Book Review: “642 Things to Write About”

A good friend gave me a new book called 642 Things to Write About for Christmas. I’d say it’s more of a journal, comprised of 642 clever writing prompts, created by the staff at San Francisco Writer’s Grotto.

“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.”

Needless to say I was completely intrigued.

A professor in graduate school once told me that you should practice writing everyday if you want to be good at it. Truthfully, I’ve never really been good at making time to write everyday; however, my hope is that this journal will change that, as I’m trying to end each day by completing one of the 642 prompts.

I’ve only used it for a few days, but it’s a perfect companion for any creative thinker. So far, I’ve been asked, “… what could happen in a second?” Another said to describe the worst Thanksgiving dish I ever had.

I don’t want to give too much away, but here’s another prompt that I found hilarious:

“A houseplant is dying. Tell it why it needs to live.”

It’s been a lot of fun so far and I’d encourage any artist who uses journaling or writing in the midst of their creative process to look into it.

—Jaime

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