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The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the 'Write' Side of Your Brain (Writing Prompts, Writer Gifts, Writing Kit Gifts) Paperback – April 26, 2007

by Jamie Cat Callan (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 851 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Purchase options and add-ons

Writer's block has met its match with Writer's Toolbox!

Designed by a longtime creative writing teacher, this innovative kit includes a 64-page booklet filled with exercises and instructions that focus on a "right-brain" approach to writing. Sixty exercise sticks: First Sentences, Non Sequiturs, and Last Straws will get stories off the ground, 60 cards fuel creative descriptions and four spinner palettes will ignite unexpected plot twists. For any aspiring writer, this kit is the perfect first step on the path to literary greatness!
  • Inspires writers with creative prompts and samples
  • Gets writers in the right headspace to let creativity flow
  • Features 60 writing exercises and other creative games
Make those days and nights of struggling to create writing ideas go away without having to bury yourself in more books with Writer's Toolbox, which makes for the perfect gift for writers.
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  1. Print length
    64 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Chronicle Books
  4. Publication date
    April 26, 2007
  5. Grade level
    8 and up
  6. Reading age
    13 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7 x 1.75 x 9.63 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0811854299
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0811854290
  10. See all details
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From the brand

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jamie Cat Callan is a master teaching artist with the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. She has taught writing at N.Y.U., Yale University, U.C.L.A. Extension, Fairfield University, and Wesleyan University. She is also the author of three novels for young adults and a book on relationships for women. She lives in Massachusetts.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books; 40464th edition (April 26, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0811854299
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0811854290
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.75 x 9.63 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 851 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Jamie Callan

    Jamie Callan

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Jamie Cat Callan is the author of the recently released Parisian Charm School (Penguin Random House). She grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. She spent her summers with her French-American grandmother and under her tutelage, where she learned the secrets to a French woman's mystery and allure. Jamie first visited in France in 1976 and has returned many times since, interviewing thousands of French women (and more than a few men). She has been awarded two international artist residency fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Arts to write in the little village of Auvillar in Southwest France. Jamie's books, "French Women Don't Sleep Alone", "Bonjour, Happiness!" and "Ooh la la!" have been translated into thirty languages.

    Jamie has received many awards for her writing, including the PEN Award, a Massachusetts Council on the Arts Fellowship, and the Goldwyn Award in Screenwriting. She is the creator of "The Writers Toolbox" from Chronicle Books. Jamie lives on a farm with husband in the Hudson Valley, where they grow apples and produce their own sparkling French apple cider. You can read the story of how Jamie met her husband in The New York Times Modern Love column. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/fashion/sundaystyles/23love.html Their life today was featured in the 2018 Vows "It's No Secret" column. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/fashion/weddings/its-the-little-things-like-coffee-cocktails-and-listening.html

    See more on the author's page
  2. Jamie Cat Callan

    Jamie Cat Callan

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Jamie Cat Callan is an American gal who grew up under the tutelage of her mysterious and elegant French grandmother. She's traveled to France many times and interviewed hundreds of French women (and more than a few men) to find out their secrets to love, romance, marriage and how they keep their ooh la la!

    Jamie's essay on how she met and married her husband appeared in the New York Times Sunday Styles Modern Love column. She's a popular speaker on women's issues, love, marriage and leading a creative life. Please visit Jamie at www.JamieCatCallan.com.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
851 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing style great and helpful for getting ideas to get them writing. They also say it's really fun and a great tool for pursuing writing. However, opinions are mixed on the overall quality, with some finding it useful and inspiring, while others say it’s disappointing.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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Writing styleEntertainment valueCraftsmanshipGiftabilityOverall quality
25 customers mention "Writing style"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style great and creative, with great ideas to get them writing. They also say it's a very helpful tool for pursuing their writing.

"...this as a family time game and discovered that we all can write fun, creative and funny stories. This is make a writer out of you...." Read more

"The writer's toolbox is a great smart, useful & resourceful writing game for anyone who starts their writing career or who have writer's block and do..." Read more

"...This toolbox jumpstarted my writing career." Read more

"...to write about, The Writer's Toolbox seems to be a great addition to any level writers arsenal." Read more

14 customers mention "Entertainment value"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book really fun and helpful for writing funny stories.

