Write : a 30-day guide to creative writing / Sarah Quigley.

Preface -- What to do with a trayful of objects -- Famous, infamous - or just plain ordinary? -- The electric fence -- Borrowing a springboard -- When superstition strikes -- The benefits of neighbours -- Hunter-gatherers -- Tinker, tailor, professional writer -- Apples and pears -- Nelson's lover and the second voyeur -- Conquering the cliché -- Grist to the peppermill -- Liar liar -- Two hundred and forty thousand words -- And a side order of fear -- Following the paper trail -- Conditional love -- Like sand throught the hourglass -- The fine line between writers and magpies -- The things we take for granted -- The white shoes that decided to live -- Amongst books -- A way of healing -- T.S. Eliot was a banker -- Heroic villains, and villainous heroes -- Dioramas and Turkish castles -- Seasoning the mix -- Secret agents -- The final lap.

Many people want to write but don't know where to start. Write is designed for aspiring fiction writers wanting to kick-start the imagination. Packed with activities and daily tasks, it offers guidance through the basic stages of writing creatively: inventing plot and dialogue, crafting characters, dealing with setting, pace and structure, and even overcoming writer's block. Original, stimulating, and often funny, this is the ideal guide both for the independent writer, and for tutors and workshop leaders. Sarah Quigley is an experienced novelist, poet, columnist, and short-story writer. With this book she shares some of the 'tricks of the trade', demystifying the art of writing and offering insights into the creative process.