WRITING IN THE FIRST PERSON.

You find a bottle containing a genie who offers you three wishes.
Then
Write the same story from the point of view of the genie.
OR
You recognise a famous but has-been actor or actress at a party. He or she was your favourite many year ago.
You approach him or her and start a conversation.
Then
Write the same event from the point of view of the has-been.
OR
You are on holiday and are approached by a stranger who is a spy and mistakes you for his/her contact.
Then
Write the same encounter from the point of view of the spy.
OR
You are in the bank when it is held up. (Make it back a few years, when security wasn't quite as rigid
as it is today and would-be bank robbers had more of a chance of success.)
Then
Write the robbery from the point of view of one of the bank robbers.
OR
You visit an animal refuge in order to choose a pet for a young relative.
Then
Write it from the point of view of the pet you select.

And now for something completely different …. FAN FICTION

Fan fiction involves taking the characters from a book, movie, TV series, comic strip or whatever,
and writing your own story using them.
You are using someone else's characters and technically infringing copyright, but no one bothers unless you try to make money out of it.
Writers of published fan fiction generally acknowledge their source anyway.
Years ago, fan writers published their stories in what were called fanzines, shortened to zines.
Choose a book, movie, TV series, comic strip or whatever and try writing a story using those characters.
It is okay to introduce others you make up yourself. The hardest part usually is making them behave in character.
(Acknowledgements to authors whose characters and series we have used. No infringement of copyright intended.)

Create two characters using selections of character traits and then put them in a situation where they meet each other …
and see what happens next!

Write sentences and choose one or more to commence a story.

Asking and answering questions.

DIARY WRITING

Either
Keep a diary and write briefly on at least ten occasions
OR
Write a fictitious diary
For a character you make up yourself

DIY WRITING ACTIVITY

PROSE or POETRY
FACT or FICTION
A word that MUST be used _____________
A word that MUST NOT be used ___________
TOPIC - one word only ______________

ENGLISH IS TOUGH STUFF!!

English is extraordinarily difficult to learn. One reason is because there are so many words
that SOUND the same but are written differently.
These tend to come in pairs or threes, but there are some examples of four different way to write the same word.
No wonder people who learn English as a second language have problems!
And no wonder school children can be confused.
Examples are to, too and two; there, their and they're; here and hear; threw and through.
Make a list of as many as you can think of. (If you get to 50, stop!)
Now go back and try writing a piece, using as many of these homophones as you can. It can be verse or prose.

VARIATIONS ON A REAL EVENT
Choose any real event. Write 2 short pieces about it. In the first, write it as non fiction. Stick to the facts.
In the second, use this real event as the basis for a story.
This means the facts may be altered as you wish for the purpose of the story.
It's very likely the second piece of writing will be longer. Have fun!

QUESTION AND ANSWER STYLE
Write a question. It must contain the word YELLOW in it somewhere.
Someone else had to write an answer.
Write a question. It must contain the word CIRCLE in it somewhere.
Someone else had to write an answer.
Write a question. It must contain the words COOKERY BOOK in it somewhere.
Someone else had to write an answer.
Write a story title and a female's name (one word).
Someone else had to do a short piece involving these.
Write a male's name (one word) and an article of clothing.
Someone else had to do a short piece involving these.
Write a sentence that could end a story and also a colour.
Someone else had to do a short piece involving these.

OUR FIVE SENSES
Hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste.
For each, list about 5 very pleasing and 5 very displeasing sensations.
Then pick one pleasing and one displeasing, and use them both in a piece of writing.

SPECIAL DAYS
There are many days that have special significance to us:
Birthdays
Anniversaries
National days like Australia Day, Foundation Day, Anzac Day, Armistice Day
Religious festivals like Christmas, Easter, Hanukah, Passover, etc
Sporting events like the AFL GF, Melbourne Cup Day, Wimbledon etc
And many others …
Pick one that is or was special for you and write about it - non fiction
Or
Pick one and use it as the base for a story or poem - fiction

THESE ARE ALL TITLES OF REAL BOOKS
Choose any one and write a story of your own.
If you know the original book, make yours different.

The Dressmaker
The Great Escape
The Silver Metal Lover
Round the Bend
Bless this House
Nineteen Eighty Four
Matilda
She

RHYMING WORDS
Choose one set of words from these:
bender, slender, fender, offender,
biking, hiking, striking, Viking,
driller, griller, caterpillar, thriller,
chopper, copper, grasshopper, eavesdropper,
Shirley, surly, burly, curly,
buckle, chuckle, knuckle, honeysuckle
Write a story, poem or piece of non fiction using the words.

