642 Things to Write About: (Guided Journal, Creative Writing, Writing Prompt Journal)

This journal is fabulous! It's really helped get me out of my rut. I write recreationally, as a way to recharge and keep this version of myself connected to the liberal arts student I once was. It is set up perfectly for me. I prefer to sit down and start writing randomly, letting each sentence lead to the next. I am not currently attempting an actual writing project with a plot and detailed characters and all that jazz. This journal has 642 prompts, as the title suggests. Many are first sentences, and some are more general topic ideas. I suppose you could write directly in the book, but in my opinion there isn't nearly enough space to really flush out the ideas. I prefer to copy the idea elsewhere and get down to it.Many of the prompts are common, almost everyday ideas that actually get the creativity flowing. Some are more in depth and require significantly more effort. Some examples of topics, chosen randomly as I flip through the book, are:Describe something you wanted badly and, once you got it, never used.Something you've always regretted saying.Making soup.A beginners guide to getting noticed.Death is like this...Fix the plot of the worst movie you've ever seen.Choose an obituary and write about a day in that person's life.Explain to your boss why you spent $5,000 during one business meeting and why he should reimburse you.The topics zig-zag like this across the whole journal. So far, I haven't fallen into a rut since beginning the journal. The topics are so varied, it's impossible for me not to feel inspired by at least one of them at any given moment.Some topics are very in-depth and require plenty of reflection and maybe even some research, and others are vague enough to allow for free-form, stream of consciousness type writing. I've written as little as half a page and as much as...well, a whole lot more than that. The journal spans plenty of genres. I think, no matter what your genre or writing style, you would find plenty of prompts to suit your needs. Also, plenty are vague enough that you could tailor them to your style.Probably the most exciting aspect of this journal for me is that it's jump-started my long-dormant creativity. I'm getting back into old habits again, such as carrying a notebook with me and jotting down observations and ideas. I'm also looking at elements of my life and finding new inspiration. I'm keeping a personal journal, using this journal, and looking at my life through my writer's eyes, rather than as a passive observer. Getting back to what was once such a passion and an escape for me has made the rest of my life, the "real" or "normal" part, much more enjoyable.I highly recommend this journal. If you are looking for a gift for a writer or a creative writing student, I don't think you can go wrong with this.

I'm new to writing and just wanted something to get the creative juices flowing. This is a perfect fit, it has a great variety of short or long, simple or detailed prompts. To respond to the reviews about the "violent" prompts.. these people have obviously never read crime thrillers or mystery crime stories. The prompts are not grotesque, they are simply to spur inspiration if that's the type of writing you do! If you don't like it, don't use those promopts or just rip those pages out. With 640 other options, this is still a great option.

I love this book. I often find myself wanting to write, but I do not know what to write about. This book will give you so many ideas, you will not know where to begin. With 642 to choose from, you will find something to write about. For example, one page states, "A tree from the point of view of one of its leaves." Another page says, "Put two people who hate each other in an elevator for 12 hours. What happens?" The types of prompts vary widely, and it is impossible to predict what will be asked of you from one page to another. Some prompts immediately speak to me, and I wanted to start writing. Others were less inspiring.I have two complaints about this book. First, the pages are not numbered. How in the world did this happen? I am an English professor, and I want to use this book in my class by having students choose a page number and then letting them write about the prompt on that page. This is impossible. And if it was used by all students in a creative writing class, the professor can never say, "Turn to page 100." This is extremely frustrating and a huge oversight by the writers/publisher.Also, the lines on the page are useless. Some prompt come four to a page, meaning they are in boxes--none of this is enough to write a creative response, unless you write each letter as small as the smallest ant on the planet. No, all of your creative writing will take place outside the book, either on a computer screen or your own notepad, which defeats the purpose of this being a "workbook."I love the ideas that this book presents. Yes, it will help with my creative writing, and I assume it will help yours. I I really like most of the prompts (and some are very funny). I just did not like the physical execution of the book, which should have been figured out before it went to print.

Excellent, allowing for lots of fun, original writing…

A nice surprise was the sheer size of this book. I didn't look at the dimensions when I bought it, and it was wider and a bit taller than I figured. It just looks and feels nicer in my hand than I suspected, and leaves plenty of space for the prompts, which I like.Some of the prompts IMO work better as simple writing exercises, which they of course are, and IMO will help anyone who wants to write develop their creativity, but there are certainly plenty of prompts that may help someone build scenes or develop characters or even come up with whole plots for new stories.Developing that creativity and getting used to writing really is the key for any aspiring writer, so a book like this is perfect. IMO, a book like this may even be more helpful for an aspiring writer than buying a "how to" book. I'm not suggesting someone not buy a book that will teach lessons to develop and hone your craft -- of course you should -- but they should supplement the writing, not stand in for it.So, as I said in my headline -- go write! And I think this book is a helpful place to do it in, providing you a place to hone your skills and develop good writing habits until your stories start writing themselves.

Great to have around and get the brain's juices flowing and gears spinning. Highly recommend if you're a writer and want some inspiration, exercise or put- on -the- spot- practice. I also have the one for drawing.

Me gustó el libro, y hacer las historias a diario si te ayudan para alimentar tu creatividad y volverte más hábil en la escritura.

Lo pedí para un regalo de cumpleaños y gustó mucho! Es muy original

Il libro è arrivato integro, in perfette condizioni e imballato correttamente. L'ho acquistato diversi mesi fa per un regalo, che è stato molto gradito. Un'ottima fonte per esercitarsi nella scrittura creativa, con prompt anche un po' assurdi ma utilissimi a stimolare la fantasia. L'unico appunto è che è disponibile soltanto in inglese (non vi è un'edizione tradotta, da qui le 4 stelle di questa recensione): benché per me non sia assolutamente un problema, comprendo che quando si tratta di esprimersi nella scrittura si preferisce utilizzare la propria lingua madre. Le "tracce" comunque sono piuttosto semplici da capire anche per chi non ha dimestichezza con l'inglese.

The best decision I took this year so far was to order this journal. It is for those who love writing and can make up and tell stories at the drop of a hat. It helps your creative juices to flow and is a must if you are an aspiring writer. It can also serve as a bank for your memories. I will be buying the second part as well. The prompts are great. The quality of the book is excellent and is worth the bucks you pay to get it. But I wish the delivery was a bit faster.

Dieses Buch gibt kreative Ideen, über welche Themen man beginnen kann, zu schreiben. Dies reicht von der Aufforderung "schreibe ein Gedicht über eine Tomate" bishin zu "beginne eine Story mit dem Satz 'Dies war das erste Mal, dass ich jemanden getötet habe'".Weiterhin sollen Listen erstellt werden, über Dinge, die man in bestimmten Situationen wahrnimmt, um im nächsten Schritt daraus eine Geschichte zu schreiben mit veränderten Rahmenbedingungen zu schreiben.Die Ideen sind in englischer Sprache verfasst, aber leicht zu verstehen, auch für Personen mit Anfänger-Kenntnissen in der englischen Sprache.Wer also überlegt, woher er selber kreative Ideen für eigene Geschichten oder Gedanken bekommen kann, sollte sich dieses Buch unbedingt nach Hause holen, zunächst stöbern, sich dann inspirieren lassen und schließlich einfach anfangen, die kreativen Ideen zu Papier (oder in den Rechner) zu bringen.Eine unbedingte Empfehlung!