Creative Writing and the Critical Commentary: Reflection, Influence, Process

In this unique collection of essays, published writers offer an intimate view of how their work has been informed, shaped and transformed by their literary, political, philosophical or personal influences. Providing models of the critical commentaries that all students of creative writing must write, each essay from contemporary authors of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, scripts and digital writing demonstrates how what writers write is determined by what they have read, and what they read is then determined by what they are writing. As writers reflect on their process of moving from sources of inspiration to a finished and original piece of writing, they reveal their anxieties, passions, discoveries and motivations, offering fascinating insights into the imagination’s journey. Introductory chapters explore why writers reflect on their own work, and place this practice in wider contexts, offering theoretical frameworks for understanding process, influence, and inspiration. As illuminating for aspiring writers as it is for students reflecting on their research and process as part of writing courses, Creative Writing and the Critical Commentary will change the way writers talk about and engage with other texts.

Karen Stevens is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester, UK, where she specializes in teaching fiction. She is an author and editor, and has edited two critical and creative anthologies: Writing a First Novel: Reflections on the Journey (2014) and High Spirits: A Round of Drinking Stories (2018). Her debut collection of short stories Brilliant Blue (2025) was published with Barbican Press. She is on Twitter @KarenStevens01.

Jonathan Taylor is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Leicester University, UK. An author, editor, lecturer and critic, his books include the novels Melissa (Salt, 2015) and Entertaining Strangers (Salt, 2012), the memoir Take Me Home (Granta, 2007), as well as three academic monographs – most recently, Laughter, Literature, Violence, 1840-1930 (2018). He has taught Creative Writing and English in universities for over twenty years. He runs the popular blogs Everybody's Reviewing (www.everybodysreviewing.blogspot.co.uk) and Creative Writing at Leicester (www.creativewritingatleicester.blogspot.co.uk), and is on Twitter @crystalclearjt. His website is www.jonathanptaylor.co.uk.