Writing Magic - non-fiction reviewed by Diana Foster

Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly

By Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine is a Newberry Honor author of novels for children such as Ella Enchanted. In Writing Magic she has written a piece of non-fiction to help aspiring young writers find their voices in writing fiction. She begins the book with her rationale for writing the book and how she became an author. She wants young writers to know the importance of writing frequently and being “kind to your writing self”.

Each chapter touches on a different aspect of writing with examples from her books as well as other books. Each chapter contains writing exercises to help inspire writing and build skills. I read a few chapters with my class and completed a few of the writing exercises, and we all grew as writers through the process. One example of an activity was called “noticing”. We all went outside and found a spot away from anyone else. We sat in silence for 10 minutes and wrote in our Author’s Journals about what we noticed using all of our senses. After we returned to the classroom, the students had a chance to share what they noticed.

At the end of each chapter there is a section called “Writing Time!” She provides a variety of writing prompts that the reader can use to practice writing with their new skills. The prompts are creative and fun with suggestions for personalization. This is a book that I will continue to use with my class as well as recommend to aspiring young writers.