The Writer's Idea Book (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the myriad frustrated or blocked writers in the world comes another addition to the swelling shelves of guides designed to soothe, teach and inspire. And while Heffron, an acquisitions editor for Writer's Digest and other F+W publications, undeniably loves his subject and knows much about it, he doesn't break out of the conventional (and at this point, one might argue tired) format to tell it. He includes, for instance, the requisite quotes from famous authors that are designed to inspire struggling ones; the familiar pleas for details; the advice on courage and persistence; and the tried-and-true brainstorming exercises. What's better-but still, in form anyway, standard fare-are the 400-plus writing prompts: "Write about your first experience with death"; "Write a scene in which a character returns home after an extended absence"; "Every day for a week, write down something you've learned in conversation"; "Write a new opening" to a piece that's unfinished. Like any catch-all book (this one extends over scripts, poetry, fiction and nonfiction-forms and genres with their own advantages and restrictions), it is ultimately too broad to really instruct. However, those in the market for a basic, practical writing guide will find this one at least as useful as many others.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Heffron (Best Writing on Writing: Twenty Master Plots) is a senior editor at Writer's Digest Books and Story Press as well as a published writer and teacher of fiction. In short, he's been on both sides of the printed page, as writer and reader, as well as teacher/coach on the sidelines. Written humorously but with substance, his book identifies some of the more common causes of writer's block and offers many ways to overcome it, from initiating a story, to resurrecting a stalled story, to casting about for a good ending. All the essentials are covered: changes of voice, point of view, the need for or absence of plot, and building characters. The author also quotes other writers and uses brief excerpts from published fiction as examples of what works and what doesn't. This material would be partly redundant for anyone with an MFA, but if the first chapter works for you, the rest of the book will as well. Recommended for public libraries and as a gift idea for the struggling writer in your life.
Robert C. Moore, Raytheon, Sudbury, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898798736
• ISBN-13: 978-0898798739
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #800,427 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insurance against writers block, July 1, 2000

By	Joan Mazza "Author, speaker, poet" (Mineral, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A review from the author of DREAMING YOUR REAL SELF and DREAM BACK YOUR LIFE.

If you ever wanted to write and didn't know what to write about or how to start, this book is for you. Jack Heffron offers more than 400 writing prompts that are sure to spark your interest and desire to put pen to paper-without your feeling limited by the suggestions. He assures you that you will put your personal touch on each one.

If you love to write and have no shortage of ideas, but you'd like a fresh start or a new angle, this book is inspiring in its abundance and originality. Heffron's text is down-to-earth and informative while being realistic about our fantasies about writing compared with the reality. His personal asides are witty and humorous, encouraging us to try the prompts without taking them too seriously.

This is a book I will recommend to my students and writer friends, including those who say they are never blocked. I'm taking this book with me on my next vacation.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Unstuck!, August 3, 2000

By	Eldonna Bouton "http://www.whole-heart.com" (author of, "Journaling from the Heart.") - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you feel as though your writing is stuck you must get your hands on this book. And if you're not stuck, you'll be relieved to know that you never have to be. The book is organized into fours steps: warming up, generating ideas, finding form, and developing the story (or article) which eases you into a finished piece that feels fun (because it is!). Heffron has packed 255 pages full of over 400 writing prompts for writers of any genre, or just to play with in your journal. Play with them for a while and you WILL start calling yourself a writer.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prompts, prompts, and more prompts!, April 28, 2004

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Writer’s Idea Book (Paperback)

Jack Heffron's "The Writer's Idea Book" is a very good specimen of a book of writers' exercises. It mixes "prompts" of various sorts (more than 400 of them according to the cover, and I believe it!) with short riffs of practical advice on a wide range of writing matters. While Heffron is a professional editor and does give advice regarding methods that he believes work best, he concentrates on writing for yourself in this book rather than trying to get published. This is just the idea phase after all--check out his later book, "The Writer's Idea Workshop," for practical advice regarding taking your idea from raw ore to refined metal.

There are many prompts meant to help you mine your own experiences for ideas and plots. (As well as your likes and dislikes, your family, your home town, places you've visited, "public moments," secrets, dreams, and more.) There are prompts to help you explore different forms of writing, structure your story, and more. There are even good solid hints on dealing with openings and endings. The huge number of prompts in this book guarantees that you should be able to find something to spark your creativity no matter what mood you're in.

In fact, about the only thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of the unusual. I love genre. Horror, science fiction, fantasy--I love the strange, and this book had a very "literary" feel to it. That'll make it perfect for many other writers out there, but it left me a little flat. I like to have a certain otherworldliness come into play when looking through lots of writing exercises and warm-ups. This book is meant to push you into finding inspiration from the ordinary rather than the extraordinary; I would have liked a better balance.

It's certainly a fun book, however, and definitely a kick in the inspiration department!