Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft, 5th edition

For introductory courses in creative writing.

A sound, multigenre introduction to the craft of writing

Imaginative Writing is a concise, multigenre introduction to writing that informs, inspires and provides meaningful practice, without overwhelming students or instructors. Best-selling author Janet Burroway introduces creative techniques shared by all forms of imaginative writing: image, voice, character, setting and story. Students then focus on development and revision and learn to apply previous chapter skills to creative non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama.

The 5th Edition expands the reach and diversity of examples in each genre to more vibrantly illustrate the literary techniques at hand.

Hallmark features of this title

• Organized to enhance learning, the text helps students understand 5 creative techniques shared by all forms of imaginative writing (image, voice, character, setting, and story) before focusing on individual genres (creative non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama).
• Chapter-opening “Warm-Up” exercises employ visual inspiration to captivate new writers.
• “Try-This” exercises throughout each chapter help students develop the writing skills discussed in chapter content.
• “Working toward a draft” exercises encourage students to develop their ideas into complete drafts.
• 70 complete readings in the 4 genres are integrated into chapters.
• Appendices provide information and practice, with A focusing on poetic form, and B illustrating common line-editing symbols.

New and updated features of this title

Expanded diversity of examples

• NEW: Non-fiction selections now include offerings from authors Ayse Papatya Bucak, Roxane Gay, Peter Ho Davies, Richard Blanco, (Natalie Lima, Peggy Shinner), and Avni Doshi.
• NEW: Fictional pieces now include examples by authors Stephen Graham Jones, Chimimanda Ngozi Adiche, Edward P. Jones, Langston Hughes, (Judith Claire Mitchell), Rita Chang-Eppig, Chang-rae Lee, Shanteka Sigers, Akweki Amezi, Chetna Maroo, Ida Fink, and Kim Fu.
• NEW: Poetry examples now include selections by Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, Chrystos, Gary Soto, Tom C. Huntley, Pauline Caldas, Diane Glancy, Naomi Shahib Nye, and Toi Derricotte.
• NEW: Drama selections now include the work of playwrights Ajitha L. Reddy, (Greg Lam), Janet Burroway, and (Hallie Palladino).

Updated glossary

• REVISED: The glossary has been slightly expanded to include more terms covered in the text.