Book description
Developed by The Open University, this textbook offers an innovative
introduction to the study of the English language and the practices,
skills and strategies of creative writing. For anyone studying English
Language or Creative Writing at tertiary level or in higher education,
or for developing writers and those interested in the nature of
linguistic creativity, it offers a uniquely integrated approach. Readers
will better understand the structure and uses of language and be able to
use a full range of strategies in crafting and developing their own writing.
Offering a detailed investigation of language, the authors examine both
everyday use and examples from literature and the media to illustrate
the diverse ways in which language is used in a variety of social
contexts. They consider accent and dialect, standard and non-standard
English, how language use varies according to its purpose, and the
relationship it has to identity.
Interwoven with the study of language are creative writing chapters that
introduce strategies for the reader to draw upon in their own writing.
Practical writing exercises develop the ability to select and shape
language for different effects, create 'voice' in a story, and utilise
patterns of sound in the composition of poetry. This unique textbook
will develop a better appreciation of language in use, as well as the
skills to craft writing in distinctive ways. From Language to
Creative Writing
is for anyone who loves to read and write the English langauge.
Teachers and students at sixth form, college and university will enjoy
the deft, clear and jargon-free way it connects aspects of English that
are usually seperated... Key concepts of language study inform a highly
developed approach to creative writing... Beginning students will find
the book unusually direct and helpful, while teachers and practitioners
of language study and creative writing will develop their practice by
example of the author's seamlessly integrated approach. Philip
Seargeant is Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the Centre for Language
and Communication, The Open University, UK. He is the author of
Exploring World Englishes: Language in a global context
, and The Idea of English in Japan: Ideology and the evolution of a
global language
, and editor of English in the World: History, diversity, change.
Bill Greenwell is Lecturer in Creative Writing at The Open University,
UK. He is co-author of A Creative Writing Handbook: Developing
dramatic technique, individual style and voice
(Bloomsbury Publishing). His poetry and parodies have appeared in fifty
anthologies, and his collection Impossible Objects
was shortlisted for the Forward Prize best first collection in 2006.
