Pros: A playful, useful toy to help you loosen up and create; portable and quick; self-contained
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

Technorati Tags: Michael Michalko, reviews, writing, creativity, business, Thinkpak, Thinkertoys, brainstorming

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Pros: The ultimate publication reference
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

Technorati Tags: Writer’s Market, book reviews, books, writing, publishing, publication, market listings

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Pros: Walks you through the development of your story
Cons: Some tedium; unworkable due to frequent crashes
Rating: [1.5 out of 5*]

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Pros: LOTS of markets and publishers; help for beginning writers
Cons: Goes out of date quickly in this business
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Pros: Names taken from all sorts of creative places; a wide array of names to suit every taste; will give you ideas in case you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for in here
Cons: Some names I can’t imagine giving a child–gets downright silly in places; at least one missing piece of text
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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Pros: Broad categories; information in a writing context; further pointers; great details
Cons: More! I want more! Particularly, more references.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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Pros: Variety, even-handedness, honest desire to help
Cons: Exercises you’ve seen many times before
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Pros: “786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination”!
Cons: Cute gimmick probably won’t stand up to lots of use; photos not different enough
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Pros: Useful in several different ways
Cons: Comes across as a bit pretentious in places; could have used more cards
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Pros: Very cool cards; some neat journal-writing ideas
Cons: Card suggestions could have more depth; some writing too clinical
Rating: 4 out of 5
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