Writing
Exercises and
Challenges
Pick
your challenge:
1,
2, 3,
4, 5,
or 6
Challenge #1
Character A tells Character B that Character C is injured.
Keep it to approximately 200-250 words - one scene, if you can.
It's an interesting way to see how much you can convey in a small number
of words, and also how many different twists on the same exact scenario
there are.
Read
the Fic for Challenge #1
Challenge
#2
A
drabble is a very very short fic comprising of 100 words. You can
read my Catching
Sunlight to get the idea, or any of Meg's -- she's written
a few Dr. Who drabbles.
It's
hard to convey everything you need in only 100 words. Believe me,
it took me months to finally be able to write a drabble. It's an
exercise in being entirely pointy, and one I think is pretty damn
fun.
If
you feel the need for inspiration, and you want to write a Buffy
fic, check out Challenge in a Can at the amazing Kate Bolin's dymphna.net:
http://www.dymphna.net/challenge/
If
you want to ask for something similar for a different fandom, I'm
sure we can throw out a character's name, an object, and an emotion,
which is what you get at CIAC.
Challenge
#3
Challenge #3 is to write an ABC story.
An ABC story is one that consists of 26 sentences, each beginning
with the next letter of the alphabet. So if you start off with a
sentence that begins with the letter S, the next sentence starts
with a T word, and so on through the alphabet, until you get to
R, in 26 sentences.
It's
hard. Believe me. For examples, you can look at my very recent fic,
Dying
for Attention or the first section (Interview #1) of
Crossing
Canada.
So
get to writing. Do it forwards. Do it backwards. Post the results!
It's not quite as easy as ABC, 123, but it's a hell of a lot more
fun!
Read
the Fic for Challenge #3
Challenge
#4
Challenge
#4 is to write a foofy wedding fic.
Here
are the rules:
It
must - MUST - be foofy. No angst. NO bridal shop massacres ::vic
looks darkly at her Rogue muse::. The biggest problem the couple
-any couple of your choice- faces must be along the lines of Xavier
being annoyed that they're cutting his prized orchids for bouquets,
or the wedding cake icing turns out butter cream instead of whipped
cream as ordered. <g>
The
bride and groom must remain with the person they marry. You can
have someone switching horses at the gate if you like, but once
the rings are on, they are a happy couple.
They
can get married anywhere, anytime -- Xavier can escort the bride
down the main aisle at St. Patrick's Cathedral and the reception
can be at the Plaza.
They
can get married at the Chapel of Love in between playing blackjack
at Harrahs.
As long as someone's hitched at the end who wasn't hitched
at the beginning, it's all good.
The
time frame can be whatever you want -- start with the proposal and
follow the bride over the year of her wedding planning. Or start
with someone receiving an invite and bitching and moaning over having
to fly to Westchester for a wedding. Or start with someone rolling
out of bed, looking at his/her SO and saying, "Hey, let's get married
today."
To
read the rest of the requirements [they're fairly extensive, though
you only have to include three of them], click here.
Read
the Fic for Challenge #4
Challenge #5
Challenge #5 is to write an all-dialogue story.
Very easy. Just the talking. No "he said, she said."
No sighs, moans, eye rolling or hand waving. Just your characters, talking
the talk.
Challenge #6
Challenge #6 is to write a fic in 25 words.
For those with really short attention spans. *g*
It's kind of addictive, and it also gives you an opportunity to maybe
write in a fandom you hadn't tried before.
So, I ask you for fic of 25 words. Very Short Short Stories, as it
were.
Read
the Fic for Challenge #6
