More on The Power of Play in Writing.

Two articles crossed my blog reading path today.

How to Become a Better Writer

Feeding Your Muse

Both were good reminders, for me, to play. In spite of last weeks post I didn't follow through with my plan to Play Everyday. Didn't write that in the post, that was just the plan in my head. Like I said in that post, I used to play at the writing. It was my warm up. Whether it was to grab a sketch book or note book and doodle random things, or write out ten opening sentences for an imagined story, write out a bunch of fun titles, I did it everyday. Now that I've come back to it and realized that, for me, it works, it's fun, it's relaxing...I have to get back into the habit of playing. Well, I don't have to do anything. I want to.

What about all of you, is there anything you do to play at writing? Make it a game for the game's sake? Or maybe you'd like to share some spur of the moment opening sentences to an imaginary novel.

Here's a few from me, off top of head, may or may not make sense, but fun to do!

• I was tired of my sister bugging me all the time and was determined to tell my parents it was time for Cass to know she was dead.

• Running away seemed like great plan until I ran into a bear with major attitude issues and I was in the city.

• Morgan was a vampire witch werewolf angel demon with a personality disorder.

The Power of Play in Writing

When my storytelling partner and I used to do storytelling workshops and residencies we came to the realization that much of what was done was play. Now, from our point of view, it was play with a purpose. But. For the kids it was play. Lots of games that had them writing, socializing, writing, developing stories and their literacy skills. And I also realized it was also creating a safe atmosphere of risk taking. Recently I've starting taking a couple of courses for the daycare I am teaching at. One of them is on play in early education. It is bringing back many memories of the games we played in our storytelling workshops, but not only that. It is bringing back many memories of the writing games I used to play before I would settle in for the "work" of writing/revising/critiquing etc. Somewhere along the line I stopped. Not enough time. Hearing others say that it was something they never do and that they thought it was a waste of time (now there's a newbie mistake--assuming that advice and thoughts on certain processes are all encompassing). For them it probably was, because it just did not work. For me it worked. It loosened up my thoughts, created new ideas, helped me work out of tight spots in the writing, but more importantly it was just plain fun to do. I was playing.

Take listen and watch of this TED TALK (oh how I love those).




SO! I am returning to playing each day. Doodling, writing out first lines just for the fun of it. Taking characters out of the story I have them in and throwing them into another situation/book/story. For example what would your character do it he she ended up in THE HOBBIT? Help Bilbo? Want to go? Want to get out and get out fast?

Hah. Now I am truly curious. What would one of your characters do if they suddenly ended up in another book. What would the book be? And of course, we'll assume they know the book. One book that does this and does it well is...LITTLE WOMAN AND ME by Lauren Baratz-Logsted.

Off to ponder what Happy would do it she woke up to find herself in THE HOBBIT. Besides looking for ghosts, that is. Looking forward to hearing from you and where you'd put your character.