I have been playing a lot with words, ideas and themes, for many years and more recently revisiting the games and fun of writing, as a way of freeing up flow and creativity. Myself, I am a perpetual beginner, but here I offer an idea for some fun, for others who want to write and to develop their storytelling or character building skills. I've also shared a few writing challenges, jointly, with another aspiring writer, as well as looking at similar challenges and practises from on-line writing groups, and recommend these as a good focus. If you want to do similar with others, just takes turns to pick different themes and guidelines for short pieces, which you can then share for feedback and further inspiration. This can help give you a starting point,too, if you're committed to producing some writing on a daily basis, to keep reaching into your potential.
Of course, you can also invent and set yourself challenges - but a bit of interchange and networking can be very growthful.
Chose some more weighty or reflective themes, but give yourself challenges, too, that are about fun: and go for a range of formats, from straight prose, to poetry, dialogue, first and third person, etc....
Here's an offering, a challenge I set myself. Play with it if you feel like it and see where it takes you:
choose a well known saying or homily such as "too many cooks spoil the broth" or "a rolling stone gathers no moss." Use it in a piece of dialogue between characters from history or fiction, to include a "girl meets boy" element in some way. Write in dialogue only, as much as possible, as if in drama script format; so any action is indicated briefly, eg: exit Luke, Lucy falls down, etc.....
Here's my piece of nonsense!
BOY MEETS GIRL.....
Sir Isaac Newton: "These many unanswered questions and ideas I am having are a burden to me, I feel depressed and heavy.... as if something was pulling me down."
(Newton sits down under a tree.)
Thomas Edison: "Stop fussing, what do you think it's like for me?.... I keep trying and trying with different prototypes for my marvellous light bulb invention, but my brain just won't work. I'm in a very dark mood."
(Enter Kali, Goddess of Destruction, waving her six arms enthusiastically)
Kali: "Don't worry, I can help. After all, many hands make light work."
Edison: "But you're a destroyer!! I don't believe you will help me invent anything, as you have a terrible reputation for breaking things."
Kali: "Well, that's true, so we'll just have to completely dismantle all your current theories, to make way for a new perspective. And have a smashing time doing it, probably breaking new ground..." (laughs crazily)
Newton: "Stop making puns and being so foolish. This is serious, I have a scientific dilemma too, so we need a little gravity I feel.)
(an apple falls on Newton's head.....)
Edison: "Ouch I bet that hurt. Kali, see what trouble you bring? Stamping about, shaking apples from the tree like that!! You really are rotten to the core...."
Voice of God: "DON'T ARGUE, YOU LOT; GET TO THE ROOTS OF THE MATTER AND BE MORE DOWN TO EARTH OR I SHALL INTRODUCE SIR EDWARD APPLETON INTO THE PLOT!!"
(Newton jumps up)
Newton: "Eureka!! That knock on the head has done it!! I have the perfect theory..... to explain falling apples and fallen angels...."
(enter Archimedes)
Archimedes: "You bloody sod, you took my line!! EUREKA was the only bloody spoken word I had in this damned play......"
enter Einstein Stephen Hawkins and Caroline Herschel :
Einstein: "Did somebody mention roots? E =mc 2 and the square root of pi is infinite, it goes on and on and doesn't have a repeating value..."
Newton: "A bit like you then, you old ranter....."
(enter Lucifer)
Lucifer: "And did someone mention fallen angels......?"
Hawkins: "This is madness! Chaos theory, applied....."
Herschel: "Now we see the reason for the long division between science and religion!"
God: "Don't bring me into this!! Look, you lads, here's Caroline, she's a nice lass...... One of you ask her out on a date and then take it away from there. I've told you before to go forth and multiply......"
Herschel: "Boys, if you want to grab my interest, you need to approach me from the right angle. Bring half a dozen red roses, six being a perfect number. In addition, you should not even consider speed dating, it's not at all a sound practice...."
(with a flourish, Edison produces from beneath his jacket, a bunch of roses)
Edison: "Madame! Flowers delivered, faster than the speed of light...."
etc, etc.....
What comes more easily to you? Initial ideas? Characters, coming to life? A storyline? Or dialogue? And what's most challenging.... the aspects you could play and practice with more?
Enjoy! eva day.
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