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?

Writing Exercise

OK, bad joke.  Here's a writing prompt for you.  Dialogue between two characters can be the perfect launching pad into a good piece of writing.  So here's a scene for you...

Two women are in the group fitness room at their gym, laying out their mats and starting to stretch in preparation for a yoga class.  They are the only ones there, and after a few minutes, they find that odd, because the class is usually packed.  The instructor is no where to be found either.  Turns out they're the only ones who don't know the class was canceled.  Write the scene and their dialogue as they first wonder what's going on, are confused, then figure it out, and then does their conversation move on to something else?  What are they each going to do instead of the class?  Did they realize they know each other in some way?  Do they become friends?  Do they end up fighting?  Do they share their thoughts about the instructor, other people in the class?  Do something with the set-up.  Anything you want.

If you love your results, let me know or post a comment here.

Getting Local

You know, it's not all about getting your novel published.  There's a lot of writing to be done, down to the local level.  Are you doing any of it?  There's very small area local newspapers wherever you look.  Now there are even ultra-local web portals and blogs popping up.  There are regional periodicals and newsletters.  There are local charities and organizations that could use press releases and feature articles written about them.

Do you belong to any clubs?  Do they ever email their membership?  Are you involved in putting the email together?  Keeping their website fresh?  Do they have an event coming up that they'd like the region to know about?  Keep your writing chops sharp.  Volunteer to write for them.  Pitch article ideas to your local newspaper (don't offer to volunteer for that, charge!).  You don't have to wait for Alfred A. Knopf to come calling... besides he's dead.