Inspiration For All Seasons: a review of "The Pocket Muse"

by Lisa A. Koosis

For writers, inspiration can come from the strangest of places: overheard conversations, a song on the radio, the scent of cinnamon and baking apples, or maybe even a pattern in the clouds. Sometimes you can find inspiration around every corner and in every dark and cobwebbed nook. Still, there are other times when inspiration is harder to come by, times when the imagination wilts like a plant without water, times when its hard to even remember what inspiration feels like. For those drier times, there's "The Pocket Muse" by Monica Wood, a wonderful little book that's filled--as it proclaims on the cover--with "ideas and inspirations for writing".

"The Pocket Muse" is a book I reach for time and again. Filled with prompts and pictures as well as inspirational passages detailing the authors own personal experiences with style, rejection, and the writing life in general, the book is a treasure trove of jump-starters for any writer. There are also passages filled with advice on all aspects of writing, revision, and the world of publishing.

Admittedly, there are dozens of books out there, filled with prompts for writers. In fact, a sucker for prompts myself, I have several on my bookshelves. Of these, though, "The Pocket Muse" is far and away my favorite.

As a devout booklover, it appeals to me on several levels. At the most basic level, its a beautifully-crafted book, a pocket-sized hardcover with glossy pages done in black and white and an attractive, silvery-green. The format is easy on the eye. Text is broken into small, digestible sections, sometimes as small as a word or two, sometimes as much as a page or two. The use of different fonts keeps the eye moving and the reader engaged. The book also contains a wealth of photos and assorted graphics. No page is dull.

More importantly, though, the prompts within the pages are inspiring. Many a story of mine has been inspired while browsing through it, and that's ultimately what makes this a great resource for any writer. There are truly prompts for every mood. Whether pictorial or verbal, the prompts are sometimes light and sometimes serious, and occasionally provocative and daring. They challenge you to go places in your writing where you might not normally venture. They ask questions that merit answers. Ultimately, they inspire.

At $19.99, this is a rather high-priced book of prompts. I think its worth every penny. For sheer variety and an aesthetically pleasing layout, I haven't come across better. And the inspiration I've found in the pages of "The Pocket Muse" has been priceless.

Lisa is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Poetry.

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