The 2022 Writing Series is a series of daily writing exercises for both prose writers and poets to spark their creative mind and to spur production of new pieces. The writing prompts take the impetus—that initial crystal of creation—out of your hands (for the most part) and changes your writing creation into creative problem solving. Instead of being preoccupied with the question "What do I write about" you are instead pondering "How do I make this work?" And in the process you are producing new writing.
This is not a standard writing session. This is pure production—to keep your brain thinking about using language to solve simple or complex problems. The worst thing you can do is sit there inactive—the point is to push, to produce something, however imperfect. If you don't overthink it, you will be able to complete all of the series' exercises in under 30 minutes—SC is more like 45, but shhhh!
#29
Sentence Calisthenics 2
Sentence Calisthenics 2
For today's writing exercise complete the following steps for a specific period of time, using the timer on your phone or computer and setting it for 5 minutes for each 'set'. The point here is to produce at very least 6 sentences in each set, but you're looking for both quality and quantity. Don't write a bunch of sentences with the same construction or that are boring—it's better if you have no idea how in the heck you might use the sentence. Something funky, interesting. Normal, well-phrased sentences are of course good to have in the mix too, but include some quirky ones in each set.
At the end of every set mark your favorite 1-2 sentences.
In order to complete the large number of sentences demanded of this exercise it is imperative that you write fast. Don't stop to think too much at all until you've reached the final exercise. The process of this quick production is to thrust past second guesses or other stumbling blocks that sometimes impede your writing. You're aiming to write 30 individual, unlinked sentences in 25 minutes so you have ten minutes to organize and write that actual piece using the 'round up' prompt. This means you're going to be writing more than a sentence a minute. You can't do that if you're dawdling or trying to figure out the 'perfect' phrasing. The first couple times writing to these sprint-style prompts you may barely squeak the lines out in time, but as you get more used to it you'll get more both in quantity and in quality of your sentences.
In order to complete the large number of sentences demanded of this exercise it is imperative that you write fast. Don't stop to think too much at all until you've reached the final exercise. The process of this quick production is to thrust past second guesses or other stumbling blocks that sometimes impede your writing. You're aiming to write 30 individual, unlinked sentences in 25 minutes so you have ten minutes to organize and write that actual piece using the 'round up' prompt. This means you're going to be writing more than a sentence a minute. You can't do that if you're dawdling or trying to figure out the 'perfect' phrasing. The first couple times writing to these sprint-style prompts you may barely squeak the lines out in time, but as you get more used to it you'll get more both in quantity and in quality of your sentences.
Save all of your sentences to a "Sentence Calisthenics" document, if you participate for awhile we'll have some bonus exercises that will refer back to these sentences, because sometimes you can't see the gold hiding in plain sight when you've just written something. Having fresh eyes might result in a quick, awesome piece. So, save those sentences!
WRITE FAST, DON'T OVERTHINK
Getting into the mindset: Before you start your timer, take a moment and breathe and think about keeping cool during a very hot day (and also during hot nights). Think about the feeling of a hot night, trying to sleep when sweating/covered in sweat or however else you experience a hot night or day. Think both humid and dry heat. Keep thinking of these things in the back of your mind as you're writing and in between sets. By no means should all of your sentences revolve around these things, we just want your mind centered with a few anchors in place before we charge into our piece, DON'T LET THIS DISTRACT YOU FROM YOUR SENTENCES. When you feel set, read the set instructions, appropriate Wordbank, and start that timer.
When the timer goes off move on to the next set regardless of if you met the 6 sentence goal, you wrote only 3, or 12—when the timer rings, move along and if you don't hit 6 for one set, do your dangedest to knock out 6 in the next set even if some of them are short or silly or straightforward or even a fragment.
Set 1: Using the first wordbank you will write six (6) or more sentences which include one of those words and an item from this list and at least one word starting with the letter "P"
Wordbank 1:
- Spat
- Clump
- Bald
- Toppled
- Hook
Remember to mark 1-2 favorites for each set.
