The following is an excerpt from The Children’s Writer’s Guide.
Even if you’re 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 a story, in which these objects must all be used as a significant part of the narrative.
For example, you could place a set of keys, a hairbrush, a pen, a cellphone, an apple, a sock, a postcard from the Caribbean, a teddy bear, an address book, a broken pair of sunglasses, a Post-it note, a watch, or indeed any collection of unrelated 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 come up with when confronted with a group of seemingly unconnected objects.
You could even set a time limit to force yourself to devise the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
The final result may not be bestseller material, but the process will stimulate your imagination and might be just enough to get your creativity moving again.
Learn more about The Children’s Writer’s Guide and all Simon’s other books on his website at https://simon-rose.com/. Simon also offers a variety of coaching services for writers and his Writing for Children and Young Adults online course.
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