Writers in Isolation

There are sometimes quiz questions about first lines of novels. You may be able to quote some, such as "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...", "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day" or "Call me Ishmael." The play Hamlet begins with a guard asking "Who's there?" Poems also have striking first lines; T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land' starts with the words "April is the cruellest month". This exercise is about reading some first lines and then writing some. Stage 1. Pick up four books - ideally recent novels or volumes of short stories. These may be books you haven't read yet - in fact, not having read them could help. Copy out the first sentence of each novel or of any four the short stories. Stage 2. Think about who might be saying those words. Even if it's just the narrator telling someone else's story, what kind of person might the narrator be? What does their voice sound ...

Many children have imaginary friends. Even if you didn't have an imaginary friend in childhood, it's possible you would like one now. It can help to create an imaginary friend as a possible reader of your creative writing. Stage 1. A friend is often someone with whom we share interests or points of view. Write down between three and five interests or points of view you would like your imaginary friend to share. Decide on three other points about your imaginary friend. One should be their age. One should be their gender. One you can decide for yourself but it should be something fundamental to that person. Write this all down. Stage 2. It's important that a friend shouldn't be identical to you. The friend has to bring something new to this imagined friendship. Write down between three and five interests or points of view the friend has that you do not share. Stage 3. Write down up to five things that your friend likes a lot and up to three things that your frien...

This exercise is about letter-writing. It’s also a way of thinking about writing as a means of communication. You may find you want to send or email what you write. Stage 1. Think about someone you know and like who you would like to write to. This could take the form of a letter, an email or even a recording.  What is it you like about this person? What interests do you have in common? What different interests does that person have? Do you have some shared memories or experiences? Focus on things that worked out well. Stage 2. Look around the place where you are. Find two or three objects that might interest or delight the other person. Even a simple object would do. Start by describing one of the objects. As you do, let your thoughts expand to ideas, memories and possibilities that the object suggests. Write freely without editing. Let your thoughts lead you in any direction. Do the same for the other object or objects. Stage 3. Look back over what you have writte...