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The Essential Books on Writing Boxed Set: 5,000 Writing Prompts, Master Lists for Writers, and Blank Page to Final Draft
Get all three books for writers in one collection perfect for novelists, screenwriters, short story writers, and National Novel Writing Month enthusiasts!
5,000 Writing Prompts
includes creative writing prompts for many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, romance, young adult, and poetry, as well as prompts for writing about yourself, blog writing, and more. Use it for your work in progress or for a good way to free your imagination from writer's block!
Master Lists for Writers
is a reference book and thesaurus designed to make the writing process go more quickly by offering lists for common writing elements...from facial expressions and physical descriptions to conflicts, plots, and character names. Please note that Master Lists for Writers does include adult content for romance writers.
Blank Page to Final Draft
is a step-by-step handbook to prep for, write, and edit a novel from with either getting published traditionally or successful self-publishing in mind. It contains help with pacing, dialogue, character development, and more. Even if you’re in the middle of writing a draft, it can provide clarity and a guide for revision.
From editor, author, and writing coach Bryn Donovan, you'll turn to these essential tools on writing again and again to write faster, write more, and write your best work yet.
5,000 Writing Prompts
includes creative writing prompts for many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, romance, young adult, and poetry, as well as prompts for writing about yourself, blog writing, and more. Use it for your work in progress or for a good way to free your imagination from writer's block!
Master Lists for Writers
is a reference book and thesaurus designed to make the writing process go more quickly by offering lists for common writing elements...from facial expressions and physical descriptions to conflicts, plots, and character names. Please note that Master Lists for Writers does include adult content for romance writers.
Blank Page to Final Draft
is a step-by-step handbook to prep for, write, and edit a novel from with either getting published traditionally or successful self-publishing in mind. It contains help with pacing, dialogue, character development, and more. Even if you’re in the middle of writing a draft, it can provide clarity and a guide for revision.
From editor, author, and writing coach Bryn Donovan, you'll turn to these essential tools on writing again and again to write faster, write more, and write your best work yet.
1129 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2022
38 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Bryn Donovan
16 books280 followersAuthor, book editor, blogger, and optimist who lives in Chicago. **no longer active on this platform**
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 26, 2022
First of all, I can’t believe these books have existed for quite some time as individual volumes and I didn’t know about them! Had I known, I would have bought and loved them all. But, lucky for me, they are now available in one box-set, and now I have all three of these incredible resources just one touch away on my Kindle! Let me tell you about each book.
5,000 Writing Prompts is a fantastic resource to get your creativity flowing, or help you brainstorm new stories, or just to have some writing fun. You can do as the author suggests, open to a random page, pick a prompt and just start writing. That’s a great way to practice and have fun! And there are prompts related to many different genres, including poetry and autobiography, so you’ll find many prompts that speak to your interests and brand of creativity. As a former teacher, I also think many of these prompts would work really well for middle school or high school students. There is no way a student could be say they had nothing to write about if they had this book available to them. It’s truly astounding how many unique prompts are included in this book!
You could also use this book as a tool to help you with a current writing project. There are lists upon lists of ideas that could easily spark you to write more creative scenes and descriptions, and even get you out of writers block. There are prompts about possible settings, ideas for dialogue, evocative images, arguments, meet-cutes, and many more topics. I know I will use this book over and over, to push myself into thinking more creatively and to spark new ideas.
Master Lists for Writers is exactly what it professes to be. A book of lists. Except that makes it sound boring, and it isn’t. There are lists of physical descriptors and settings, which are helpful, for sure. But what has me extra excited is all the lists of plot twists and family issues and character motivations and funny stuff and sweet stuff… it’s quite astonishing how many ideas Ms. Donovan has generated in these lists! There are lists to help you plot stories, lists to help you name things, lists that will help you develop more realistic and multi-dimensional characters, and so much more. Like the writing prompts book, these lists will help you whether you are a new writer working on your first story, or a veteran author who needs inspiration and a fresh look on things.
The third book in the set is Blank Page to Final Draft. How I wish I’d had this book when I first started writing many years ago. It walks you through the entire writing process with clear instructions. The decisions and tasks for developing a story, like character development and plotting, are simplified into easy-to-follow steps. And Ms. Donovan includes information on things that mystified me when I first started writing, such as ‘how do I get feedback on my work?’ I didn’t know any writers when I started, and this book has helpful suggestions on how to connect with others. This book also goes into the very fine details, like ways you might want to start your novel, how to handle dialogue, writing in deep point of view, incorporating sensory details and a lot more. Plus, there are all kinds of practical tips on things like managing procrastination, evaluating and fixing the pacing of your story, revising… the book really covers it all! What a great resource for any writer, but especially someone just getting started.
This is the longest review I have ever written for a book, and perhaps my pacing is off, because really it could all be summed up in one word: WOW! And one sentence: Go get this incredible writing resource right now!
(Full disclosure, I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed here are completely honest and my very own.)
