By Jack Heffron
Writer's Digest Books
Hardcover and Paperback Editions

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.

The Writer's Idea Book Experiencing a new place can be a wonderful experience for a writer, because everything is so fresh and new. Your soul is wide open to notice all that's around you. If you're feeling stale in your writing, take time for a trip, even if just a day-trip, to a place you've never been. It doesn't matter where you go. Selected Prompts: Write a scene, based on a real experience in your life, in which two characters are angry with each other. Do not base the viewpoint character on yourself. Instead, give the viewpoint to the person with whom you argued. Write an essay titled "On Lying," exploring the nature of lies and lying. Mix personal experience with a philosophical stance. ©2000 Jack Heffron Published with permission from Writer's Digest Books

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.

But watch out! This book will spark so many ideas, you'll be backlogged on writing projects.

Bookworm's Briefing
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.

Jack Heffron is the former Editorial Director of Writer's Digest Books, Story Press, Walking Stick Press and Betterway Books. He's taught writing for almost 20 years.