Fiction 143 [M] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] - Classroom A - Classroom B - Classroom CLesson 1: Free WritingFree writing is just like it sounds -- free, no restrictions, no editors or rules to worry about. It's the act of being completely honest and let whatever may come happen. This exercise is just for you to see. After you complete it, you may burn it or make a paper airplane out of it. We free write to stimulate the imagination and pull things from our depths. (That's where all the good stuff is waiting). Sometimes we may find our darker side, sometimes a light and playful side we haven't seen since we were children. Whatever it is, don't hold back ... let it go. Think of it as a path to a place you could never get to if you consciously tried to get there. Before you do the exercise, try to find a quiet place. It may be outside; it may be in the garage or even in a closet. Remember playing in closets or small hiding places as a child? It was like our own private world. If you decide to crawl in a closet, make sure you're alone. :-) Do stretching exercises before you begin to write. Loosen up. It's hard to be creative when you're not relaxed. Then get out a couple of clean sheets of paper with no lines ... typewriter paper or a large sketch pad (my favorite). Close your eyes and think of yourself in a place you haven't been to in years. Do this exercise very quickly -- no fair thinking about it as you write. The faster you do it, the better your results will be: Draw a circle in the middle of your paper and write "me" in it. Then draw a line down the middle of the page, right through the middle of your circle. On one side, draw circles to represent events and people you like. Each event or person gets a unique circle. Describe them in and around the circle. Don't worry about being neat -- scribble if you'd like. On the other side of the page, think of people and events that you don't like. Write a description explaining why (e.g., Johnny put gum in my seat in second grade, I couldn't go to a special event because I had the mumps). Draw lines from your circle in the center to all the events and write additional comments on the lines explaining the connections. Then draw lines showing connections between the circles outside yourself, adding comments on the lines to explain the relationship. Select a few of your most interesting connections and write them in circles on a separate piece of paper. Can you find additional connections? Turn the paper over and write about anything that comes to mind until the paper is as full as it can get. Write in the margins, upside down; squeeze words in every place you can find. After you've done this, begin thinking about a story you can pull from your exercises. Take notes, if you'd like. Then think about your story until next week. Think about it when you go to bed. Think about it when you drive or while you're waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning. Post whatever you would like about your writing experience. Did you get any good ideas? If you do everything I've mentioned, I'll bet you'll have some great ideas to work with. Next week, we write our first draft. Have fun ... and don't get caught.
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