'There are many guides to good writing but none as valuable as this.' Oliver Kamm, author and columnist for The Times Creative writing can enhance wellbeing, which can enhance creative writing, which can enhance wellbeing ... Become a better writer with over 100 inspiring prompts, insights and exercises specially devised by an award-winning author and creative writing teacher. Discover how the practice of creative writing - being expressive, exploring ideas, crafting words, shaping stories - can also deepen your appreciation of life.

Write well. Live well. The practice of creative writing - being expressive, exploring ideas, crafting words, shaping stories - can deepen your appreciation of life and enhance your wellbeing. With 100 inspiring prompts, insights and exercises specially devised by an award-winning author and creative writing teacher, discover how to write well - and thrive.

All too many people start a writing project with grand ambitions but reach a crisis of completion. Finishing School helps writers reignite the passion that started them on the project in the first place and work steadily to get it done. Untold millions of writing projects—begun with hope and a little bit of hubris—lie abandoned in desk drawers, in dated files on computer desktops, and in the far reaches of the mind. Too often, writers get tangled in self-abuse—their self-doubt, shame, yearning for perfection, and even arrogance get in the way. In Finishing School, Cary Tennis and Danelle Morton help writers overcome these emotional blocks and break down daunting projects into manageable pieces. Tennis first convened a Finishing School so that writers could help one another stay on track and complete their work. Since they weren’t actually critiquing one another’s writing, there was no jockeying for the title of best writer or the usual writing group politics; there was only a shared commitment to progress. Without guilt, blame, and outside critique, students were more productive than they imagined possible. Through this program, they were able to complete novels that they’d been struggling with for almost two decades, finish screenplays drafts, and revive interest in long-neglected PhD theses. In this book, the authors share this proven and easily replicable technique, as well as their own writing success stories.

Creating HAPPY writers isn't always an easy process. The truth for educators is that there is no continuity in teaching writing, especially in the elementary schools. There is no set curriculum for each grade. There is no scope and sequence for teachers to follow from grade to grade-using writing. There is a need for materials and strategies that teachers can turn to for guidance when their students' need the help for any subject that requires writing (which is ALL of them). As an educator, I have seen the effects of using mentor texts to help children to write. Mentor text is a term that is relatively new to some, but not to most educators. It's when the teacher introduces children's literature to students and they begin to study the writer's craft with the intent of improving that student's writing. "Happy Writing: Teaching The Craft of Writing Using Mentor Text" was designed to help teachers be consistent in their planning to write with students. It will also give examples of mini lessons to correlate with skills and writer's craft of different modes of writing. As a bonus, the book also includes writing resources teachers can use in their classrooms. Perfect For: Teachers Classroom Aids Homeschool Parents Parents Tutors

Most people at one point or another have had a moment-or in some cases a lifetime-of feeling helpless, hopeless, and unable to achieve the things they really want. But this can be conquered; happiness is a choice we make every day. In Writing Your Own Life, author Kelly Myles explores ways for you to teach yourself to make that choice. You can learn how to create the relationships you want in every aspect of your life. Learn how to let go of the obstacle from the past. Become self-aware, selfmotivated, and self-fulfilled. With the guidance provided here, you can pull yourself up from your low point, start writing your own life, and discover your own everyday happiness. This guide offers straightforward and practical advice to help you take charge of your life and create genuine happiness in a way that works for you.

What if you could change your life--without changing your life? Gretchen had a good marriage, two healthy daughters, and work she loved--but one day, stuck on a city bus, she realized that time was flashing by, and she wasn’t thinking enough about the things that really mattered. “I should have a happiness project,” she decided. She spent the next year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Each month, she pursued a different set of resolutions: go to sleep earlier, quit nagging, forget about results, or take time to be silly. Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness that already existed in her life. Written with humour and insight, Gretchen’s story will inspire you to start your own happiness project. Now in a beautiful, expanded edition, Gretchen offers a wealth of new material including happiness paradoxes and practical tips on many daily matters: being a more light-hearted parent, sticking to a fitness routine, getting your sweetheart to do chores without nagging, coping when you forget someone’s name and more.

Data is at the center of many challenges in system design today. Difficult issues need to be figured out, such as scalability, consistency, reliability, efficiency, and maintainability. In addition, we have an overwhelming variety of tools, including relational databases, NoSQL datastores, stream or batch processors, and message brokers. What are the right choices for your application? How do you make sense of all these buzzwords? In this practical and comprehensive guide, author Martin Kleppmann helps you navigate this diverse landscape by examining the pros and cons of various technologies for processing and storing data. Software keeps changing, but the fundamental principles remain the same. With this book, software engineers and architects will learn how to apply those ideas in practice, and how to make full use of data in modern applications. Peer under the hood of the systems you already use, and learn how to use and operate them more effectively Make informed decisions by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of different tools Navigate the trade-offs around consistency, scalability, fault tolerance, and complexity Understand the distributed systems research upon which modern databases are built Peek behind the scenes of major online services, and learn from their architectures