Creative Writing II Exercise Q3, #1: DIALOGUE

To prepare for writing our children’s books, today we will do a brief writing exercise that concentrates upon writing dialogue. Remember that, when writing dialogue between characters, you need to begin a new paragraph for each new speaker. For example,

Anna and John stared out at the waves on the beach. John said, “I’ve been putting off telling you, but I have been thinking about quitting my job.”

Anna was silent as she considered this bombshell. After a moment she replied, “And what will you do? I mean, how are we going to pay the rent? My salary won’t cover it alone—I hope you will at least have something lined up before you quit.”

You can write this with a partner, or on your own. After deciding, write a few lines of dialogue illustrating one of the following situations—or select your own scene (or create your own):

  • Write a conversation in which a guy/girl asks a guy/girl out for a date.
  • Write a dialogue between a police officer and a motorist who has been pulled over.
  • Write a conversation in which two people argue—maybe about a movie they disagree upon, or perhaps about a political issue.
  • Write a conversation that has actually taken place between you and one of your friends [or a conversation you’ve had with one of your parents].

BE CREATIVE! HAVE FUN!

Creative Writing II Exercise 2, Q3: Real Life and The Graceful Lie

In The Graceful Lie, Michael Petracca discusses how, in writing fiction, we often use events from our real lives that we often “borrow” from actual events and change them or the people they happened to. This writing exercise asks you to do just that.

Write a character sketch based exclusively on someone you know very well: a friend, a parent, a loved one...even a much-publicized celebrity. Freewrite in as much detail as you can, everything that individual does in the course of a day, from the moment s/he wakes up in the morning until the moment s/he goes to sleep (you can even go beyond these parameters if you want to include some description of this person’s dreams as well). Include thoughts in the form of interior monologue, repressed desires, mundane chores, dialogue with secondary characters (including yourself). From that extended freewrite pick one event that took place during the day in the life of your character—ideally an event that’s charged with conflict, tension, meaning—and rewrite your freewritten character sketch to lead up to this central event.

OR

Recall a recent real-life interaction between yourself and a friend or family member or between any two persons of your acquaintance. Ideally this interaction will involve an element of conflict: an argument about money; a philosophical disagreement over the nature of God, the universe and everything; an accusation of cheating at gin rummy...whatever. Describe the initial conflict as faithfully as you can—including the setting of the event and any dialogue that actually took place—and then let your imagination take over, creating an entirely new set of consequences that follow from the original conflict. Try not to plan ahead; your subconscious mind should direct the process. Allow yourself to be “surprised” at the unexpected turns your narrative takes.

Be creative! Have fun!

Creative Writing II, Exercise 3, Q3: Mini Me

Write a letter to the ten-year-old child you once were. Use your real-life experience and wisdom to create the content.

THEN

Pretend that you are 110 – write another letter from older you to who you are today (age and everything). Include all sorts of imagined accomplishments and failures. Also include a reason why old you is writing younger you this letter.

Ideas for possible content:

-biggest regret

-greatest accomplishment

-places lived and/or visited

-family life

-career

-extraordinary experiences

-happiness in life’s little things

You will write both letters.

You can decide the tone: Is it funny or serious; full of regret or satisfied?

Creative Writing II, Exercise 3, Q3: Mini Me

Write a letter to the ten-year-old child you once were. Use your real-life experience and wisdom to create the content.

THEN

Pretend that you are 110 – write another letter from older you to who you are today (age and everything). Include all sorts of imagined accomplishments and failures. Also include a reason why old you is writing younger you this letter.

Ideas for possible content:

-biggest regret

-greatest accomplishment

-places lived and/or visited

-family life

-career

-extraordinary experiences

-happiness in life’s little things

You will write both letters.

You can decide the tone: Is it funny or serious; full of regret or satisfied?

Creative Writing II, Exercise #4, Q3: Writing from Pictures

Take the photos that you have brought into class and put them out on desk for another student to take.

Take a photo that another student has brought to class.

Writing:

Start by simply freewriting about the photo, its mood or its images (or the people involved). Photographs or other images often suggest a narrative—see where these pictures take you!

Creative Writing II, Exercise #5, Q3: Poetry Writing vs. Songwriting

First, read the articles distributed in class. Then you should print out and examine both a favorite poem and a favorite song.

