Posts Tagged writing exercise
Nods, Frowns, and Laughs, Oh My!
Do your characters lack dimension? Are they flat on the page simply nodding, frowning, laughing, smiling every other line? How do you break out of that rut and create a whole, round, believable character? Here are some ideas:
1.) Glean for notes.
- Armed with a notepad and/or index cards, visit your local library and pull a collection of books off the shelves.
- Skim the books and jot down any descriptors that catch your eye.
- Be sure to write down the bibliography for future reference. Your goal is to spark your imagination, not plagiarize.
- Index cards work exceptionally well for this exercise, the bibliography can be written on the back (or a color code for more than one notation, done with a simple swipe of a highlighter, corresponding to the bibliography card makes it quick and easy) and once through, you can file the cards for future reference.
- Be sure to write down the bibliography for future reference. Your goal is to spark your imagination, not plagiarize.
Helpful Hint: When filing cards, group them by the action, such as nod, frown, smile, laugh. Or emotion: sad, angry, anxious.
- Once you’ve finished gleaning for ideas, set aside the books, grab up your notepad and entertain a free-write session.
- For example, in Sandra Brown’s book, Exclusive, she uses the word term “whey-faced” instead of saying ghostly or the color drained out of her face, etc. Whey which happens to be the milky substance typically accompanying the curds in cottage cheese (eating her curds and whey ring a bell?). While this isn’t necessarily unique to Brown, as it came to use in English literature before 1822 (source), it is a very different whey, er way, of saying it in modern literature. During your free write session in this example, come up with some unique phrases that boil down to a bloodless, pale face.
- Create index cards with your own unique terms and phrases and file them accordingly.
- Refer to your unique terms when you are writing.
2.) Use a synonym reference site, such as this one: [The Emotions Thesaurus]
3.) People watch.
When people watching, change up your location as much as possible. While studying human interaction at a park is good, ask yourself how often your characters are going to be hanging out at a park in your story. Look for places that would most mirror those visited by your characters whenever possible. And no, we’re not promoting hanging out at the jail.
- library
- school drop-off zone (just be careful that you’re not seen as someone those soccer moms are wary of)
- shopping mall
- food court at a shopping mall
- bar/restaurant
- play/movies/theater
- business meeting
- hotel lobby
- auto dealership (this is often fun)
- car repair shop
- coffee house
- pizza parlor
- college campus
- the list is endless
Better yet, eavesdrop. Can you tell from a distance whether two people deeply engaged in a conversation are angry, impassioned, head over heels in love, discussing their autistic child? Compare and contrast what you observe from a distance to what you overhear as you move in to eavesdrop. What clues were accurate? Why? What was deceiving? How was a clue misinterpreted?
For anyone who writes using red herrings, looking for those differences in perception versus reality are vital, by observing these seemingly minor idiosyncrasies you as a writer can use them to your full advantage by leaving clues for your reader that might lead them on a wild goose chase, then bring it around full circle for the explosive gotcha moment in your novel.
Be sure to come armed with your writing tools whether that would be a camera, camcorder, tape recorder or simple notepad and pen. Take time to write down bits of conversation, everything you observe so that when you are working a similar scene into your novel, you can recall the scene down to those subtle nuances you’ve observed and work them in.
4.) Subscribe to a word of the day/week site and have new words delivered directly to your inbox. Even UrbanDictionary.com is a excellent site to add to your repertoire! As new words come in, learn them, the correct way to use them, and practice them until it becomes rote. You will most likely find these new words flow easily once you become familiar enough with them, thus incorporating a new style, a new zest (think lemon pepper) into your writing.
Note: It’s easy to fall back on using a Thesaurus for finding alternative words to plug in. Use caution as while some words don’t always have the same implied meaning. Become well practiced with the proper usage of any new or different word.
5.) Engage in writing exercises regularly using specific writing prompts and exercises that are created expressly to help the writer hone the craft of creating a three-dimensional character, one that is trusted and believable by your reader.
6.) Name that emotion exercises are great. Take any grade school beginning writer handout (here’s one you can use: [PDF file - opens in new window] ) and write for fifteen minutes describing that particular emotion. It doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact it can be pure unadulterated crap. But stick with it. Your goal is to write so descriptively that someone who is visually impaired could picture the emotion in their head.
