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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

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Writing exercises

July 14, 2009 Filed Under: writing

When commenting on the last post, Dingo said:

“Thanks for sharing this process. It’s really eye opening. So, tell us, where do you get your writing exercises? Do you still do them? How do you know if what you’ve written is any good?”

I got a lot of the writing exercises I use through taking creative writing classes both in college and after college. There are tons of books and websites dedicated to writing prompts and ideas to give your brain a jump start.

I don’t use writing exercises in a formal way as much as I used to. I use writing exercises primarily to develop characters, and right now, I have several characters I’ve developed that I want to work with once my rewrites are done. I do, however, allow myself to free-write things about my characters that aren’t necessarily relevant to the story I’m telling. These little detours often get edited out later, but writing them is very helpful.

I was a theatre major when I was at Ithaca. When we did scenes in class, we were encouraged to know the back story of the characters we were playing. I had a teacher who would ask us things like, “What’s your character’s favorite meal?” or “What was her first day of first grade like? Did the other kids like her? Did she have a pretty new dress, or did she wear badly patched hand-me-downs?” These weren’t questions that related to the scene at hand. And they didn’t have answers that could be found anywhere in the script. We had to decide these things ourselves, using the other clues we had about the character to create stories for them that were consistent with who they appeared to be.

As habit, I still make it my business to know these kinds of things about the characters I’m working with, even though now I work with characters in a very different way. Sometimes, if I’m really stuck, I write these stories down. I’ll make a list of favorites, or a 100 Things type of list of random facts about my characters. Other times, it’s just about thinking about them. In the car, waiting at the stoplight, I’ll play with the radio until I find a station my character would stop on, instead of the one I would choose. Listening to music can shake up all sorts of ideas. Why does a particular song mean something to your character? Was it the song they listened to over and over during a painful breakup? Was it playing the first time they ever got asked to slow dance? It doesn’t have to ever end up in your story, but the more you know about your character, the more you’ll feel confident in making decisions for them.

If you’re looking for a simple writing exercise, use the Explore section of Flickr to find an image that attracts you. Then write about it. What happened 5 minutes before the picture was taken? Are the emotions in the picture genuine or forced? Is someone pretending to be happy when they aren’t? If the photo is just a location and there aren’t any people in it, who would inhabit that space? Do they fit in or stick out like a sore thumb?

Or hit shuffle on your iPod, pick a line from the first song you hit, and use it as the first line of your writing exercise. Set a timer for five minutes, and just write. Don’t edit yourself. Don’t worry if it’s stupid of it doesn’t make sense. You’re not writing a story. It’s just an exercise. Just write.

If there’s even the tiniest little glimmer of something you like in one of your writing exercises, work with it. Ask yourself more questions and see where the answers take you.

How do I know if it’s any good? Well, for starters, I read everything I write out loud to myself. It’s a great way of catching bad dialogue, sticky sentences, and to put yourself in the position of being a reader. I also meet with a writing group regularly. It’s important to find people who will give you honest and constructive feedback. And now, I’m lucky enough to have an agent and an editor who are both wonderful with giving constructive feedback and sharing their ideas. There’s also something to be said for that gut feeling. Trust it.

2 Comments

Comments

  1. Courtney says

    July 14, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    So cool! This makes me want to go create a bunch of imaginary friends for myself. :)

    Reply
  2. Dingo says

    July 15, 2009 at 2:28 am

    This sounds like what my friends and I used to do in college (and what I still do, actually): make up stories about the people we see.

    I’m looking forward to reading your book.

    Reply

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One of the people I keep, my dear friend @bakirkwo One of the people I keep, my dear friend @bakirkwood — who I’ve known since my freshman year at Ithaca — who read several drafts of my book about April over the years and kept telling me how much she believed in me — printed out the coloring sheets and made some art with her daughter Abby! (Brenda said they didn’t need to be included in the giveaway, but wanted to share). It made me so happy to see their covers! I’d love to see yours too! And if you tag me when you post or email me photos of what you create with the cover design (info at allielarkinwrites dot com) I’ll enter you in the giveaway for a signed paperback of The People We Keep, a book mug from @erinkillianpottery & some coffee from @caffe.appassionato! Link to download the coloring sheet is in my bio. Thank you so much, Abby & Brenda! Love you! ❤️
Lying on the floor, I come undone #weezerlyrics #d Lying on the floor, I come undone #weezerlyrics #dailyroxydog #huskymix #chihuahuamix
I had the most amazing time celebrating the paperb I had the most amazing time celebrating the paperback release of The People We Keep at @townecenterbks in Pleasanton last night! I’m so thankful for everyone who came out and especially for Judy, Stacy, and Mala for creating such a beautiful outdoor space for our chat and snack! And to @carriemedders for the pictures (goodness, it was good to see you, Carrie!)! We all had such a fun and heartwarming conversation about the book and writing and creativity. I am so appreciative of the chance to connect with kind, thoughtful readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! #thepeoplewekeep #townecenterbooks #bookstagram #authorevents
✨Paperback Day Giveaway✨ Gallery Books created ✨Paperback Day Giveaway✨ Gallery Books created a beautiful downloadable coloring page of the cover of The People We Keep! (Thank you so much, Bianca!) and I’m hosting a giveaway! I have a copy of the paperback of The People We Keep, a gorgeous book mug handmade by @erinkillianpottery, and some of my favorite coffee from @cafe_appassionato to send to one lucky reader! Download the printable coloring page (link in bio) and get creative! Color the page in your favorite colors, use it to tell us about the people you keep, or share something about how you’re feeling right now. Tag me in an Instagram post or Reel with your creation (make sure to tag me not just @ me or I might not see it!). I’ll share some of your art and on Tuesday, July 19th, I’ll pick the winner! Unfortunately, I can only ship this prize within the US, but I can share coloring pages from anywhere in the world! Happy coloring! #thepeoplewekeep #coloringtherapy #bookstagram #gallerybooks #paperbackgiveaway #bookgiveaways #coffeegiveaway #erinkillianpottery #bookclubofinstagram #bookcommunity #bookcoverdesign
Friends! It is paperback release day for The Peopl Friends! It is paperback release day for The People We Keep! I do love a paperback, and @gallerybooks did an amazing job making this one beautiful. There’s also a wonderful reading group guide in the back to give you questions and discussion topics for your book club. To celebrate the book release, I have an outdoor event with @townecenterbks in Pleasanton, CA this evening (join us!) and I’ll be posting again a little later today with a giveaway and an art project! 💖#bookstagram #thepeoplewekeep #paperbacks #dailyroxydog #huskymix #chihuahuamix #reading
Tear it up. All of it. #dailyroxydog #huskymix #ch Tear it up. All of it. #dailyroxydog #huskymix #chihuahuamix #fluffthepatriarchy
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