Handedness (not for the ambidextrous)

Remember learning to write, i.e print? Recapture the feeling by picking up a pencil and printing your name on lined paper, using the opposite hand from the one you usually use. Stay within the lines! Try writing a sentence.


Now describe the experience, writing as you usually do, by hand on the computer. 


My great aunt by marriage broke her right arm in her late 80s and taught herself to write legibly with her left hand.What a lesson in adaptability and determination! Thanks, Aunt Berta!

Back Then

10, 20, 30....50 Years Ago

Where were you?

Who were you?

What were you wearing?

What were you listening to?

What were you driving?

Write for ten minutes and give us a glimpse of you in July, 2001, 1991, 1981...1961!

Defining Moments from The Accidental Novelist

THE EXERCISE

1) Make a list of the 10 Defining Moments of your life or your character’s  life.

2) From each moment, write at least 3 IMAGES that go with that moment. SEE it happening, as if on a movie screen.

example:

Father’s suicide: briefcase, crystal bird, open door to balcony
Ran away from home: black limousine, red “otel” sign, stained carpet
Met Gary on-line: library, broken blue umbrella, wet streets
etc.

3) Now, for each defining moment, show us what happened. Write a paragraph or two. Make sure to SHOW the story, don’t explain what happened. Do it in visuals. It will make it more “real” in your mind if you can see it. And showing in your writing is always good practice.

You can tell it in 3rd person OR 1st person, writing as the character.

 http://theaccidentalnovelist.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/weekend-writing-workout-defining-moments-part-ii-character-development/

Write Creatively Every Day for a Year

This is more than a prompt--it is a nudge; a beacon; a call to action.There are always 10 minutes in a day when you could write---on a computer, in a notebook, on an envelope on line (instead of online!) at the store. Resolve to do it and then...write.
As far as a prompt for every day of the year--take your cue from the date. Today is July 9, 2011. The word July is full of rich memories for me, my favorite month, birthday month; the ninth of July reminds me of my aunt born this day around 1900; the numbers 7, 9, 20, and 11 remind me of years of my life. The day of the week, Saturday, is also rich with ideas. For the 52 Saturdays in a year, I'm sure I have 52 ideas, sentiments, story ideas.
Use the comments space below to send me your reactions to this challenge and ideas for making it work in your life.

Yearning--Thanks to Robert Olen Butler

Write the first few paragraphs of a story following this recipe:

Your character (in fiction or non-fiction) yearns for something. Show (don’t tell) what it is.

Declaring Your Independence

Write about a time when you declared your independence: how did it feel? what was the result? What would you like to declare your independence from today?

Learning to Read

When did you learn to read? Who taught you? What was the first book you read by yourself? What books or comics did you enjoy as a child? Was reading a chore or a delight or somewhere in between?

High Tide

Write about a time when you were inundated--with work, problems, bills, kids, opportunities, lovers, good or bad choices--and persevered and triumphed or learned a good lesson.

Happy?

“Happiness is not only a mood, it is a decision.”

—Julia Cameron

List 10 things that make you happy. Choose one and write a scene that shows why without using the word "happy."

Example: If horseback riding makes you happy, take us with you for a memorable ride.