Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully inspiring
Review: This book is a unique experience. Heffron has you sitting on your desk with a paper and pen in your hand like your high-school English teacher did. But unlike Mrs. Matthews who had huge glasses and a mole on her chin, Jack doesn't force you to write. His words inspire you, guide you and most of all make you want to write.
In 255 pages, you'll find more than 400 prompts, and absolutely no nonsense. Heffron doesn't waste time, not yours, not his. And the unmatched advice will prove to be of help to not only beginning writers who can't find any ideas, but also to established pros.
If you're stuck on the opening, chapter ending, character creation or even plot technicalities, this book will give you the push in the right direction towards taking your work from blocked to finished.
The uniqueness of this book is not in the prompts or the guidance, but in the way it prepares you to find your own ideas. Even when you're finished with the book, you'll be able to generate more ideas, better characters, vivid scenarios and much better writing. The lessons will be imbibed in you long after the book is dusty and forgotten.
-- Mridu Khullar, Editor of www.WritersCrossing.com
Rating: 
Summary: highly recommended
Review: This is a fantastic book! It covers all of the areas that many writers have problems with, and helps you get through them. Mary Heaton Vorse once said, "Writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair" and this book agrees. This book is full of prompts designed to get your juices flowing, and above all, get you writing! Even the most die-hard procrastators and people who are very afraid of writing anything uless it's perfect (like me)will be writing in no time. Most of all, this book showed me that you don't have to be published to be a writer. Any one who writes is a writer. Buy this book, you'll be happy you did.
Rating:
Summary: Worth It for the Valuable Prompts Alone
Review: Writers encounter many speed bumps in their projects that can slow down their progress. "The Writer's Idea Book" is designed to get you past those rough spots and make the creative process a little easier. The book features over 400 prompts to enhance your writing. Plus, each section examines the tricky aspects of writing and how you can overcome them successfully. Part I begins with how to get started on your writing track. Sections deal with showing up, acknowledging the difficulty, enemies of creativity, leading a creative life and what to do when you're stuck. Each section has related prompts so you can get the most out of the advice given. Part II shows you how to explore your writing as well as you as a writer. A large amount of prompts help you discover the many faces of you, romantic love, secrets and lies, the spirit of your stories and more. Part III, appropriately titled "Finding Form," takes you deep into the writing craft. Character development, shaping space and time, point of view, setting, openings and endings are all covered in a way new writers and more seasoned writers can both benefit from. Part IV covers "Assessing and Developing." Heffron shows the need for writers to up the stakes, consider the reader, study their tone and understand theme. Each section approaches a key aspect of getting the most out of the written word. Prompts that follow each section are directly related to your reading all through the book so you get relevant practice with your own writing. "The Writer's Idea Book" has quickly become a favorite among writers, no matter what their experience level. The thought-provoking prompts alone make this a valuable tool any writer can use for their own projects. But watch out! This book will spark so many ideas, you'll be backlogged on writing projects.
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