Wordbank 2:
- Helpless
- Dollop
- Slumping
- Chop
- Billowing
Set 3: Now write six (6) or more sentences which use one word from Wordbank 1 and one from Wordbank 2.
You're marking 1-2 favorites, right? Keep doing it.
Wordbank 3:
- Thumped
- Rip
- Elected
- Blocked
- Core
Set 5: Take just 5 minutes now to write as many sentences or fragments that use at least two of the words from Wordbank 3 as you can. Try to get ten! If ten is easy, go for fifteen! We're sprinting here, first thought best thought, get your numbers up.
Set 6: Now write at least five (5) sentences that include at least one word from each of the three wordbanks.
The Prompting Round-up
Step 1) Gather up all of your marked favorite lines and pick from those favorites at least three sentences to build your piece around.
Step 2) Now that you know the core of your piece, go back up to the un-favorite lines and pick three additional sentences that you must use (even if you 'spruce' them up by tightening or 'quirking' up the language).
Step 3) Now you have 6 sentences that are unconnected. You have a large chunk of a jigsaw puzzle but you've lost all the rest of the pieces. So it's time to make those pieces yourself. Make sure your piece has a 'point' or some sort of larger meaning above just the literal narrative/descriptions. Make an observation for better or worse, large, small or teensy tiny even. But, something new, and unique to your brain.
COMPLETE-A-PIECE
If your piece hasn't jumped right out at you, use this 'formula' today using those six sentences.
Step 1) First, throw out three of those six sentences that you don't care for as much. Look back at your original full list of sentences and see if any stick out. Sometimes in the rush of things you actually choke out something inadvertently kinda brilliant/interesting. That's the point of rush-rush-rushing. Pushing your brain. Ideally you'll have 4 sentences before you move onto step 2, so if none of those other sentences stick out (tweaks are acceptable of course), grab back one of the sentences you threw out at the beginning of this step, you want at least 3.
Today you will write a piece which centers around a fist fight. You will have 2 characters have their first confrontation, flash back to both of their childhoods, and finish with the actual fight.
Step 2) Now we're going to write a piece which is broken roughly into 1/3s with the first 1/3 including one or two of your sentences and begin with a scene or stanza that has your two main characters in a heated discussion/shouting match. Something has caused this—what? Is it road rage, are they fighting over a significant other (or others), is it something that has happened where they both work, or go to school? Give us details that let us know who each of the characters is, and what caused them to get so angry with each other.
Step 3) The second 1/3 should include 1-2 of your sentences and should jump back in time to one of two things for each of your characters: either that character's first fight, or the first time that they baked something they were proud of. Both of your characters should get one or the other flashback. Give us good concrete details.
Step 4) Before moving onto the last section of the piece take a quick look back at your starred list of sentences and see if there's any that would fit in your piece. You want to use this as a little scaffolding for the final chunk, but if you don't find one or two that fit that is fine too.
Step 5) The final 1/3 should include your remaining sentences and show us the actual fist fight, regardless of how short it turns out to be. Give us good sound details, and tell us at least once about the clouds in the first 3 sentences/lines. Bring back one detail from either of the flashbacks as well while the two are fighting, make it come up for a reason, not just out of nowhere, whether it's a smell nearby, or something that is in common with the cause of the fights. Don't dwell on it, but bring it back in a meaningful way. End your piece either with one of your fighters walking away victorious, or one of them staring at the clouds you mentioned at the beginning of this 1/3 of the piece.
Step 6) When you're satisfied with the ending, take that knowledge back to the first 1/3 and add in a couple small details, especially imagery, which are in line with that ending. Add in subtle foreshadowing first 1/3 in an innocuous or 'fun' way. Also include one additional smell or describe a car horn startling someone and somewhere in that first section.
And that's it. You have your piece. This will almost definitely take longer than ten minutes but may just be worth it.
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Want some unobtrusive background writing music? Try this "Somewhere, Nowhere" lofi mix from friend of the blog Dreamhop Music.
