---
product_id: 8124375
title: "Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook"
price: "₩53394"
currency: KRW
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.kr/products/8124375-spilling-ink-a-young-writers-handbook
store_origin: KR
region: South Korea
---

# Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook

**Price:** ₩53394
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- **What is this?** Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook
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## Description

desertcart.com: Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook: 9781596436282: Potter, Ellen, Mazer, Anne, Phelan, Matt: Books

Review: Head of the Class - I haven't come across a "How to" book for kids about writing that has impressed me--till now. Spilling Ink is a chatty, informed, get-real look at writing by two children's book authors, and it doesn't waste time diagramming sentences and listing common spelling errors. Anne Mazer, author of series like Abby Hayes and Sister Magic, and Ellen Potter, author of books like Olivia Kidney and Slob, lay out what it means to be a writer and tell kids how to get the job done. This book is written in a thoroughly reader-friendly style, with the two authors taking turns giving advice in a manner reminiscent of blog posts. Hayes and Potter know their stuff, and it shows: as a writer, I was pleased to see such good ideas expressed so simply, not to mention humorously. For instance, the chapter and section titles are often entertaining: "More Crawling Lizards, Please," "Truth or Dare," "The Robo-Narrator," and "Belly Buttons" are a few of my favorites. Take a look at the book's tone in this selection from Ellen Potter: "Before I started writing seriously, I was under the delusion that 'real' writers sit down and write out the entire story in one nearly perfect, spectacularly clever draft. Oh, sure, maybe they would change a word or two, or rename one of their characters 'Nathan' because his original name, 'Jake,' reminds them too much of their cousin Jake who belches the theme music to retro TV shows. But that's about it. Wrong! Hugely, profoundly, utterly wrong." Spilling Ink offers instructive analogies, such as comparing a story's setting to a mood ring, and useful techniques, such as "the chicken-nugget circle." The authors provide short writing samples to illustrate their points here and there, which is so much more helpful than mere explanations. A writing activity at the end of each chapter is called "I Dare You," e.g., "Write a scene about a circus, but make the mood dark and grim." These activities are so spot-on that they're practically a shock--in contrast, I've seen far too many writing practice assignments in literature textbooks and school workbooks that weren't particularly relevant. Here writing concepts are explained charmingly, and, more important, clearly. The idea of letting your characters do their own thing and not over-managing them is tricky for many grown-up writers to understand, but Potter uses the idea of "Don't Be a Bully" to explain it. And Mazer tells us how she was inspired by those pre-Christmas calendar kiosks at the mall to create fun chapter headers for one of her series--illustrating how writers can transform everyday experiences into fiction. Mazer and Potter share their writing process with us; for example, showing how they brainstormed to choose the title for this book. They address problems that other books about writing don't always pinpoint, such as "Avoiding the Mad Dash," that tendency to slap on an ending that young writers--and some older ones--are prone to. Spilling Ink even covers topics like journaling and working with a writing partner. Matt Phelan's illustrations further add to the cheerful tone of the book, showing us sturdy young writers in spot art sprinkled throughout the pages. One of the book's best treats is the Appendix. Just when you think it's over, you find out that Anne and Ellen have interviewed each other in a section called "Spilling Secrets," which is full of fun biographical tidbits and a bonus slant on what it means to be a writer. I've seen a lot of boring books about how to write interesting books, which naturally struck me as ironic. But Spilling Ink takes its own advice: it's funny, specific, fascinating, and useful. I don't just recommend it to its target audience of 4th-6th graders, I recommend it to aspiring (and even published) writers who are in their 20's, 30's, 40's, and beyond.
Review: Helped us start our little writing club in shelter-at-home situation! - This book helped me start a small writing club with my two children. And they both have benefited from the book and our writing together. In fact, I enjoyed those writing sessions too. The book is fun to read together and follow. The content is interesting and "I dare you" activities useful. The activities help you write based on your imagination and experience. It does not required you to have read two other books to do meaningful writing practice. The book has helpful suggestions and advice on how to go about writing. It's discussion on rewriting, characters, plot and sources of inspiration are pleasantly actionable and get you spilling ink on paper quickly. This book is not about grammar, usage or writing tools. We kept a dictionary close by when reading this book as one of my kids was too young for this level of writing but wanted to be in the club anyway!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #82,143 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #17 in Teen & Young Adult Composition & Creative Writing |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (497) |
| Dimensions  | 5.45 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| Grade level  | 4 and up |
| ISBN-10  | 159643628X |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1596436282 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 288 pages |
| Publication date  | March 30, 2010 |
| Publisher  | Square Fish |
| Reading age  | 9 - 14 years |

