Here's a fun exercise that will rev up your word flow.
It makes your writing neurons fire, the same way a pre-race warmup works for a sprinter.
photo by Gustavo Fring
Fill out this story form from Word as fast as you can, filling in the blanks with far-fetched ideas. If a story idea emerges at any time, run with it!
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My Best Day Ever Today I woke up feeling ___________,
and I knew
it
was going to be a special day. The sky was ___________ and the weather was ___________, so I hopped out of bed,
put on my ___________ and my ___________ ___________,
and I was ready to ___________. Outside, I caught the first
___________, which took me
straight into ___________. I went ___________ where
I bought the perfect ___________
___________!
Next, I treated myself to a
___________ snack at a ___________
restaurant. It was very ___________, but
it was still good enough to ___________. Finally, I went back home. I fed the
___________, then
sat down on the ___________, and thought, "What
a/an
___________ day!" |
Take one of the startling images you came up with and write about it. Write without pausing, without editing. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or making sense.
If you run out of ideas to write, use these tips from Natalie Goldberg, an awesome writer and writing instructor. She says:
“Don’t worry
about your skill or your talent. It will grow as you write.
Writing is
where you get smart.
Writing is
an act of discovery.
We are important and our lives are important, magnificent
really, and their details are worthy to be recorded.”
Natalie Goldberg
If get stuck, look up and write a colorful description of the first thing you see. Write what you feel.
If you get stuck again, write “I remember” and put down your first thought. Write “I remember” again, any time you need to.
Write fiction, non-fiction, a memoir, song lyrics, a poem, an essay, or a list of words. Give yourself permission to write anything. It doesn't matter if it's great or it's garbage. You don't have to show it to anyone unless you want to.
Let the words flow!
