Tag: writing exercises

writing prompts

Second Weekly Writing Prompt for March

carolyncordon

So after my Fabulous February month, of a brand new writing prompt every single day, things have calmed down a bit, and I can rest some more. Unfortunately though, as I am resting, other people are resting too, and the numbers of visitors to this blog have also calmed down and not in a wanted way.

I want lots of people to come along to my writer site, to show off what I’ve done, and what I can and will do! So if you come here, take a look around, check out what I’ve written before, maybe take on some of the writing prompts from the previous month, after all, there were 29 of them there for the taking!

And if you like what you see here, or think something else might be interesting, tell me! I will respond to whatever you might write, in an intelligent and friendly way. Unless I think what you’ve written is spam in which case I will delete it. I’m not friendly to mindless spam.

So, March … there is a new writing prompt today, and that prompt is this –

Unfamiliar places

So write about places that are unfamiliar to you, that you may like to explore perhaps, or write about places very familiar to you, but unknown to many others. Write about weird and wonderful places from yesteryear, from science fiction – books, TV, film, just write!

What unfamiliar place has this fellow been to?
Photo by Lenin Estrada on Pexel
I’ve certainly never been there, nor would I want to be, I don’t think!
Photo by Suliman Sallehi on Pexels.com

So there are two ideas about unfamiliar places, but others might be homes that you would never live in – up in a tree, or down in an ant’s nest …

Oh, up a tree, how cool would that be? Unfamiliar to me in my adult years, but I’ve been up a few trees as a kid, for sure!
Photo by Jozef Fehu00e9r on Pexels.com
You can’t actually see them in this photo, but there are ants there. The round holes are entries to the ant nest.
my photo

So there are a few ideas, and here are some more ways to consider the writing prompt. I’ve never been to Darwin, but my husband has been, and he’s never been to Alice Springs, but I have been. I’ve never been to a sauna, or to a church during a normal service, only for weddings or funerals. I’ve been to Beijing and walked on the Great Wall of China, as well as walking around Tiananmen Square, that felt like very unfamiliar territory to us Westerners, for sure.

Writing prompts are only prompt ideas and thoughts, you don’t have to slavishly follow what the prompts are, the brain likes to wander off along quite different paths at times, and that is fine. It’s all a part of the creative process, to consider as many different options as you have time for. If creative writing isn’t like that, if it is constrained by many rules and boundaries, then it stops being creative, doesn’t it?

Now that’s possibly a thought for another blog post! I’ve been looking at and writing about creative writing earlier today, and was enjoying the process very much. Thinking about writing creatively. Is it a worthwhile thing, or is it yet another way to procrastinate instead of write, I wonder … I suppose it depends on whether or not the thinking actually leads to words being written, and put ‘out there’, which surely is the main role of a writer, in whatever kind of writing they do.

Writing kept only in a notebook, and never shared in any way, or leading to things that can be shared, hmm, that’s not very useful. No-one ever sold a scribble in a notebook, unless they have lots and lots of actual books written and sold!

So the prompt for this week is Unfamiliar Places, and there will be another writing prompt next week, out on the Monday, and my plan is to go on with that for the rest of the year, a new prompt every Monday morning. Unless, of course, something happens to stop it happening …


Leave me a message, let me know what I’m writing is worth reading

Writing, writing exercise

Creative Writing Exercise 1

carolyncordon

This first creative writing exercise is all about finding something to write about. Often when you want or need to write, the best thing for the creative writing won’t pop into your mind, and you can’t write.

I have certainly felt this problem, but these days, I can write about anything at all, because I have trained up in writing using totally random writing prompts.I’ve done this in writing groups, and at home, using given words, and using words I’ve found for myself.

This is what we’re going to do in this creative writing session. You will need something to write on and with (pen and paper, laptop, whatever is best for you). You will also need a timer of some kind, and you will need a book of fiction. :

  • Take up your books, and turn to a random page, or if there are enough pages, turn to page 28.
  • Write down five words from that page, three nouns, a verb, and two adjectives, two  adverbs, or one of each.
  • These are the words you will be working with. Give yourself ten minutes and write a poem, short story, creative non fiction, using your five chosen random words and any other words as needed. Don’t think hard about it, just write.
  • Buzzer goes, time is up, now is the time to look at your amazing new piece of writing!

analog binder blank book
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

This is a simple writing exercise, and it is an amazing way to turn off your inner critic, and just get the words down. I am finding the more I do five word challenges, the better what I write is getting.

I’ve also noticed the same about the writing of other people who do these exercises too. Writing often leads to writing well. And writing in this way, opens up the mind to all kinds of amazing things! The only pressure on the writer is to get words written, quickly, no time to make them lovely, just write. The brain is an incredible tool!