Welcome to another session of Story Stones. A blog where it gives you a lesson plan to help you get into the zone of Writing. These tasks can be used as a relaxation technique. There are some tasks that will be presented that are also used in therapy to help filter thoughts or calm anxiety. It’s a great way to explore that brain of ours.

But first, it’s time for that 10 minute exercise again. A chance for us to unclog our brains. (hopefully). You’ll need writing tools (pens, pencils, notebook, laptop, whatever you use). Let’s do this.

10 minutes: Set the timer when you’re ready. Once you start, don’t stop. I want you to forget spelling, grammar and formatting. That’s not important here. For 10 minutes I want you to write whatever it is you’re thinking. We’re always thinking. You might write down the word “nothing” and there might be a lot of repeating at times but that doesn’t matter. No rules. Just 10 minutes of free thinking and free writing.

After the time is done, don’t read it. This is important. You can read it later, but don’t read it now.

40 minutes: Time to get our creative juices flowing. Again no rules. Try and forget spelling and grammar and formatting. Just write. Here’s the task:

1. You awake on a beach on some sort of island. You don’t know how you got there. What does the beach look like? Smell like? Did you wake up with a mouth full of sand? What does it taste like?
2. What were you doing before you woke up on the beach? Describe the activity. Are there any clues that happened then that lead to you being on this beach now?
3. What do you see beyond the sand? Are there clues around that hint to how you got here?
4. Once you’re off the beach and exploring, what do you see? Where will you go? Who will you see? If anyone. Who would you want to see that might not be there? If anyone. Why do you see these people? What do they mean to you?
5. If time permits, write about more of the island. How big is it? Are you stranded? Is there a way out? Do you even want a way out? Explore these ideas and this island.

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.

Now that we’ve used our creative brains, go work on that writing project you’ve been meaning to finish. Let me know if you find it easier to approach now that you have done these exercises. You posting any of your writing up on a blog or vlog? Leave me a link. I’d love to see it. Posting it on twitter? Use the hashtag #storystones and hopefully I’ll get to check it out. These exercises can be visual cues as well. Try going back and draw the ideas out!

Until next time, keep piling up those story stones!!