you’ve not yet encountered the Save the Cat! books you will, because the original book Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need (2005) proved so successful it led to a franchise which now includes at least seven volumes, inclu

      8 min read

    • Article

      Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word

      Oct 18, 2021

      Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word
      7 min read

    • Article

      Anna-Marie McLemore Speaking in Magic

      Aug 16, 2021

      A family of tightrope walkers with feathers growing in their hair. Five queer Latina cousins creating the lush estate gardens that reveal their shared love for the same woman. A girl appearing from an enchanted water tower. Magic is often how I write

      2 min read

    • Article

      Pantser Or Plotter?

      Jan 29, 2022

      When you write a story or a novel, you’re undoubtedly focused on turning out a good one. That’s the product. But what about the process? Are you a so-called plotter, one who creates summaries and outlines before clicking out your story or novel? Or a

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Failure Artist: Writing Bullshit, Getting Rejected, and Keeping at It

      Aug 7, 2018

      A few years ago, in a moment of white-hot inspiration, I wrote the climactic scene of a book I had only half finished. The novel is a love story, and at that point, one of the few things I knew about how it would end was that one of the characters wo

      8 min read

    • Article

      Winners Take All!

      Mar 7, 2024

      Congratulations to everyone who entered the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize 2023! There were 61 entries in the chapter book prize category and it was very tricky whittling them down. However, we are delighted to share our top three winning ent

      7 min read

    • Article

      Button Chair

      Dec 16, 2020

      THE anxiety simmers and sputters, threatening to spill over into the sunshine of the day. I am consumed by the trivial things on my to-do list: E-mail this person, put the dishes away, vacuum the living room, balance the checkbook. And then there is

      6 min read

    • Article

      Perfection

      Jun 9, 2020

      For years I could barely write a page. I thought I was becoming a virtuoso of smallness while the grief, which is wordless, occupied an ever-greater volume. My friend lived in the estates on the bad side of town. Let’s go to the forest, she said when

      9 min read

    • Article

      Anne Lamott

      Nov 2, 2020

      Anne Lamott
      6 min read

    • Article

      Creative reading (PART 2)

      May 4, 2023

      Creative reading (PART 2)
      6 min read

    • Article

      Eoin Colfer

      Dec 4, 2019

      Eoin Colfer
      4 min read

    • Article

      Getting Over The Gap

      Jul 7, 2022

      Getting Over The Gap
      6 min read

    • Article

      Adulting in Motion: The Millions Interviews Emma Straub

      May 1, 2020

      I was working to better understand women in my mother's generation—maybe mothers in all generations—mothers who are further down the road than I am. The post Adulting in Motion: The Millions Interviews Emma Straub appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Celeste Ng

      Nov 2, 2020

      Celeste Ng
      12 min read

    • Article

      Alan Cumming

      Nov 1, 2021

      Alan Cumming
      5 min read

    • Article

      Sea Of Dreams

      Feb 14, 2020

      Sea Of Dreams
      5 min read

    • Article

      Muse Mail

      Nov 1, 2023

      Muse Mail
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Poetry No. 114

      Jun 5, 2023

      The Art of Poetry No. 114
      29 min read

    • Article

      Never Too Late

      Oct 5, 2023

      Never Too Late
      3 min read

    • Article

      Nuggets of Humor

      Jun 15, 2020

      There’s no subject too taboo for humor author Samantha Irby. From her Bitches Gotta Eat blog where she started writing to her three essay collections, Irby has told real-life stories about everything from her tribulations with Crohn’s disease to easi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Choice Spreads

      Feb 6, 2020

      Choice Spreads
      6 min read

    • Article

      I Used to Give Men Mercy

      Feb 12, 2018

      I Used to Give Men Mercy
      12 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Writing Magic