7.) Picture search. Hit up an online repository of searchable tagged images, such as Flickr. Type in the emotion you are wanting to describe, such as anger. Sift through the pictures and look for the one that you’d most like your reader to see. Now set your timer and write and see what comes of the exercise.
EXAMPLES: [From Flickr]
8.) Gesturing is another aspect of describing an underlying emotion, of setting a scene, developing character, and character interaction. Does your main character shrug his shoulders too much? Does your heroine purse her lips frequently, maybe chew on her lower lip until your reader is setting aside the book and hunting down some Chapstick? Again, as you’re looking for descriptors that best convey to your reader a hidden emotion, be sure to include gestures, nervous habits, a touch that might help draw not just your characters together, but pull your reader into the moment.
Practice makes perfect, so as always, write on!
Craft Chat and Critique Workshop
Agenda
1-2 p.m. Craft Chat and Writing Exercise
Topic: Physical Description – Setting
2-4 p.m. Critique Workshop
Members will critique manuscripts
which have already been distributed.
Note: If you have not previously attended
a Chico Writer’s Group workshop, you are
welcome to attend the craft chat session.
Critique Workshops are for members only.
Date: Saturday, January 24th, 2009
Location: Butte County Library, Chico Branch
1108 Sherman Avenue, Chico, CA
Meeting room directly across from Circulation Desk
For further information, leave a comment
below with your current, functional email address.
Craft Chat and Critique Workshop
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009
Time: 3:30 – 7:30 PM (may break at 6:30 pm)
Location: Meeting Room directly across from Circulation Desk
Chico Branch, Butte County Library
1108 Sherman Avenue, Chico (cross is 1st Ave)
RSVP: Leave a comment below with a valid email address (never published) to RSVP.
Agenda
3:30-4:30 PM Craft Chat and Writing Exercise
Physical Description of Characters
When we’re telling a story, we need to tell our readers something about our characters, and that often includes what they look like. How do we do that without making it sound like a police report? What kind of details are important? What’s best left to the reader’s imagination?
4:30 – 6:30 PM Critique Workshop
Manuscripts are distributed January 2nd to members in good standing.
Queue: B. C.
D. H.
R. A.
N. J.
K. L.
Writing Exercise Gone Wrong
Recently a very witty email circulated with famous personalities answering the question "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Alas, there was room to grow and so members of the Chico Writer’s Group were handed an "optional" writing exercise which was to add to the laundry list. Here you are: (the bits contributed by CWG members are acknowledged, the remainder came via the original email, hats off to the originator of this!)
TOM BROCKAW: I don’t care why the chicken crossed the road but I wish he would stick to the rules he established and do it in less than a minute. (Contributed by Lynn Houston)
KATIE COURIC: Now, Miss Chicken, would you say that you crossed the road because you wanted to set an example for the other chickens, or should I say, flock; or was this a statement? Maybe you felt there was a better selection of grain or maybe you were simply fed up with the pecking order, not that I’m putting words in your mouth… or should I call it a beak? (Contributed by Kathie Leung)
BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!
JOE BIDEN: I saw that chicken on Union Street in Wilmington. He was
having a meal at Katie’s Restaurant. I said to him "Hey, how’s it going?" and he said "You know, I was doing really well until my house was foreclosed and I had to cross the road to live elsewhere. And I had to walk here because I couldn’t afford to fill my gas tank." (contributed by Brad Cook)
JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
SARAH PALIN: I’m not going to answer that question because I want to talk straight to all those hockey moms and Joe Six-Packs out there and say, doggone it, we’re not going to let the government tell that chicken how to cross the road. (Contributed by Brad Cook)
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One! that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn’t about me.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where’s my gun?
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens in the story white? We need some black chickens.
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across
the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
BARNEY STIMPSON (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER): Dude, you know we can’t talk about that, it’s covered in the Bro’s before Ho’s book. But I can tell you this, I got to see it with my very own eyes and it was totally AWESOME! It was I, Barney Stimpson, who saw what is now legen – wait for it – dary! (Contributed by Z-Dude and Ry-Guy)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn’t that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish it’s lifelong dream of crossing the road.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?
