Creative Writing Exercise/Assignment The creative writing exercise below is written by novelist Debra Spark and published in Naming the World, edited by Bret Johnston. I've broken it into four compon

English 303B

Creative Writing Exercise/Assignment

The creative writing exercise below is written by novelist Debra Spark and published in Naming the World, edited by Bret Johnston. I've broken it into four components, so it's easier to understand, but it'll be written as ONE CONT INOUS NARRATIVE, not labeled or separated into its working parts.

Part I

" Imagine yourself as a character observing two people who are for whatever reason not where they are supposed to be. As an observer, YOU ARE NOT PARTICIPATING in the action of the scene, just watching.”

This portion of the exercise should be 1 page long (observe 2 people doing sth they should not do)

Part II

"After writing for a page, INDENT FOR A NEW PARAGRAPH and focus on ONE OR TWO ASPECTS of the dress or appearance of ONE OF THE PEOPLE you are observing. Write about those one or two aspects of detail for half a page.”

This portion should be, as it says above, about half a page.

Part III

"When you're done, INDENT FOR A NEW PARAGRAPH and write one of these two phrases on your paper: ‘What I've never understood is..." or "What I've always wanted to know is.... ’

Finish one of the two sentences and then continue writing for another half a page." This portion should be, as it says above, about half a page.

Part IV

"When you're done, INDENT FOR A NEW PARAGRAPH and start a sentence with the word "Now..." Finish the sentence as you return to the action of the story (pick up where you left off in your opening scene). Then continue on to finish your new scene."

This last portion of the exercise should be 1 page long.

In completing this exercise, students must write a scene, extended physical description, interior thought, and a transition into scene again, all without really thinking (presumably) about narrative mode. The assignment, in total, should run about 3-4 pages.