Writing Exercises 2: The Item

First published 2/13/2002; last edited 12/16/2004

Pick an item and describe it. Preferably pick something in sight of your desk. If you use this warm-up a lot, start bringing interesting objects into your office just for this exercise.

Each time you do this exercise, do it a little differently. Options involving form include:

#2a. Write a poem about the object.
#2b. Use purple prose to describe the object. (Use ridiculously overblown imagery and vocabulary.)
#2c. Restrict yourself to words of two syllables or less and simple sentences.
#2d. Describe the object without ever naming it.
#2e. Describe the object within the framework of whatever piece of writing you're currently working on. If you're working on a story, use the object in a scene in the story. If you're working on an article, use the object in a discussion about your topic.

You can also delve into stranger exercises that involve items. These could be used on their own, or in conjunction with one of the exercises above:

#2f. Describe how the object could be used to solve a mystery. Or, write up or outline a story that is a mystery involving the object.
#2g. If the item were magical, what sort of powers would it have?
#2h. If that particular item were still around 200 years from now, what would it be like? How would it be used? What would have happened to it?
#2i. What sort of person might own such an object? Delve into her personality, career, life, etc.
#2j. Place your object in different genres - horror, science fiction, fantasy, the western, a romance, etc. Write a page or two of that story, making sure the object is in there somewhere.
#2k. Deliberately choose an object that seems plain or boring to you and use it in one of the other versions of this exercise.
#2l. What would someone from a different time period (past or future) think of this object?
#2m. How might an alien view this object? What might he think its purpose was?

You get the idea. There are many more ways to manipulate your object that I haven't thought of; make a list and play with it.