Craft and Critique Workshop Topic: Dialogue
Time and Place
Date: Sunday, September 21, 2008
Time: 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Upper Crust Bakery & Cafe
Street: 130 Main Street
City/Town: Chico, CA
View Map Google :
MapQuest :
Microsoft :
Yahoo
Contact Info
Phone:530.521.4264
Email:kathie dot blog at gmail dot com
Description
NOTE: Location is tentative. Please check back with us prior to the meeting for the exact location. It would be helpful to have a firm headcount (please don’t say you’ll be there if there’s a good possibility you won’t be) by Thursday, September 18th.
AGENDA
2:00 PM Craft Workshop: Dialogue
Writing exercise:
Write a conversation between two characters where they are both lying. Never directly state that they are untruthful; instead write it so the reader figures out the characters are lying exclusively from the dialogue.
Give it a go and bring your finished product with you (preferably with a few copies) to share with the others and talk about what hurdles you may have come across, what doors you might have opened and other writer chit-chat sort of things.
2:30 PM Craft Chat
A CWG member will be giving an informative presentation on the topic of dialogue:
"Effective dialogue moves the plot forward, reveals character and punches up conflict and tension. So how does a writer shape dialogue to sound more real life? Our craft chat will explore various strategies in writing compelling dialogue."
3:00 PM Critique Workshop
Two manuscripts will be critiqued by the group. Lead critiquers will have been assigned prior to the meeting to help move the discussion along. (Note: Manuscripts will only be sent to members in good standing, meaning you must have attended at least one Meet & Greet session and/or a writer’s group meeting. If you have not, you are still very welcome to attend AND participate!)
For more information, more writing prompts, information about contests and upcoming meetings, please browse this website or leave us a comment.
About the Chico Writer’s Group
Contact: Kathie Leung (lee-young)
530 521-4264
Kathie dot blog at gmail dot com
Chico Writer’s Group
Agenda
2:00 PM
Creative Writing Exercise
Members will be invited to share and discuss their assigned writing exercise. Exercises are posted prior to each session on the website: ejourn.net/cwg
2:30 PM
Craft Chat
Led by a CWG Member we will explore various elements of writing, focusing on one specific area at each session.
3:00 – 5:00 PM
Critique Workshop
Manuscripts received by the deadline (12PM Pacific Time 8 days prior to upcoming meeting) will be assigned a Critique Leader and discussed in the order received. Of course, manuscripts left from previous workshop take priority. For critique guidelines, format, etc. please review the brochure’s interior or visit us online at www.ejourn.net/cwg for further info.
Please note: Sometimes we will be reading and discussing adult themes which might include graphic violence, adult situations and language, and sexual situations. Therefore all members are required to be 18 years or older. We encourage you to leave children home.
Welcome
The Chico Writer’s Group first met in January of 2008. It was founded by Kathie Leung, whose desire was to bring into the community, a forum where other writers could meet on a consistent basis and help one another sharpen and hone their talents.
The purpose of the group is to provide a warm, welcoming environment where writers of all levels of skill, format (essay, short story, novel, poetry, prose, playwright, screenplay, etc.) and genre (children’s, young adult, fiction, fan-fic, chick lit, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.) can share craft tips, develop skills through writing exercises and critique one another’s work in a safe, friendly, non-threatening environment.
Meetings
The following is the schedule for meetings throughout the fall and beginning of winter, 2008 and are subject to change. To be notified of changes, please contact Kathie Leung at 521-4264 or "kathie dot blog at gmail dot com".
All meetings are from 2 – 5 p.m.
Locations: To Be Announced
Sunday, September 21st
Saturday, October 5th
Saturday, October 25th
Saturday, November 8th
Sunday, November 16th
Sunday, November 30th
Sunday, December 14th
Saturday, December 27th
National Novel Writing Month Write-Ins are scheduled throughout the month of November. For more information, please contact Kathie.