THE STORY BEHIND A FOR SALE ADVERTISEMENT
These are all items for sale in last week's local papers:
Adult books
Bird cage including toys and feeding bowls
Doll's prams
Fridge
Faux leather jacket
Packing boxes
Pool table and accessories
Vase, large, glass
Treadmill
Spinning wheel

Choose one and write a story about the item and why its owners are selling it.

(Almost) completely free choice:
Write about anything at all
BUT
You must write exactly 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 words including the title if you have one.

VIRTUES AND SINS:

These are the Seven Cardinal Virtues:
Faith
Hope
Charity
Prudence
Temperance
Justice
Fortitude

These are the Seven Deadly Sins:
Pride
Gluttony
Covetousness
Anger
Sloth
Lust
Envy

Write two short pieces - fact or fiction, prose or poetry - one about a virtue and the other about a sin.
Be as sensible or as silly as you wish.

What if … some of the characters from your favourite film, book or TV series came alive …
and came knocking on your front door?
OR
What if … the telephone rang and it was the British or Australian PM, or the USA President,
or the Secretary General of the UN, wanting your advice?
OR
What if … you looked in the mirror in the morning and it wasn't you?
OR
What if … you won an enormous amount of money in Lotto?
OR
What if … you wrote a book and it was an instant best-seller?

What would you do???

We have written stories given the first sentence, words to be used or avoided, or a final sentence.

Pick one room in your house.
Describe it in as much detail as possible. Use the present tense. Be generous with describing words.
If you want, draw a picture or a plan of the room to accompany the writing.

WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN and WHERE

Good starters for short little writing pieces.

Write a question that starts:

Who is your favourite …… ?
Pass the paper to your left.
Now look at the question on the paper you've received and write an answer.
Can be fact or fiction, prose or verse.
Make it humorous.
About 5 - 10 minutes

What would you do if …… ?
Pass the paper to your left.
Now look at the question on the paper you've received and write an answer.
Can be fact or fiction, prose or verse.
Make it dramatic
About 5 - 10 minutes

Why did you ……?
Pass the paper to your left.
Now look at the question on the paper you've received and write an answer.
Can be fact or fiction, prose or verse.
Make it romantic
About 5 - 10 minutes

When did those ……?
Pass the paper to your left.
Now look at the question on the paper you've received and write an answer.
Can be fact or fiction, prose or verse.
Make it spooky or scary.
About 5 - 10 minutes

Where did you find … …?
Pass the paper to your left.
Now look at the question on the paper you've received and write an answer.
Can be fact or fiction, prose or verse.
Make it sad.
About 5 - 10 minutes

Pick one of these starters:

Three characters in a museum
A crooked painting
A broken window
Put these all together and what can you come up with?

Three characters on a bus
A flat tyre
An empty seat by the window
Put these all together and what can you come up with?
Priest
Ring
garden
Magnifying glass
Put all of these together and what can you come up with?

Start this way:
Alice tried to remember who had given her the key …

Detective
Cart
Toy car
Back seat of a car
Put all these together and what can you come up with?

Start with:
The strange noises grew louder …

FORMULA STORIES … you know, like -
M&B romance - they meet, they fall in love, they suffer a setback (usually caused by the Other Woman),
they sort it out and they live happily ever after!
Or crime stories … the crime is committed, the police are called, they dither, miss vital clues, etc
and it's up to the talented amateur sleuth (Marple or Poirot) to solve the crime!
Or classic SF … Earth is invaded by nasty aliens. Governments are helpless, but one person
(usually a male … think Bruce Willis or Will Smith) single handedly defeats the aliens
and send them packing off to the other side of the universe!
Classic Western … stranger rides into town and either causes chaos or sets everything to rights,
then rides off into the sunset, his job done.
Etc etc etc ….
So … try your hand at this. You can use stock characters and stereotypes and follow a basic plot.
Doesn't have to be one of the above.

ALPHABET STORIES
Start the first sentence with a word beginning with A, the second with B and so
until the final and 26th sentence starts with a word beginning with Z.
OR write a piece of poetry with the same format, consisting of 26 lines,
A - Z.
OR write a conversation with the same format, A - Z

Have fun! (and we did!)