    4/5

    167 ratings47 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Save what you Wrote! This book may set its sights on fiction, but through it Gail Carson Levine reminds us why it is important to write often, and save everything. Another constant is her commitment to positive thinking, and a conscious rejection of unhelpful criticism and critics. This is important for someone who has not had the kind of positive voice that Gail provides for her readers and her students. As with the other sections of this book, revising and writers block are addressed in ways that talk to the angst of young writers, but for the most part this book would be useful for any writer in need of some help getting around any creative block.
    • 5/5
      Such an inspiring and instructive book, read so charmingly by the author. I realize it is geared to younger, budding authors, but I am an experienced writer in my 60s and I loved her energy, kindness, generosity and wisdom. So happy I discovered this Magic!
    • 5/5
      Amazing book about writing storys with impact.
      The most suprising thing was the underlying layer of myth in story structure.
    • 4/5
      Levine is the person who wrote Ella Enchanted. I liked that book so much I wanted to check out her non-fiction book on "how to write". I thought, by the title, it would have to do with specifically magic and fantasy, but no, it's writing in general. That's not a bad thing.This is one of the better writing books I've read. Liked it more than "Bird by Bird" (but that's not a high bar to jump for me). The focus is on prompts and exercises (i.e. you learn to write by writing). It also never wears out its welcome. Some books emphasize sentence structure and adverb placement -- too much nitty gritty. This one doesn't care, and it shouldn't. It's wants you out there and producing.However, it is definitely skewed toward younger audiences. Middle school and high schoolers will get more out of this book than I did from Stephen King's "On Writing".
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      I purchased this for my son (10) to use in our homeschool curriculum this year. As a writer, I understand the need to build the foundations early, and this guide offers that in a fun, witty, yet easy to understand. Last year, my son began creative writing on his own. He loves building worlds, characters, and engaging his imagination. I couldn't ignore it, but I realized I needed help.

      After reading over each lesson and the instructions, I'm in love. I even found myself asking, "Where was this when I was his age?"