Membership: Dues & Responsibilities
There are presently no dues for membership, or rather, there are no financial obligations. As a member, we do expect you to fully participate – especially in the area of critiques. Members should be periodically submitting a manuscript for critiquing and always should be participating in critiquing the work of others in order to be considered a member in good standing. Writing exercises are encouraged, but not required.
Unless previously arranged or extenuating, unforeseen circumstances arise, as a member you are expected to arrive on time with copies of your writing exercise and the assigned critique manuscripts.
Manuscripts for critiquing purposes should have been read at least twice and have editing marks and comments written on the printed out copy.
Once the critique is finished, members are required to return their edited copy to the writer. Please write your name and phone number and/or email address at the top, right corner of the manuscript so if the writer has any questions, they may contact you for further clarification.
If you have a piece that’s being critiqued, you should bring a copy of your work with you and possibly an extra copy should anyone forget to bring one or we have a guest attending.
Writing Exercises
Prior to each meeting, we will assign a writing exercise which correlates to the upcoming Craft Chat topic. The exercise will be posted online at our website with ample time to complete the exercise. If you do not have regular access to the Internet and are unable to download the upcoming exercise, please notify Kathie to have your name added to an update email notification list and the prompt will be emailed to you after online publication.
The purpose of these exercises is to help you, as a writer, explore areas and elements of the craft that you may have not considered before, haven’t spend time developing or merely strengthen what skills you already have.
Take your time and give it a try. There are no right or wrong ways to complete the exercise. Be sure to print out a copy and bring it with you to the next meeting to share with others and discuss how the exercise may have changed how you look at your writing, what doors may have opened, what hurdles you jumped … or even came upon!
Craft Chat
Each session will include a 30-minute presentation given by a member about a specific element involved in writing. If you have a particular interest you’d like to explore, please let us know. Likewise, if there is a topic you would like to present, drop Kathie a line and we’ll explore that further!
Critique Workshop
The meat and potatoes of our group is the critique workshop. This gives writers the opportunity to receive invaluable feedback on their writing. Whether you are planning on taking your work to publication, submit it for a contest or merely work on strengthening your skills while honing your talents, the critique workshop is a must.
We do have specific guidelines as a writer submitting a manuscript for critiquing, as a leader of the critique and as a reader. As well, we have certain “rules” designed to make the experience enjoyable, productive and rewarding for everyone. Along with this brochure you will find a handout on our critiquing process, guidelines, rules and so forth. On our website you will find several links in the navigation column that will further provide you with useful information about editing, proofing, reading for content and more. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Manuscript Guidelines
The following is a checklist of manuscript format guidelines.
- Font size 10 to 12 point
- Font face: Times New Roman, Serif fonts, Arial
- One and a half to double spaced lines
- One inch margins all around
- Pages numbered
- Name, phone number and/or email address on title/first page
- File should be saved in (listed in order of preference):
*.doc
*.rtf or *.txt
*.PDF
Note: If you are unable to open any of the files noted above, please contact "kathie dot blog at gmail dot com" and provide a list of files you are able to open. If you do not presently have an Adobe Reader, you can download one for free by visiting Adobe.com.
For the purposes of critiquing and time constraints, manuscripts are to be 5 to 10 pages in length. They may be portions of a longer piece and do not necessarily have to be from the beginning of the greater work. For shorter pieces including poems and prose, you may submit more than one per session, however if you choose to submit several short pieces, please do so in one file format so all are included at the same time in the critique, otherwise the remainder will be placed into queue.
Manuscripts are to be submitted via email to Kathie by noon Pacific Time no less than 8 days prior to upcoming meeting. Members will receive their attached copies via email by 5:00 pm with specific instructions in the body of the email, provided they have attended meetings previously and are in good standing.
We operate on a “first come, first serve” basis. While we restrict submissions to 8 days prior to an upcoming meeting, you may submit as early as you like.
End
Writing Exercise Writing Exercise Make it New
Posted by Basic User in Prompts on April 20, 2008
From the book: Writing Without the Muse by Beth Baruch Joselow
Take an old, familiar story and think about how it might have developed differently.
What if Cinderella never went to the ball? What if Tom Sawyer lived in New York City? What if the South had won the Civil War? Write your own version of what happens next.
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