Writing Exercises
December 2nd 2009 03:11
First sentences are my favorite exercises because they carry questions that you want to answer through a first draft that will hopefully lead to the final draft.
I was walking the dog.
They couldn't stop arguing.
What do these sentences mean? I want to write further to learn where these sentences can lead me and who are these characters walking the dog and arguing. I think writing exercises are the best way to start stories, especially when you feel you have writer's block.
Try, What would so and so write if so and so wrote fiction. A singer might write about their days on the road without family. Your mom might write about her pre-children days. And what would your younger self write about or even your older self?
I will always go back to that first sentence because no matter how much planning you've put into your story, you always begin with that first sentence.
This is an Anne Lamott exercise. She says, "Writing a first draft is very much like watching a Polaroid develop. You can't--and, in fact, you're not supposed to--know exactly what the picture is going to look like until it has finished developing. First you ping at what has your attention and take the picture." Outside my window is red horse trailer. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but it has captured my attention.
Start with a situation or event, either public or personal. Imagine what a character was doing when a public figure such as Diana Ross or River Phoenix or Michael Jackson died. How about that school dance you wanted to go to?
It's always easier to start with something than it is to stare at a blank sheet of paper and hope that something will come to you.
I will do my best to make this a weekly blog. I still want to make this a story/character blog where I try to tell interesting stories based on life.
She jumped over the fence and crouched like a criminal. She had her flashlight shined on the grass, moving it from across the green blades. She was ten years old and very frightened of her teen years. What if she and the boy she was playing with couldn't do this any more?
"Gotcha," a boy said, drawing her out of her thoughts.
I think I will continue this story. Maybe. But I will write in my blog on a more regular basis.
What if is a great writing exercise. What if your uncle, who plays golf, asks you to go to the golf course with him for a serious talk and you think you know what the conversation might be about.
I've always believed that when you write a story you're asking, what happened to your character and what will your character do about it. My character kissed a boy, maybe her friend or maybe her enemy. What will your character do about it and what if your character was a boy?
I was walking the dog.
They couldn't stop arguing.
What do these sentences mean? I want to write further to learn where these sentences can lead me and who are these characters walking the dog and arguing. I think writing exercises are the best way to start stories, especially when you feel you have writer's block.
Try, What would so and so write if so and so wrote fiction. A singer might write about their days on the road without family. Your mom might write about her pre-children days. And what would your younger self write about or even your older self?
I will always go back to that first sentence because no matter how much planning you've put into your story, you always begin with that first sentence.
This is an Anne Lamott exercise. She says, "Writing a first draft is very much like watching a Polaroid develop. You can't--and, in fact, you're not supposed to--know exactly what the picture is going to look like until it has finished developing. First you ping at what has your attention and take the picture." Outside my window is red horse trailer. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but it has captured my attention.
Start with a situation or event, either public or personal. Imagine what a character was doing when a public figure such as Diana Ross or River Phoenix or Michael Jackson died. How about that school dance you wanted to go to?
It's always easier to start with something than it is to stare at a blank sheet of paper and hope that something will come to you.
I will do my best to make this a weekly blog. I still want to make this a story/character blog where I try to tell interesting stories based on life.
She jumped over the fence and crouched like a criminal. She had her flashlight shined on the grass, moving it from across the green blades. She was ten years old and very frightened of her teen years. What if she and the boy she was playing with couldn't do this any more?
"Gotcha," a boy said, drawing her out of her thoughts.
I think I will continue this story. Maybe. But I will write in my blog on a more regular basis.
What if is a great writing exercise. What if your uncle, who plays golf, asks you to go to the golf course with him for a serious talk and you think you know what the conversation might be about.
I've always believed that when you write a story you're asking, what happened to your character and what will your character do about it. My character kissed a boy, maybe her friend or maybe her enemy. What will your character do about it and what if your character was a boy?
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