What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Minute Friday
A collection of stories written in five minutes flat. What happens when a flash mob of writers gets together and is given one word and five minutes? Five Minute Friday! This book is a collection of 150 raw, unedited posts written in five minutes flat by members of the Five Minute Friday community.
235 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2016
7 people want to read
About the author
Susan Chamberlain Shipe
46 books15 followersSusan Chamberlain Shipe, a writer since the age of eight when she and her neighborhood friend wrote, edited, published, and distributed The Manor News. Things have changed since publishing with the five and dime stamp lettering set! Today, Susan enjoys blogging, writing short devotions and short stories from the tiny house in Upstate South Carolina, which she shares with her husband of thirty plus years, Lowell. Susan can be found musing several times a week at hopehearthome.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 23, 2017
The Spring of 2016, the Five Minute Friday (FMF) community was invited to submit their favorite blog posts for consideration in a book being compiled by Susan Shipe. 150 were chosen to be featured in "Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat".
The stories, each written in no more than five minutes in response to a one-word prompt, span a wide spectrum of topics and experiences, all unique, all honest. They are real, not perfect.
As Lisa-Jo Baker writes in the Foreword,
"I wanted to write like my kids ran – unselfconscious with arms flailing and hearts beating wildly. Running just for the joy of the running. That's how I wanted to write. For the joy of the writing. I wanted to silence the editor in my head who was constantly criticizing." (p 6)
These stories reflect our everyday lives. They are not perfect, scripted; we live in the present and there is no editing out the imperfections, struggles, and pain of this broken world. Yet, we have hope in a perfect Savior, and the opportunity to embrace the joys and ordinary moments, life lessons, and truths as we live out our faith day to day. And there are others alongside.
In all honesty, I'm disappointed with the cover and page layout. I acknowledge the most important part of this book is the content itself, but with the resources (friends!) available at our fingertips these days, I would have expected a more professional "look" overall and more thoughtful formatting (not stringing all the stories together without page breaks, for example).
Layout concerns aside, whether you read a story here and there, or have time to sit down and read it straight through, the new Five Minute Friday book is a delightful compilation. It is funny, sad, encouraging, thought-provoking, and everything in between. And I'm thrilled to have one of my blog posts included within the pages of this book among so many others from the FMF community.
The stories, each written in no more than five minutes in response to a one-word prompt, span a wide spectrum of topics and experiences, all unique, all honest. They are real, not perfect.
As Lisa-Jo Baker writes in the Foreword,
"I wanted to write like my kids ran – unselfconscious with arms flailing and hearts beating wildly. Running just for the joy of the running. That's how I wanted to write. For the joy of the writing. I wanted to silence the editor in my head who was constantly criticizing." (p 6)
These stories reflect our everyday lives. They are not perfect, scripted; we live in the present and there is no editing out the imperfections, struggles, and pain of this broken world. Yet, we have hope in a perfect Savior, and the opportunity to embrace the joys and ordinary moments, life lessons, and truths as we live out our faith day to day. And there are others alongside.
In all honesty, I'm disappointed with the cover and page layout. I acknowledge the most important part of this book is the content itself, but with the resources (friends!) available at our fingertips these days, I would have expected a more professional "look" overall and more thoughtful formatting (not stringing all the stories together without page breaks, for example).
Layout concerns aside, whether you read a story here and there, or have time to sit down and read it straight through, the new Five Minute Friday book is a delightful compilation. It is funny, sad, encouraging, thought-provoking, and everything in between. And I'm thrilled to have one of my blog posts included within the pages of this book among so many others from the FMF community.
February 4, 2024
This book is fun, different, challenging, and inspiring! If you like short chapters, or like to read on a variety of topics, this is the book for you. If you are a blogger, or like to read blogs, this is the book for you. If you like to be inspired by the stories of average people, this is the book for you. If you need writing inspiration, or if you are thinking of joining the Five Minute Friday bloggers, this is the book for you!
Most of the authors featured in Five Minute Friday are women. Many of the authors are Christians, and some of them write about their faith. I enjoyed reading stories from so many different people from various backgrounds. I was challenged by their testimonies, and I was encouraged to keep on with writing and blogging.
I have a blog post featured on page 140 of this book, and many of my blogging friends have blog posts in here too! It was fun to read a book with articles from so many people I have connected with over the past eight years.
Most of the authors featured in Five Minute Friday are women. Many of the authors are Christians, and some of them write about their faith. I enjoyed reading stories from so many different people from various backgrounds. I was challenged by their testimonies, and I was encouraged to keep on with writing and blogging.
I have a blog post featured on page 140 of this book, and many of my blogging friends have blog posts in here too! It was fun to read a book with articles from so many people I have connected with over the past eight years.
September 26, 2016
It's here! 150 Five Minute Friday posts in one book! From "After" to "Yes" Five Minute Friday participants offered their favorite post and word prompt. All of these were compiled into one incredible book. Very pleased and proud to have been an instrument in this project.
June 25, 2018
I use it every week for added insight.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews