EXERCISE: Getting Started?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 29 March 2009

Over here http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/03/03/beginning-again/

They're discussing how to get started on novels. And down near the end (11) Kelly McCullough offers a description of how Tim Powers apparently likes to start books. It goes something like this:

I'm not going to start today, but let's open the document and just put together 10 practice sentences that could open the book when I do start.

That was easy, wasn't it? How about picking out the 3 best and expanding them into paragraphs? Just as an exercise.

You know, as long as things are moving along, why not get a sample page ready showing one way to start? So pick the best of those three and expand it again.

Wow, that looks pretty good. Now that you're committed, why not use that as the start of your book and keep going?

Not a bad idea, eh?

EXERCISE: The grocery wars?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 31 March 2009

Writer's Digest, August 2007, page 17 offers this writing prompt exercise:

"It's your first time back to the grocery since the manager, in a not-so-kind manner, told you never to bring your kids into his store again. You're secretly relieved to have to leave them home with your husband. 30 minutes later, you return home -- without groceries. Egg yolk is dripping from your hair, chocolate syrup is smeared across your shirt, and smashed produce is sticking to your shoes. What happened?"

I think I might consider a different grocery store? Anyway, there's the situation and the challenge. Figure out what happened, and put the whole thing together into a story.

They also suggest going to http://writersdigest.com/forum and clicking on "Writing Prompts and Challenges." Indeed, going to that link promptly took me to http://forum.writersdigest.com/category-view.asp, which has a heading Writing Prompts and Challenges down near the bottom with a whole series of writing prompts. Enjoy.

And don't forget to write!