HELP ! 

As I mentioned in another post I've signed up for a creative writing class.

We were given an exercise to bring away and work on at home to take to the first class and I'm really struggling!

I've NEVER done ANY fiction writing (though I long to) and I had hoped that we'd have a couple of weeks of being told HOW to get ideas and where to start - whereas we are expected to just sit down and write, take it to class and read out what we've written, then learn from our and other peoples feedback.

The exercise is to take a list of 10 unrelated words and write either a short story or poem featuring all 10 words in any order.

I saw on here someone has done a similar thing with 5 words. Now I've sat and looked at our 10 words and am totally, completely utterly BLANK. I have NO idea what to write about or where to begin. I've never written any fiction or poetry since I was at school 35 years ago, although at that point I always seemed to have plenty of ideas now my brain seems to have seized up from disuse. The only things I've written in the past 30 odd years are factual reports and reviews or posts on forums like this.

I don't want anyone to tell me exactly what to do or write anything for me but a couple of ideas on how to get some inspiration to set me off would be really helpful as I am completely clueless and sitting here staring at these 10 words until they just don't even seem to make any sense any more and feeling that wanting to write and being able to are probably two very different things :(

The words are:

impartial,

demonstrate

achieve

control

peak

humbling

trouble

trivial

amethyst

region.

Hi,

I would try taking one word first to build your writing around, for example writing a short story on a goal someone has set themselves and how they achieve it. Then write that how I'd like to, then see if I have used any of the words already and if I can put any of them in. Obviously everyone is different, but I wouldn't be able to look at all 10 words at once and see a story, but doing one at a time I could get them in. I love to write poetry but couldn't do a poem for this as it's too restricting, so I would definatley write a short story, I would also plan my begining, middle and end before trying to fit all the words in (obviously I would have chosen one word for the base of my story).

I hope this helps, but as I said everyone is different so may not work for you.

I think I would tackle it the same way - a short story definitely, and perhaps pick out three or four of the words to base it round, then fit the others in after the event.  The sort of storyline that springs to my mind when I look at these words is a sort of fairy-talish/Book of Lost Things sort of quest, with a mountainous (peak) region, in which the hero/ine has to demonstrate some sort of quality of character and endure much trouble to achieve the trivial but wholly worthwhile prize of an amethyst coronet (or something along those lines).  That's 7 of the words used already, so I'm sure with some decent description and a bit of working up of the plotline (I know, it's hardly Shakespeare!), you could work the others in quite easily.  I think it's much easier to start with just a few of the words as a springboard for something, rather than hoping to see how to use all 10 from the outset. 

Good luck!

Why not try writing  10 sentences with each of the words in and see what comes to mind afterwards - it might then trigger more............

Aw Jan I feel for you - this is a pretty hard task. I'm not an expert but I'm not sure there's really a lot that anyone can tell you off bat about writing - every writer gets inspiration from different things, and has different things to say and different characters in mind and so on. The best way to learn is just to sit down and write, and try not to worry about something perfectly formed coming out. It's only when you start getting stuff on paper, reading it back to yourself or others that you can really work on technique and getting it how you want.

As I say I'm no an expert but if I was approaching this task I'd let go of the words for the time being so I'd forget all about them. It's more important to produce something that you're happy with, something that's got you started, than somethig that has all the words. I guess it's a way to give you a push, but if it doesn't work for you, don't panic! First thing I'd do is make a short list of obsessions/things I wanted to write about. These might be really small - a person, a time in my life, a certain job - doesn't matter, its personal to you. Then I'd try to choose something on the list that really grabbed me and start working with that, thinking of possible stories/characters/settings, anything at first. I'd start small and just try to get even a paragraph on paper, to get some juices flowing... and then maybe come back to the words at some stage when it felt like I was getting a grip on what I really wanted to say.

Hope this helps, let us know how you get on.

