Rip the Page!: Adventures in Creative Writing Paperback – July 27, 2010

I'm teaching a Creative Writing Class for a Homeschool-Co-op. My main focus is poetry and associated word activities, as well as activities that stretch the mind, looking to help kids add more description, feeling and more. I found this book at my local library, it was SO GOOD I had to buy it, so I did! I'm using this book to use as main activities for thinking outside of the box, to put their pen and mind to work in a creative fashion. This book is loaded with FUN and creative writing ideas! It's one fun assignment after the next!! I love the crazy, goofy or silly ideas - mixed in with other mind-stretching ideas that will make my creative writing class a TON OF FUN for kids! The book is full of fresh & fun ideas... One after the next, after the next, after the next, and next and next-next... NEXT... OH is that one of the activities? Word repeating!! OK so it's super-duper-fun... It's suduperfun... It's Sudufun... OH A NEW WORD!! Another activity! It really is worth it for every student to have a copy of this book. I believe that it will really help the students grow in their abilities!

I have discovered a grand book for coaxing the muses out of hiding. It is titled "Rip the Page" and can be found on amazon.com. That is where yours truly found it. I am so glad that I decided to by this amazing book. It is amazing because it can coax all sorts of muses out from their hiding places. Silly ones, sad ones, happy ones, serious ones. and all the other sort of muses one can dream up. This book was designed for children, but I feel those who write for children can also benefit from what is found within its pages.Thank you Ms. Benke for creating and publishing this amazing assortment of muse creators.(Here is something I wrote that was inspired by the activity located on page four.I can write with the soul that is summer.I can write with the blood of my people.I can write with the light of a firefly.I can write with the sent of lavender.I can write with the dust of broken shells.I can write with the memory of childhood.I can write with the bones of fish.I can write with the sea of life.

I taught a short Creative Writing class this semester, and I used that as an excuse to order this fun book that's been on my wishlist for ages. It was definitely helpful in planning my lessons for the kids, but I had a lot of fun with it as well. I plan to keep on playing with the prompts and games found within its pages. Sometimes, I have to quit writing what I'm supposed to be writing and let my brain play freely.I would highly recommend this book if you are a kid who loves to write, a kid who thinks you don't love to write, a grown-up who still has fun with words, a grown up who thinks he is too old to have fun with words, or really if you are just about anyone.

This is an excellent resource for young writers. I teach JR. High and my students have enjoyed the prompts from this book. They are creative, thoughtful and motivational.

Be sure to keep a pad of Post-its with you as you read this book. You'll want to mark page after page of these playful exercises. Author Benke encourages creative writers to:-be "curious about everything around you for a few minutes" each day (p. 24). This segues into a wonderful, meditation-like exercise in transforming the "awful, terrible, no-good" of the world with a breath.-wonder "how things began"by writing a "favorite number, letter, punctuation mark...on a page and...imagining what it looks like, what or who it used to be, where it likes to hide, fly, build sand castles....maybe even how it moves and what it has to climb to get a better view of the sea or sky. You can also include what your number, letter punctuation mark isn't, never was, never will be." (p.26) This is a fun twist on an exercise I've used with my students on personification of abstract nouns.-create a simple "list" poem with a dozen or so ideas to start with (p.111).The exercises can be used to start the creative process or take it to a finished piece. Benke's delightful book is sparkling with fresh ideas and fun ways to use them.

I homeschool my 4th and 6th grader and we used your book Rip the Page all last year as our creative writing course and - man, what creativity it brought out of my kids! One of the poems that my daughter wrote, inspired by one of the exercises found in this book, was chosen to be developed into a story for the incredible podcast Story Pirates, which was a huge dream for her!I tried several other creative writing books and have yet to find one that comes close to extracting outside-the-box creative thinking that Rip the Page does. And it should be mentioned that I do the exercises alongside my kids and love them as well!

After reading a negative one-star review that warned of Buddhism (gasp, oh no!) principles generously sprinkled through this book, along with the chance that it might encourage my child to be a rebel (heavens no, say it isn't so!) I HAD TO HAVE THIS BOOK.I mean, seriously, is that not the best recommendation clothed in a one-star review one could possibly find?Buddhism and outside of the box thinking. The horror of it all!I waited eagerly for this book to arrive.I've paged through it and have to say, I'm not disappointed. In fact, I can't wait for our fall homeschooling to get started! Writing was never this fun in school when I was growing up. Which is ironic because eventually I became a writer and blogger. That said, I think I would have been writing more, and at a younger age, if I had this book.So seriously, if you have a kiddo you want to encourage to write more, get this book. You won't be sorry!

There was a review that led me to believe it would be good for my 9 1/2 year old granddaughter who's favorite class is creative writing.This is for a much older child or adult. It looks like it has some great excercises, though.

Well put together and encouraging and fun for young minds.

Good

Wonderful book! Bought it for the writing prompts for late elementary through middle school students. I love the originality of the ideas and the comments from authors.

I run a creative writing workshop for children and if I am stuck I dip into this book for inspiration. In one activity they have to write a huge list of words in a spiral on a page, without any 'fingerspaces'. Then they have to try and say the whole thing as one word. I add, in one breath to the instruction, which adds some fun.

Great book with a variety of writing prompts. My daughter has been very resistant to writing, but has been willing to give some of these ideas a try!