Here’s a character exercise from Deborah Perlberg, which will help you find your character’s motivations and perhaps discover ideas to work out how to move the plot forward as you re-read your own answers…

Answer her following six questions – write as much as you can on each one.

1- Choose a main character.  Describe what they were like as a very young child.

2- Describe what they were like when you knew them.  (I adapted this question and added to it as I never personally know the characters in my novels: Or when a key character knew them).

3- Describe what they are likely to become later in life.

4- What does this character want more than anything else in the world.

5- Who or what is preventing him or her from getting it?

6- What is he or she going to do about it?

Think about everything you ate over the last 24 hours.  Describe each food item, and every drink, in detail.  Think of textures, tastes, how things smelled, how they looked.  Remember, people in stories need to eat and what they chose to put in their mouths shows a reader a something about their character.  As you do this food exercise, think about how writing about what someone eats or drinks reveals who they are on the page.

Use these seven writing prompts – one each day – and give yourself a seven day writing retreat. Switch off your phone, and remember, you only need fifteen minutes per day to get you writing.

Day One: Tap into your childhood memories. This exercise will open you up to using your own experiences to get writing. Use one of the following three start points and free-write for fifteen minutes (write without stopping or thinking) –

The best day I spent with my grandparent/s

A school outing

A time when I cried

Day Two: Use these three words to sculpt a story or a poem. Remember it doesn’t have to be perfect, but do try and include all three words –

YESTERDAY WATER UNDER

Day Three: Use this fragment of a sentence to start writing – and write at least 250 words. This will help you get words on the page.

It was impossible to open…

Day Four: Read the opening of a novel from your bookshelves or from the library. Use the first paragraph as your start point and write at least 500 words more. This will remind you that reading is always a good way to inspire your writing, and teach you some of the discipline you need to get writing more seriously.

Day Five: That novel or story that’s been burning in your mind is going to see the light of day today. Start writing it – or work on one of the pieces of writing you’ve already done in the last four days and make it longer.

Day Six: Write a list of your writing goals for the next three months. Do you want to finish a short story or a series of poems? Do you want to get a draft of your novel completed?  This will help you keep focused when the challenge is over. 

Day Seven: Read over everything you’ve written this week. Tidy up spots where you think the writing could be improved; notice sentences and phrases that work really well.

Congratulations on completing a writing week – did you manage to write every day?