Review: "The Write-Brain Workbook" by Bonnie Neubauer

Writer's Digest Books is well known for offering up some winning books for writers. The Write Brain Workbook by Bonnie Neubauer is no exception.

This paperback contains writing prompts -- 366 of them. If you follow Neubauer's recommendations to doodle a page a day, then writer's block will be no more. On the other hand, some of these cute little prompts could easily create an addiction similar to Solitaire.

Upon reading through page by page, exercise by exercise, I found a few that to me were a bit corny. Some of them the majority of writers will have seen, done, or read about it before, although these are presented with a some unusual creative twists.. Despite some very minor repetition, the prompts are organized and illustrated beautifully. If the words don't set off alarm bells for the pen to start flowing, the pictures will.

Neubauer hands you some starting lines, some ending lines, and some interesting middles. From using letters as you come across them while writing on the page, to being challenged to incorporate certain words, these are not boring in the least. She even offers visual effects for those more opt to seeing than hearing, including writing in clouds, on really narrow lines, filling in shapes, and more.

A plethora of writing topics await: belly dancing, catsup or ketchup, bald ballerinas, morals, to name a few.

So peruse the book for ideas, a glimmer of an inspiration, or grab your pen and write away. Go page by page. Skip around.

You have no writing teacher to reprimand you or stifle your creativity. Anything goes on these pages! (Of course I still find it difficult to write in a book... sacrilege!) And for those like me that cringe at the thought of taking ink to published paper, don't expect to copy these pages to keep your book virgin white. For that matter, don't expect these pages to be virgin white. Neubauer and the editors at Writer's Digest Books have been playing with the paint palette. You'll find lots of color and a variety of hues. Bright colors, dark colors -- can not copy for my own use colors. While visually pleasing, I'm not sure how to preserve the innocence of my book while still benefitting from the ingenious little cues within.

Ater 366 days -- don't worry. The book is still good. Each prompt comes with a little sidebox of suggestions. Writing tips and other ideas to springboard off of. Think of it as 2 or more workbooks in one. You won't need a creativity prompter for a minimum of 2 years with this book!

The Write Brain Workook retails for $19.99. It's worth every penny. Motivation and inspiration for a little over 2.5 cents a day (figuring 2 years of use).