      While a seasoned author might not find anything new in this book, I do think it has a place on our shelves. For me, it will be for creating memories with my children through the exercises, while honing my craft, and engaging their imaginations. That's priceless.
    • 4/5
      Writing magic has many tips to enhance your creative writing skills. The author uses language to make the reader feel comfortable about writing and addresses possiblew problems and fustrations that can arise during the creative writing process. Levine constantly propts her readers to save their writings and stresses the importance of every bit of writing you do. This advice helps students who may not see much value in the writing they do in class that seems to come back with more red marks than not.Levine also stresses that writing should be a fun endeavor. This approach helps keep even hesitent students interested in the writing process. I would recommend this book for instructional purposes.
    • 4/5
      Levine makes writing seem easy and fun in her instructional work, which is refreshing due to the fact that writing can sometimes be daunting. I especially enjoyed how Levine stressed that those who read her book should save everything they write, even if they do not like what they have written down. I have often found myself feeling negative and overly critical of my own writing, so I decided to take this advice to heart. Rather than completely deleting a piece of writing that I had worked on, I saved it and walked away. After a day or so, I returned to my writing, and was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed what I had previously despised. Excellent advice from Levine.I would absolutely use excerpts from Levine's work to assist my students when they are working on written assignments, or if they would like to improve their writing styles for personal work. I think Levine's work is age appropriate for the grade level that I am going to teach, and I am excited to use it in my classroom.
    • 5/5
      This book is very motivational in spurring creative writing in the reader. As an adult, I found many of the ideas useful and I know my students would as well. Students often don't know where to begin with writing, and once started they certainly don't always follow through. This book provides how-to steps and ideas to work through the creative process from brainstorming to revising. I've not used this book in my classroom before, but would like to make future plans to do so. I believe it would be a great way to start the year with writing before jumping into graded assignments.
    • 5/5
      I don't teach English, but my students surely could use the tips from this book. The friendly, conversational style voice of the author makes this book seem fun or at least non-threatening to a younger audience. The writing exercises are simple yet also fun so the reader may be likely to actually try them. If I were teaching writing to my students, I may have them work through the exercises of this book and give feedback with one another as a kind of peer support group exercise. As it is, I could still have students read the introduction and perhaps some chapters to help them improve their writing skills in essays or critical responses to their readings. After all, we did have a "historical fiction" project in one of my classes this year, so the lessons Mrs. Levine offers would still be relevant to my field (social studies).
    • 3/5
      "Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly" is a wonderful book for students to start their journey of creative writing. Gail Carson Levine's book is packed full of useful tips and suggestions that students can apply to their writing process. The tone of the book is conversational, which students may find easier to read. There were many times I found myself thinking how I wished I had this book when I was in school as I encountered many of the problems with my writing that she addresses in the book; however, I did not have anyone or any references that told me it was okay to start another story before finishing the last one. If using this in a class, I would include graphic organizers for the students to help organize their thoughts.
    • 4/5
      With Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly, Gail Carson Levine has provided a cure for writer's block. At least this is what I took away from her wildly informative book. Levine gives simple yet creative techniques to improve your writing. With each chapter the author introduces an aspect of the writing process and couples it with a technique to combat the problems writers may face with addressing this aspect. Often, the techniques are addressed in a manner that is less "Do this and it'll work" and more "So there's this technique. I tried it. I think it works. You should try it some time." In other words, Levine makes a point to be conversational and casual in her descriptions, which I find attractive as a reader. It is in her conversational voice that Levine hooked me into her book. I loved how she discussed the techniques in this way. I feel that it makes the content of the book ,as a whole, more approachable and therefore readable. As a "How-To" book, for me it read more like a series of emails from a helpful friend--who happens to have a thorough understanding of the writing process. The only fault I could find with the book is its sometimes repetitive nature in terms of format. It's a small gripe, but I frequently felt myself wanting to be surprised by the format from chapter to chapter. This book would be exceedingly helpful in creative writing activities in English classrooms, but also in any subject that requires some type of writing assignment to be completed. I can easily see a teacher pointing students in the direction of Levine's book. Even if a teacher only wanted to focus on one aspect of the writing process, Levine's book is organized to allow for this particular focus.
    • 4/5
