Leigh Medeiros - The 1-Minute Writer: 396 Microprompts to Spark Creativity and Recharge Your Writing

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PRAISE FOR THE 1-MINUTE WRITER

Creative writing forces us to engage our imaginationsour capacity for wonder and spirit of invention. But its also a discipline: a task for which we have to make time, push aside distractions, and trust that our brains are up to a challenge. With a breezy, encouraging, utterly approachable style, Leigh Medeiros eases your mind into creativity with fun and thought-provoking exercises, each meant to help you with writings most difficult step: starting.

Stephen Thompson, editor and reviewer for NPR Music

If Id had The 1-Minute Writer when Id started out, I bet thered be a lot more words in my books!

James Yang, author and illustrator of The New York Times Standout New Picture Book Bus! Stop!

The authors prompts feel more like play than practice. They are joyful, creative, and approachable. Medeiros brings her infectious positive energy and encouragementwhich Ive had the pleasure of experiencing in her 48 Days of Creative Devotion programto The 1-Minute Writer . Its a road map to a daily writing practice, a remedy for bouts of writers block, and a delightful way to build and stretch those writing muscles. I cant wait to share this book with students in my writing workshops.

Anika Denise, author of Lights, Camera, Carmen! and Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpr

One of the most significant takeaways from my years of helping children unleash their inner playwrights is the notion that our innate ability to write is just below the surfaceall that we need is to be provided with triggers that nurture that ability. The thoughtfully crafted and utterly accessible prompts found in the excellent The 1-Minute Writer , whether inspired by the everyday around us, gleaned from our wiliest imaginations, or harvested from our own personal histories, do just thatand help unleash our own omnipresent inner writers.

Jenny Peek, founder and former executive artistic director of The Manton Avenue Project

Its difficult to do anything from a dead start. You need momentum, something you can build from, and thats precisely what this book provides: a creative wind in your sail.

Chris Sparling, screenwriter of Buried and The Sea of Trees

At last! A gift to educators everywherea book that supports teachers in all disciplines to integrate writing as an everyday practice. Organized by theme and cataloged by number of minutes, this delightful and accessible text is essential for all classroom teachers. Medeiros provides a plethora of prompts that fuel the imagination while establishing important writing structures. Planning for writing made easy and enjoyable!

Uzma Hossain, educational consultant at Teachers College, Columbia University

Somehow Leigh Medeiros manages to pull off a seemingly impossible paradoxical feat with this must-have book: she manages to get us out of our brains and into our imaginations. This book is like a Choose Your Own Adventure for grownups who want to write their own endings396 of them to be exact! These prompts are a godsend for anyone who loves words: playful, ingenious flints that will surely spark even the most hesitant writer to fiery prose. Hot metaphors aside, if youre anything like me and find yourself creating more excuses not to write than creating actual sentences youre proud of, I guarantee this book will leave you feeling warm, inspired, andmost remarkablyaccomplished. No longer will we look at time spent standing in a checkout line or riding a bus as wasted; you will relish every opportunity to dive into another thoughtful prompt. I only wish The 1-Minute Writer had been around decades ago to vanquish my inner procrastinator and catalyze my creative impulses. I cant wait to pull this book of clever what-ifs off the shelf for many years to come, whenever the well of creativity runs dry or the rust on my wrist sets in.

Paul Walling, actor and writer

To teachers like Carlton Pinheiro who nurture creative thinking and to parents like mine who never stifle outlandish dreams.

Adams Media

An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Avon, Massachusetts 02322

www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2019 by Leigh Medeiros.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Adams Media Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Adams Media trade paperback edition January 2019

ADAMS MEDIA and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster.

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Interior design by Katrina Machado

Cover design by Stephanie Hannus

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Medeiros, Leigh, author.

Title: The 1-Minute writer / Leigh Medeiros.

Description: Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, 2019.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018033587 | ISBN 9781507209288 (pb) | ISBN 9781507209295 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: English language--Composition and exercises. | English language--Rhetoric--Problems, exercises, etc. | Creative writing. | BISAC: REFERENCE / Writing Skills. | LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Composition & Creative Writing. | SELF-HELP / Creativity.

Classification: LCC PE1413 .M43 2019 | DDC 808/.042--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018033587

ISBN 978-1-5072-0928-8

ISBN 978-1-5072-0929-5 (ebook)

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Simon & Schuster, Inc., was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Deep and sincere thanks to everyone who helped bring this book to light. To my acquisitions editor Cate Prato for nurturing my writing and enthusiastically shepherding this project through all its various stages. To my developmental editor Brett Shanahan for making the work better with her keen eye and attention to detail. To all the Adams Media team for their support of me and this book. To my fellow writers and visual artists in my online community who inspire me to continue showing up for creativity. To my husband Mark for loving me through all of my quirks and for picking up the slack on deadline weeks. To Emily, Sarah, Janice, Jill, Jo, Jen, Andre, Eric and all the other friends and family who sent encouraging messages, texts, and emails as the book was being born. To Kate and Anika for not only being accomplished authors who inspire me, but also for being ones I can turn to for a writers perspective on the book-birthing process. To Ada and Bob, my parents, for a lifetime of support, without which I wouldnt have the courage to follow all my creative whims. To my local coffee shops and public library for providing warm atmospheres and de facto office space throughout the writing journey. To the makers of the Coffitivity and Self Control apps for helping writers like me to focus. To the benevolent, mysterious, invisible forces of the universe that work behind the scenes and help guide my decisions so that everything lines up at the perfect time. Finally, to all the writers and readers who came before and will come after, because words connect us through time and spaceand connection is key.