WEEK 3 EXERCISES


Herein begin new creativity exercises for fiction writers and essayists.


MONDAY

Work outside. Garden, paint, rake, walk, wash your car or windows, sweep, weed. At least 90 minutes.
Write about a skilled worker or craftsperson with a project half-finished, how the next steps intrude upon the moment the person inhabits.
Have the mind escape a crisis moment, like a medical diagnosis, meeting the in-law, etc.

TUESDAY

Visit a petstore or Petsmart. Guess how owners behave at home, why/how they chose their pet.
Strive to capture the character's motivation in his/her purchase.

WEDNESDAY

Listen to a radio station you detest. Start stream-of-conscious writing how much you hate it.
Use extended hyperbole, metaphors, Texan exaggeration.
Stretch your brain for a creative way to stop the song/station. How will you revenge?
Harder exercise: Rant like a prophet. What will befall the awful-doers?

THURSDAY

Turn on an oscillating or electric fan. Talk into it, just vowels/consonants. Noises. Until you hear the first word you want to write.

FRIDAY

Use a kid's riddle book.
Pick one and write from an observer/news reporter's point of view, as events unfold.
Pacing/timing the punch line is the point of this exercise. How much build up does your writing style require?

SATURDAY

Choose a photo. Study. Cover.
Describe it exactly opposite your memory.
Harder task: Be a teller of the memory to a foreigner/child.

SUNDAY

Go through an unfamiliar store department. Write down brands, odd words/gadgets.
What was the inventor like?

BONUS

Buy a dictionary of famous/noteworthy individuals. (I picked famous innovators.) Close eyes, flip to a random page, drop your finger, and see who you've got.
Imagine some quirky person that you know --like wheezy Uncle Horman--doing/accomplishing what this person did. Write a first person 'diary' or report by your quirky person.

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