      This book is excellent for middle school writers, especially those making the big jump from 4th to 5th grade, or in my experience, 5th to 6th grade. The amount of writing that is required in these grade is huge, and their writing abilities change so rapidly and profoundly during this middle school years. I imagine this to be a great opportunity to remind students that writing is supposed to be fun, creative, and exciting. It is also a great reminder that your work is never complete and you are always in the process of editing, narrowing, compounding, changing, redrafting, and rewriting. I think the author's suggestions are very usable and helpful, and her tone is approachable and friendly. The reason why I gave this how-to non-fiction book a 4 out 5 stars was because I thought the readers could use more charts, graphic organizers, and picture so the student could visualize their own drafting process. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel and pictured myself, as an adult, using some of these tips. Some examples that I found helpful was the insight that if you want to write about a bank robbery, start with the bank robbery, start with the action. Otherwise, writers may scrap the idea before you get to the meat of the idea or story. Another tip I found useful was reminding the students about character development and the length of each paragraph. No one can relate to a shallow character. and the task of taking on a thick, long paragraph at once is overwhelming. I see myself keeping this book on my shelves in either my middle school or high school classroom. In fact, had I known about this book earlier, I would have loved to assign this as required summer reading for my incoming 6th graders. I think this book would be helpful to students in upper grades who are wither struggling with writing, or want to embark on writing a novel. The book has some great, easy-to-read or DO suggestions for young writers. In addition, the simplicity of the vocabulary, the tone the author takes, and the clear font, size, spacing of the text gives the overall impression that it is the actual WRITING, not the reading of this book, that is the task at hand.
    • 5/5
      I wish that I had read Writing Magic as a middle school student. The quick, information packed chapters along with Levine's conversational tone made me put my book down and start writing a story. In other words, it works! Many books that contain writing tips have a condescending tone regardless of whether they mean to. Levine knows that starting to write is a scary and personal process. However, she does not sugarcoat the tough stuff, either. She points out that you may hate revising and abandon projects as much as you want - but if you want to be a published author you must revise and you must finish a story. Her examples and references to her own work, such as "Ella Enchanted" and "Dave at Night" were helpful; however, I do think that a familiarity with these works would make the message clearer.In a classroom, this could easily be a weekly writing project/assignment. Using a chapter or so a week, students would have the chance to make a portfolio with all of their writing - good and bad. I could create writing groups as well, allowing students to learn what constructive criticism is. By the end of the year or semester, the students would be able to notice the progression of their stories and what worked or what did not. I'm looking forward to using this text as a mentor text in my classroom.
    • 4/5
      Levine's book leads the reader on a journey of how to become a really good writer. The overall message is one of you must write and save everything. In each chapter, she explains how to make do a specific technique or writing style and then gives the reader a writing assignment to complete. I am thinking of pulling some of the activities to use with my own class. I think this would serve as a great text for a middle school or high school creative writing class.
    • 5/5
      Gail Carson Levine is an amazing fiction writer. Her books are magical and they take the reader to different worlds. In her book, WRITING MAGIC, Levine helps students learn what it takes to write a powerful fiction story. This book would be great to use in a writing class as a textbook. Throughout the chapters, Levine gives great activities for writing to help develop writing skills. Writing can sometimes feel daunting to students, but this book makes writing feel stress-free. Levine infuses her books with humor and helpful tips to inspire the reader. Levine is very honest in the book about dealing with critics and what to do when you get writers block. This book helps young writers understand that writing is a process that takes time and patience. Overall, this book is effective in helping students understand writing.
    • 4/5
      This is a writing book aimed at kids or teens, but it's actually a nice, concise, enjoyable-to-read book on writing that includes pretty much everything of importance. And yet not necessarily things you know already. Even when it is something you know, you may not have solidified that knowledge, or fully absorbed it. You may not have looked at it in quite the same way as presented here.One thing she's adamant about is that young writers save their work. When you're older and wondering how you thought when you were a kid, that writing is going to be pretty much the only thing you have to go by. Well, and all those embarrassing YouTube videos you and your friends made.Anyway, I definitely recommend this to young writer and older writers. New writers and journeyman writers. A good little book!
    • 5/5
      Writing Magic is intended as a resource guide to help students, or anyone, become a creative writer. Levine breaks it down into very small bite sized chunks, how to practice each individual skill, over and over, and how to combine them. It reads like a conversation, and has consistent breaks where she instructs the reader to write. In fact, instructing the reader to write is the foremost piece of advice she gives. As an instruction manual, it is ideal, because it gives practical, deliberate instruction, not vague ideas, and it gives examples of how to implement these strategies, with suggestions for how to practice.It is written accessibly, like a story almost, so it does not feel blocky or authoriarian in the advice it gives, as many instructional resources have a tendency to do. I came away from this book wanting to teach creative writing; or, more accurately, wanting my Physics students to keep a "creative science journal." This book is for the teacher or the self motivated student, and while I don't know if it works, I do know that if you take your time with it, you will enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      This is a fabulous book to use with
    • 4/5
      This book reminded me of Harry Noden's Image Grammar, in which Noden argues that students should imitate great writers because great writers are master craftsmen (and women) who can show students finesse points of writing. Levine takes her own text, Ella Enchanted, and shows her readers how to work through certain pitfalls, like conflict, characterization, and resolution. Reading about how to accomplish a specific task in writing is one thing; to see a writer reveal how it is accomplished is probably the more powerful and the more permanent lesson. The most helpful feature of the book is the index; this allows the reader/writer to locate specific issues that need to be resolved, like conclusions. I enjoyed the book. I'd keep a copy in my classroom to make available to student writers for self-help issues.
    • 3/5
      Gail Carson Levine lends her knowledge of creative writing to this how-to book on story writing. The book is organized, and offers exercises and helpful strategies to benefit the creative process.Any middle school class with fiction writing at the base of the curriculum would value this book. Although the narrative isn't particularly lengthy, the book may lend itself to a classroom setting in sections. There are many exercises within the book (one for each chapter), and most require extensive, time-consuming writing.
