As I write this article I’m holding a hairdryer in my other hand, trying to melt a block of frozen soup away from its non-microwavable container. I’m sure my ancestors had a better system, but then again they didn’t have freezers. Often unconscious of the fact that Caveman Joe, Erik the Beardless and Sophie Hairdryer…
Tag: #writingexercise
Using Word Trees to Generate Plot Ideas
It’s never fun to be stuck in quicksand. I know what it’s like when you have a great character idea or inciting event, but come to a point where you can’t move forward in a story. Fortunately, I’ve found a solution to get myself out of that deadly and, frankly itchy situation: Experimenting with writing…
How to Be a Better Creative Writing Student
Note: this post is written for ALL creative writers dedicated to self-improvement, even if not an enrolled student. Unlike many of the ideas I get for posts, this one wasn’t a sudden inspiration. On three separate occasions: while looking over my textbooks, during a workshop and then in the discount aisle of a supermarket; I…
10 Halloween Creative Writing Exercises to Chill and Thrill.
“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!”– Dracula (1897) I think I could possibly be Halloween’s number one fan (no pun intended:D) and as the leaves change colour and the apples drop ready for a steaming, autumnal pie; it’s the time of year when the ancients believed the veil between…
10 Romantic Creative Writing Exercises to Beguile and Inspire
“Strangelove, strange highs and strange lowsStrangelove, that’s how my love goes”- Depeche Mode Writing about love and romantic relationships is not my forte; in fact I don’t think I’ve ever attempted it other than in horrible poems and fat-lettered diary entries from when I was twelve:) Due to a current project it’s something I need…
Epistolary! Lusty Lovers of Letter Writing
‘Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls’ -John Donne The epistolary style is defined as a story which unfolds through a series of letters and other documents, such as newspaper articles, diary entries; even emails and blog posts! It’s a topical subject for me as I’m currently reading Where or When (1993) by the late…
Letting Go as a Writer
‘I didn’t realise perfection could be so messy!’ As a mature student and aspiring fiction writer my biggest struggle thus far has been overcoming perfectionism; something which until a few months ago was running the entire show—even selling the ice creams! Practising writing without rigorous editing and in my case, the temptation to overwrite is…