"This inspirational and powerful work affirms readers with the underlying message: Fear not! Inspiring and honest, this smart book offers both compassion and practical instruction." --Kirkus Reviews "A good title to have in school or public library collections to inspire young creatives, especially young writers." -- School Library Journal "Oh, that sly Sara Zarr! Courageous Creativity not only unlocks pathways within and around us; it grants permission to fearlessly imagine, try, fail, and re-imagine whatever we approach in everyday life. Invaluable!" --Rita Williams-Garcia, three-time Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner; Newbery Honor Winner Tools, not rules! Sara Zarr dives deep into the typical artist's insecurity-laced psyche to help readers turn their fears into successes. This book is the best gift you can give any writer or other creative person -- to validate, inspire, encourage, instruct, and empower. Even twenty-five books into my career, I'm so grateful to have read it now. --Lisa McMann, New York Times Bestselling author of The Unwanteds series and the Wake trilogy. Sara Zarr makes an inspiring case that creativity is our birthright, and yet it takes courage to express it.

Step by step, she shows us how to drop our fears and self-judgments and reclaim what's ours. This wonderful, highly readable, and deeply personal book feels like a warm conversation with an insightful and encouraging friend. --Maryrose Wood, author of Alice's Farm: A Rabbit's Tale ; founder of Path of the Storyteller, training for writers. "I wish I had this book when I first started putting stories down on paper when I was a kid. Maybe it would've felt less scary. Maybe I would've felt less alone." --Gene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, 2016-2017; Printz Award Winner.