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
Archive for the ‘Tools’ Category
“Thinkpak, Revised,” from Michael Michalko
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007“2007 Writer’s Market, Deluxe Edition” and WritersMarket.com
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007Pros: The ultimate publication reference
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5
StoryWeaver 3.1 for Macintosh OS X
Monday, September 25th, 2006Pros: Walks you through the development of your story
Cons: Some tedium; unworkable due to frequent crashes
Rating: [1.5 out of 5*]
“2000 Writer’s Market”
Thursday, July 6th, 2006Pros: 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Cons: Goes out of date quickly in this business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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“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to 30,000 Baby Names,” by Marcia Layton Turner and Robbi Hess
Wednesday, July 5th, 2006Pros: 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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“Careers for Your Characters: A Writer’s Guide to 101 Professions from Architect to Zoologist,” Obstfeld and Neumann
Wednesday, July 5th, 2006Pros: 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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“The Novelist’s Notebook,” Laurie Henry
Monday, July 3rd, 2006Pros: Variety, even-handedness, honest desire to help
Cons: Exercises you’ve seen many times before
Rating: 4 out of 5
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“The Writer’s Block,” Jason Rekulak
Wednesday, June 28th, 2006Pros: “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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“The Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers,” Naomi Epel
Wednesday, June 28th, 2006Pros: 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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“Inner Outings: The Diarist’s Deck of 33 Cards and Book of Exploration,” Geiss and Jessup
Tuesday, June 27th, 2006Pros: 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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