Another month and another round of Story Stones. Let me know how you do? Send me what you come up with or record yourself in a video reading it and share me the link! Either way, have fun and be inspired.

Brain Dump (10 minutes): Before we even get started with writing anyway, the world has a way with bogging our minds with thoughts and feelings and chaos. Those familiar with this part, get started, otherwise for those who are new, I feel this exercise helps get all of that out. It’s also a great mental health exercise! I want you to set the timer when you’re reading. Once you start, don’t stop writing. I want you to forget spelling, grammar, formatting, expectations and anything that’s going to get in your way for your time. None of that is important here. What’s important is that you are taking 10 minutes to writing whatever crosses your mind. We’re always thinking. No expectations. Just write words. You might start off “I don’t know what to write” but you’ll find your mind will naturally wander and the 10 minutes will go fast.

After the time is done (and this is important), don’t read it. I challenge you to set it aside and never read it back to yourself. Just throw it away later. Whatever you do, don’t read it now.

Getting To Know You (20 minutes): What do you want to write? I want you to take 20 minutes to write down what you’d like to be writing. Don’t actually write it though! Write ABOUT it as if you were telling someone about your work. I find that talking about my work can inspire something new I hadn’t thought about before. Thinking of this as a crank to wind up a music box. Once you talk it out, think about the beautiful music you create. Think about actually sharing this with someone!

Story Stone (40 minutes): Time to get our creative juices flowing.

Let’s expand from last Story Stone. We’ve walked into a library. We’ve created a few different perspectives. Now let’s change it up a bit. Pick one of your favourite perspectives (and it’s okay that you might not have done this one. Go back and do it now. It’s a great way to expand your work and practice characterisation followed by plot.) Using this favourite perspective I want you to write about where this person went after visiting the library. Perhaps there were plots you hinted to as to why they felt the way they did upon entering the library. Revisit this place and give a bit more of a backstory to this person. Where are they? How does it make them feel? Did the events of the library change them in any way and impact how they interact with their new environment?

Wrapping It Up (10 minutes): Read through what you’ve come up with. Does anything stand out to you? Anything you like you might want to expand on or use elsewhere? A highlighter would come in handy here. Take note how you portrayed each emotion. Did you fall into any tropes or stereotypes? Is there another way you could portray each emotion?

#StoryStones

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