Be Bold, Be Kind and Love Your Life

Calling all authors, writers, blogger and book lovers! I’m delighted to showcase Bryn Donovan. She wears many hats in the writing world and she is a wonderful online friend and encourager.

Many other writerly folk agree. People who have attended her workshops say:

“Love Bryn’s low-pressure, high-information teaching style.”

“She’s very organized, and she begins and ends on a positive note. Her enthusiasm is contagious.”

“After Bryn’s talk, I was inspired to start writing again.”
 

Before I share what I’ve learned from Bryn, I want to introduce you to her, in her own words:

Bryn Donovan

Hi! I’m an author, a publishing professional, and an eternal optimist in Los Angeles. I love sharing writing resources and tips, book reviews, random research, and inspiration for making the rest of your life the best of your life. I hope you enjoy it!

Now, let’s learn from Bryn and get excited about writing! Bryn’s Blog is more than a tool kit for writers- it’s a treasure chest. Here are my take-aways from two of her many excellent posts.

How to Pitch Your Novel

You will be encouraged and reassured by Bryn’s easy to follow, step-by-step explanation of the pitch process. The next time you meet with an editor or agent you will be ready to be your best self AND eager to enjoy the process. I liked this nugget of advice:

If you have an appointment, say hello first.

How to Plot a Novel in One Hour

I’m in the dreaming stage for my next book, so this will be my go-to launch pad. Bryn makes it seem so simple! Start with your

Genre

Create Your Main Character, and

Secondary Character,

Next- a Goal and Obstacle, and finally,

A Story Arc

Thanks, Bryn, we can do this!

Now that we’ve had some appetizers, let’s enjoy the main course- Bryn’s latest book 5,000 Writing Prompts-A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More

I tried to make it great, and I hope you enjoy it. I’m especially gratified to have advance reviewers say that it really got them inspired to write, and that it was an entertaining read!

Bryn Donovan
 

JENA’S REVIEW

5,000 WRITING PROMPTS: A Master List of Plot Ideas, Creative Exercises, and More by Bryn Donovan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delighted to share with you my new favorite book. I’m sure Author Bryn Donovan intended her latest book on writing to be a useful resource for authors. But it’s much more than that. 5,000 Writing Prompts is also my new favorite entertainment center. This book is more fun and fascinating than watching Netflix, or browsing on Amazon, or listening to podcasts. I love it! And yes, it will also be a great boost for my writing.

In the introduction to her book, the author explains that this book is for all kinds of writers and storytellers, as well as for teachers and anyone else who wants inspiration. She suggests that you can use this book to get a new story idea, to help you if you get stuck in the middle of your manuscript, and to use it as assignments or exercise to develop your writerly muscles. And, as I have alluded to, you can read it for pleasure, enjoyment and the opportunity to learn!

The book is well organized and accessible. By my count, there are nine major prompt chapters, with lists of many, many prompts. The author gives a friendly intro to each section. There are Plot Prompts by Genre, Character Prompts, Setting Prompts and Dialogue Prompts. I know I will use the Blogging Prompts frequently. (I will be blogging about this book and my experiences using the prompts SOON!)

So far, as it will take me years to work through this amazing book, my favorite section is 150 Historical Fiction Prompts. As the author notes, “History is a bottomless well of inspiration for storyteller.” And the prompts are incredible and fascinating and would make for marvelous stories or books. How about:

“To avoid being sentenced to be a galley slave, a young man disguises himself as a lady-in-waiting in the court of Louis the Sun King at Versailles,”

“The man in charge of caring for the lions, bears and leopards who fight gladiators at the Roman Coliseum turns the animals against a cruel emperor,”

“A Victorian girl in London has packed to go on a Grand Tour of continental Europe with her family, but through a series of miscommunications, they accidentally leave her behind.”

That last prompt has a familiar echo, doesn’t it? I also really like the 100 General Autobiographical Prompts, too. You can answer the questions and learn more about yourself, and I thought it would be helpful to have one’s book characters “answer” the questions, too.

I highly recommend this book. You will find yourself reading and re-reading it. You could focus on a specific Prompt Section to help you work out writing roadblocks you may be experiencing. Or you might want to use it for free creative writing times. Or you can be like me and have fun with it! 5,000 is a big number and all of these prompts will energize you and make you eager to write. Bravo to the author for creating this amazing book.

Many thanks to the author for an advanced digital review copy. This is my honest review.

View all my reviews

Here’s another excellent post that will give you some great blog prompts.

Bryn also describes herself as an optimist and adventurer. She is a rescue dog owner and animal lover. You can connect with her at: Amazon Author Page  Website Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest

I hope I have left you eager to spend the rest of your day clicking on all the links and learning more about Bryn and her writing. (And yes, give yourself a gift of her book!) The title to this post sums up what I have learned from Bryn,

BE BOLD, BE KIND, and LOVE YOUR LIFE!