| Title | : | Discovering the Writer Within: 40 Days to More Imaginative Writing |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 089879739X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780898797398 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published January 31, 1991 |
This 40-day "workout program" of imagination-stretching exercises will let you throw open all your inner doors, release your creativity, discover surprising connections and spark fresh ideas. By turns sober, off-the-wall, deeply emotional, thoughtful and playful, these exercises will nudge your originality into stimulating explorations. For example, you'll learn how to find something fresh and exciting about such unremarkable places as a shopping mall, a McDonald's, a bank (Day 9); write punchy first sentences for imaginary mysteries, thrillers, romances, news accounts (Day 15); retell a classic fairy tale - like "The Three Little Pigs" - from a different the wolf, the wolf's psychologist, the third pig's stockbroker (Day 20); and give a voice to inanimate objects (such as a household appliance) and find out what they'd say if given the chance (Day 23).
In an enjoyable, entertaining way, these 40 exercises guide you in such essential techniques as brainstorming, clustering, freewriting and revision. Whether you're a hesitant beginning writer or an experienced writer whose wellspring of wonder seems suddenly dry, this book will recharge and refresh your imagination and liberate you, through confident, effective writing, to follow wherever your dreams may lead.
Discovering the Writer Within: 40 Days to More Imaginative Writing Reviews
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3.5 stars
It's so hard to rate books on writing advice, as how much you get out of it depends on where you are in your journey as a writer and what specific problems you struggle with.
This book is written with beginners in mind, and I really like the focus on doing one section/exercise a day. It breaks the book up into manageable chunks, and gives you time to do each exercise without feeling like you need to rush to the next section.
However, be aware that this book is meant more for nonfiction writers. You can still get a lot out of it as a fiction writer--especially if you're just beginning--but I quickly stopped doing most of the exercises because I wasn't in the mood for what was essentially personal journaling. I also skipped over some of the exercises simply because I already know my process from conception until the end of the first draft. Not to say I wouldn't have gotten more out of the book if I had actually done all of the exercises, but I already have too many projects and I didn't want to spend my writing energy/time on prompts I didn't care about. I really loved the first day's exercises, as they were self-reflections on you as a writer, but then the exercises became more of self-reflection on your life, and... that didn't do it for me.
Though, it made me laugh whenever something outdated popped up in the book, like how one day you're supposed to go take a bunch of pictures of something and then drop off the film. Then the book gives you enough days to have the pictures developed before coming back to them. :P Not the fault of the writers that they couldn't predict the future, but just a fun tidbit.
I did like how vulnerable the authors were in their process, of sharing an early draft of something, talking about why it wasn't working/how they realized the problems, and then seeing the occasional revision of a piece. I'll be honest in that I skipped reading the longer pieces, but it's still nice that they put themselves out there, to show that it's okay for your story to be broken and that you might not always know the solution at first.
There was the occasional line of advice that really struck me/I copied down.
Overall, this book is meant more for beginning writers/people still trying to find their process, and it's also meant more for nonfiction writers, but it has a lot of good advice and tips. I like how vulnerable the authors were about their draft processes. I would have gotten more out of this book if I'd read it 10+ years ago, but I also would have gotten way more out of it if I was a nonfiction writer--which I'm not. Overall, I'm glad I read it, and there were still some bits that struck me, but it having a nonfiction focus kept it from being as useful to me. -
The exercises in this book are well worth the time they take to complete. As the title hints, writing should be an act of discovery. Whether you are wanting to get started in taking up the writing habit or a seasoned writer, this book will help breathe new life into your writing. Many of the exercises get you to think outside of the box. Two of my favorites are 20 Ways of Looking at an Elm Tree and Divorcing the Draft. The first involves taking pictures and the second calls for attacking your beloved draft with scissors!
Ballenger and Lanes exercises have served me well over the years, both as a writer and a teacher. Moreso than any other approach to teaching writing that I've encountered, theirs is the most authentic. This book is the next best thing to actually being able to take a writing class from one of them. If you take the time to complete all of the exercises, you won't regret it.
JeriWB.com Teacher Writer Traveler
Let's learn together. -
Great for writer's block. Lots of fun.
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I'm trying to keep my own writer's notebook as I work through the exercises.
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Just okay for me personally- as the title suggests, it's best for people who are true beginners or have strong writers block. Good ideas/length for one dose a day, and good stuff about clustering.
