Tips for Writers Part Three - In the Beginning

Even if you are really determined to work on your writing and have set time aside for it, there will be days when nothing seems to work to get you started. An interesting exercise to get a story moving is to use a collection of random objects drawn from a bag. The idea is then to create story, in which these objects must all be used as a significant part of the narrative. It’s a method I use on a regular basis with children in younger grades at school visits and during summer camps and parties, but can easily be adapted to an older audience. 

For example, you could place a set of keys, a hairbrush, a pen, a cell phone, an apple, a sock, a postcard from the Caribbean, a toy bear, an address book, a broken pair of sunglasses, a post-it note, a watch or indeed any other collection of random items in a bag. You then draw out four or five at random and use them to create your story. This type of exercise always sparks the imagination of children and you’d be surprised at what you might come up with when confronted with a set of seemingly unconnected objects. 

You could even set yourself a time limit to force yourself to devise the beginning, middle and end of the story. The final result may not be best-seller material, but the process will certainly stimulate your imagination and like some of the other ideas we have examined, it might be just enough to get your creativity moving again. 

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