I’m not usually big on writing exercises. For some reason, it never feels “productive” to me because it’s not tied to an actual story I want to tell. I know that’s not the point of doing exercises. But I’m also the girl who goes to yoga class and hates the end part where we just lay there relaxing. Which, of course, is the key to the whole practice: relaxing.
But I digress. Writing exercises. As it turns out, I used a writing exercise to start one of my books. And a few weeks ago, that very book was sold to Walker and Company and will be my second teen novel with them. YAY!! The book is called Audition and Subtraction. And I can hardly roll my eyes at writing exercises now that I’m remembering how one led me to a contract. So, on the chance that it might do the same for you, I thought I’d share it with you.
The exercise: Write a scene about one of the most emotional memories you have from your teen years. I happen to have a fuzzy memory, but there are a few events that are seared across my brain. One of them is the day my best friend, Mary, invited her new boyfriend to sit with us in the cafeteria. Up until then, neither of us had ever had a boyfriend. We’d been eating together, hanging out together, joined-at-the-hip together for years. And when he sat with us, I recognized it for what it was: An irrevocable change in my life.
And that’s the scene I wrote about. And from that scene, I developed a story about a girl and her best friend. A girl who leans on that friend so much, she’s forgotten how to stand on her own. A story about boys and unexpected romance and shifting loyalties. A story about me, in that one moment frozen in time.
Funny enough, that scene never ended up in the final book. But it was a start.
Maybe it can be a start for you, too. Happy writing! 
Oh, how fascinating that the writing exercise scene didn’t end up in the final book! Yet it inspired you to write an entire novel. Cool. And congrats on selling your second book to Walker.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Glad I found yours. Can’t wait to read OyMG!
Thanks Joanne! And good luck with your writing.
Amy, fun tip. You’ll appreciate that I have all my journals from middle school and high school. There’s some high emotion in there for sure.
Yay, another journal writer!
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW BOOK DEAL!
Isn’t it amazing how the addition of a boyfriend changes a friendship?
(How can you hate the end of yoga class?! Wait, no. I’m not judging. I’m sorry you hate the end of yoga class, but I get it. I wrote about this on my blog a bit ago – about how hard it can be to shut off my mind. But in those rare moments, when I mamange it, it’s so freeing. I sort of imagine that’s how it must feel to fly.)
I think that’s it exactly — not being able to shut off my mind. I’ll give it a try when I do yoga on Saturday. I’m afraid I might just fall asleep! I’ll let you know.
And thanks for the congrats!!
I’ve actually written about that, though it was more coping mechanism than creative exercise as it was a rather painful memory(I was molested). Wrote it out over the course of six letters.
I think writing about memories helps fuel self discovery.
Wow…such a strong reminder that writing can be therapeutic in a lot of ways. Thanks for sharing that…and I imagine some of those feelings will find their way into your fiction…and make it richer.
I actually had an idea pertaining to this earlier today, when I wrote the letters I used an extended metaphor having to do with water. My brain just clicked into place about writing a novel with alternating chapters, ones that take place in the real world covering the actual events and short chapters between in a sort of dream sequence about being ship-wrecked to show that the MC is not coping as well as she thinks she is.
I like that! A lot. Feels like a wonderful way to let the reader “see” the MC. Also, it could be a great way to structure your story, but in a way that actually moves the book forward. Very cool!