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The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises that Transform Your Fiction Paperback – August 5, 2005

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 232 ratings

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Discover Just How Good Your Writing Can Be

If you write, you know what it's like. Insight and creativity - the desire to push the boundaries of your writing - strike when you least expect it. And you're often in no position to act: in the shower, driving the kids to school...in the middle of the night.

The
3 A.M. Epiphany offers more than 200 intriguing writing exercises designed to help you think, write, and revise like never before - without having to wait for creative inspiration. Brian Kiteley, noted author and director of the University of Denver's creative writing program, has crafted and refined these exercises through 15 years of teaching experience.

You'll learn how to:

   • Transform staid and stale writing patterns into exciting experiments in fiction
   • Shed the anxieties that keep you from reaching your full potential as a writer
   • Craft unique ideas by combining personal experience with unrestricted imagination
   • Examine and overcome all of your fiction writing concerns, from getting started to writer's block


Open the book, select an exercise, and give it a try. It's just what you need to craft refreshing new fiction, discover bold new insights, and explore what it means to be a writer.

It's never too early to start--not even 3 A.M.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

T. J. Gerlach in Puerto del Sol:

For all of its abundant quirkiness,
The 3 A.M. Epiphany tends to center more on traditional craft elements; things like character, point of view, and structure are at its core. It is a wonderful collection of exercises with innovative angles that breathe new life into these staples of fiction. The 4 A.M. Breakthrough, though, as a whole, pushes into deeper terrain. It is more philosophical, psychological, even more political than its predecessor.
Many of the exercises in
The 4 A.M. Breakthrough are intensely OuLiPo-ian in the wonderful perversity of their restrictions. Take Exercise #5, "The Letter A," with its startling first line "Write a story about an ox or a cow," followed by its no-less-startling suggestion that the entire piece be centered around words beginning with the letter A. The logic behind this combination is that the Phoenicians began their alphabet with a symbol derived from the head of an ox—the main figure in their agricultural and economic system. But of course it is the more decidedly arbitrary element of this exercise in a contemporary context that opens up its creative possibilities.
And this exercise is by no means alone in its playful idiosyncrasy. Exercise #53, "Country Noises," asks you to write a story that makes use of visual representations of sound—such as ######### for the sound of a leaf blower. Another, #164, urges you to mine the "found poetry" in a press conference by Donald Rumsfield. I'll allow exercise #73, "Buzzing Blooming Confusion," and its first line "Try to capture the true confusion of reality in a very short space" to speak for itself.Yet alongside these seemingly cerebral exercises are ones that aim for the heart. Many of the exercises are based on books and artists Kiteley has a deep affection for—"Watch
My Neighbor Totoro twice" Kiteley pleads in an eponymous exercise, "even if you've already seen it several times." And the description of exercise #194, "Lobster Bisque," is a moving little piece of creative non-fiction all in itself.
But then this separation between head and heart is always a false one. Georges Perec, who is probably the most famous writing-as-puzzle-making writer, saw his exercises in restriction as deeply personal, even Freudian explorations of his inner self. And while his fellow OuLiPo member, Italo Calvino, may be known for some of the most achingly beautiful works of the second half of the twentieth century, Calvino approached his craft from his first discipline, mathematics, and used restrictions that were no less arduous than those of Perec. Kiteley's exercises play the line between these two poles beautifully—in them the head is never far away from the heart, or the heart from the head.

About the Author

Brian Kiteley is the director of the creative writing programme at a leading US university. A frequent award winner, he is the author of many successful novels.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writer's Digest Books; First Edition (August 5, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1582973512
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1582973517
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.47 x 0.71 x 7.96 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 232 ratings

About the author

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Brian Kiteley
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Brian Kiteley is the author of three novels, The River Gods, Still Life With Insects, and I Know Many Songs, But I Cannot Sing, and two collections of fiction exercises, The 3 A.M. Epiphany and The 4 A.M. Breakthrough. He has recently finished two linked novels set in Crete in 1988, about a poet and a CIA case officer in love, with cameos by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and a low-level al Qaeda operative. Kiteley's home page is: https://www.briankiteley.com/

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
232 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing exercises in the book excellent and good. They say it helps them be more spontaneous and creative. However, some customers complain about the print size, saying it's hard to read and bizarre.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

39 customers mention "Writing exercises"33 positive6 negative

Customers find the writing exercises in the book excellent and good. They say it helps them be more spontaneous and creative. Readers also mention the book provides useful tips and examples.

"...The Exercises are far more than prompts. They each tackle a particular writing challenge, and there are several exercises for each challenge...." Read more

"Not only did I find the writing excercises interesting, entertaining, and refreshing, I thought the physical book itself was beautifully put together..." Read more

"The prompts in this book are great for writers of all skill levels, making this book excellent for use in classes or writing groups, as well as for..." Read more

"This is probably the best writing prompt book or workbook I have ever purchased...." Read more

3 customers mention "Sturdiness"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book sturdy, well-made, and beautifully put together.

