This week in my writing classes I decided to try an exercise first introduced to me in grad school. It's one of my favorites, because it can really lead you in unexpected directions.
I grabbed a ton of random things from home, laid the objects in a circle in the middle of the classroom and told my students to write a short story incorporating every single object.
The rules:
You cannot have all of the objects in one place--no stories about packing up your things in boxes.
You cannot go to the store and buy all of the items.
Every object must show up as organically as possible.
You can turn anything you want into a simile or metaphor or concept.
Ok here are the objects:
1. Hanger
2. Notepad
3. A copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales
4. Three Quarters
5. Two Batteries
6. A black shawl
7. A candle
8. A golf ball
9. An envelope
10. A flower
11. A badminton racket
12. A box of tissues
13. A guitar magnet (this could be used as a guitar or a magnet)
14. Plastic fork
15. Tape dispenser
16. Gold mardi gras beads
17. A pair of scissors
So there you have it. If anyone tries this out let me know how it goes or feel free to post your object story in the comments. Enjoy!
Sounds like fun! Plan on trying this :)
ReplyDeleteHow many words did you give them to pull it off?
ReplyDeleteI'll try it with my writing students. :-)
ReplyDeleteI will have to try that. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Frankie. I did this exercise and just posted the result on my blog. I always love to challenge myself. If you ever have a chance, I would love if you read it. http://jabirdsnest.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete