TG -- but not yet!

Write a five-minute scene.  Set up: an office worker desperately trying to leave the office early on the day before Thanksgiving.  An email goes around from the big boss telling everyone they can leave early.  But our hero's manager has asked him/her to get one thing done urgently before they leave.  As everyone else piles out of the office, what's going on in the life of our hero?  Does he/she get it done; stay late; does bedlam ensue, maybe nothing seems to be going right; or does he/she bag it in dramatic fashion?  Have fun.  Maybe try a little farcical scene...

As always let me know what you think of the exercise.

Writing Exercise: The Message

Here's an exercise in dialogue/monologue/rambling... you've all heard of it. Perhaps you've done it.  Drunk-dialing an ex in the middle of the night.  Maybe you ran into them in a bar.  Maybe it's a recent break-up.  Maybe something reminded you of them.  Who broke up with whom?

Here's a writing exercise.  Your character drunk-dials an ex in the middle of the night after being out.  But it goes straight to voicemail.  Write the message that he/she leaves on the voicemail.  Have fun with this one.  Think about what they would say to an ex.  Think about when it ended, how it ended, why this character is driven to dial, why the phone wasn't picked up on the other end, and most importantly, your character is drunk.

Enjoy.

As always, comment on here and let me know what you think of the exercise.  Email me if you enjoyed it or want to show me your homework.  I'll read and review it.

Write a crazy story

OK, ready for your prompt?

A family of four (mother, father, son, daughter).  Living room.  And one of them comes into the house with the new puppy.  And something crazy happens.  Write the scene.  Don't lose any of the five characters (you didn't forget the puppy, did you!).  All of them have a part.  They all have something to say, something to do, they're all a part of whatever it is that happens.  Pay special attention to your writing of dialogue and actions.

Plan out your story first, doesn't have to be long, but think about a lot of questions first.  Or I don't care, dive right in.

Did everyone know it was new puppy day?  Who brings it home?  How do each of the family members feel about new puppy day?  Are they all excited about this?  What's the puppy like?  What does it do?  Feel free to improvise the story.  Maybe there are other pets in the house already.  Do whatever you like with the prompt.  Just ... go ... WRITE!

Books on Writing

People ask all the time about book on writing.  Nobody can teach you how to come up with a good story, but like I try to do here with writing prompts and exercises, you can be nudged to start writing.  You can be given a launchpad for a specific project, or you can be inspired to sit down and get to work.  Where your story goes is up to you!  But if I had to name one book that is a must, I would have to recommend WRITING DOWN THE BONES, by Natalie Goldberg.  It'll inspire you.  Give it a look:

Memoirs

What makes a good memoir?  Not just a good story, but you have to remember in the case of memoir, the reader needs to be able to relate to your story.  Ironically enough, my first rule of memoir is, actually it is NOT all about you!  It's about the reader.  When you think about putting out your experience or your life to the world, think about not just what happened to you, but think about what your story can mean to your reader.  What will the reader get out of the experience of hearing your story?  It's that age-old question, why you?  Feel free to post on the comments here and we can open up a discussion on memoir writing...

My friend Kim does it perfectly with her memoir, just out from Random House.  It's an amazing combination of personal story with reflections on self-esteem, self-respect, and as she puts it, 'learning to love yourself.'  Read it!

Again, it's Been Way too Long!

Wow, I did it again, disappeared from here.  So sorry about that.  Sometimes, I just get too waylaid by life as we know it.  I've been working on a novel, though, so that's a good thing.

Here's a writing exercise dedicated to my disappearance.  Think about somewhere you used to go all the time, whether it's your old school or a neighborhood you used to live in or a town you came from, maybe even an apartment or house you used to live in.  Fictionalize you as a character and write a story about what it would be like to return there now.  Who is still there; would you be recognized, or would you be a stranger?  I recently walked through a neighborhood I used to live in, it used to be home to me.  I don't know what's more striking: the things that have changed or the things that haven't.  The dentist's office on the corner, who catered to welfare recipients, is now a very chic trendy bar, but the nasty little dirty pizza place across the street is still there.

Think first about where it is you would be returning to.  How long ago were you there regularly?  So, the bottom line is, what would happen to you if you went back now?  And how would you feel about the place?