"...and refreshing, I thought the physical book itself was beautifully put together...." Read more

"...really good exercises in there and the book itself was very pretty and sturdy...." Read more

"Came in good condition. Overall impressed! Thanks :)" Read more

7 customers mention "Print size"0 positive7 negative

Customers find the print size of the book bizarre and hard to read. They say the fine print is too small and reads too much like a text book.

"...When I got my copy, however, I found that the text is so small that the book will be useless for some students...." Read more

"...BUTThe type size is so tiny that if it were any smaller I would need a magnifying glass...." Read more

"...I found it boring and sometimes stupid. The fine print is hard to read...." Read more

"...It is possible that I rated this book a tad low because it didn't fit the artistic place I occupied by the time it arrived...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2017
I have never been a fan of prompts, but this book has changed my mind. The Exercises are far more than prompts. They each tackle a particular writing challenge, and there are several exercises for each challenge. For example there are 13 exercises dealing with point of view, 10 on conversation, 9 on time, 5 on internal structure etc. In addition to giving you practice dealing with a particular challenge, the constraints imposed in each exercise focus your attention on one particular issue, while your creativity runs rampant under the radar. i have produced some of my most surprising writing working with this book. Highly recommended.
14 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019
I bought this as a textbook for a writing class and I love it so I kept it. Some of the prompts are a little specific and odd, but if you’re just using it to spark creativity you can just change them a little. Writing from prompts like his has helped me launch several new storylines and make new characters and I’m really enjoying it.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2011
Not only did I find the writing excercises interesting, entertaining, and refreshing, I thought the physical book itself was beautifully put together. I like the author's approach to writing: you learn writing by doing it, and by stretching your limits as a writer.

Also, I took this on vacation with me and found it to be not only informative for writing purposes, but entertaining for beach-lounging as well.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2008
The prompts in this book are great for writers of all skill levels, making this book excellent for use in classes or writing groups, as well as for personal use. The prompts are great jumping-off points, whether you choose to follow them exactly or to just use them as inspiration. They're different from the run-of-the-mill prompts you can find in any so-so inspiration book, the type of prompts which may have made you hate writing when you were younger. These create specific, interesting situations which you can expand upon and make your own. All-in-all, this is an awesome book, and I look forward to getting ahold of the next book, which comes out in January.
3 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2012
This is probably the best writing prompt book or workbook I have ever purchased. Most of the books of this nature that I get a hold of simply give you a starting/ending phrase or a list of words to put somewhere in the writing, which is a relativly easy challenge; but the challenges in this book don't just give you a new topic to write about they make you think about the way you are writing. Any one can come up with a story idea, the real challenge is getting that idea in writing in a way that is interesting to other people. This book helps you with that.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2011
I am not a frequent reviewer, but I had to sing the praises of 3 A.M. Epiphany. As a teacher who tries to use project based learning as much as possible, I am in love with his exercise-focused approach and "learn by doing" philosophy. As a writer who is obsessed with craft, I swoon over the prompts which are technically very specific, but leave the writer completely free to decide what to do with the content. The result is fun, imaginative writing that forces the writer to discover and develop strengths in multiple areas. The 3 A.M. Epiphany just became my new bible.
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2018
This book is full of really excellent, clever, intelligently conceived writing exercises.

