Thursday, July 3, 2008
Twenty Five Words for July
A writing exercise I like from my Brown Bag writing group is “Twenty-Five Words.” We go around the table and, one by one, say a word (or short phrase.) It can be any word that comes to mind, or sometimes words based upon a pre-determined theme. The object of the exercise is to write a story using as many of the words (or short phrases)as possible. Here are twenty-five words for July. Set your timer for thirty minutes and try to write a picture book or children’s short story. Remember to try and use as many of the words as possible:
County Fair
Opening day
Hot dog
Suspicion
Death
Hello
Randomly
Goat
Pig
Blooming
Jagged
Razor
Jam
What was that?
Cancel my appointment
Do I know you?
Who cares
Guitar
Center stage
Juggle
Green
Clean
Window
Morose
Laughable
July
Anthropomorphism Prompt
Animal stories, where the animal has human characteristics, come and go in popularity. Some, such as Runaway Bunny, Stuart Little, and Charlotte's Web remain popular. It is in part due to the strength of the story itself, but also because the animal characters are able to act in ways that children can relate to.
In this prompt, select an animal from the list below, two or more human qualities, and a location. Write 300-500 words that describes the animal main character in terms of how he might behave in his setting, given the qualities you've chosen.
Animal:
Bear cub
Crocodile
Hedgehog
Ferret
Cat
Heron
Crow
Human Quality:
Humility
Generosity
Greed
Pessimism
Optimism
Kindness
Lenience
Cowardice
Courageous
Creative/Creativity
Spirituality
Location:
School
Playground
Train
Plane
Treehouse
Castle
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Timed Writing Prompt
I joined a new writing practice group this week, which is slightly different than the Brown Bag group that I am accustomed to. In this group, the facilitator gives a prompt, then we write for a fairly short time, starting as soon as the prompt is given and not stopping until the timer goes off. The object is to write freely without editing yourself, and to write continuously (even if you have to write the same word over and over until time is called.)
For this exercise, pick one of the prompts below, and set your timer for 12 minutes. Start writing and don't stop until your timer goes off.
Prompt List:
1. I had a bad feeling...
2. It left a scar...
3. My daydream...
When you are done, read what you wrote. Did you have any trouble writing for the entire time? Did your pen flow? Did you write, literally, about the prompt or about something else? A timed writing prompt is good for keeping your pen moving, to unblock, to write without overthinking.
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