Writers in Isolation

I suspect that I’m not the only writer who sometimes talks to myself. This kind of conversation may have become even more common when everyone is socially distancing, socially isolating or in lockdown. It seems a good idea to draw on that experience to try writing in someone else’s voice, while that person is talking to themself. Stage 1. You are going to write a monologue. This means you will need a character and situation. I suggest taking a very simple starting point. Think of someone who you might encounter through their work in an everyday situation. For example, you might choose someone who works at a supermarket checkout or someone delivering the post. Think about a problem or difficulty that person might encounter in their work - and how that person might feel when they return home. Make some notes. Stage 2. Now think of where that person lives. Does anyone else live there? Is it a happy household? Write down a little about it. Think of somewhere that person might be alo...

Dreams can be a good starting point for creative writing but they rarely produce something complete. This is because dreams often involve strange jumps in location, the sudden and inexplicable arrival of familiar people, shifts from one kind of story into another and - worst of all - interruption at a crucial point when the dreamer wakes. However dreams can still provide useful raw material. Stage 1. Can you remember a dream or part of a dream you have had? If you can’t, invent a fragment of a dream - the stranger the better. Now start writing down your dream and when the dream runs out, keep writing. If you can’t think of anything else just write random words as they come into your head without worrying about sense. The important thing is that you don’t stop writing for at least ten minutes. Stage 2. Pause for breath - or a cup of tea. Then look over what you have written. You aren’t looking for complete elements of a story or train of thought - just words and phrases that sugge...