dutch courage for writers.

Mostly when I turn up to write, I feel a bit shy. I know that sounds silly, but it's the truth so there it is. Over the years I have joined writing groups, gone to class, shared feedback and encouragement and read countless 'How to write' books and they were all fantastically useful - at the time.

For shooboome I'm making my own excercises up to help break the ice. Here are some of my little stiffners.




There are a few contributed by friends too, and I'll put up more as I go along. The ones with links will take you to my efforts which are published here in their unvarnished wholeness!

Exercise 1. She stopped running and watched the bus pull away from her ...
Exercise 2. Damn! He hadn't thought about the creaking step ...
Exercise 3.She hadn't read the letter in years ...
Exercise 4.Observation | object  - The chair
Exercise 5. 7 ways to use a tortoise! 
Exercise 6. Blue Green Blue and Blue again ...
Exercise 7. to be written up
Exercise 8. to be written up
Exercise 9. Just write - don't think write what's in your head, on your table, out of the window. Go for 10 mins
Exercise 10. Observation - write a detailed observation of an object or person you can see. Tell their story.
Exercise 11. Who am I? - keep writing the answer to the question Who am I?
Exercise 12. Write down all your excuses, don't stop until you have exhausted every single reason you can find not to write. Pick one, anyone and then dig deeper, why is this an excuse? What lies beneath? What do you gain from allowing this excuse to prosper?
Exercise 13. Get comfy in front of a window in your house and watch. Write what you see, go for extreme detail!
Exercise 14. Write down all the things you know to be true. Inspired by Maya Stein's lovely poem 'These particular truths'.
Exercise 15. Write yourself out of a cold snap!
Exercise 16. When I'm 50 I shall ...
Exerise 17. Consequences - what if you didn't always do what you were meant to? Take a wrong turn today and see where you end up!
Exercise 18. Imagine you are in love with the very next person that walks past you - do they know? Do they care? No matter what gender, age - write your love story.