"...time game and discovered that we all can write fun, creative and funny stories. This is make a writer out of you...." Read more

"...They loved it and said it is really fun and helpful." Read more

"...Not only does it get your muse up and pumping, it's great fun too. I've started using it as a warm up in the morning before I begin writing...." Read more

"...He said it was fun and useful.. I'm delighted and so are they." Read more

3 customers mention "Craftsmanship"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's craftsmanship. They say it's great quality and exactly as described.

"...I would recommend this this! Arrived in perfect condition!" Read more

"...I cant comment on the actual product but came in great shape, very quickly!" Read more

"Great Quality..." Read more

3 customers mention "Giftability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great gift.

"...It has also been great for gift giving." Read more

"Recipient seems to like the gift." Read more

"Great gift!..." Read more

28 customers mention "Overall quality"19 positive9 negative

Customers are mixed about the overall quality of the book. Some mention it's useful and offers a lot of inspiration and starting points, while others say it'll disappoint and be boring.

"...They loved it and said it is really fun and helpful." Read more

"The writer's toolbox is a great smart, useful & resourceful writing game for anyone who starts their writing career or who have writer's block and do..." Read more

"...This should be a 1-star review since it was not really usable and very disappointing for me...." Read more

"...This is NOT one of those. Not only does it get your muse up and pumping, it's great fun too...." Read more

This is fun
5 out of 5 stars
This is fun
I use this as a family time game and discovered that we all can write fun, creative and funny stories. This is make a writer out of you. I highly recommend this game, especially for young children who can be encouraged to like writing and grow into excellent writers.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This is fun
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
I use this as a family time game and discovered that we all can write fun, creative and funny stories. This is make a writer out of you. I highly recommend this game, especially for young children who can be encouraged to like writing and grow into excellent writers.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This is fun
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2022
I use this as a family time game and discovered that we all can write fun, creative and funny stories. This is make a writer out of you. I highly recommend this game, especially for young children who can be encouraged to like writing and grow into excellent writers.
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2 people found this helpful
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IronPaw Forge
5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
Bought this as a gift for an aspiring writer. They loved it and said it is really fun and helpful.
4 people found this helpful
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J in Mich
4.0 out of 5 stars Missing parts - disappointing early end to effort
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
Original review below - The author contacted me (see comments) and took care of this problem with a new copy plus provided the missing pieces by email. Updated to 4* (we have not played the complete game yet so maybe this will be revisited and hopefully up to 5).

Overall creativity and quality of the game is important but so is quality control. Maybe this is a rare occurrence or maybe not but after assembling the family with sharpened pencils and cajoling everyone to come to the table, reading the introduction and expending some effort to get my kids and wife a bit excited to try this we found the box did not contain the very first thing needed: The "first sentence" sticks. They had included 2 identical sets of the next set of sticks: The "non sequitur" sticks. It takes a bit of an effort to convince 3 kids to come to the table, listen to introductions read and start to gain excitement then a pretty big letdown to be sitting alone with scattered blank sheets of paper and unused but sharpened pencils.