 The purpose of an exercise like this is to use the words to triggeroff ideas and fire the imagination. So don't look at them like a puzzle in which the exercise is to fit them into a poem or short story. This will happen naturally once you have story in mind  The idea of using each one in  a sentence is good as this may spark ideas. Another exercise is to start at the other end of the story and think what the words suggest about these aspects of the story

Character: impartial humble control
Conflict: achieve trivial
Key object: amethyst
Location: peak region
Period: demonstrate trouble

This suggests to me a conflict between a calm, reflective character say a daughter and her father in which her achievements are undermined. It comes to a head when her kind but humble boyfriend gives her a amethyst broach It set in the mountains of northern Ireland at the times of the troubles. It could be about how she comes to choose the life she doe

Character: trouble achieve amethyst impartial
Conflict: trivial Demonstrate humbling
Key object: Peak
Location: region
Period: control

This suggests to me a troubled student struggling to achieve as others see him as hard as amethysts and impartial whereas he is consumed with hatred over a trivial accident on a demo when in his eyes he was humbled in front of his girlfriend by the cool kids. The trivial incident was around what sort of hats to wear when at a sing-along. This is happening in the north in the 50’s

  See how it works you just use the words to generate ideas around the basic parts of a story. Use other components if  you want. Or use all the words that could describe a character or a conflict and again see what emerges.

Beadyjan:

impartial,

demonstrate

achieve

control

peak

humbling

trouble

trivial

amethyst

region.

Just start by choosing one, and put it somewhere in the first sentence of a novel you may write some  day ... for example "The bus didn't even stop.  Now that might seem trivial to some people, but....."  There.  Got rid of one already.   How does that feel?  Choose another.  Write another sentence, which links to the first.  Hope this helps xx

Thanks for all your help.

I'm starting by writing a lot of unconnected sentences with the words in and see if any of them suggest a beginning of a story.

The words do bring to mind a kind of fantasy/ fairy story similar to your suggestion Penny, although that may be a bit ambitious I'll see what happens when I get going.

My imagination seems to have become clouded by time and the only subjects I can think to write about are really boring stuff about stuff thats happened to me, that wouldn't interest anyone.

I also seem to have difficulty fitting in what I want to say in a concise way I'm so used to waffling on and on and this story needs to be brief enough for 12 of us to read what we've written aloud and get feedback plus the rest of the lesson in a 2 hour session so I'd reckon 2 to 5 minutes long maximum though not sure how many words that would be.

More input welcome - I'll let you know when/ if I come up with anything. I have plenty of time for this first exercise as class doesn't start for 2 weeks.

Beadyjan:

Thanks for all your help.

I'm starting by writing a lot of unconnected sentences with the words in and see if any of them suggest a beginning of a story.

The words do bring to mind a kind of fantasy/ fairy story similar to your suggestion Penny, although that may be a bit ambitious I'll see what happens when I get going.

My imagination seems to have become clouded by time and the only subjects I can think to write about are really boring stuff about stuff thats happened to me, that wouldn't interest anyone.

I also seem to have difficulty fitting in what I want to say in a concise way I'm so used to waffling on and on and this story needs to be brief enough for 12 of us to read what we've written aloud and get feedback plus the rest of the lesson in a 2 hour session so I'd reckon 2 to 5 minutes long maximum though not sure how many words that would be.

More input welcome - I'll let you know when/ if I come up with anything. I have plenty of time for this first exercise as class doesn't start for 2 weeks.

Don't do yourself down, Jan.  My mum has done a writing class with the U3A for the past 5 or 6 years and at first she worried about exactly this too, but she was encouraged by the teacher to stick with what she was comfortable writing about, and concentrate on developing her style to describe events and express emotions.  So that's what she did, and she has now written all sorts of short stories and descriptive pieces, and even poems, mostly based on events from her own life or from her family's lives, and she's tied it in with her family tree researches too, building pieces of writing from what she's found out about our ancestors' lives.  She would be the first to admit that she sticks to what she knows and writes hardly anything that's purely imaginative, but it doesn't matter - her style has developed, she loves the class and getting feedback, and feeling that she's improved over time, and last year she even won a trophy at the Ilkley Literary Festival for one of her poems. 

