Carlos Inigo Roxas' Review of Brainard's Fundamentals of Creative Writing, Revised and Expanded Edition

 

A TEXTBOOK ON CREATIVE WRITING 

By Carlos Inigo T. Roxas 

Published in the Inquirer Lifestyle, Aug. 31, 2024 (reprinted with permission from the author)

I recently read the book “Fundamentals of Creative Writing (Revised and Expanded Edition)” by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, celebrated author and editor of over a dozen books.

Brainard, who hails from a prominent family in Cebu, has received awards, grants and fellowships including a 40th National Book Award for Best Book Short Fiction English. She runs Philippine American Literary House (PALH) and has taught the Writers Program at UCLA-Extension, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California and California State Summer School for the Arts. She gives talks, lectures and literary readings at various universities and arts/literary centers. And so, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she’d create a textbook for writers.

In the preface of her book, Brainard narrated her own journey in writing and how she got to where she is today. She shared the fundamentals of creative writing, which she simplified to guide her students.

“I witnessed my students blossom in six or nine weeks. The best students were the ones who admitted they knew very little ... My students would learn a concept or two each week. They would try their hand at dialogue or creating a character, for instance, and next week they would learn some new concepts ... By the end of the quarter, many of them were writing stories or personal essays,” she said.

Carlos Inigo Roxas's Review of Brainard's Fundamentals of Creative Writing, Revised and Expanded Edition

Many thanks to Manila writer Carlos Inigo Roxas who wrote this lengthy article for the Inquirer Lifestyle about the release of my FUNDAMENTALS OF CREATIVE WRITING, REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION.

"In the book, I saw a delicate balance between show and tell. The examples show Brainard's mastery of the craft and shines a light for aspiring writers.

As a young novice writer myself, I find this work of Brainard, along with her novels and short stories, to be appealing. With "Fundamentals of Creative Writing (Revised and Expanded Edition)," one can learn and enjoy the process of learning." ~Carlos Inigo T. Roxas, Inquirer Lifestyle, Manila, 9/1/24

The book is available from https://www.amazon.com/dp/1953716415

 

 

Tags: how to write creative writing,  fundamentals of writing, basics of creative writing, essentials of creative writing, beginning creative writing, fundamentals of fiction writing, fundamentals of creative non-fiction, creative writing basics. creative writing essentials

 

Creative Writing Class - Coming up!

I'm teaching Essential Beginnings of Creative Writing at the Writers Program, UCLA Extension Nov. 4-Dec.15, please call 310-825-9415 for more information. This is a good beginning class that covers the real basics: character, character development, tension, plot, conflict, etc.