Writing Exercise 8: A Household Chore

This exercise is about thinking about how to show character and emotion through action, without saying what the character’s emotions are.

 Stage 1.
Think of a regular household chore. It should be one that involves a certain amount of physical activity (for example, washing clothes by hand rather than switching on a washing machine). Write down the activity, breaking it into a series of steps.

 Stage 2.
Think of a character who is experiencing stress or uncomfortable emotions. Think about how they show those emotions physically. How does it affect the way they sit, stand, walk, etc? Describe the character getting up and walking across a room in a way that shows how they feel - but don’t mention the stress or emotion.

 Stage 3.
Now take the character through the household chore you have imagined, stage by stage. Continue to show the emotions through action and movement without mentioning the character’s state of mind. As the character goes through the stages of the task, let the character’s stress or emotions increase and then lessen. By the end of the task the character should be calmer and happier - but this should still be shown in how they act and move.

 Look back over what you have written. Could you edit it into part of a story or a poem?

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