I decided to turn Tuesdays into the designated day when I offer tips for Creative Writing Teachers. Though, you don’ t have to be a teacher to benefit from these tips, prompts and exercises. You can be a student, a writer or a parent looking for new ways to inspire the love of writing in your home.
Weekly Themes with Writing Skill Focus
(Originally Presented for: Downers Grove Library Young Writers’ Group)
- Your Biggest Adventure: Scenes with mega action: Brave a roller coaster; compete in a stunt bike ride; experiences while on a camping/rafting trip; OR you are 50’ tall!
FOCUS: Writing from your senses (what you feel, hear, taste, see, smell)
- Scariest Story: True or fantasy; nightmare or an urban legend
FOCUS: Story pacing, building tension
- Write Your Magical World: Wizards, castles, witches, superheroes, shape shifters, demons, angels, fairies, aliens
FOCUS: Metaphors and descriptive words, digging deeper
- Nature – Friend or Foe?: You’re dropped in a thriving jungle or a grassland safari; you’re caught in a hurricane or tornado or meteor shower – how do you survive?
FOCUS: Showing, not telling
- The Biggest Prank: Out of spite or just old-fashioned fun, but the prank goes terribly wrong
FOCUS: Writing emotions, cause and effect
- Metamorphosis: You wake up a snake, a zebra, a tree or your pet dog (Kafka parody)
FOCUS: Point of view
©Mary Jo Campbell
Share some of your teaching exercises and games!