5,000 Writing Prompts is a fantastic resource to get your creativity flowing, or help you brainstorm new stories, or just to have some writing fun. You can do as the author suggests, open to a random page, pick a prompt and just start writing. That’s a great way to practice and have fun! And there are prompts related to many different genres, including poetry and autobiography, so you’ll find many prompts that speak to your interests and brand of creativity. As a former teacher, I also think many of these prompts would work really well for middle school or high school students. There is no way a student could be say they had nothing to write about if they had this book available to them. It’s truly astounding how many unique prompts are included in this book!
You could also use this book as a tool to help you with a current writing project. There are lists upon lists of ideas that could easily spark you to write more creative scenes and descriptions, and even get you out of writers block. There are prompts about possible settings, ideas for dialogue, evocative images, arguments, meet-cutes, and many more topics. I know I will use this book over and over, to push myself into thinking more creatively and to spark new ideas.
Master Lists for Writers is exactly what it professes to be. A book of lists. Except that makes it sound boring, and it isn’t. There are lists of physical descriptors and settings, which are helpful, for sure. But what has me extra excited is all the lists of plot twists and family issues and character motivations and funny stuff and sweet stuff… it’s quite astonishing how many ideas Ms. Donovan has generated in these lists! There are lists to help you plot stories, lists to help you name things, lists that will help you develop more realistic and multi-dimensional characters, and so much more. Like the writing prompts book, these lists will help you whether you are a new writer working on your first story, or a veteran author who needs inspiration and a fresh look on things.
The third book in the set is Blank Page to Final Draft. How I wish I’d had this book when I first started writing many years ago. It walks you through the entire writing process with clear instructions. The decisions and tasks for developing a story, like character development and plotting, are simplified into easy-to-follow steps. And Ms. Donovan includes information on things that mystified me when I first started writing, such as ‘how do I get feedback on my work?’ I didn’t know any writers when I started, and this book has helpful suggestions on how to connect with others. This book also goes into the very fine details, like ways you might want to start your novel, how to handle dialogue, writing in deep point of view, incorporating sensory details and a lot more. Plus, there are all kinds of practical tips on things like managing procrastination, evaluating and fixing the pacing of your story, revising… the book really covers it all! What a great resource for any writer, but especially someone just getting started.
This is the longest review I have ever written for a book, and perhaps my pacing is off, because really it could all be summed up in one word: WOW! And one sentence: Go get this incredible writing resource right now!
(Full disclosure, I received an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed here are completely honest and my very own.)
November 13, 2022
Whether you’re preparing to write your first masterpiece or churn out your next bestselling novel, The Essential Books on Writing boxed set by Bryn Donovan has everything you need to get started and more. This collection is jam-packed with ideas, and part of its appeal lies in the fact that it doesn’t need to be read from cover to cover. 5,000 Writing Prompts and Master Lists for Writers are reference guides that include super-creative story prompts and thoughtful, easy-to-navigate lists covering plots, words, names, and character quirks (among many others).
In Blank Page to Final Draft, Donovan offers writing insights that are both practical and actionable. Selections that stand out include the advice on how to end a chapter, the questions to ask beta readers so they know what to look for, and how you can turn a character’s good quality into something negative.
Any writer at any stage can benefit from any of these books, but I think more seasoned writers will appreciate the plot and word lists while first-time novelists will appreciate Donovan’s approach to writing a book, which allows them to work at their own pace.
*I was gifted an ARC of this book to review, but this in no way swayed my opinion. For me, this Essential Books collection is an easy five stars—an exceptional resource for any writer in search of new ideas and inspiration for their next project and practical advice on how to get their story from their head to the page.
In Blank Page to Final Draft, Donovan offers writing insights that are both practical and actionable. Selections that stand out include the advice on how to end a chapter, the questions to ask beta readers so they know what to look for, and how you can turn a character’s good quality into something negative.
Any writer at any stage can benefit from any of these books, but I think more seasoned writers will appreciate the plot and word lists while first-time novelists will appreciate Donovan’s approach to writing a book, which allows them to work at their own pace.
*I was gifted an ARC of this book to review, but this in no way swayed my opinion. For me, this Essential Books collection is an easy five stars—an exceptional resource for any writer in search of new ideas and inspiration for their next project and practical advice on how to get their story from their head to the page.
October 29, 2022
Excellent set for all levels of writers!
This is a great reference set for beginning writers as well as more experienced writers. The two books of lists are excellent for idea generation, and third book offers a fresh perspective on working through a first draft. If you follow all of Bryn's advice, you'll have a great final draft!
This is a great reference set for beginning writers as well as more experienced writers. The two books of lists are excellent for idea generation, and third book offers a fresh perspective on working through a first draft. If you follow all of Bryn's advice, you'll have a great final draft!
January 1, 2025
Was very helpful for helping with world building and character building. Sometimes I struggle with what questions to answer before writing a story and as this was my fist time writing a fantasy book I needed a guide. Worked great!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews