Rating: 
Summary: The Best Fiction Exercises I've Found!
Review: I was priveleged to be one of Pamela Painter's graduate students in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Emerson College back in the mid-1990's. What a class! What an instructor! She invoked fear in most of us... but only because of her awesome talent and knowledge. My copy of this book has been through a lot since then. I have gone on to teach Creative Writing and Advanced Screenwriting at the university level and also at the extended education level with senior citizens. I have found these exercises to be versatile enough to inspire the creative minds of both 20-year olds and 80-year olds. My students have always raved about the wonderful merits of this book. At the present time, I teach Creative Writing as a volunteer in my son's first grade class and have adapted several of the exercises for his age group. While the exercises are not easy for them, I am consistently amazed at how they raise the bar and do their best to finish the writing asked of them... and with wonderful results! The creativity that I have witnessed as a result of these writing exercises, from the youngest writers to the most-seasoned, has absolutely overwhelmed me. When the mind is challenged, great things emerge. Needless to say, I am impressed with the versatility of this book... a book that can span generations and age gaps... a book that doesn't go out of style... a book that every fiction writer should have! I can't recommend it highly enough. Thank you, Pam Painter and Anne Bernays for putting together such a valuable writing tool!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fiction Exercises I've Found!
Review: I was priveleged to be one of Pamela Painter's graduate students in the MFA Creative Writing Program at Emerson College back in the mid-1990's. What a class! What an instructor! She invoked fear in most of us... but only because of her awesome talent and knowledge. My copy of this book has been through a lot since then. I have gone on to teach Creative Writing and Advanced Screenwriting at the university level and also at the extended education level with senior citizens. I have found these exercises to be versatile enough to inspire the creative minds of both 20-year olds and 80-year olds. My students have always raved about the wonderful merits of this book. At the present time, I teach Creative Writing as a volunteer in my son's first grade class and have adapted several of the exercises for his age group. While the exercises are not easy for them, I am consistently amazed at how they raise the bar and do their best to finish the writing asked of them... and with wonderful results! The creativity that I have witnessed as a result of these writing exercises, from the youngest writers to the most-seasoned, has absolutely overwhelmed me. When the mind is challenged, great things emerge. Needless to say, I am impressed with the versatility of this book... a book that can span generations and age gaps... a book that doesn't go out of style... a book that every fiction writer should have! I can't recommend it highly enough. Thank you, Pam Painter and Anne Bernays for putting together such a valuable writing tool!
Rating:
Summary: The best exercise book I've found
Review: I've done a lot of reading on writing fiction, and this is by far one of the best. While other books talk about how to go about writing, this one gives you exercises designed to guide you to putting those ideas into practice. It's guarenteed to improve your writing! My writing group has used it for about a year and the members love it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't try writing fiction without it!
Review: I've loved this book since I found it in a bookstore. I took it to my writing group and we all had great fun (and improved our writing tenfold) with this book. If you're looking for ways to jump start your creativity, this is it! You will find fabulous, original exercises as well as examples from students of the exercises--often a great way to get your critique group discussion started--there's also a collection of short stories at the back--all in all a worthwhile investment for anyone serious or just dabbling in fiction!
Rating:
Summary: Exercises Galore
Review: If you did one exercise a day from Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter's "What If?" you would be writing for more than a third of a year. The book is packed with 115 exercises. The goal of a writer is to write, preferably every day. This book not only provides exercises, it also includes discussions of writing before each exercise to teach the skills necessary to become a good writer. Bernays and Painter finish off their book with 24 short stories, from a variety of authors, to provide the reader with examples of the lessons.The book is split up into fifteen different sections (two of these are devoted to the short stories and short-shorts), each with several exercises. Each section discusses a particular part of story writing including, beginnings, plot, POV, characterization, dialogue, styles and rewrites. I found the majority of the exercises useful, and nearly all of the lessons and discussions worthwhile. There where even a few "Ah-ha!" exercises that instantly solved, or gave me ideas on how to tackle, a problem that I'd been dealing with. This book can be used in two ways. The first is to use it to strengthen your weaknesses. If you feel that your writing is lacking in a certain area, you can focus entirely on the lessons and exercises to improve that area. The second way to use this book is to read it straight through for the lessons and advise while using the exercises to further your writing. Either way, I believe that any writer will find "What If?" a useful tool.
Rating:
Summary: Challenging exercises for those who are ready to write
Review: If you're ready to write, this is the book to get you started. It supplies real nuts and bolts activities, such as the one in which you have to write five opening lines for a story. Two of the opening lines I wrote for that exercise became stories and one of those became the first piece of fiction I sold. If the ideas are in there, this book will help get them out.
Rating:
Summary: Journalist trying his hand at fiction
Review: Last year I had the priviledge of having a non-fiction book published and I continue to work as a journalist. Obviously, these skills haven't prepared me for writing my first novel. But not to worry. At my side (actually on my writing desk) is a copy of What if? and it has taught, inspired and encouraged me in my quest for the great American novel. Not only that, its just plain fun to read and work the exercises. The chapters on characterization, point of view, dialogue and plot are excellent. I recommend this to any writer that needs to hone his fiction writing skills or learn them for the first time. Hats off to the authors -- Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Value!
Review: Not much to say other than I am very please with this book. It has made me think more about the craft of writing than any other book I have purchased.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Value!
Review: Not much to say other than I am very please with this book. It has made me think more about the craft of writing than any other book I have purchased.
Rating: 
Summary: No guarantees, but...
Review: Nothing's guaranteed to get you writing, but Bernays and Painter do their darndest here, and if you have any motivation of your own at all, chances are, they'll work their magic for you. This is one of those books I refer to time and time again, whenever I feel like I'm stuck (or about to get stuck).
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