If you don't already have the 3am epiphany (by the same author), you might want to get that one before you get this one since it has more explanation of how the exercises are supposed to work. If you already love 3am epiphany and you're looking for more of the same type of exercises, this is what you're looking for. It's not quite as good as 3am epiphany, but it's still miles better than any prompt book.
If you aren't familiar with 3am epiphany, you should know that Kiteley makes the best writing exercises ever. Rather than just throwing a story idea at you, these exercises (for the most part) give you a problem to solve and leave the creative work to you. You won't feel like you're writing someone else's story for them, nor will you be writing the same plot lines that everyone is writing. Don't worry if you don't already have a story in mind- the book is set up in such a way that inspiration should come to you in the process of problem solving. This is the most reliable way of getting inspiration I think.
In terms of difficulty level of the exercises, both this book and 3am Epiphany are pretty clearly written for a college undergrad audience. The writing exercises are so unique that someone who's way beyond undergrad work will still probably find some interesting things to play with here. Also I'm sure that a smart high schooler or someone with no college but a passion for writing could also handle it. If you're concerned that the exercises might be too difficult for you, then 3am Epiphany is a better place to start because it explains more.
Another great thing about this book is that the exercises are designed to help you learn certain skills. The 3am Epiphany has more explanation of the skills it's trying to teach you, but 4am Breakthrough still has explanation. I initially got 3am Epiphany as a textbook for a short story class I was taking in college. Though I initially expected the exercises to be busy work, they ended up being more fun and a better learning experience than the actual short story I wrote as the final for that class- hence why I'm continuing with them and buying the sequel to the book several years after I've taken the class. They're a good way to teach yourself writing skills outside of school.
I guess my only complaint about this book is that some exercises reveal Kiteley to be a bit stuck in his own perspective. For example, the "love and lust" chapter is pretty heterosexual and speaking as a woman I think he believes that he understands women better than he actually does. For most things there are obvious adaptations that can be made so this shouldn't be a huge problem.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016
She said it really challenges her and gets her to think in a really cool way. She is a sophomore at one of ...
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2018Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2015
... been looking for a book that would have a good amount of exercises that don't just give a situational ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2015Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2016
Top reviews from other countries
Sisalka
Must buy book for everyone serious about writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2015Susan Spain
Work out for your imagination!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2011
