Book Review: Write Starts
Knight Ridder/Tribune
Feb 01, 2010
Body: I don't say this lightly; I truly believe this is a book every writer should have on his shelf. Write Starts: Prompts, Quotes, and Exercises to Jumpstart Your Creativity is a conglomeration of inspiration, wisdom, good advice and fun. Since reading this compact volume I've returned to it many times for ideas and motivation.
Some of the story prompts are challenging. Such as "Contradiction and Paradox." This exercise encourages the writer to "Think of a contradiction or memorable paradox in your own life," and then to write a fictional, non-fiction article, poem or song about that experience. I had to think about this long and hard.
Others aren't quite so brain taxing. "Writer's Dreams," asks that you write about your wildest fantasies. The assignment in particular asks that you write about, " . . . What it might be like to become a really famous author." Write in first person, without limits.
Other prompts are intriguing. "Awakening the Human Spirit," tells us, "It is not just words that excite the creative writer and excite readers, but what those words evoke in the human spirit." This exercise advises us to copy the work of other authors -- not to take credit for their work, but just to experience writing in another voice. Bennett suggests that, " . . it will allow you to recognize and honor the differences between one writer and another, and that includes recognizing and honoring differences between you and them."
Along with the prompts are words of advice, ideas and suggestions that encourage and explain the creative process. I found these bits of information interesting and helpful. Quotations by well-known writers are sprinkled throughout the book. These quotations are enlightening and motivating.
Write Starts: Prompts, Quotes, and Exercises to Jumpstart Your Creativity is inspiring, thought provoking and instructive. The title describes the book's contents exactly.
Write Starts: Prompts, Quotes, and Exercises to Jumpstart Your Creativity (New World Library/ 2010) By Hal Zina Bennett
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