The Writer's Book of Matches: 1,001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction

I think it's very unfair for people to give this book only 1 or 2 stars simply because it was not useful to you as an English teacher. Perhaps it didn't suit your purposes, but that does not make it a bad book. Those who cannot write, teach. Isn't that the way the saying goes? I guarantee that any writer will find this book useful. And if you have any writer who cannot write about adultery or other 'touchy' subjects, then your book will not be interesting anyway! I would like to also add that I loved this book. It is not boring, the prompts aren't pulled from a boring website, these are amazing prompts! Also, the introduction was great, as well as the suggestions at the back for being able to get more use out of this book. They understand what it is like to want to get the most for your budget. I found this book to be helpful, creative, imaginative and just down right fun!

I have bought two copies of this book. I gave one as a present to a writing buddy. She loves it as much as I do. Very inspirational, a lot of fun! Wonderful book to help fight writer's block, and just give you topics for writing exercises.

As an aspiring writer, I have picked up many, many books on how to write, what to write and what to do with your writing when you're done. I've tried prompt books with "inspiring" photographs and quotes from other authors and general questions to ask yourself that, while somewhat helpful, didn't really start any sparks in my mind. But, from the moment I opened "The Writer's Book of Matches" and turned to a random page, I was hooked. Besides the introduction (made up of information on coming up with your own prompts and on how to use the book), the book is comprised completely of writing prompts. The intro is only twenty pages long, so there are A LOT of prompts in this book. For example: pg 146-- A woman with an eating disorder visits an all-you-can eat buffet with her coworkers. This is the first type of prompt presented: a character that is involved in a conflict. When jotting down ideas, I often write them out in this exact format, which is helpful when searching for ideas in this book. It provides you with a character and a conflict that, while detailed, are also open enough to provide your own interpretation. Just looking through the prompts for a few minutes is enough to get my brain flowing. And a LOT of the prompts are a lot more thought evoking than the one I listed. Some can be downright chilling. Not all the prompts are listed in this format, there are also lines of dialogue that are quirky enough to be the first lines of some good stories. Example:Pg 186 "Why does your boyfriend have a tuxedo in the back seat of his car?" A third type prompt presents unusual situations that are specific enough, but are left open to be interpreted in many, many ways. Example: Pg 213 While filling up her car with gas, a woman finds the words "help me" and a license plate number written on her passenger door. All in all, this book was EXACTLY what I had been searching for for a very long time. I highly recommend it if you struggle to come up with interesting ideas often, or if you just need a jumpstart into a story.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I like to know what I'm getting into." This prompt from the book is ideally suited for leading into the description. With quotes, situations, photos, and drawings there is plenty to get the imagination going. It's 250 pages of things designed to get you thinking and putting those thoughts on a page. For those who write professionally, those who just enjoy writing, those who keep blogs/journals and sometimes get stuck on what to write about - this is a good book to have handy. I keep it on my desk along with a few others to reach for on those days that "Where do I start?" is the only thing in my head. Quirky, situations you don't normally think of and some that may be a bit shocking but can be written about from many perspectives. WELL worth the money!

I've read, written and collected TONS of prompts of all kinds over the past couple of years. A lot of places repeat the same old tired prompts, but this book was filled with a large array of new prompts and 'thought joggers' that I haven't seen elsewhere. I enjoyed just flipping through this book and now look forward to going back and start writing from the highlights I've made.