I wholly recommend you to buy this book if you want your heart cracked open. It's beautiful.

This evocation of the life of the great spiritual master Rumi is far more than a narration: it is a burning light, a force that undoubtedly has been drawn from the same profound well of love as the well of Rumi's own search for union with - what? God, the all-that-is, himself. The central theme of surrender is a theme for our age, and for all those within it who are diligently seraching for a way to be in the world, whilst perhaps not necessarily of it. Watts's relationship with his writing and subject is as direct, breathtaking and ego-less as the joyful arrival of a spring flower. His book stands as a burning reminder to us all that any shirking of our hearts's voice for the sake of safety or reputation is simply compromise. It delineates, in the most compassionate and heart-breaking way possible, the real challenge every human being faces: to surrender the illusion of control and to open our hearts to that which is greater than us all. I can only describe The Way of Love as a gift.

If there is one book you read this year, make it THE WAY OF LOVE by Nigel Watts. I read it practically in one sitting, having the odd feeling of not being able to put it down and yet not wanting to finish it. It's one of the most beautiful books I've read on the subject of God. I cried buckets at the end, not of sadness but because I felt so evoked. It changed my perspective on life and I actually felt I had grown as a result of reading the book. It's a piece of treasure. I have recommended it to friends who have had similar experiences with it. I have a feeling it's going to be a book that lives on and on - the fire of Rumi never dies.

Often I'm afraid that books of this nature will focus too much on the "mechanics" of writing. That it will lack soul and somehow detract from my own creativity or individuality. This book DOES NOT do that. It balances well between concrete guidelines for constructing plot, theme and character and abstract "artisitc" advice. The chapters are short and concise, wasting no time in delivering to you the information that you might be looking for. I highly recomend it.

I suppose there is a whole debate about whether creative writing can be taught or not. Taking as a starting point that there is a use for books about the creative process, this is a good a place to begin as any. Concise, thoughtfuil, useful. It won't make you a writer, but it might help you avoid the more obvious pitfalls of the task of novel writing. Humane and encouraging too - and who can't use a bit of encouragement?

Written by an award-winning international novelist and professional educator, the content matches the title- some structure & tools for the creative task of writing quality novels (and other documents) and getting them published.

Action-packed concise, attractive chapters address: introduction, beginning, plot, the eight-point arc (e.g. stasis, trigger, quest, surprise, critical choice, climax, reversal, and resolution), sub-plot and symbolism, character, dialogue, viewpoint, setting the scene, style, theme, editing and shaping, the personality of the writer, support, and marketing.

This book facilitates better creative writing & editing- offering tools often embedded deeply in much lengthier courses or books. An improvement could be to include a chapter on web-publishing.

Overall, highly recommended for use as a thoughtful and deep working book.

James Morrison (never Jim, because that was already taken) is in a rut. Approaching thirty, with a routine and unchallenging job as a librarian, he's meandering along in a predictable and passionless long-term relationship. He's tall, skinny, uninspired and uninspiring and he knows it.

James' routine explodes with a burst of "Wild Thing", the old Troggs number, loudly sung in the library. When James tracks the singing to the source, he meets Tad, seemingly an unlikely catalyst for change. Wheelchair bound, a victim of osteogenesis imperfecta, Tad insists on living his life to the fullest potential possible, and determines to force James to take a good, hard look at himself and his life.

Originally published in 1992, this book is set in London, England at the end of the 1980s. Tad lives in a sheltered house for people with various disabilities, strangely named Innocence. He actually attributed the name by winning a residents' naming competition, paying homage (too obscurely for me) to D.H. Lawrence. The book's title, therefore, none-too-subtly conveys that we are all crippled in some way, if not physically, then almost certainly emotionally.

James, who realises he has no friends, accepts Tad's friendship with surprising, confronting and challenging results. Inviting Tad to dinner at his flat proves disastrous, since he lives upstairs (no lift) and his live-in girlfriend, Ruth, has furnished the place with designer, but wheelchair unfriendly, objects and has cooked very unfriendly food. Prompted by a conversation with Tad, who earlier revealed himself as a writer of sexy articles for homosexual pornographic magazines, James attempts to live out one of his sexual fantasies, with totally unexpected results. Ruth takes to the fantasy with much more abandon than James, who finds he's in reality quite unadventurous and almost prudish. However, the inevitable separation from Ruth forces him to re-evaluate his life, his needs, desires and goals, and to move on.

This book is charming, witty and sexy. The characters are beautifully drawn and deliciously developed. Without becoming hamstrung by the whole "political correctness" thing, disabilities are handled in a thoughtful, but self deprecating way. Tad is wryly amused by his situation, and really considers James to be the disabled one.

If you can find it, give it a read. I've also read "Twenty Twenty" by Nigel Watts, a more recent book which doesn't appear on this site, but which prompted me to look for more by this author.