The Writer's Book of Matches [Paperback]

Staff of Fresh Boiled Peanuts (Editor), Phillip Sexton (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2007

Go ahead. Play with matches.

Not the usual advice, is it? But doing so will help you find inspiration, overcome writer's block, and develop a writing habit - forever. Sounds like a big promise for such a tiny little book...but it's true.

Inside, you'll discover more than 1,000 writing prompts designed to get your creative first burning. Consider each prompt a "match" of sorts, capable of starting anything from a tiny blaze (a short story) to a raging inferno (a novel).

You'll also find guidelines for using these matches to boost your creativity in fun, unexpected ways, along with dozens of inspirational quotes from some of the world's greatest writers.

So open the book. Pick a match. Starting a fire has never been so easy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fresh Boiled Peanuts is a literary journal based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The staff is composed of editors and published writers who bring a range of writing experience to the project.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books (May 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582974934
• ISBN-13: 978-1582974934
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Prompt Book I've Ever Even Looked At, January 31, 2008

By 

hanakinstarbuck (Flagstaff, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writer's Book of Matches (Paperback)

As an aspiring writer, I have picked up many, many books on how to write, what to write and what to do with your writing when you're done. I've tried prompt books with "inspiring" photographs and quotes from other authors and general questions to ask yourself that, while somewhat helpful, didn't really start any sparks in my mind. But, from the moment I opened "The Writer's Book of Matches" and turned to a random page, I was hooked.

Besides the introduction (made up of information on coming up with your own prompts and on how to use the book), the book is comprised completely of writing prompts. The intro is only twenty pages long, so there are A LOT of prompts in this book.

For example: pg 146-- A woman with an eating disorder visits an all-you-can eat buffet with her coworkers.

This is the first type of prompt presented: a character that is involved in a conflict. When jotting down ideas, I often write them out in this exact format, which is helpful when searching for ideas in this book. It provides you with a character and a conflict that, while detailed, are also open enough to provide your own interpretation. Just looking through the prompts for a few minutes is enough to get my brain flowing. And a LOT of the prompts are a lot more thought evoking than the one I listed. Some can be downright chilling.

Not all the prompts are listed in this format, there are also lines of dialogue that are quirky enough to be the first lines of some good stories.

Example:Pg 186 "Why does your boyfriend have a tuxedo in the back seat of his car?"

A third type prompt presents unusual situations that are specific enough, but are left open to be interpreted in many, many ways.

Example: Pg 213 While filling up her car with gas, a woman finds the words "help me" and a license plate number written on her passenger door.

All in all, this book was EXACTLY what I had been searching for for a very long time. I highly recommend it if you struggle to come up with interesting ideas often, or if you just need a jumpstart into a story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME! GREAT FOR CREATIVE WRITERS, November 18, 2008

By 

Kayla (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writer's Book of Matches (Paperback)

This book is filled with so many fun, creative, useful ideas for storytelling and writing. It has helped me further my ambitions of becoming a novelist and it totally helps when I'm fresh out of ideas or motivation for a story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE IT ALREADY!, January 28, 2008

By 

C. Fishback "Published Author" (Morrison, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Writer's Book of Matches (Paperback)

I haven't even used the book yet, but having flipped through the pages... I can see this is a Godsend for any serious or even non-serious writer! The prompts are usefull and have so many directions. Any of the ones I read can fit into any genre depending on how the writer spins it. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! Perfect for writers who need a bit of poking and prodding because of writer's block.