Then you will write both a poem and a song using the same topic. To do this, think about one subject matter that you would like to write about: it could be a lost love, a dysfunctional family member, social injustice – the list is endless.

For your poem, you may also think about form, structure, and genre. Will your poem have stanzas, rhyme pattern, meter, and other characteristic features, or will it be free verse (no traditional format, but musical all the same). Think about your subject matter and which format best fits.

For your song, you can also think about genre. Will it be a show-tune, country song, hard rock, rap, teen-pop, or any other category? (I like to think I could write a killer country song, even though I dislike the genre in general…)

Creative Writing II, Exercise #5, Q3: Poetry Writing vs. Songwriting

First, read the articles distributed in class. Then you should print out and examine both a favorite poem and a favorite song.

Then you will write both a poem and a song using the same topic. To do this, think about one subject matter that you would like to write about: it could be a lost love, a dysfunctional family member, social injustice – the list is endless.

For your poem, you may also think about form, structure, and genre. Will your poem have stanzas, rhyme pattern, meter, and other characteristic features, or will it be free verse (no traditional format, but musical all the same). Think about your subject matter and which format best fits.

For your song, you can also think about genre. Will it be a show-tune, country song, hard rock, rap, teen-pop, or any other category? (I like to think I could write a killer country song, even though I dislike the genre in general…)

Creative Writing II, Exercise #6, Q3: The Last Becomes First

Use the last line of a favorite poem as the first line in your new poem. If you prefer, you can do the same, but write a song instead.

You can borrow the structure of the poem or song, but should have a completely different—original—piece when you are finished.

Creative Writing II, Exercise #6, Q3: The Last Becomes First

Use the last line of a favorite poem as the first line in your new poem. If you prefer, you can do the same, but write a song instead.

You can borrow the structure of the poem or song, but should have a completely different—original—piece when you are finished.

Creative Writing II, Exercise #6, Q3: The Last Becomes First

Use the last line of a favorite poem as the first line in your new poem. If you prefer, you can do the same, but write a song instead.

You can borrow the structure of the poem or song, but should have a completely different—original—piece when you are finished.

Writing Exercise #7: Creative Writing II: Thankfulness

For this exercise, we’ll explore the myriad avenues of gratitude.

You may:

  • write a letter of thanks to someone who has been good to you—maybe throughout your life, maybe just one time.
  • write a fiction piece—craft a story between two characters where one, eventually, expresses gratitude.
  • write a non-fiction essay explaining why you are—or are not—thankful for something.
  • write an interior monologue of someone—real or fictional—is thankful.
  • write a real, or imagined, journal entry where you, or your character, is thankful for something.
  • write any piece where you received thanks from someone, or maybe you expected thanks, but did not receive it.
  • Etc.

Writing Exercise #8 Creative Writing II: The Mystery Box

For this assignment, we will first watch a TED talk by JJ Abrams – producer of the TV Series Lost, and writer/director/producer of various films including the Star Trek reboot (both of them), and Super 8. Currently, he is in creative control of a little known film franchise known as Star Wars, which is set to debut its new film in the fall of this year.

In this segment, which was filmed in March 2007 – Lost was still on TV and he hadn’t even started his work on Star Trek, let alone Star Wars – he explains the power of the “mystery box,” imagination, and storytelling.

  1. Watch the TED talk and take notes. Ensure that you explain what the mystery box is and why it is important. Here is the link:

(If this link doesn’t work, simply Google the words “JJ Abrams mystery box” and the link will appear.)

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  1. Think about other stories you’re familiar with: fiction and nonfiction. Where have you encountered the “mystery box” before? Name the films, books, etc.

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  1. Write a “mystery box” opening to a story. You don’t have to complete the story – just construct the “box.” If you wish to convert this to a full story as one of your quarterly assignments, you may, but be sure that you have a complete story to submit (i.e. answer the questions in the mystery box).

Writing Exercise #9 Creative Writing II: Invisibility

This prompt is inspired by Beth Baruch Joselow's Writing Without the Muse, but it just as easily could have come from Woody Allen's Alice. In it you're asked to imagine a scene you might observe only if you were invisible.