Drawing on years of experience of writing, teaching and publishing, this book offers essential tools for writers interested in honing their craft. Whether you're a poet, non-fiction writer, novelist, journalist, student or simply a lover of words, it will take you on an exciting and challenging journey to becoming a sophisticated writer.

As in the learning of any true craft or art, first the focus is on specific skills, then on consolidating those skills, which by the end will be innate. Through a variety of exercises and freewriting prompts, Playing with Words will help you develop your writing, trying out new styles and approaches along the way. Use this book in a class, in a group, or alone in a writer's attic.

Paul Williams is Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. He has published fiction, young adult novels, a memoir, educational readers, short stories and articles. His collection of Kenyan Stories Encounters From Africa (Macmillan) was a set text in all Kenyan schools from 2001 to 2004.

Shelley Davidow is an award-winning author of 40 books and writes across genres. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia