Writing exercises

Free writing: 10 minutes of writing continously. The goal is not to write well but to keep writing and not stop until the time is up.

Bad writing: 10 minutes of writing an intentionally bad description. This is based on the idea that
writers ‘know’ when their writing is bad. Let go of your fears and experiment, write in a comically
bad way if you want to. Read what you have written out and share and receive feedback.
Word salad: 10 minutes of writing without stopping. The facilitator will read out words to include
in the text as you write.
Brainstorm a list of 5 ideas related to a story you’re writing: five surprising or defining aspects of
the main character, five things your antagonist would do to mess with your protagonist, five
important details about your story’s setting, five ways your main character could get what they
want, and so forth.
Write a short blog post from the perspective of a character you choose from a TV series, a
movie, or a story you’ve enjoyed reading. Write about something they’ve learned, something
they want to do, or a political viewpoint
But why? Keep asking your characters ‘why’. For example: Why are you grumpy? I have a
hangover. Why do you have a hangover? My friend was in a bad accident and I thought they
might die? Why did you think they might die? Their partner lied to me about how serious the
accident was. Why did they lie about that? They are jealous of our relationship. Why? Etc.

O. S. King