WRITING EXERCISES
Swapping stories
Quite often a writer gets held up by not being able to generate new ideas. This writing exercise is a way of paying attention to the hundreds of stories that are waiting to be captured and written.
You can do this on your own, but it is more interesting with a friend - it doesn't have to be someone who writes. Sit down together and ask your friend for a story. Perhaps she has a family story that has been passed on to her, or a strong memory from when she was young, or something may have happened yesterday at work. Let her tell the story. Don't interrupt.
When she has finished, interview her for the details she might have missed, and that you might be interested in (such as what did her mother wear, or what did their house look like? Was there a smell she remembers? Ask lots of questions and take notes. Then ask her if you can borrow her story and write it.
This is where the fun starts because you can fictionalise it as much as you wish, put dialogue in, change the place, etc, to make it fascinating for the reader. Add characters or conflicts. Before you know it you will have written a story. If you prefer not to work with a friend, use your own life. Interview yourself in just the same way and fictionalise the results.