Get Creative with What You Can Do – Week 4

September 13, 2018October 10, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

You have made it to day four of my nine creative writing lessons. If you have made it through the previous three and have come back to a fourth, thank you. You’ve answered questions, wrote to yourself, and written a story based on a prompt.

This week you will write about your expertise.

Sit down and think for a moment about something that you are able to do really well. This could be something as simple as washing dishes, or something as complicated as selling stocks. Now, write out a few paragraphs, or as many as you want, detailing some important aspect of your expertise. Make sure that you assume your reader knows nothing about this task.

You don’t want you writing to sound like a dry explanation of something. Try to write you explanations in a creative way, as if you were verbally explaining the process. Break down each step so that your reader can understand what to do, without using a bunch of jargon.

That’s your lesson for the day. Get started and have fun.

We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. – Anais Nin

Get Creative with Prompts – Week 3

September 6, 2018October 10, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

Welcome back to my nine-week creative writing lessons. This is your third lesson to help get you writing and to improve your writing style. So far you answered questions and written a letter to yourself. This time you are going to be writing an actual story.

Today’s less is writing prompts.

Writing prompts are little ideas that help to jumpstart a story. These prompts could be a single sentence, a paragraph, or a picture, but they are meant to inspire a story. These types of prompts are great ways to help you when you feel stuck for ideas.

You can spend ten minutes writing on a prompt, and then return back to the book you’ve been working on with new inspiration. It works by stimulating your writing process. Google can provide you with a whole host of writing prompts, but I’ve got a few for you.

You’re enjoying your favorite show when you notice that the window is open. You know you didn’t raise the window, and you live along. Who could have opened the window? Are they still in your house? What are you going to do?
You wake up in the morning excited about the day you have planned. Out of nowhere, you are hit with a blinding headache. As quickly as it hit, the headache is gone, but now you can’t remember anything. Who are you? What happened? Where are you going to go? Can you get help?
You’re walking along the beach when you trip over something. You inspect the ground where you tripped and find a hidden staircase. Will you explore it? What’s down the stairs? Is anybody there? Who will you tell?

If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. – Toni Morrison

Become a Creative Writer with a Letter – Week 2

August 30, 2018October 10, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

Welcome to the second lesson in my creative writing exercise series. If you’ve done the first lesson, then you have answered three questions. You may have even fleshed those out into a complete story.

Today’s lesson will have you writing a letter to your younger self.

It is literally as easy as it sounds. This younger self could be from just a few years ago, or it could be you as a child. In your letter, you can offer yourself some advice, explanations, praise, forgiveness, or compassion. Or you could even tell your younger self a story of what has turned you into the adult you are now.

When you are writing, try your best to view this younger self as a completely different person. This exercise will help you to see your reader as a real person with feelings and emotions. You can move or inspire a person with your writing.

Again, do your best not to overthink this. Take a couple of minutes to figure out what your core message is going to be, and then start writing.

There you have it. Day two, done. Come back again to get day three.

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sid down at a typewriter and bleed. – Ernest Hemingway

Get Writing with 3 Questions – Week 1

August 23, 2018October 10, 2018 F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

I strongly believe that everybody is capable of being a writer. We all live extraordinary lives. We all have inspiration around us and it just takes a little work to get it down on paper.

If you are able to talk, then you are able to write. The thing is, the more you write, the better you will be at writing. That’s why I have decided to spend the next nine weeks sharing with you creative writing exercises to make you a better writer.

Welcome to week one.

Today’s exercise is called: Answer 3 Questions.

That probably sounds like a weird exercise, but hang in there.

For this exercise, you will come up with the answers to three questions. This is supposed to help you stimulate the writing process. The great thing is, you can come up with the three questions yourself. Of course, I will provide you with some examples.

Try to answer your questions as quickly as you can, and use whatever ideas come to mind. You can write as much or as little as you want, but the point is to let the creative juices flow. Try not to think too much.

Here are some example questions:

Why is the window open?

Who just snuck through that window?

Why did they have to sneak through?

Who is Stephanie?

Why is she so happy?

What is she going to do next?

What are Theresa’s plans for the day?

Why does she hate going to the doctor?

Where are her children?

That’s your first day. Come back next week to get the second creative writing exercise.

There is no greater agnoy than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou