The EVERLASTING creative writing exercise

Most courses have now broken up for the summer...so here is a perpetual creative writing exercise for those who can't ignore the itch to write...
You can repeat the exercise again and again, each time going off in a new direction. How much time you spend on it is up to you - it can be 10 minutes or two years. (But only if the exercise has developed into a novel – there is such a thing as too much polishing.)

 The Rules

You can break them, twist them and even ignore them entirely. Remember, this is Creative Writing. It is not A level English, or Leaving Cert or High School Diploma. These are rules you can chuck as soon as they stop being useful.

1) Take two fiction books – any two: love them or hate them, it doesn’t matter. But if you choose novels from different genres the challenge is greater.

2) Go to page 101 in the first book

3) Select the first full sentence that doesn’t contain someone’s name or a reference to a specific time or place (unless you want to: see above). That means you are free to reject Sherwood Forest but really should accept one that mentions a forest.

4) Go to page 201 in the second book. Again select the first full sentence that doesn’t nail you down too rigidly. (Best to avoid something like: With a sigh, Claude hailed a hansom cab knowing that tomorrow he would be leaving dear old London and be sailing for South America and his uncle’s diamond mine...)

5) The first book will give you the opening sentence of this passage of writing. Don’t call it a story yet. It is just about to be born and you have to wait to see what it will grow into. I like the word passage because it’s not intimidating. It doesn’t commit you to anything except writing and it gives you the freedom to stop after a page.

6) The second book gives the second sentence. Use it somewhere, somehow, on the first page; or in the first 250 words; or within four paragraphs of the opening….you get the idea, you have to work your way towards it pretty quickly.

7) Change pronouns (she, he, I, they) and past and present tense to be consistent.  And that's it....

Here's the two sentences I've come up with...see where they take you.

The first sentence is from The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (winner of the Booker in 2008)

They had seen things like this happening before

The second sentence is taken from page 201 of The Visible World by Mark Slouka (A story revolving around the resistance fighters in WWII Czechoslovakia.)

The air moved, bringing a breath of coolness.

Don’t like it? Maybe it gives you too much freedom and you’d rather like to be pinned down. Ok, let’s switch the books around

Page 101 from The Visible World

Walking down a long, sloping dirt road through the fields, I found myself behind an old woman dressed in black, making her slow way toward the forest.

Page 202 from The White Tiger

Crouching and jabbering like monkeys.

(I know it’s not actually a sentence but let’s not get picky and if it's all right for Adiga...)

Just think what other treasures wait to be discovered on your book shelf. I should warn you that this is an exercise that can become seriously addictive.

 

A story tellng midsummer all nighter

White Rabbit is hosting a summer special storytelling event called “Are You Sitting Comfortably?- Pajama Party” at The Basement in Kensington Street, Brighton on Saturday 19th June 2010, starting at 9pm

They are seeking stories of around 1000 words: the theme is midsummer. No payment, but you will get a complimentary ticket and there is free food to be had!  And you get to stay up.

As well as stories there will be short films and animation, games, competitions, and prizes. There will be a midnight feast and bubbly at breakfast for those tough enough to make it through the night but there is a strict dress code:  PJs / nightwear only (bring sleeping bags and bedrolls to snuggle down).

Chosen writers must be able to attend the evening, but White Rabbit have a team of actors who read the stories, so writers can just sit back and enjoy the party atmosphere.

More information about White Rabbit and Are You Sitting Comfortably? on their website (click the title of the post). 

DEADLINE  5th June by email to areyousittingcomfortably@thewhiterabbit.org.uk  put BRIGHTON in the subject box. Also mention if you are from the Brighton area as White Rabbit support local writers.

Playing with Words

Feeling very good about the four classes I have running at the moment: two in Brighton and two in London. It's great to meet up with regular students - some have been with me since I started teaching five years ago - and the buzz that comes from meeting and sharing work with new students/new writers gives me energy and reminds me why I don't want to do anything else but write...and teach writing
Here's an exercise I often use in the first week of term because it is so simple and can produce such amazing results. 
The task is to describe a room - either one you know well, perhaps the one you are sitting in right now, or a place straight from the imagination. BUT you have to do it in two different ways.
1)     In just one sentence using as many words as you can. See how many you can fit in while still making sense and obeying the usual rules of English. If you scroll down you can see my examples, but if you want inspiration go to Charles Dickens, go to Tom Woolf
2)     Same room and this time you are allowed to write as many sentences as you want but each one cannot be longer than SIX words.
Here are my examples
 
One long sentence

The gilt on the antique picture frames that decorated the walls of the guest bedroom were set on fire by the early morning light that shone through the stained glass window and brought the collection of oil paintings to new, vibrant life while transforming the swathes of muslin draping the four poster bed into an opal waterfall of translucent colour. 

 (60 words)

Short sentences

The light shines through the stained glass. The oil paintings come alive. Dawn sets the picture frames alight. Ancient gilt turns into gold. Muslin turns into water.

Try it.
The length of sentences can add texture to your writing, contributing to the atmosphere. They can also add speed. 
 Try this exercise again but this time describing an action - perhaps someone running away.