In this engaging guide, teacher, poet and lyricist Adrian May shows how magic is a tool used by writers to generate creativity, where concepts of magic are seen as portals of creative power. This unique book features approachable chapters on aspects of magic and writing - such as the Tarot and the creative methods of W. B. Yeats. Blending literary criticism with practical exercises, this text will enable readers to understand the magical nature of creative writing, giving them a sense of wider possibilities and equipping them to improve their creative writing.

This an ideal resource for undergraduate or postgraduate students taking courses on Creative Writing, as well as established or budding writers working independently.

Adrian May is Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Essex and is the author of Myth and Creative Writing: The Self-Renewing Song (2011)

Preface.- Introduction: Magic and Literature.- 1. Magic is a Dirty Word.- 2. Meeting the Magician.- 3. Magic Words.- 4. How to Make A Poet.- 5. Magic Portals.- 6. Tricksters.- 7. The Tarot.- 8. The I Ching.- 9. The Magic Nine.- 10. Gurdjieff & Colin Wilson.- 11. Yeats' Apparatus.- 12. Shakespeare's Magic England.- 13. Faust: You Are the Lucky Fist.- 14.- The Lost Fairies.- 15. Childe Roland.- 16. Magical Animals.- 17. Love and Magic.- 18. Magic and Endings.- Postscript: Magic and the Future.