A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing Dramatic Technique, Individual Style and Voice

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Derek Neale Dr Heather Richardson (Open University, UK)

A Creative Writing Handbook

Name: A Creative Writing Handbook
Price: 52.99 AUD
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ISBN: 9781350497795

Developing Dramatic Technique, Individual Style and Voice

Derek Neale, Dr Heather Richardson (Open University, UK), Dr Emma Claire Sweeney (Open University, UK) , Dr Siobhan Campbell (Open University, UK)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic
13 November 2025

Film, TV & Radio; Creative writing & creative writing guides; Writing & editing guides

An essential guide for writers of fiction, poetry, life writing and drama, A Creative Writing Handbook offers expert advice on structuring compelling narratives and cultivating distinctive voices. Writing, research and editing activities combine with rich and varied examples to help develop the skills and techniques a writer needs. This hands-on approach examines scriptwriting for different media and considers how skills and techniques from one form of writing might usefully cross over to others: how does a short story become a film? How are techniques from scriptwriting employed in novels? And how might poets and life writers fruitfully engage with the strategies of dramatists and writers of prose fiction? This second edition has been extensively updated with content that reflects current developments in forms such as life writing, flash fiction and audio drama. It includes examples of work by a wide range of writers using a variety of styles and approaches, showcasing the diversity of contemporary writing.

For individual writers, writing groups and courses, and writers’ workshops, A Creative Writing Handbook provides:

creative techniques for developing short stories and novels

detailed introductions to stage, audio and film writing

strategies for incorporating dramatic techniques in poetry

thought-provoking approaches to life writing

practical guidance on layout and adaptation techniques for different media

exciting activities to help writers discover new approaches, strengthen their writing, and develop their own practice and voice. A Creative Writing Handbook has been written by nine published authors and creative writing lecturers who have taught at institutions including the University of Cambridge, the University of East Anglia and New York University. It is edited by Derek Neale, a fiction writer and dramatist who is Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at The Open University, and Heather Richardson, Emma Claire Sweeney and Siobhán Campbell, Senior Lecturers in Creative Writing at The Open University, who are variously novelists, short story writers, poets and authors of creative non-fiction.

Edited by: Derek Neale, Dr Heather Richardson (Open University, UK), Dr Emma Claire Sweeney (Open University, UK), Dr Siobhan Campbell (Open University, UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions: Height: 262mm, Width: 210mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 1.440kg
ISBN: 9781350497795
ISBN 10: 1350497797
Pages: 552
Publication Date: 13 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Derek Neale is Professor of Creative Writing at the Open University, UK. He is the author of the novel The Book of Guardians (2012) and is a script and short story writer. He taught both script and fiction writing at UEA before joining The Open University. He edited and co-wrote A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing dramatic technique, individual style and voice (A&C Black/Bloomsbury, 2009); co-authored Writing Fiction and Life Writing (2009) and was a principle author in Creative Writing: a workbook with readings (2006). Derek is lead educator on the OU/FutureLearn Start Writing Fiction which attracts thousands of writers. His volume Writing Talk – collected interviews with novelists, playwrights, screenwriters and life writers - was published in 2020. Heather Richardson is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Open University, UK She has published two novels: Magdeburg (2010) and Doubting Thomas (2017). Her poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in journals and anthologies in the UK, Ireland and Australia, and she is a former winner of the Brian Moore Short Story Award. She has a particular interest in multi-modal writing, with recent projects combining textiles, digital art and flash fiction. Her textile art has been exhibited at the International Linen Biennale (Lisburn, 2018) and at the F.E. McWilliam Gallery (Banbridge, 2019).

Reviews for A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing Dramatic Technique, Individual Style and Voice

PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION The teaching of the book works by reproducing extracts of successful published material, examining how and why it works, and giving exercises that will help you improve your own style by using the lessons from these examples * Writing Magazine * Provides a valuable course in how to think about the art and craft of writing * Writers Services (December 2009) * What is beguiling about the writing is the style - these are not academic propositions: they are translations from experience and practice * David Morley, Professor in Creative Writing, Warwick University, UK *