Excercise 8 - Getting There

Getting There.  Write a 700 word travelogue.

 

There are so many places I want to visit, both real and imagined.  I want to experience Algiers with Camus (minus the shooting, please).  I want to take a drive with Jack Kerouac and see America as he saw it.  I want to take a steam train into Perdido Street Station and tour around New Crobuzon.  For this excercise take yourself and your readers to some other place and make us feel it.  The devil is in the details, so get lost in the nooks and crannies of your destination.

Excercise 7 - Sappy Love Story

Sappy Love Story.  Write a 600 word love story.

 

From Jane Austin to Harlequin Romance to Twilight our literary world has never wanted for Sappy Love Stories.  Real life love is never perfect so we are drawn as readers to this fantasy.  For this excercise (and believe me, for many of us this will feel more like work than play), bring on the saccherine, sugary-sweet syrup that is romance fiction.  However, this is not parody.  Be true to yourself and your fantasy of "true love".

Excercise 6 - 20 Minute Set

20 Minute Set.  Write as many words as possible in 20 minutes. 

 

Make the story coherent, but don't end it.  Put a timer on and then don't look until you are done.  The goal if this excercise is to make your synapses fire as quick as your fingers type.  Get those two in sync and you have this made.  Post number of words to this thread.

Excercise 5 - I Didn't See That Coming!

I Did'nt See That Coming!  Write a 500 word story with a crazy plot twist.

 

I have not read the latest Dan Brown book, nor have I even read a review, but I'm going to spoil the ending for you.  There will be this frenetic chase scene and then all of a sudden some helpful secondary character will step out of character and become the most evil villian ever (until the next book).  Ok, I don't know if that's really the ending of "The Secret", but it has been of his other books.  While that might not be the best literary device you can use, it sure has worked for Mr. Brown.  Give it a shot.

Excercise 4 - Nothing's Shocking

Nothing's Shocking.  Write a 400 word story that you find uncomfortable or disgusting and wouldn't show your mom.

 

Never play it safe!  Chuck Palahniuk has made a whole career of making people squirm.  I had to put down parts of "Haunted" when reading...it was that shocking to me.  If you read it back and think "Oh no, you didn't..." you are on the right track for this excercise.  Posting is optional for this one, but we won't think you are sick (at least not too sick) if you do.

Excercise 3 - Roar!

Roar!  Write a 300 words story from the perspective of an animal.

 

From a tiny mouse to a looming giraffe, animals have a much different view of the world that us.  "The Burrow" by Kafka is a great example of this, a paranoid story told throughout the underground tunnels of an animal.  Bring out your inner beast and write!

Excercise 2 - Bizzaro You

Bizzaro You.  Write a 200 word story with a character who is diametrically opposite to you.

 

If you are a guy, write from the perspective of a girl.  If you are tall, write about a short character.  Many of us write characters that are very similar to ourselves.  Push yourself away from this as much as you can in this short story.  If you are stuck, take a situation you are currently in and put the "bizzaro" you in it.

Excercise 1 - 100 Word Story

Write a 100 word story in a claustrophobic setting.

 

It's cramped to write a story in 100 words, so let's pick a setting.  I'm naturally claustrophobic, so I sweat when I read a really good descriptive scene set in a tight space.  One vivid memory is Jeff Long's Descent...which was actually so perfectly descriptive I had to put it down and did not pick it back up.

 

Post your results to Forum Thread if you dare!

What is WordFit?

WordFit started off as a set of warmup excercises for NanoWriMo in 2009.  It got lots of positive comments and many people were following along both publicly and privately.  Personally, I use it as a motivator and an inspiration to write.

I would not race in a triathlon without training for it.  Months before a race, we ramp up our training to be ready for the big event.  Starting off at small distances and intensity, we build up to our final race distance in a series of increments.  Your body adjusts with your training and by race day you are confident you can finish the race and you know what to expect in terms of time and effort you will be expending.

Writing is a marathon of sorts too, and I want my brain to be as "fit" as possible for the race.  This is a training program to help you get in the mode of writing every day. Every day or week, I'll post a writing excercise for you to do.  We'll start off small and progress until we are writing around 2000 words per day  (NanoWriMo requires 1700 per day).  I'll also include a writing cronstraint or topic for that excercise.  This is to challenge you into breaking out your normal writing mode. 

You can do these excercises publicly, or you can post your results on our Forum to share with a small community of like-minded writers.  You can start anytime you like and work through these. 

Get WordFit!