So don't feel that your own experiences are too trivial to write about.  Use them as a window into a certain emotional world and describe how you felt, rather than just what happened - even the most minor episode of frustration in the checkout queue could be worked up into an emotionally charged drama of the Inner Jan - or equally a short comic monologue like the Alan Bennett Talking Heads pieces.  (In fact, if you haven't read those, I would recommend you do so, as they all deal with the internal drama sparked off by apparently minor external events and are brilliant examples of how to create much from little). 

Beadyjan:

My imagination seems to have become clouded by time and the only subjects I can think to write about are really boring stuff about stuff thats happened to me, that wouldn't interest anyone.

I also seem to have difficulty fitting in what I want to say in a concise way I'm so used to waffling on and on and this story needs to be brief enough for 12 of us to read what we've written aloud and get feedback plus the rest of the lesson in a 2 hour session so I'd reckon 2 to 5 minutes long maximum though not sure how many words that would be.

Hi all the writing guides say write about what you know best so if its your life experience write about that. Creative writing can be creative non fiction in which you use the tecniques of  fiction to say do autobiography. Also write long and then edit back, Again and again writers warn that beginners think that they have to write a professional piece in one sitting they don't!!!  Its perfectly normal to redraft several times. first a long ramble, then edited by looking at language and style etc. One part of the process that is vital is to read the version aloud to hear what sounds like.

 When I write a book review for example, I go through these stages:

 I use a grid from focused listening so mind map my initial thoughts on what the  novels plot, structure, quality of writing, characterisation etc(objective),what its impact on me was(reflective). what its meaning and did it achieve the writers purpose( interpretive) and finally why I would or would not recommend it( decisional)Then I read a range of other reviews  together other points around the same themes. In terms of the fiction exercise you have this is you brainstorming, for cluster writing to get ideas

  Once I have points I then just freewrite until they have all been covered and this is my first draft. Its the same for fiction, just write without judging

 Then I go back and look at each section to see if I am clear, or where its gets to confused and redraft to get the flow of the argument clear. In fictional writing I would check that I have a balance of description, dialogue and action and that I have shown rather then told

Then I would get down to the language and sentence structure. And make they give the piece some energy-avoiding too long sentences or fancy words. Making sure that the verb is in the right place  to make the sentence work.. In fiction I would be looking to see how the words and sentence construction make the characters and action come to live in my head.

 Then I would read it loud off a printed page in a natural conversational way to see if I stumble or if it sounds false or wooden. This is the same as for fiction.

At each of the three last stages I would also be looking to see where I could cut, be more focused  etc to get into a word limit

The point of this advise is not to make the process look scary but to show you that all writers go through several stages from the initial ideas to the final production so dont put yourself down.

 As a rule of thumb its about 100 words a minute and if arial 12 font  and inch margins thats about 600 words to a page so for 2-3 minutes thats around 300 words

OK I decided to go for the fantasy type quest (as ultimately this is the kind of stuff I'd like to try and write)

This is my first draft - I'm sure it needs some more editing and paring down as its possibly a bit too long although theres also a lot more I'd like to have said but want to be able to read it out loud without sending everyone off to sleep.

PLEASE bear in mind its my very first attempt and its probably very simplified. I just want to know everyones not going to fall off their chairs laughing at my first efforts or pooh pooh it completely into the ground.

I KNOW its very amateurish probably seems very childish and will have hundreds of glaring flaws but is it readable and perhaps a little enjoyable?

Please point out any glaring errors but don't be TOO critical as I know it has faults and I don't want to feel a complete failure. I'm really nervous posting it!

Oh and I think I managed to fit in all 10 words!

I really like it, Jan!  I think it shows a lot of promise, especially considering that you felt you had no ideas whatsoever!  If you want me to "critique" it, I might suggest that you could build up your descriptions a bit - in particular I felt I really needed to know what the dragon's cave smelled like!  Whenever my kids have a descriptive piece to write for school, I tell them to try and use as many senses as possible, as this fleshes out the "scenery", as it were, and makes it more vivid - but I know you're limited in length so this probably isn't appropriate here. 

Agree with Pennyt above, and I would certainly want to read the next chapter!

Jan, I have to say I really enjoyed this. Very engaging and not the ending I was expecting at all. Shame it is only a short story as I would definitely read the next chapter!

Jan,  I'm no critique but I really like it - and I love the girls name