Feed your creativity this silly season!

Write, reflect, celebrate…

Happy festivities from your Melbourne copywriter! To help you stay in touch with your creativity this silly season, I’ve compiled a few writerly goodies just for you.

It’s that time again. The lead-up to Christmas when the world flies into a frenzy of office parties, social gatherings, graduations, kids’ concerts, shopping trips, and sheer panic — that everything must get done BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR!

If you’re anything like me, just looking at your calendar is enough to make your eyes water. There’s hardly time to scribble a Christmas card, let alone to write and reflect. Paradoxically, these busy periods are when we’d benefit most from locking ourselves away in garret.

I can’t offer you a garret, unfortunately, but I can encourage you to check out the following bite-sized writing exercises to give your writerly self a creative boost.

Want to know more? Dive right in…

Flash fiction (up to 500 words).

Flash fiction is a VERY short story that still emphasises plot and character. Using a word beginning with the letter A as your inspiration, write a flash fiction piece. This might sound easy, but it’s trickier than you think!

Setting without sight.

Choose a spot to put your feet up (Not literally… that would make it difficult to write), and close your eyes. Don't fall asleep. Instead, take in your surroundings using all your senses except for sight. Sit with your observations for five minutes, then open your eyes and try to describe your setting without relying on what you can see.

Rewrite the ending.

Okay, this one's a challenge, but one you can disappear into. Pick a book from your shelf — whatever genre you like, but a book you're familiar with. If it's been a while between reads, skim the final two chapters, or take your time, if you have it. Note how the author resolves the story, then ponder an alternative ending. Once you have something in mind, hit the page and don't stop writing (not even to edit) until you've created your conclusion. If you’re super motivated, create a couple of alternative endings — one that’s a better outcome for the protagonist and one that’s much worse.

Love child.

Write a scene detailing what happens after a woman discovers she’s the love child of… (your choice). You can bring laughter, grief, shock, and myriad other extreme emotions to this exercise. In other words, go to town! Really inhabit the character at this moment. What's going through her head and heart? How does her reaction change in the minutes or hours after learning the truth? What is her physical reaction to this discovery? Maybe she sweats profusely or begins hopping from foot to foot…

Party pooper.

Have two characters argue about who made them late to the party — tell the story through dialogue only.

Test your dialogue writing skills with this scene. First, consider who your characters are and why they're late. Then think about how the scene might play out between the characters, using words only. Recall the rise and fall of arguments you've engaged in. The shifting emotion and volume. Is the entire argument whispered, hissed, screamed, or conducted in between talking to other guests? What's the story behind the heated debate, how does it play out and how is it resolved?

A letter to your former self.

So, it’s the beginning of 2020. Yes, the year the world went to shite… Now that we’re almost, hopefully, on the other side, write a letter to your former self offering words of advice, hope, and humour. Whatever it is that tickles your fancy and communicates your experience best. Aim for one page.

Good luck with these! Enjoy taking time for yourself and your writing.

As a Melbourne copywriter, I’ll create compelling copy to boost your creative or business pursuit. Let me whip up professional SEO website content, help with marketing support, proofread, edit or mentor, create a new LinkedIn profile, and much more.  

Want to know more about my copywriter Melbourne services? Go to: Copywriter Melbourne, or Contact me via my website for more information.

Find my books, Hello, Goodbye and Small Blessings at Allen and Unwin.

Happy writing, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!