The Ultimate Creative Writing Workshop

A Complete Program of Breakthrough Exercises from Brainstorming to Finished Draft

By: Elizabeth Ayres

Narrated by: Elizabeth Ayres

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

For aspiring writers, few experiences offer the thrill of a well-taught creating writing workshop - imagine the surge of fresh ideas filling your mind, exercise by exercise, as you absorb the skills of the craft from a seasoned expert almost effortlessly. Now you can experience this unmatched way of learning - at your own convenience - with Elizabeth Ayres' The Ultimate Creative Writing Workshop.

Distilled from her acclaimed courses at New York University and the Center for Creative Writing, this proven program has already helped hundreds of writers to break through their inner obstacles, unleash their imaginations, and master the skills they need to communicate those images and ideas powerfully through words. The key to success, teaches Ayres, is working with both your creative and analytical minds in a fun and engaging way. The Ultimate Creative Writing Workshop helps you do that through a series of imagination-boosting methods so effective that nearly all of Ayres' students find themselves writing nonstop from the very first exercise.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2001 Elizabeth Ayres (P)2001 Elizabeth Ayres

More motivation than instruction

If you need help to get started and to keep going, this is for you. The author is very encouraging and offers numerous writing exercises. This does not, however, give you much instruction on how to write. It only covers the basics -- conflict, growth, change, etc. Other than those needing motivation, I can't see this helping anyone but beginners. And beginners who primarily want to write poetry. Lastly, the narrator chuckles after every second sentence or so. Have no idea if this is a nervous tic or an affectation, but I found it very annoying.

Waste of money, time, and talent.

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Ayres and/or Elizabeth Ayres?

Never.

What could Elizabeth Ayres have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I do not think she could have done anything, besides maybe not teach how to write.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I did not listen for long, I felt like a mentally ill writer. I am a nonfiction writer, and there are several books out there that are very good for both fiction and non fiction authors, especially Sol Stein on Writing. I could not find any qualities in this book, leave it in the shelf!

Listen to the Rest, then Listen to the Best!

Would you listen to The Ultimate Creative Writing Workshop again? Why?

Ms. Ayres passion for her work is evident from the outset. This is a wonderful 'how to" book. She takes the listener through the process step-by-step, in a manner that builds confidence. Honestly, I was convinced I'd lost my creative spark eons ago. I know now that wasn't true. A work of fiction is something you build. She's not only a master architect; she's a master teacher and coach.

What other book might you compare The Ultimate Creative Writing Workshop to and why?

This one stands alone

What about Elizabeth Ayres’s performance did you like?

Her passion for the subject is evident. I appreciated her compassion for the frustrated writer, and her willingness to share her frustrations as a writer.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh no, I had to take this one in bite-sized chunks.

Any additional comments?

If you get no other title on the topic, get this one. You will not regret it!

Poetry Brainstorming For Absolute Beginners

If you've never considered putting pen to page, if you want to write poetry, if you don't mind wasting hours doing mindless exercises, and if you enjoy a speaker who is thrilled by her own cleverness (and chuckles at herself, often); then this is the book for you. Otherwise, skip it and save yourself the annoyance.

The narrator assumes that the listener is timid and afraid of writing. This is definitely geared towards poets, not novelists.

The 9 hours time is misleading because the are musical intro and outro segments to fill in the time and make each chapter the same length, some of these last almost a minute. Also, she'll often say things like "take thirty seconds and just write down what comes to you ... (thirty seconds of wasted time) ... Did you get it all down? Wasn't that amazing?" Then she'll chuckle.

Seriously, the laughing at herself when she thinks she's clever was very distracting. I found myself making bets for when she would chuckle and it was very consistent.

Last thing, in case you're considering this book, it references a workbook that's included, and for some of the exercises is necessary because you are instructed to copy the style of how something is written, but there's no reference of how to get that if you get the audio book.