Writing Assignment: Finish The Job
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- 6/5/2010 |
- 10:00 am
A long time ago I discovered a great little trick to help me practice creative writing. Instead of coming up with a new story idea myself, I would find an opening line, or opening paragraph from an existing story, and then re-write the story in a completely different way.
You might say, "Hey, you're stealing someone's work." But this was never for anyone to see but me. It was my way of taking a suggestion and seeing how quickly I could get my brain into that gear and tell the tale. You're about to try it, too...
These days you'll see something similar in writing workshops and writing magazines. They call it a "prompt." They'll give you an opening line or two, and then YOU have to write the story. I think this is great practice for you, because it challenges you in ways you're not used to.
From time to time your writing assignment in the Big Brain Club will be to finish the job. I'll give you the prompt, then you sit down and write the rest of the story. It could be a one-page story, a three-page short story, or as long as you want. Let's try it for this month's assignment:
"We had only been in the hotel for five minutes when my sister came running back into our room and yelled, "You'll never guess who's staying here!"
Okay, there you go. Take that opening sentence, shift yourself into that scene, and see what comes out. It's a fun challenge. Good luck!
