3 Am Epiphany

The 3 AM Epiphany stands out from other writing guides. It has a respect for the reader and an insight into writing I haven't experienced before, and it actually inspired me. It's readable, engaging, and interesting; the writing that it intends to educe is of a more literary quality; and the organization and structure of the book and the prompts encourages exploration and assumes the reader is capable. It really impressed me, and it really helped me. More than any other writing guide I've bought, borrowed, read, perused, etc., this is the book that reminded writing is something I can do, something I like to do, and in the end, resulted in writing being something that I actually do on a regular basis.

I must say, when I ran across this book at work (I work for a book distributor), I realized that many of the exercises in here are ones the author used in a workshop I took at Naropa University 4 years ago...! I thought his fiction workshop was one of the best I've ever taken, as it sparked several story-lines, or ideas for sections of existing work, that I still have rolling today. I'm excited to see this book in print, and hope to read it more thoroughly in the near future, but upon a scan of several of the exercises, I can tell it's very engagingly written and unique in its approach. Kudos, Brian!

That's right, bibliophiles. Not borrow from the library. =Own= This book is brimming with exercises that will sharpen your mind, and help you unlock your own inherent skills. It's amazing how similar our writing can be to others. Yet we're taught to seek out individuality. It is this disparity that often forces us to strive too hard to be unique. In mimicing or embracing the style and work of others, our voices can still emerge. Mr. Kitely is very astute in recognizing this and the exercises encourage the adaptive reuse and combination of disparate styles and ideas. This book is both a teaching tool, and a mind opener. Some of the exercises are a bit more challenging than I might be up for at 3:00AM, but honestly, there's value in each and every one. I feel like even after only a few exercises, I have a better understanding of my own limitations and thought processes, and have grown as a writer. Not to mention the fun. I've taken a few of these exercises and shared them with friends in our own mini-workshops, and it makes for some great storytelling and idea sharing. Give this a shot-- it will help you, even if only slightly. That alone justifies the 10 bucks it costs.

Books of writing exercises mainly aim to inspire creativity in the writer. Usually the idea goes like this: by putting a constraint on the writer (a particular topic, a set of words to use, etc.) and often a word limit or time limit, the writer will come up with new material she wouldn't have thought of if she'd simply set pen to paper and said, "what comes next?" It can help to alleviate the terror of confronting the blank page that many writers face now and then. Brian Kiteley's "The 3 A.M. Epiphany" is a little bit different, in several ways. For one, most of the books I've read use time limits, whereas this book uses word limits, pushing you to come up with small gems rather than reams of material to sift through. The exercises also have an additional dimension to them that most don't. Each one is carefully constructed to help you explore a certain aspect of your writing. These aren't meant to be "merely" inspirational--they're designed to teach technique, as well, without reading like a dry instructional book. There are types of exercises in here I really haven't seen anywhere else, particularly in the sections on "Internal Structure" and "Exercises for Stories in Progress", and I think you'll find them inspiring in ways that other books aren't. They'll make you think, work and write in whole new directions.

I was, to say the least, skeptical when I bought this book. I have read many books designed to spark ideas and motivate you to write, through various plans and exercises. But I came to this book anyway, hopeful. To imagine a book being a spark to the writing via the "uncommon writing exercises" it promises is saying quite a thing. Hard to live up to that hype. But Kiteley does it, and does it with such skill that you wonder what it must be like to sit in on one of his lectures. I read this book and simply envied his students. Creative approaches to writing are commonplace (often not that creative on second thought, and sometimes not even helpful), but "uncommon" approaches, as this book offers, are a wonderful thing to a writer wondering where to go next. If you are a writer satisfied with the present state of your craft, pleased that you've found a genre you like, and want nothing more than to write at the level you currently do, you don't need this book. But I feel sorry for your lack of adventure. If, on the other hand, you are a writer looking for a challenge, or a writer mired in the regular grind, take this book and study it carefully. The ideas in it are incredible new ways of seeing things that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Not every exercise will spark you. Fine. There are many, and every day is a new chance for an exercise that didn't interest you to change your mind. If you are serious about exploring the craft and not just skating along the surface of it, this book will reward you.