Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Play with the Pros(e): a writing exercise


Pick a book, nearly any book will do: your favorite author; an ecology textbook; how to paint landscapes. Open the book randomly to a page in the first half of the book.

Starting with the page you’re on, write down the first complete word on every fifth page until you have a list of about twenty words.

Write! The list of words may appear as a poem with very little additional words needed; or a story may jump out at you from off the page; or it's the sketch for a character. See what’s there, move the words around, and see where the words lead you. Enjoy!

pen and ink drawing
"Dot's Desk" by Dot. c. 1994