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.

This is a challenge and I love it. I really have to think about many of the suggestions offered. One about Obits sent me to the newspaper to do some serious reading and it is amazing what you can discover in Obits. When people talk about exercising the brain to keep it healthy, I would say, THIS book is good for the Brain as a treadmill for the body. I loved it so much I sent one to a friend in CA. I thought she might have one already or heard of it because she is an author and is in the area where this all began but she had not and was as excited to explore the book as I. This and one other journal I purchased from AMAZON are especially interesting, exciting and learning vehicles for those who want to go a little beyond day to day. Enjoying every minute and each new journey. Thank you San Francisco Writer's Guild. You are to be applauded!!!

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.

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.

Livre très sympa pour les anglophones. Les thèmes proposés pour les histoires a écrire sont très variés et originaux. A part une page d'introduction d'un des auteurs, le reste du livre est entièrement composé de petits cadres ou de pages blanches introduits par une instruction, une consigne, un thème, pour écrire une histoire. La consigne fait rarement plus de quelques mots, et il y en a 642 différentes. Le format du livre est très sympa, assez gros pour pouvoir écrire confortablement. Le design rappel un vieux cahier d'écolier américain. Un beau cadeau offert à une amie. Je me suis acheté le même et nous échangerons nos livres une fois terminés afin de se lire.

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.

Excelente

I bought this book for myself because I love to write, and it sounded like it would be fun to curl up and do some of these exercises. I've done a few of them now, and they're great! There are so many different ways to use this book. I'm using it pretty literally; just finding exercises at random and completing them, dating them so that when I look back later I can see how my writing has evolved. I can also see how this book would be neat just for brainstorming ideas for short stories or novels. The book is beautifully bound, and the pages are perfect for writing in (not too glossy!). All in all, a really fun book for writers everywhere.

I brought this book for myself and the next book '712 more things to write about' for my creative writing friends. Very creative questions and good for those mind block days. As my friend loves writing as a hobby I hope this book will fill her with inspirations. She would like to be a writer and this book I find would elevate her stories. I brought myself this book as I want to get into writing more and for reference. The size of the page is a decent amount to write, some questions will have more space to write than other questions. For writers you may want to write on your own line paper. I'm hoping to use this book over and over again. Very fast delivery, and fast response from the seller. Happy with my purchase.