It won’t be long now before the new year begins, and by now Christmas of 2017 is already a memory. Thankfully, some memories have objects to accompany them. For me, Christmas 2017 was the year my boyfriend sent me on a treasure hunt around the house, with nothing but vague hints and an excited smile. Oh and let’s not forget the dog! Tulle was a big help (No, not really).
To my surprise and great joy, I found that two of the gifts turned out to be something for the writer within me. One of them was ‘The Writer’s Toolbox’ created by author Jamie Cat Callan. A link for her website is right here http://www.jamiecatcallan.com/
I’ve decided to have you joining me in my very first test run. So get ready! I have honestly no idea what will happen.
But first! What is the Writer’s Toolbox?
-The games are easy, based on right-brain theory. The critical and analytical left side of the brain is kept busy with thoughts such as, “What is this weird combination? Why, this is absurd!” so that the creative and intuitive right side can run free. There’s a built in disclaimer for those who are troubled with the need for perfection. When you start an exercise, you can always say, “Well, what do you expect? Look at the words I got!” – Jamie Cat Callan
When you open the box you’ll find what you see on the picture plus a small book. I’ll quickly break down every part below. The toolbox is made for everyone who simply want to write. Beginners who has never written a thing in their life and the experienced, with many years under their pen. You can build an entire story just by using these tools, or if you start to hit a wall in your future bestseller, it can be a tool to climb the wall or simply smash the wall down, before you throw the pieces at your enemies. Point being , there’s no one way to use it.
It might be important to note that this isn’t made because writers can’t come up with ideas on their own. This is like candy for the writer’s brain. It’s something they can play with and maybe challenge themselves with, exactly because these words doesn’t come from themselves. It’s also useful if you have a difficult day, neighbours keep playing too loud, you didn’t sleep or something else. You might have a hard time focusing, but if you start drawing from the toolbox it will help you get started and forget about the world.
Book: As said the book isn’t too big, but after I read it I felt secure about using the box, without having to bang my head into the table due to lack of patience. The book is in three parts.
1, How to use the Toolbox.
2, General tips, advice and talk of writer’s block.
3, Examples of Jamie’s students trying the box.
I recommend you take your time to read it regardless of how long you have written. Part 2 of the book may be a bit too detailed at times, but this is my personal opinion and I don’t think it’s bad at all. Why not? Remember this is for beginners as well. At times Jamie poses a lot of questions for her own examples . Things you need to ask yourself about a character for instance. If you have been writing for a long time these lists of questions are hopefully already a natural response you get, and so you might get a ‘yeah yeah let’s move on’ – feeling. I read the first five or so every time just to make sure I got her point, and then I skipped ahead. Still, asking these questions are very important and I completely understand that they have to be there. Long time writers might not get a whole lot of new things to think about, but maybe they do. Beginners certainly do, and I would have loved to have read this when I began. I enjoyed reading it, and not only because I agree with a lot of her thoughts and observations. I enjoyed it because it was very honest and to the everyday writer who might feel overwhelmed by all the things that needs to get done in our day to day life.
Now to the fun part. What is that stuff inside??
A: Sixth-sense Cards. These talk to your senses. After you draw one you might get something like ‘A yellow bus’. Then it’s up to you if you want to have your character see or interact with a yellow bus. Maybe the yellow bus card reminds you of something completely different, but that’s fine. Just use it.
B: Character/Plot wheels. There’s four of these and you can decide on your own if you spin all four or you only need one.
- Protagonist
- Goals
- Action (What do the protagonist do in order to try and reach the goal)
- Obstacles
Maybe you want to write a short story but only got 15 minutes? Then don’t waste time thinking. Just spin the wheels and go!
C: Sticks! Yes, we got sticks people!
- Fist sentence stick (FS). This might be ‘I was dressed in a completely inappropriate shade of pink’, and there you have it. The beginning that can take hours to reach! Non writers often don’t realize just how hard it is to create a beginning, but I know and maybe you do too.
- The NON sequitur (NS). These a recommended to draw if you have a writing project you need to restart, or you use them in combination to FS. In the Stick game you draw a FS, write for three minutes and draw a NS.
- The LAST straw (LS). When you are ready to stop drawing NS it’s time to draw a LS. These are intended to fuel conflict and emotion. It will lead you to the dramatic arc and if you let it, the ending.
And then what?
You also get a hourglass that should time three minutes. Wether you use the sticks or the cards the idea is to draw one and then write for three minutes, before drawing the next. This means that you can have a finished story in NINE MINUTES!
You can combine A,B and C as much or as little as you like. There’s nothing but freedom in this toolbox!
If you are used to being in control with your work it feels really weird not knowing what you’ll draw next, but it’s just like your characters. They don’t know either.
Can’t I just use the internet to get ideas?
Well yes, clearly. You might have seen my list of five free exercises, and know I always recommend writing prompts. https://mathildenrybka.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/five-exercises-for-improving-your-writing-and-they-are-all-for-free/
However, it’s easy to get distracted and spend hours looking for just the right one. Also if you have read how the toolbox works you’ll know it’s not the same.
Can I make my own?
Yes, kinda. Jamie talks about that in the book. There are website that give you random words or so, but it’s still not completely like this.
Do I recommend it?
Definitely! It’s a fun and sweet gift for the writer in your life 🙂
As I write this you can get it on amazon for the price of £11.99 (Less than 90 danish kr.)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Toolbox-Jamie-Cat-Callan/dp/0811854299
My first test run!
So I wrote a small story, and it took trevel minutes. I mixed it a bit so I used two sticks and two cards. At first i meant to use three sticks, but I accidentally picked a LS and not a NS 
Well, let’s pretend I meant to do that instead. I used the three minutes in between every pick, and I honestly didn’t know what would happen! Three minutes was actully perfect. I’ll just write down what I picked and then you get the short story.
- FS: On Tuesday, Margaret told me that she liked the little oranges with the seeds better than the ones I bought. I hated her for that.
- LS: the day I loaned Morgan 400 bucks.
- Card: Paris in August.
- Card: a crooked umbrella.
On Tuesday, Margaret told me that she liked the little oranges with the seeds better than the ones I bought. I hated her for that.
How could she openly say that to my face? She even used the polite smiled she always uses when she talk behind someones back. How I had dreamt of her falling down the stairs. It would be fast. A slight misstep or a loose wooden board and then BANG! No more Margaret. It always made me smile to think of it. Made my steps a little lighter.
The day I loaned Morgan 400 bucks I gave him an extra 200 to tamper with the wooden stairs leading to Margaret apartment. He smiled and nodded, but didn’t ask why. I sat down on the front port and held on to my smoking coffee. Just sat there pretending to read my new book. I saw Margaret coming around the corner. Her eyes empty. Her smile so bright and pretty it covered her completely. She looked like someone walking down the streets of Paris in August. Picture perfect in her fanzy jacket and the little red hat. She lifted her leader covered hand and waved at me. I waved back. For once happy to see her. Her phone rang, and she had it against her ears as she entered the house.
I waited and then it came. The crashing sound. It had actually worked! I got up and gently placed down the book before I entered the house. On the ground a found a crooked umbrella. My heartbeat quickened. Margaret didn’t have an umbrella with her, did she? Old Mrs. Langford was crying in the corner. Margaret looked down at me from the top of the stairs and silently whispered “Nice try.” Then she entered her room.
I hated Margaret, but it turned out I was able to hate her even more.
So that was the test! Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you had a little fun reading this random story. As Jamie said “Look at the words I got!”
What are your thoughts? Thinking about getting a toolbox of you own or do you know just the right person to give one to?
Let me know if you have any questions!
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