This should be a 1-star review since it was not really usable and very disappointing for me. Not sure why I was generous with 2 - probably because I had such high hopes. If the publisher ships our replacements real fast I might update this. Right now, however, they do not seem to have any customer service line that is open until later after the holidays. We tried to search the internet to find where they may have made a list of the "first sentences" available but had no luck with that.
3 people found this helpful
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Maryann Gestwicki
5.0 out of 5 stars The writer's toolbox is a great smart, useful & resourceful writing game for anyone ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
The writer's toolbox is a great smart, useful & resourceful writing game for anyone who starts their writing career or who have writer's block and don't where to start. I would suggest this to anyone who struggles to get past that first stage in their writing career, also it was fast delivery to my door. I can't wait to begin to further my writing skills.
One person found this helpful
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Jo Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars This jumpstarted my writing career
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2016
Verified Purchase
These exercises seem like a game until you realize you’ve written a short story that wins a contest! That’s what happened to me using prompts from The Writer’s Toolbox. It also turned out to be a fun game after dinner one night. Each person took a prompt, read it out loud then expanded on it and we had a hilariously outrageous story. That’s how easy it is to let your imagination put ideas together. I’ve written three additional stories and am aiming for one a week. This toolbox jumpstarted my writing career.
25 people found this helpful
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Carolyn Brubaker
5.0 out of 5 stars Great writer's tool
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
As the author of 11 novels, I am no stranger to "gimmicks" aimed at stimulating a writer's creativity or breaking writer block. Most sound fabulous but when you actually use them, you wonder why you wasted your money and relegate them to the same dark corner as negative reviews. This is NOT one of those. Not only does it get your muse up and pumping, it's great fun too. I've started using it as a warm up in the morning before I begin writing. It never fails to put me in the mood to write. I've even started a new file for bits and pieces that I think might have possibilities. Well worth the money IMO!
65 people found this helpful
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Mikaela Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect and Fun
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
I purchased The Writer's Toolbox for a friend of mine, whom loves to write, for Christmas. Though I have not used it myself, she continues to express how completely awesome this item is. Whether you have a friend whom loves to write or you yourself are a writer looking for new ways to come up with prompts to write about, The Writer's Toolbox seems to be a great addition to any level writers arsenal.
One person found this helpful
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Just Some Fool
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as helpful for me as I'd hoped..
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
I see how this box is useful, and it helped me out a little.

However, it seems geared towards writing modern romance. Sure, sure, it's all about getting the creative juices flowing, and ideally once your brain is more creative, you can write whatever you want to write. The prompts talk about ice cream, and automobiles, and gyms, and things.

The concept is great, but it's not generic enough for me, OR, if it can't be generic, I'd like to see a Fantasy Version... and heck, it could be handy then for different themed versions. Of course, the printing, and marketing, and storing until sold, and selling, and such the different versions might not be worth it.

It's got some useful concepts, and it's better than regular old writing prompts, which haven't worked for me very well. The First Sentence to Non Sequitur and then Final Straw ideas are great concepts, way better than just writing prompts.

This book is great for those who are just looking to learn how to write, those who don't care what they're going to write, and those who are writing modern romance, and maybe just modern setting books. But, when I'm writing a fantasy story and pick up up a prompt that talks about ice cream melting on the counter top, my brain freaks out, and rebels. I try to use it anyway, try to imagine it's not ice cream, or perhaps they somehow have ice cream in this fantasy world, etc. etc. etc. but long story short, I find it more distracting than helpful when the prompts can't fit into what I'm already writing.

Still, kinda useful, not a total waste. Just, not has helpful as I had hoped. I may use it for practice, which is what it seems to be intended for, maybe I'll change my mind after using it a while.
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Patricia Marlatt
5.0 out of 5 stars Writers ToolBox
Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a big help as I'm trying to learn how to write.
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Rodolfo Dominguez y Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Un juego muy útil para la salud mental
Reviewed in Mexico on December 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
Para ejercicios mentales
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Tatiana
5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice
Reviewed in Germany on July 24, 2022
Verified Purchase
Got this for my sister as a gift, she loves it
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Divertente
Reviewed in Italy on August 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
Un "gioco" che stimola la fantasia. Bella l'idea dei diversi metodi di utilizzo. Ho già scritto un racconto.
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Occasional Sarcastic Review
5.0 out of 5 stars Add Ingenuity!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
With a little ingenuity you can adapt this to virtually any story, you don't have to go off the idea pieces verbatim, find another way to weave the concept or idea into your theme/setting etc.

I put together 1,650~ words for an opener to a story within an hour or so using this [I was taking my time!], and I have only just read some 19 pages of the 64~ page book that accompanies it.

While I don't really need this kit, it does have its uses, I was going to return it, but then applied some ingenuity [Yes, that word again] and repurposed it to be more useful for my intentions.

May remember to add to this review when I use it more further down the line.
7 people found this helpful
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