Enrichment Activities:
30 Days of Stay-at-Home Learning, Business,
and Self-Care Activities for Writers
Fiction writer?
Home?
Bored?
Thinking that you should be getting some writing done but somehow not getting anywhere with that?
First, let me recommend that you take it easy on yourself.
Second, have I got some ideas for you!
If you’re spinning your wheels and want someone to give you the equivalent of a small arts and crafts kit for fiction writing, have I got some suggestions for you.
As a ten-year ghostwriting freelancer, I have been disciplining myself to stay on track and focused for quite some time. I’ve learned some tricks on the business side, and I’m a positive fiend for studying new techniques.
Want to steal some of that? Follow this blog for the next month, and you’ll have 30 different story starts, 30 different journal entries to mine for content, 30 different fiction techiques to add to your toolbox, and lots, lot more.
And best of all? While it’s on the blog, it’ll be free.
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Da Rules
- The business tip should take you no longer than 10 minutes; if it takes you longer, put it on your to-do list for later (unless you actually feel like doing it).
- Study projects: literally type in the first 250-500 words (as you like) of the opening of the book, not counting any introductions, prefaces, or quotes, unless it’s part of the book. However you normally type your fiction, do that. If you hand-write fiction, you can hand-write the study projects, but stay on the low end.
- Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has excellent advice on how to journal. She recommends 3 pages in a spiral-bound notebook. I advise to go for a minimum of 1 page spiral bound or 250-500 words typed.
- Short writing topics: You can do more than 3 sentences. Stop when you feel like stopping. This is just to try something new.
- Staying human: If you’re going to pick one thing to do every day, hydrate!
- Fun with research: it’s best to do your own Internet searches, but I’ve provided a fun link to get started with.
My choices across the board reflect my own personal preferences, not any kind of absolute wisdom. This is a rapid prototype, not a well-thought-out plan of development for fiction writers!
The idea for this project came from a voice chat with some members of the Colorado Tesla Writers Group, who expressed that they were having trouble staying motivated to write.
DAY 11
Business Tip
Start an inventory list, with the name of the work, word count, genre/subgenre, date completed, and a list of times/places it’s been published (including blogs and social media). Start with the work in your portfolio. You may want to separate fiction and non-fiction into different tabs on the spreadsheet.
Short Study Project
Type in the first page of The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, which is a time-travel story. Highlight all the details that hint at the particular time period they will go to. (Use the free Amazon sample!)
Journal Topic
Write one page about your favorite period/location in history. The future counts.
Short Writing Topic
Write 3 sentences about someone you know who really does not belong in the time period you just journaled, who will soon be transported to that time (but not yet).
Staying Human
Think about someone you know but haven’t seen for a while. Phone, message, or email them to check up on how they’re doing. Ask how they’re doing, then say you don’t need anything in particular–but you just wanted to talk.
Fun with Research
Last year, a few flat-earthers came up with a theory that there were no such things as trees. Find out about it.
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The original post is here: https://wonderlandpress.com/enrichment-activities-for-writers-day-11/