4 A.M. Breakthrough: Unconventional Writing Exercises That Transform Your Fiction

by Brian Kiteley

Realize All That Is Possible in Your Fiction

Writers have long turned to exercises for help with beginning—be it a new piece of fiction, a daily routine, or a serious writing life. Behind the theory of exercises is an attitude of curiosity and expectancy, a desire to ask questions of yourself and of the world, to boldly—or not so boldly—stick a toe into the waters of something fresh, provocative, and exhilarating. To create fiction on the verge.

In The 4 A.M. Breakthrough, companion to The 3 A.M. Epiphany, award-winning author and professor Brian Kiteley presents you with another 200 stimulating exercises, designed to help you expand your understanding of the problems and processes of more complex, satisfying fiction and to challenge you to produce works of which you never thought yourself capable.

You'll learn how to:


Train your writing instincts, so creation becomes a more organic, automatic process
Tackle challenging concepts and themes, such as Language Games, The Mind, Money & Class, and History, laying a foundation for larger, more significant writing projects
Make your writing process more fun and experimental, so you'll approach your fiction in the spirit of discovery, rather than with anxiety
Open the book. Choose an exercise. Surprise yourself.

Anything can happen—even at 4 a.m.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts, Language

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2009

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this both as a resource for my own writing and to use in my writing workshops.

When I'm not fully engaged in writing a novel or writing fresh material, a part of my soul starts to wither. I've learned I need to write fresh, new, even if it's just short pieces, while in the midst of revisions and edits, to keep my sense of intellectual and emotional equilibrium. I appreciate the specificity of these writing prompts, the unique themes and unusual scenarios and will use them as a way to enter into a story, a poem, an essay. For my works-in-progress workshops, I can mine some of these ideas to help students see their work in a new light, to explore their characters and themes in new or deeper ways.

[Catherine Gillespie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 4 A.M. Breakthrough is Kiteley’s follow up book, and I have to say I didn’t find it nearly as helpful as I found the first one. I’m not sure if it was the way the book was arranged (fewer topic areas) or the fact that I didn’t find as many of the exercises helpful, or the fact that I got pretty tired of the political commentary (I am sick of political opinion wielding in general, and really really prefer not to read it in books ostensibly about writing.), but I didn’t like it as well.

I did get a couple of good thoughts from the book, so it wasn’t a total loss. One especially helpful perspective was Kiteley’s advice to write in inconvenient little pockets of time, rather than scheduling large blocks for writing. He finds that the smaller, frantic bursts tend to be better writing. That is good news, considering that I never have four hours to just write fiction, although I wish I did.

{Read my full review here}

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike his previous book, "The 3 A.M. Epiphany," this is a collection of writing exercises and prompts to jumpstart the imagination. Many of the exercises require research, which is a nice challenge. Many of the explanations are autobiographical in nature, which often proved to be engaging for me. (Your opinion may vary.) I haven't taken many English or creative writing courses, but I was surprised that Kiteley notes how graduate students often resist or groan about writing prompts. There is a lot of great writing that is produced within defined restraints and conventions, e.g. genre fiction. At some point, I'll have to randomly choose a prompt and write within its borders. For now, this book provides some roundabout insights into how writers approach the blank page and generate strands of fiction that may or may not be used in a future project.

[Ris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and enjoyed the variety in writing exercises. That word should not, in this case, be considered synonymous for "prompts." Many of the exercises in this book require time to explore outside references (ie. picture dictionaries, old bodies of work, etc.). I originally tried to do an exercise a day, but found it worked best for me when I was in a general writing rut. Many of the exercises work best if you already have a body of work (prompts and finished stories or poems alike) that you're looking to revise or revive.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed full of useful exercises that translate across genres, this book is also a semi-secret (delicate) memoir. You might find yourself, as I did, not only trying out a suggested exercise, but wondering about the author's brother's recipe for Lobster bisque. A nourishing book and a great companion to the earlier collection, 3 A.M. Epiphany.

[Sarah Hackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the many books I have on my writing table (along with the Chicago Manual of Style, a colossal American Heritage Dictionary, and a rotating book of poetry). The exercises help shake up how I view language, encouraging me to try putting things together in a new way. To writers: for best results, use daily.

[Lanny Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the exercises it contains, they keep the writing mind sharpened and ready. What I find fascinating the most about the book is that the exercises can be done many times, in many different ways. A really informative guidebook of writing prompts.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of the exercises here need -- at least for me -- to be broken down into smaller steps -- but there are some excellent ideas here.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid writing exercises, great creative fodder.

[Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic writing exercises.

['stina]

Bought from Amazon on 6/1/12

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the intro. Didn't actually go through all the exercises, didn't feel like what I needed right now. Might go back to it, though.

[Annielaural]

intro is problematic. Exercises pique my imagination