Writing Magic; Creating Stories that Fly

Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite Young Adult writers.

She is responsible for such fairytale retelling stories as "Ella Enchanted," "Fairest," and the original "Dave at Night." Her reimaginings are incredibly vivid and original, even when she is using old archetypal stories such as Cinderella and Snow white to base them. She creates a world with its own rules and order, and it all makes sense from where it came. I admire her imagination as well as her magical, concise writing style.

I just picked up her new book called "Writing Magic," and although it is directed at a kids' audience, it's a lot of fun for any age. The author gives writing prompts in every chapeter and basically prods at you to write whenever, wherever, and whatever you can. She encourages you to be creative or not, write when you have no ideas, and save everything you write.

Well, I'm writing this to say that I'm excited about this book, not only reading it, but making an effort to write, write, write.

not because I WANT to,

but because I NEED to,

becasue I am a writer,

and writers write because we have to,

Physically, it makes me feel healthier, and it makes me see things I didn't know I was thinking/feeling. It helps me to uncover ideas I haven't yet had; it takes my mind on a journey and wears me out. andwith each word I write, I become a better writer!

Do you know, that last week I was writing a story, and I came to a point where my character was waiting for a bus. I wrote the esentence, "Her toes were pointed squarely at the curb," and I stopped. I gasped a little with glee. and chuckled under my breath in the coffeshop where I was sitting, because this was the first time I have used the word, "curb" our loud or written down in over two years! it just hadn't come up, and here in Korea I've been losing my words as I less often speak in English to native speakers. But do you know? since I wrote that sentence I have said/written/heard this word 15 times in the past week. Theres some value to me, rediscovering words that I know I know, but haven't thougth to use. Since coming here, I use the words "VERY VERY," and "So" more than I thought was possible. I have a fear of becoming less concise, less descriptive should I stay here any longer. and I am determined that this will not happen. and so I write. I write often. I write profusely, with generous hands, and an open mind. hoping to discover something, someone, within my thoughts. to create, unearth, reinvent. to save, remember, remind myself. who I am, was, will become. in these words I write. I love to write!