642 Things to Write About

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www.chroniclebooks.com

642 Things to Write About
San Francisco Writer's Grotto
2014

Cover Synopsis
"You are a pirate.  Describe your perfect day.

"Fix the plot of the worst movie you've ever seen.

"Write a love letter to a person you dislike.

"Pen an ode to an onion.

"Get your creative juices flowing with this collection of witty, outrageous, and thought-provoking writing prompts.  Open to any page for a fresh dose of inspiration, sure to break through that writer's block and jumpstart your literary genius."

Thoughts
I like the prompts afforded in 642 Things to Write About.  I like how they can touch on normal experiences; I like how they can veer in different, unexpected directions; I like how they can border on unusual, or average, or extraordinary.

And I like that they have a sense of humor:

• Boxers or briefs.  Discuss.
• Who wrote the Book of Love?  Why, and what's in it?
• You are a loser who lives alone with a cat and have for quite some time.  One day your cat can't take it anymore and starts talking.  What does it say?
• Life among the pirates
• Write a bathroom wall limerick.

I like how wild and wacky these prompts are, and how it really does ask you to step outside of your comfort zone and explore, think, record, estimate, and dream.

Overall Impression
Admittedly, I haven't finished 642 Things to Write About.  Considering it has 642 things to write about, some of them including essay prompts and some of them waxing toward the poetic and silly, it's difficult to sit down and finish the whole thing from beginning to end.  However, I have enjoyed this book immensely.

And I've enjoyed it for one simple reason:  it's fun.

The entire book is an experiment with your own writing abilities.  It's an intriguing blend of silliness and seriousness, a series of prompts and challenges to kickstart your thinking or distract your mind.  It doesn't matter what you do or don't write, it's plain and simple fun.

Seriously, pick it up and flip to a page.  If you don't have anything to write, flip to another page and keep going, until you find something you like.  Write about your first kiss.  Write about what it would be like to be an astronaut.  Write your life as a series of postcards.

Write about whatever you want, but simply write.