What a Writer Needs

“This is no recipe book: I have tried not to be formulaic. Rather, I want to suggest the richness of options, the myriad possibilities open to the writer at any given moment. Young writers need to know what can be done with language.”
—Ralph Fletcher

For more than 20 years, Ralph Fletcher’s What a Writer Needs has been a beloved bestseller, trusted in classrooms, district inservices, and teacher-preparation programs across the U.S. Now Ralph’s second edition makes What a Writer Needs an even more powerful tool for turning students into writers—and for teachers to improve their own writing.

In What A Writer Needs, Ralph presents a crash course on the elements of writing, with chapters on how to create vivid details, compelling voice, a sense of place, believable characters, tension, engaging leads and endings, just to name a few. Readers will develop a deeper, more profound knowledge of writing and will find the book eminently practical as well. In fact, Ralph has added two entirely new chapters on revision and nonfiction writing that are immediately useful for meeting Common Core writing standards. It also includes a completely updated list of suggested mentor texts, handpicked by Ralph, and sorted by the craft element each demonstrates.

What A Writer Needs, Second Edition, is a desert-island book for any writing teacher. Personal and anecdotal, it includes a wealth of lively writing samples drawn both from student writers and professionals. Experience Ralph’s keen instructional insight, his careful attention to students and their work, and his experienced-honed wisdom about the essentials of great writing. Discover the pleasure of reading and teaching from What a Writer Needs. You’ll soon find out why Ralph Fletcher’s timeless classic is more timely than ever.

Ralph Fletcher has been a mentor to teachers and young writers everywhere. He has helped hundreds of thousands of teachers understand the importance of letting go and trusting their writers. Ralph's professional books are part of this tradition. His newest book, Focus Lessons, helps teachers use the natural links between writing and photography to enhance their instruction. Another recent title, Joy Write, explores the value of giving students time and autonomy for the playful, low-stakes writing that leads to surprising, high-level growth. Ralph frequently works with young writers in schools, and speaks at education conferences in the U.S. and abroad, helping teachers find wiser ways of teaching writing. Ralph is the beloved author of many bestselling teacher professional books and resources including: - Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide - What a Writer Needs, Second Edition - Mentor Author, Mentor Texts - Craft Lessons - Breathing In, Breathing Out - Teaching the Qualities of Writing - Lessons for the Writer's Notebook Students know Ralph as the award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults, including Fig Pudding, Twilight Comes Twice, The Writer's Notebook, Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid, and most recently Marshfield Memories: More Stories About Growing Up. Ralph Fletcher online » Listen to a recent Heinemann podcast where Ralph talks about Joy Write (17:31). » Read Ralph's latest thoughts at his blog: Living the Writing Life. » Listen to an interview with Ralph on Education Talk Radio (38:29). » Follow Ralph on Twitter @FletcherRalph.