Spilling tears of regret

Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook
by Ann Mazer and Ellen Potter



This is a book I wish I'd read forty years ago.  I always wanted to write, and I always did write, but I never wrote often enough or adventurously enough.  With this kind of encouragement, my life might have turned out a whole lot different.

There wasn't any fan fiction on the internet in my younger days (there wasn't even any internet), and the idea of writing down stories to share with my friends would never have occurred to me.  And I had the idea that writing, any writing, had to be totally original.  I might make up stories in bed at night--The Continuing Adventures of the Scarecrow of Romney Marsh starring Erika of Krumm--but they would never be written down or shared with the public.  It's a shame.

Enough about me--back to the book.  It's funny--lively--chock full of examples.  Most of the short chapters include an "I Dare You" bullet, challenging you to try the ideas out for yourself.  And best of all for any writing "how to" book, you're always encouraged to break all the rules.

Highly recommended, for all ages.