Think about writing during the day. Anything, anything can be an exercise starter:
I missed the Bus....
.My boss called me to the office....
I made it to the hospital the same time, the ambulance arrived....
If I had an "easy" button....
My next holiday...
The last item I bought on sale....
My hairdresser told me..
.I skipped my exercise classes and....
.
Choose one and write for 5 minutes without thinking, without stopping.
Board games are fabulous thought provokers:
Monopoly:
Write about: "Virginia Avenue"
"Go straight to jail".
Balderdash
Make up your definition: "ranarium " (ran-err-ee-um).
"gumbotil" (gum-bo-till)
"buzaglo" (buzz-a-glow)
Tribond:
What do they have in common?" Screw, Knuckle, Fork"
"Bowler, Derby, Sombrero"
"Granny, Figure 8, Half Hitch"
Scruples
"You are a photographer covering an earthquake. A man caught under wreckage waves for help. He makes a great picture...."
"You own a small restaurant. In winter, a couple of vagrants like to come in to get warm..... "
"You’re a scriptwriter. A studio will pay $250,000 for your screenplay provided you add gratuitous sex and violence. ...."
Choose one as a starter. Write for ten minutes without thinking, without
stopping.
Metaphors and Simile:
- Eat a candy. Describe it without using the word candy or sweets. How does it taste like, what is the texture like?
- Eat a nut (only if you are not allergic) and do the same
- Now look around your desk:
describe a paper clip without naming it
describe a stapler without naming it
describe post it notes without naming them
describe a light bulb....and so on.
Use your moods, Get to know your characters better, free write:
- When happy, fill a page about your protagonist. What are the contents of his/her brief case or school bag? Where is he going right now and why?
- When angry, frustrated or sad, fill a page about your antagonist. What does he or she carry in his jacket pockets? Whom did he have his last argument with and why?