about this book

T he C reaTive C ompass guides your progress through a cycle of five universal stages as you advance toward your creative goals. Awareness of these stages equips you to navigate challenges with greater ease and to take advantage of opportunities, in writing and life, that you may not have recognized before. At the Dream stage, a sticky idea calls you on a quest, and you set out to slay your own dragons. At the Draft stage, you produce those early layers of writing that form your first draft. At the Develop stage, a demanding middle act, you shape, cut, and rewrite draft after draft until your sentences and paragraphs anchor a coherent series of resonant ideas. At the Refine stage, you seek comments from readers and editors as you distill your text down to an essence in which every word counts. At the Share stage, you choose the most appropriate mode of publication, depending on your aims and the readiness of your manuscript. For your convenience, this book has a linear structure, yet moving from one stage to the next may also mean doubling back

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and revisiting earlier stages as necessary. Each stage further revolves around one objective that defines a pivotal task: Dream: Define Your Story Draft: Tell Your Story Develop: Follow the Golden Thread Refine: Choose the Right Words Share: Move Your Readers Would you like to become more inspired and disciplined? Are you seeking your true voice on the page? Do you want to know how to sharpen your instincts and acquire more meaningful experience? Read on.