Tag Archives: exercises

February 23, 2010 · 11:27 am

Lord Asquith School

Today I’m talking to a couple of school groups at Lord Asquith School in Asquith. Right now, I’m with the Grade 8s, 9s and 11s. We’re going to – as a group – come up with a couple of suggestions for things that got them writing:

Think about an event you were at and write about it

Something someone said to you….what does it make you think of

Think of different emotions – how you feel happy, something that makes you mad, something that made you cry

Things you’ve heard in the news – like the Haiti earthquake, the Olympics – you could imagine you were there and write about it

Write a poem about Remembrance Day…

Get writing.

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February 5, 2010 · 11:17 am

A little something for the weekend

I’d like you to open your ears this weekend. You’d be amazed at what people say around you – and how inspirational it can be. So, have a listen to what people are talking about. Notice if someone says something extraordinary or weird or funny or strange or delightful or scary or fantastic over the next couple of days.

Listen to the people who are talking to you, but also to the people who are talking around you. There are words filling the air and your job as a writer is to get a hold of those words and wrestle them onto the page. Once you’ve heard something great, get it down on paper. It might be a sentence or maybe two. Once I heard a guy say to his friend in the park, “Have you any idea what it was like to be in jail for eighteen years? It was great.” Really, honestly, that’s what he said.

When you’ve got your sentence down, see where it leads. Is there a story there? A poem? A prose poem?

Get listening.

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February 3, 2010 · 12:17 am

Two books

Publishers have magical rooms that are filled with books and if you ask really nicely, sometimes they gift you one or two. I was lucky enough to be in New York this week and I wandered in to visit the marvelous folk at HarperCollins who gave me Tangled by Carolyn Mackler and Gorgeous by Rachel Vail Both are fun and feisty and fabulous. And completely inspiring for those of us who write.

So, to do some fun, feisty and fabulous writing tonight, I want you to imagine the incredible. What if you could fly? Or if a dog ruled the world? Or if you could change into anything you wanted to be? Or if babies could tell you what they thought? Or if you were in love with a photograph? Imagine the fabulous and then write twenty sentences. Don’t stop until you’ve got twenty down. If you can’t imagine something of your own, use one of my ideas above. Ideas are supposed to be inspiring and are often made much better if they’re shared.

Have fun.

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January 7, 2010 · 7:33 pm

This site is brand new

When I was a teenager I wanted to be a writer.  But I had no idea how to go about it.  I had never met an author.  I couldn’t believe the words I scribbled down on scraps of paper would one day be turned into actual books.  And I didn’t have a clue how to get my ideas on the page in a way that worked.  Over the last fifteen years (ish), I’ve learned loads of things about being a writer.  I wanted to share with you my thoughts on writing, my insights into character and plot, and some great exercises and writing techniques that will really help you get your own writing off the ground.  I’m still just finishing up getting this site up and running, but soon I’ll post an easy exercise to help you generate new ideas.

For tonight, I’m just going to ask you what you’re reading.  I think reading is essential to good writing.  Lots of what I learned about being a writer I learned through reading great books.  I’m just about to start Arthur Slade’s The Hunchback Assignments.  I’ll let you know what I think (I hear good things about it!)

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