Cathy C. Hall Writes

I wish every writer and reader I know could make it to my area for the Decatur Book Festival on Labor Day weekend. It’s total awesomeness. And it’s all free. FREE.

Besides the TONS of authors who talk about their books and answer questions and autograph and mingle, the DBF also connects authors and other creative types with writers for an afternoon of workshops on the Friday before all the festivities. This year, I signed up for one called Synchronicity Theater’s Playmaking workshop. Because a. I’m a ham. and b. it looked fun and different.

And you know what? It was fun. Rachel May led (okay, pushed) our stalwart little group into territories unknown to pull ideas out of our (no, I wasn’t going to say that) boxed-up brains. Here are a few exercises to help jumpstart your writing ideas.

Choose character relationships. Not the same old, same old relationships. Think outside that box. Like the blue-haired lady who goes to the beauty salon and her teenaged hairdresser. Or the stay-at-home mom and the Fedex guy.

Create a setting. Of course, you can use a house, a school, a store. But you can also get descriptive. Maybe a house on a cul-de-sac in a subdivision that’s experiencing a decline. Or a store that’s had the same owner for 30 years.

Make something happen. Will someone lose their job? Will a character find something, like a an old love letter or a rock with blood on it?

So, now you have a who, what, and a where. Take that stay-at-home mom (maybe her husband travels) who lives on a cul-de-sac that’s declining (because someone unsavory moved into the neighborhood) and have the Fedex guy (who’s delivered packages every week for a year and fallen in love with a certain stay-at-home mom) drive up and find the woman he adores holding a rock with blood on it.

Hmmm…now why in the world is she holding that rock? The story practically writes itself. Maybe you’ll even make that story into a book. And then you’ll get it published! And you’ll be one of the presenters at the Decatur Book Festival in 2012! We’ll meet for drinks and it’ll be so much FUN!

Hey. It could happen. (But just in case it doesn’t, I’ll happily meet you for lunch, dinner, or drinks at the next DBF if you decide to come. I’m sure the Beneficent Mr. Hall will treat.)

(And P.S. What I love about Synchronicity is their work with at-risk teen girls. You can read more here about their total awesomeness.)

Dear New Writer,

I was so excited when I saw you at the writer’s group today! I know you were probably a little nervous, and I know how hard it was for you to read aloud what you’d written. But you took that first step, and good for you! You’re on your way! I’m feeling downright Seussical!

Look at you go! Off to start your journey–and you’re just about to bust with all the excitement of this new passion for writing! You have so much to say, and you can’t wait to get all your words out there! Right now, you’re busy creating and imagining and the ideas flow so fast, you can barely get them all on the paper. That’s a great beginning!

I want you to remember that joy. I want you to grab hold to all those wonderful feelings and store them away. I wish you could have heard yourself gushing when you talked about what you’re working on. Or seen your face lighting up as you jumped from one thought to the next!

I was so glad I was there, to see your bright, shining face, to hear the excitement in your voice as you shared your writing dreams. Because in those few moments, I remembered. That’s why I love writing.

Thank you, thank you, dear new writer.