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IWW
Practice-W Exercise Archives
Exercise: Flights of Fancy (Version 2)
These exercises were written
by IWW members
and administrators to provide structured practice opportunities for its
members.
You are welcome to use them for practice as well. Please mention that
you found
them at the Internet Writers Workshop
(http://www.internetwritingwor
kshop.org/).
Prepared by: Florence Cardinal
Posted on: November 10, 2002
Reposted on: November 28, 2004
Reposted on: January 9, 2006
Reposted, revised, on: December 23, 2007
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Exercise: In 400 words or less, describe an everyday task you've done
many times.
Then stop and ask yourself, "What if?" Take your readers on an imaginary
adventure.
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Everyone has fantasies. We all try to imagine how things could be
different from
reality. Writers need to draw on these flights of fancy to encourage
new ideas and
get through any blocks in their writing. This is how many great stories
are born.
Start with a mundane occurrence like washing the dishes, driving to
work, or
weeding your garden. Let your imagination take over so the ordinary
leads you into
an extraordinary adventure or flight of fantasy.
Think "what if?" What if I were washing dishes and looked up to see a
stranger in
weird clothing peering in my window? What if, while driving to work, I
travelled
through a bank of fog--into the year 3011? What if while I weeded my
garden all the
weeds began to grow until they towered over the house?
Begin your story with the ordinary task and then let that lead into
your adventure.
-------------------------
Exercise: In 400 words or less, describe an everyday task you've done
many times.
Then stop and ask yourself, "What if?" Take your readers on an imaginary
adventure.
-------------------------
Critique by commenting on how well the routine task lends itself to the
flight of
fancy. Did the writer set up the story in a believable way? As always,
discuss the
writing in general.
Web site created by
Rhéal Nadeau and
the administrators of the Internet Writing Workshop.
Modified by Gayle Surrette.
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