Why then the meager star count? I teach an adult ed writing course, and had preliminarily decided to use this as a main text. When I got my copy, however, I found that the text is so small that the book will be useless for some students. It is baffling to me that someone who presumably values books and cares for his readers would allow to be published a book so irresponsibly designed. Hence the the three stars: five for the content; one for the physical book.
10 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2014
This copy replaces a copy that I had, and used, for a couple of years. One day when my granddaughter was visiting and sharing her budding love for creative writing with me, I got out my copy and we did a couple of exercises just for fun. In the end, she ended up taking my copy home with her to be her copy. This is my replacement copy. Yes, I like and USE this book that much, as well as the "4 A.M. Awaking."
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Gus
5.0 out of 5 stars A casket of wonders.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2023
A casket of wonders.
hitesh
5.0 out of 5 stars The exercises are gems
Reviewed in India on October 27, 2022
The title of the book excited me such that I knew I had to get my hands on it. Being a writer, it only made sense. But I didn't, not immediately. I waited for about two years while I kept checking the price of this expensive book on Amazon in my wishlist from time to time. When I found it drop to 520 INR, I added it to my shopping cart. 
After receiving it, I found the back cover in bad shape. The packaging was not decent. Still, I kept it. This seemed like a very important book for writers. And I was correct.
The exercises are gems. I like the second one on page 21 so much at the end of which Brian teaches a great tool for writing.
The exercises were short -- one to two pages long. I took it one day at a time. Otherwise, it would have been overwhelming. Plus, learning for me happens slowly and over time. It made sense to learn a lesson and let the subconscious work on it at least for a day. 
After writing six exercises, I found them helpful. Each exercise taught me a thing or two about the craft. I knew what I was going to do in the next 200 days. Finish all the exercises one day at a time. 
This book gives the feeling of a classroom experience. Classwork is the exercise and perhaps the learning from the exercise is the homework which over time builds like a tall-storeyed office building with different employees for different roles for a project. 
I skipped exercises 8 and 9 as I didn't feel like doing them. I was about to skip no. 10 as well. But after two days of going through it, I thought of a novel I was working on and wrote the Epilogue for it. The number 10 exercise helped me finish the ending of my novel way before I reached the end. It felt wonderful. Oh! I loved these exercises. I loved to do homework during my school days. These exercises reminded me of my childhood memories. No wonder I became comfortable with them.
After writing the initial 7 exercises, I stopped writing. I kept reading them each day like I used to but I didn't work on the instructions. Just didn't feel like it. It gave me food for thought about my writing, the projects I was working on. The insight into different ways of seeing things in life showed me a wider spectrum on which I can work on my fictional tales. Oh this and oh that...so many things are possible and these exercises opened my eyes to a world of immense possibilities.
While reading the exercises, I couldn't help thinking about the three novels I was working on. In one of the exercises, I even wrote an epilogue for one of my novels. This book is a treasure that I have cherished and I will reread it next year. And hope to write more this time. 
This book reminded me how difficult writing is. Hard work!
I keep taking breaks from writing. I see no point in pressuring myself to make progress on paper in a project each day. I know that real writing happens in the subconscious. And I keep feeding the loop which eventually gives output in terms of words on paper. 
5/5
Customer image
hitesh
5.0 out of 5 stars The exercises are gems
Reviewed in India on October 27, 2022
The title of the book excited me such that I knew I had to get my hands on it. Being a writer, it only made sense. But I didn't, not immediately. I waited for about two years while I kept checking the price of this expensive book on Amazon in my wishlist from time to time. When I found it drop to 520 INR, I added it to my shopping cart. 
After receiving it, I found the back cover in bad shape. The packaging was not decent. Still, I kept it. This seemed like a very important book for writers. And I was correct.
The exercises are gems. I like the second one on page 21 so much at the end of which Brian teaches a great tool for writing.
The exercises were short -- one to two pages long. I took it one day at a time. Otherwise, it would have been overwhelming. Plus, learning for me happens slowly and over time. It made sense to learn a lesson and let the subconscious work on it at least for a day. 
After writing six exercises, I found them helpful. Each exercise taught me a thing or two about the craft. I knew what I was going to do in the next 200 days. Finish all the exercises one day at a time. 
This book gives the feeling of a classroom experience. Classwork is the exercise and perhaps the learning from the exercise is the homework which over time builds like a tall-storeyed office building with different employees for different roles for a project. 
I skipped exercises 8 and 9 as I didn't feel like doing them. I was about to skip no. 10 as well. But after two days of going through it, I thought of a novel I was working on and wrote the Epilogue for it. The number 10 exercise helped me finish the ending of my novel way before I reached the end. It felt wonderful. Oh! I loved these exercises. I loved to do homework during my school days. These exercises reminded me of my childhood memories. No wonder I became comfortable with them.
After writing the initial 7 exercises, I stopped writing. I kept reading them each day like I used to but I didn't work on the instructions. Just didn't feel like it. It gave me food for thought about my writing, the projects I was working on. The insight into different ways of seeing things in life showed me a wider spectrum on which I can work on my fictional tales. Oh this and oh that...so many things are possible and these exercises opened my eyes to a world of immense possibilities.
While reading the exercises, I couldn't help thinking about the three novels I was working on. In one of the exercises, I even wrote an epilogue for one of my novels. This book is a treasure that I have cherished and I will reread it next year. And hope to write more this time. 
This book reminded me how difficult writing is. Hard work!
I keep taking breaks from writing. I see no point in pressuring myself to make progress on paper in a project each day. I know that real writing happens in the subconscious. And I keep feeding the loop which eventually gives output in terms of words on paper. 
5/5
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Reika
5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring writing exercises!
Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2020
I enjoy doing these writing exercises very much because they make you think outside of the box. So far, one of the writing exercises has inspired me to turn it into a short story and I'm not even half-way through with the book. Highly recommended!
Anglobotomy
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2014
Great ideas for aspiring writers who havent the time or money to take creative writing courses.
Lea
3.0 out of 5 stars Fake printed version - beware
Reviewed in Germany on May 3, 2024
The media could not be loaded.
The content of the book is great! But this is not an original copy of the book. It looks like Amazon have printed the copy with much lower quality standards. This is not suitable for a gift.