Customer Reviews

4 A.M. Breakthrough: Unconventional Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction

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After the promising beginnings of a writing career, I succumbed to nearly a decade of writers block (and subsequent financial security). On a lark, I decided to revisit the writing reference section of my local brick and mortar to see if anything would rekindle the passion for my old hobby.

My friend pointed this book out to me and within a few minutes of flipping through the exercises I was sold. (Take a look inside the book via Amazon's preview feature)

These are not the typical "write about your favorite color" exercises you find on the internet. Many of them are focused on technical aspects of the craft.

The exercises are fun, but also challenging for experienced writers. They provide enough structure for you to open up to the writing process rather than being stuck with the blank page. So far I've been through two and come up with the complete framework for as many potential stories.

It's definitely made writing fun for me again.

I just bought The 4 a.m. Breakthrough because I loved The 3 a.m. Epiphany. I thought I was one of those writers who don't do exercises but read the books for other kernels. I always thought exercises would interfere with my own writing process but after doing only one exercise from this book, I was so excited by the result I wanted to do more. Brian Kiteley's approach offers a new way of working on writing, whether you work alone or in a group. I always thought the "write a story and let us tear it down" method of workshop lacked vitality. When I found Kiteley's books, his approach made me refresh my whole attitide to teaching and learning about writing. I plan to use these exercises to help me draft my next novel. Buy both books and keep them near.

Writing poorly is easy, but writing well is difficult, and this book provides a lot of prompts for practice. It's a great resource for anyone that is stuck with writer's block or just wants a good warm-up. Highly recommended for fiction writers.

Highly recommend this book as well as "The 3 AM Epiphany" for anyone taking a creative writing class. The exercises are all marvelous at stimulating the mind.

Just reading the excerpt makes me want to get this puppy. Kitely is one of those how-to writers that inspire rather than daunt the aspiring writer. His previous book, 3 a.am Epiphany, spends more time in my hands than on my shelf and is already dog-eared, tattered and used within an inch of its life. His prompts and suggestion get to the heart of fiction, the rub and friction of it, rather than merely proposing that two characters meet in a bar. He sets us up to learn the craft of fiction and the skill of using language through engagement and practice. Can't wait.

If you are so bereft of ideas as to find this book useful than you probably should consider not writing at all.