'A treasure trove of uplifting and accessible practices, to organise your mind and give shape to your day.' Suzy Reading, author of The Little Book of Self-Care 'Easy to read, deeply inspiring and oh so wise, it was the perfect antidote to my in-box overwhelm.' Susannah Conway, author of This I Know: Notes on Unraveling the Heart --- Whether it's a speedy note-to-self, a simple shopping list or a carefully penned thank-you note, putting words on paper is a daily habit - and can also bring us great joy and calm. In this book you'll discover practical ways to turn the ordinary ritual of jotting things down into a remarkable source of peace, focus and confidence. Learn to take pleasure in your correspondence, find fresh delight in your diary writing and put renewed heart in your humble to-do list. Dr Megan C Hayes has spent her academic career exploring the links between writing, identity and happiness - and she is on a mission to encourage us all to pick up a pen and reap the wellbeing benefits in writing.

George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times

From bestselling author of The Book of Delights and award-winning poet, a book of lyrical mini-essays celebrating the everyday that will inspire readers to rediscover the joys in the world around us. In Ross Gay’s new collection of small, daily wonders, again written over the course of a year, one of America’s most original voices continues his ongoing investigation of delight. For Gay, what delights us is what connects us, what gives us meaning, from the joy of hearing a nostalgic song blasting from a passing car to the pleasure of refusing the “nefarious” scannable QR code menus, from the tiny dog he fell hard for to his mother baking a dozen kinds of cookies for her grandchildren. As always, Gay revels in the natural world—sweet potatoes being harvested, a hummingbird carousing in the beebalm, a sunflower growing out of a wall around the cemetery, the shared bounty from a neighbor’s fig tree—and the trillion mysterious ways this glorious earth delights us. The Book of (More) Delights is a volume to savor and share.

Psychologists tell us that writing helps us cope with and recover from depression, anxiety, job loss and even heartbreak. Exciting new research shows that we can flourish further by actively choosing to write about positive emotions. Journaling is a hot trend - for personal expression, creativity, self-actualisation and goal-setting. In Write Yourself Happy, author Megan Hayes shows us how, using positive journaling, we can journal more consciously, writing in a way that engages and promotes our most supportive and life-affirming emotions. This practical workbook demonstrates how to put eight of the most commonly experienced positive emotions - joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, awe and love - to work, helping us not simply to feel better, but to live better. Based on ground-breaking research in positive psychology, and backed up by extensive scientific studies, the book includes practical exercises and case studies to inspire readers to shift their focus, use different words, see the world in a subtly different way - and discover how things go right when we write. Praise for Write Yourself Happy: 'The power of positivity comes together with the power of the pen. It is a mighty force for well-being.' - Miriam Akhtar MAPP, Author of Positive Psychology for Overcoming Depression and What is Post-traumatic Growth? 'Write Yourself Happy is filled with practical, applied and scientifically proven methods - it offers readers a direct path to increase positivity and sustain happiness. It is the perfect resource for optimal wellbeing.' - Daniel J Tomasulo, PhD, TEP, MFA, MAPP, Psychologist and author of Character Strengths Matter 'This book is ideal for anyone who is looking for a creative and uplifting path to happiness. Megan's encouraging tone and fun exercises not only boost your mood but also help you to forge a stronger connection with yourself. I highly recommend the read - and doing each of the writing exercises in it!' - Susanna Halonen, The Happyologist® and author of Screw Finding Your Passion 'Forget the pressure to become a perfectionist Photoshop you. Write Yourself Happy is about easing into a reality that already exists and needs nothing more to bloom than pen on paper. Let the scientifically nuanced and reassuring rhythm of your compassionate Sherpa Megan C Hayes steal you away.' - Kristen Truempy, MAPP, Creator of the Positive Psychology Podcast 'Megan artfully combines the world of writing with positive psychology producing this guide to 'writing yourself happy'. Written with a delicate balance of scientifically based wellbeing advice alongside an open playfulness that allows the reader to consider and interpret things for themselves. It is thanks to reading this book that my clients, and of course myself, enjoy the many benefits of Positive Journaling.' - Samantha Spafford, Psychologist and Director of Positive Mind Works

Learn how to take your work to the next level with this informative guide on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing With warmth and humor, Paulette Perhach welcomes you into the writer’s life as someone who has once been on the outside looking in. Like a freshman orientation for writers, this book includes an in-depth exploration of all the elements of being a writer—from your writing practice to your reading practice, from your writing craft to the all-important and often-overlooked business of writing. In Welcome to the Writer’s Life, you will learn how to tap into the powers of crowdsourcing and social media to grow your writing career. Perhach also unpacks the latest research on success, gamification, and lifestyle design, demonstrating how you can use these findings to further improve your writing projects. Complete with exercises, tools, checklists, infographics, and behind-the-scenes tips from working writers of all types, this book offers everything you need to jump-start a successful writing life.

Twelve years after it was first published, The Joy of Writing Sex remains the classic writer's resource on creating compelling sex scenes. Elizabeth Benedict covers all the issues, from the first time, to married sex and adultery, to sex in the age of AIDS. Her instruction, supported with examples from the works of today's most respected writers—among them, Dorothy Allison, Russell Banks, Alan Hollinghurst, Joyce Carol Oates, Carol Shields, and John Updike—focuses on crafting believable sex scenes that hinge on freshness of character, dialogue, mood, and plot. In this revised edition, Benedict addresses the latest sexual revolution, intimacy on the Internet; adds new interviews with Edmund White, Darren Strauss, Stephen McCauley, and other writers; and updates her selections to include examples from the best fiction of the past few years.

Shows all writers how effective writing can beas natural as telling a story to a friend, and as easy as daydreaming.