Everyday Creative Writing: Panning for Gold in the Kitchen Sink

I get tired of the same old prompts and ideas. This book will give you a fresh outlook on a routine exercise. Filled with good ideas and experiments, this book can help anyone improve their writing. It's not a miracle-worker, but it's a fun and easy way to take the baby steps.

Everytime I go to the library, some book I wasn't looking for whispers my name and I feel compelled to check it out. This is what happened with "Everyday Creative Writing."The writing exercises seem simple at first, but the topics for the exercises are more complex than one might imagine. Smith and Greenberg invite you to "pan for gold" from everyday situations, such as "Why I Will Not Get Out of Bed" and "In the Checkout Line." Then they ask you to "brainstorm," "freewrite" and "free associate" until your mind is open to new possibilities. They also include examples of some topic writings - stories, essays and poetry - that will also jiggle the juices.After a few days of working the exercises first thing in the morning with my coffee, I was thinking creatively all day. Definitely not a book to try if you want to hold onto Writer's Block. Good stretches for stiff minds.

Glad my grad student sister at CSULB introduced me to this book. She found 'Everyday Creative Writing' in a display of published faculty books. Great writing exercises and ideas for my writing group. Can't wait to try them out next week at our workshop.- Jill Murphy Long