    • 4/5
      While the first word that pops out at you is that of "Magic", not quite what one would expect of a nonfiction book, Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly is an engaging how-to book. Geared towards students, I would highly recommend this for either middle school or even high school. Each chapter expresses a new concept in writing and gives activities at the end for the reader to try their hand at. A remarkable book, I think it would prove an asset to any English teacher's curriculum.
    • 3/5
      Writing Magic is a how-to guide for aspiring young authors of fiction, as well as a tool Language Arts teachers can use to further the understanding of literature and the writing process. Gail Carson Levine uses simple language, sound advice and vivid examples to lead readers through the process of writing. With a warm, conversational tone and a flexible approach to writing, Carson reveals how to crush useless self-criticism, begin a story, create inviting 'white space',develop characters and dialogue, select point of view, create suspension of disbelief, and generate ideas. The end of each chapter contains a writing activity designed to provide an opportunity to develop a specific skill or element. These activities could also be used by English teachers as an addendum or enrichment in class to further a particular literary element. For example, in Chapter 14, point of view is outlined in a way that not only benefits writing, but encourages a reader to become more aware of author's intention and style. The chapter illuminates the thought process behind the section of perspective as well as demonstrates the effect. Overall, Writing Magic serves as an effective way to teach reading and writing in a more holistic manner.
    • 5/5
      An inspiring book that will compel any non-writer to at least consider writing and any writer to work harder at it. Although this is written for adolescents, it clearly applies to writers of any age-- especially writers of children's books. The short, punchy chapters are each filled with at least one quick writing exercise to do. Levine's text is also filled with lots of tips for how to make writing a regular lifestyle (without needing to sit down). As a person who has loved to write my whole life, and who sadly rarely/never has time or ideas, this book has given me a fresh outlook and motivation to work at it again. Levine's "no excuses" approach is both fun and firm, and her voice here is both humble and humbling. I would recommend this book to anyone teaching writing or pursuing the writing craft themselves.
    • 3/5
      This book was a great practical look at techniques that can be used to improve creative writing. There is a definite focus on hands on exercises that offer constructive writing experience. The book appeals to writers of varying skill levels and can also offer insight into effective reading and analyzing of literature as well.
    • 3/5
      The book was really good. I’m not a writer but I’ve always wanted to write a book. After reading this book it makes me feel like I can actually to write something good. I like how this book has little writing assignments throughout the book. The book also has a positive message to all students who want to be writers and those just have to write for school. I thought it was different to read nonfiction book helping you write a fiction stories. If I was an English teacher I would try and use this in my class.
    • 3/5
      A good read for young writers who are interested in the creative writing process. Author Gail Carson Levine dose a great job explaining the writing process in layman’s terms and takes the pressure of writing and makes it a fun learning experience through numerous exercises. This book is geared towards children who already have an interest in writing and I don’t know how well it would appeal to a child who has not personally pursued writing. This would make an excellent summer project book.
    • 4/5
      In this book geared towards the young aspiring writer, Levine gives step-by-step advice on writing a story. This book is about writing fiction. Levine starts by encouraging the creativity of the reader and how to ignore the doubting voices in one’s head. She continues to cover virtually every aspect of building a story, from getting ideas, to developing characters, establishing a setting, introducing details and so on. Each chapter has a writing exercise that reinforces the lessons learned within the chapter. This is an easy read, and I can envision young readers utilizing it as a reference. Rather than reading through it once, doing each writing exercise in order, I could imagine a young reader referring back to certain chapters and repeating certain exercises as needed. And I believe they would find it helpful and useful. As someone who has never delved deeply into writing fiction, I found Levine’s insider’s view of the process interesting, and I think young readers will, too.
    • 5/5
      If I ever teach writing to middle school children, I will definitely use this well-written, how-to book in my class. In fact, I have referred this book to the middle school writing teacher at the school in which I teach. I like that Gail Carson Levine was very positive about any kind of writing, and really emphasized that it is okay to not be perfect the first time one writes. I think that young kids really need the positive reinforcement that she offers, especially when it comes to writing.I also like the writing activities offered in each chapter, since it is directed for youngsters to work on one aspect of their writing and write about creative, out of the ordinary things. I would recommend this book to young people who love to write or are interested in writing. I would also recommend this book to teachers who teach writing. Overall, I believe it had a lot of very useful tips for developing writers, and would love to be able to use it in my classroom one day.
    • 5/5
      After reading this book, I wish that I would have had this back when I started in school as a child. I have never been much for writing anything. Over the years, all of the english classes that I ahve been in have tried the same approach to the task. All of the previous books that I have used for writing have been more scientific and written from the standpoint of writing workshop. You followed a set plan on how to write. If you didn't understand, then you shouldn't be a writter.Levine has created a book that gets you involved with the process of writing. She draws you in with her worlds. At times it doesn't feel like this would be considered non-fiction. That is how she gets you. You forget that you will be writting anything because she makes it so easy.