## Images

![Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/718mUenvnzL.jpg)
![Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71KlFkzH92L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Head of the Class
*by K***S on April 4, 2010*

I haven't come across a "How to" book for kids about writing that has impressed me--till now. Spilling Ink is a chatty, informed, get-real look at writing by two children's book authors, and it doesn't waste time diagramming sentences and listing common spelling errors. Anne Mazer, author of series like Abby Hayes and Sister Magic, and Ellen Potter, author of books like Olivia Kidney and Slob, lay out what it means to be a writer and tell kids how to get the job done. This book is written in a thoroughly reader-friendly style, with the two authors taking turns giving advice in a manner reminiscent of blog posts. Hayes and Potter know their stuff, and it shows: as a writer, I was pleased to see such good ideas expressed so simply, not to mention humorously. For instance, the chapter and section titles are often entertaining: "More Crawling Lizards, Please," "Truth or Dare," "The Robo-Narrator," and "Belly Buttons" are a few of my favorites. Take a look at the book's tone in this selection from Ellen Potter: "Before I started writing seriously, I was under the delusion that 'real' writers sit down and write out the entire story in one nearly perfect, spectacularly clever draft. Oh, sure, maybe they would change a word or two, or rename one of their characters 'Nathan' because his original name, 'Jake,' reminds them too much of their cousin Jake who belches the theme music to retro TV shows. But that's about it. Wrong! Hugely, profoundly, utterly wrong." Spilling Ink offers instructive analogies, such as comparing a story's setting to a mood ring, and useful techniques, such as "the chicken-nugget circle." The authors provide short writing samples to illustrate their points here and there, which is so much more helpful than mere explanations. A writing activity at the end of each chapter is called "I Dare You," e.g., "Write a scene about a circus, but make the mood dark and grim." These activities are so spot-on that they're practically a shock--in contrast, I've seen far too many writing practice assignments in literature textbooks and school workbooks that weren't particularly relevant. Here writing concepts are explained charmingly, and, more important, clearly. The idea of letting your characters do their own thing and not over-managing them is tricky for many grown-up writers to understand, but Potter uses the idea of "Don't Be a Bully" to explain it. And Mazer tells us how she was inspired by those pre-Christmas calendar kiosks at the mall to create fun chapter headers for one of her series--illustrating how writers can transform everyday experiences into fiction. Mazer and Potter share their writing process with us; for example, showing how they brainstormed to choose the title for this book. They address problems that other books about writing don't always pinpoint, such as "Avoiding the Mad Dash," that tendency to slap on an ending that young writers--and some older ones--are prone to. Spilling Ink even covers topics like journaling and working with a writing partner. Matt Phelan's illustrations further add to the cheerful tone of the book, showing us sturdy young writers in spot art sprinkled throughout the pages. One of the book's best treats is the Appendix. Just when you think it's over, you find out that Anne and Ellen have interviewed each other in a section called "Spilling Secrets," which is full of fun biographical tidbits and a bonus slant on what it means to be a writer. I've seen a lot of boring books about how to write interesting books, which naturally struck me as ironic. But Spilling Ink takes its own advice: it's funny, specific, fascinating, and useful. I don't just recommend it to its target audience of 4th-6th graders, I recommend it to aspiring (and even published) writers who are in their 20's, 30's, 40's, and beyond.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Helped us start our little writing club in shelter-at-home situation!
*by S***M on June 21, 2020*

This book helped me start a small writing club with my two children. And they both have benefited from the book and our writing together. In fact, I enjoyed those writing sessions too. The book is fun to read together and follow. The content is interesting and "I dare you" activities useful. The activities help you write based on your imagination and experience. It does not required you to have read two other books to do meaningful writing practice. The book has helpful suggestions and advice on how to go about writing. It's discussion on rewriting, characters, plot and sources of inspiration are pleasantly actionable and get you spilling ink on paper quickly. This book is not about grammar, usage or writing tools. We kept a dictionary close by when reading this book as one of my kids was too young for this level of writing but wanted to be in the club anyway!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Book has stuck with me for 10+ years
*by H***R on December 8, 2023*

I read this book when I was in middle school. It was one of the books in my study hall class, and I would look forward to that part of my day just so I could go read this book and parse some more tips on writing. In the years since, I still thought about and implemented what I remembered into all my writing - school essays, short stories, D&D sessions, speeches, you name it! And, over ten years later, technology has allowed me to finally get a copy for myself. Re-reading it as an adult, there are still valuable and accessible bits of advice for all genres of the written word within. Well worth the money!

## Frequently Bought Together

- Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook
- Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly
- Teen Writer's Guide: Your Road Map to Writing

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*Store origin: KR*
*Last updated: 2026-03-02*