Yn Nor Workshop

By Vitora

Whenever I’m looking through the Writer’s Digest Book Club catalogue or scrolling through the library’s listing of writer’s books, I’m always a little upset. Not because of a lack of selection—there’s a heck of a lot more out there for writers than you might think—or lack of quality—these books get pretty detailed, and some are even ones I’d consider reading for pleasure—but because of the lack of activity books. Books that detail, step by step, exercises for generating ideas, characters, names, locations, everything.

And while I don’t plan on adding to the few that are out there at any point in the near future, I think I’ll make it a little easier on those who feel the same. Every month, expect a new activity in the Yn Nor Workshop series to help you come up with interesting new scraps for your writing life.

October—Freewriting

It is time to be random. It is time to do something that no one dares to do when others are around—talk to yourself. It is time to write about…

PUSHPINS!

Yes. Right after you read the paragraph following this, set a timer for five minutes and start writing. About pushpins. I mean it, really.

Now, when I say to write about pushpins, I don’t mean write about them for the whole entire time. If that’s what comes to mind as your fingers don’t stop typing or dragging the pencil across the page, then fine; but if you start out with pushpins and end up with elephants, it really doesn’t matter, as long as you kept writing the entire time. Just don’t stop, okay? Go.

~~~

Got that? Good. Post it up on the Golden Pen forums if you’re brave enough, in the topic discussing this article. Otherwise, let’s move on to our next topic. Write for five minutes about…

LOVE. Luff. Amor. However you want to say it.

Start and don’t stop. Go.

~~~

Heh, that may be a paragraph you don’t want to post, but if you’re willing, go ahead. When you’re ready, go on to…

CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

Then…

LLAMAS.

Finally…

THE SUN.

~~~

Finished? Post what you’re willing, and then look at the five paragraphs you’ve written (or more, depending on if you made paragraph breaks or not). Put them together, mix some stuff around, see what you get. You may be very surprised—poems, stories, novels, humor articles, whatever…inspiration may very well come with these completely unrelated topics I’ve given you.