posted
Hello everyone. The writing group I'm in has been doing some writing exercises along with our story submissions. So far they have been doing pretty good, not to mention fun to do also. I still have a few good ones lined up, but wanted to know if some of you have some more.
So far we have kept it pretty simple so there was quite a bit of room for interpretation. I've looked at some online and I just bought a book that might have some good ideas, but so far the book is geared for an individual with various small exercises.
posted
I'm not sure if this is what you mean, but... I like what is provided by Writer's Digest. You can get prompts for free from their website http://writersdigest.com/writingprompts.asp They used to do a month's worth (1 a day) in every print issue, but they changed their format. All the prompts for 2004 appeared in the Dec 2003 issue, but again they are on-line so it doesn't matter.
One I chose to do has become a short story of 2500 words that I might get to the point of submitting - at least, some people are urging me to do so (in my on-line writing class/group). So I think the selections are worth checking out!
(fixed link I hope)
[This message has been edited by punahougirl84 (edited February 27, 2004).]
posted
Survivor, I am looking for exercises that can help work on different aspects of writing. I like them a bit on the less restrictive side since it allows for greater flexibility. So far we did and argument, crash between two vehicles, describing a room from a pov character (3rd person limited), and the latest one is a character making some form of discovery, but the discovery has to be negative in some way.
All simple with the desire to keep it short, the goal is one page with a max of 1000 words.
www.coffeehouseforwriters.com This one is off-line at the moment, but as the webmaster indicated a desire to relaunch at some time I went ahead and included it.
"Pencil Dancing" by Mari Messer (Walking Stick Press)
"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron (Tarcher/Putnam)
"Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott (Anchor)
"Writer's Digest" magazine
[This message has been edited by punahougirl84 (edited February 27, 2004).]
posted
There's something I've always remembered from my creative writing class back in high school. Every day, we'd pull out our journal and were required to write about the topic that was on the board. One time the topic was "Write what you are thinking."
It was the funnest and hardest thing I've ever done. We were required to write exactly what we were thinking, no matter how sporatic or confusing it was. If my thoughts jumped tracks...so did my writing. If we got stuck and couldn't think of anything else to write...write that down and then repeat it over and over until you came up with something else.
quote: Okay, I'm sitting here, thinking about what to write. I'm on my break at work. It's hard answering phones and trying to write at the same time...guess I'm lucky I can do it though. Edwenia just said she's got a cold. I hope I don't catch it. She talks a lot. *chuckle* Sharon is funny too. She talks to herself a lot. Mumbles and complains no matter what. I hate this keyboard. I need a new one. Could use a new computer too. I just overheard someone say the weather is supposed to be good this week. Yay! It's about time! I'm tired of all this cold weather. Yuck. I hate the smell of coffee. That's the bad thing about cold weather is the people around me seem to drink 10 times more coffee just cause it's hot. I'll take hot chocolate thank you. Mmmm, chocolate. I've got some chocolate leftover still from Valentines..I'll hafta raid it when I get home tonight....
Like that. It's easier to do when you're typing but it's a lot more fun and a lot harder when you just use a paper and pencil. Your thoughts move a lot faster than a pencil does!
posted
Yuck. I don't think that I like that one. Like anyone needs to see what's going on in my head.
Darkstorm, those exercises sound a bit...well, like the sort of thing that you have to put into any story. I'm not sure how they differ from just regular writing.
I'll trade a couple of ideas I've tried, though. One is writing a story based exactly on events in a turn based computer game session (X-Com). Hey, it worked for me. Another thing that works for me is writing a detailed review of a movie or some kind of performance art (I've been assigned these in the past). The important thing is that it be a review, not a summary.
posted
For almost two years (of and on) I've been taking an online creative writing class. The teacher gives us a weekly "craft writing" assignment, which we do in addition to working on our novels or short stories.
Some of them are quite simple, things like "Describe the sounds of a large family dinner."
Some are more complex, like "Write about someone who is faced with a family member they still love, but who has hurt them in some way and shows no remorse."
Some students don't like doing the exercises, because they prefer to spend the time working on their main project. (That's fine, since the class isn't graded.)
I like the exercises for several reasons:
1. They give me a specific thing to write, which is helpful when I don't feel like writing. 2. They stimulate my creativity, because I like to try to put a twist on them. 3. They improve my writing, by forcing me to write about sensory impressions and emotions that I might not usually think about. 4. They give me "seeds" for possible future stories. In fact, I just sold a short story that began as an assignment: "Write about two people with opposite personalities who are still friends."
posted
To be honest, I like them mainly because I know I can finish it in a few hours. A couple more to revise it a bit, and I have something that is finished and I can feel somewhat good about.
I agree with Eric, they do help get me writing things I would probably not normally write.
posted
Two excercises that have helped me in the past:
1. Stick a pin into a random word in your dictionary. Write as much as you can based on using this word as a title for ten minutes. This is an ideal excercise for doing in a group because you can all do it and then read your results out. Before I tried it, I didn't think I would be able to do it, but the idea of sitting there and admitting I couldn't think of anything forced me to come up with something...
2. Write a descriptive scene of 250 words using only one adjective or adverb.
posted
Your may have already seen it, LordD, but The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood may be helpful. According to a Writer's Digest Book Club blurb, it's good for "writing prompts and exercises." The pictured page (?) has the following: "Take two people you know who seem to be opposites in every way. Think about them until you hit on something they have in common. Start writing."
Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Ooh, the dictionary one can be fun! Back in June, I did a similar exercise - but you pick five words at random (close eyes, flip, point) and write something with them. The words I got were pagination, butterfly weed, aroma, deckle, and tome. From what I wrote:
Anne dragged the heavy tome across the table, and searched for the next recipe. The pagination was not always in concert with the table of contents, so it took her a few minutes to find what she needed. The carefully prepared butterfly weed lay in a tray on another table, the bright orange petals muted by the low light in the workroom. Anne started adding ingredients to a bowl. The aroma of wood pulp permeated the air as she kneaded the mix. She glanced to the side, assuring herself her deckle was ready for this newest experiment in paper-making. . . .
I haven't done it in a while - must do one later today - it is fun, and you gotta love the learning aspect
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You might want to add that one to our word thread. (I won't give it away.)
