Writing Exercise 05: After Midnight

Time for a Prompt!

There are countless writing exercises out there, all tailored to different elements of writing: character development, vocabulary, dialogue, etc. But sometimes the best exercise is to just write.

With that said, free writing can be the most helpful exercise. Knowing where to start with that free writing can be a challenge, though, and you just end up staring at a blank page for half an hour. It's useful to have something to nudge you forward and give you a loose sense of direction. That's where writing prompts come in.

Prompts can come in many different forms, from an actual plot set up to a first sentence to just a title. From there, you can go wherever the words take you. I give these to my students pretty often when I'm trying to get them comfortable with just putting words on a page, but in truth, they are useful for anyone at any stage.

So for today's exercise, let's work with a prompt, shall we?

Start with this title:

"After Midnight"

With this title in mind, start writing! Set a timer, if you like, or just write until you run out of steam. Don't feel too married to the title, either. Remember, it's just a loose direction to get you started. Where you go from here is up to you.

But, if you're still struggling, here are a few ideas:

• Write about a time you stayed out late.

• Write about a curse that only takes effect after midnight.

• Write about a character going to a clandestine meeting late at night.

Again, go in any direction that feels right to you! What matters is that you write. Let the words flow as freely as you can. You'll be amazed how quickly you can fill a page when you just allow yourself to write for fun, without worrying about editing.

So, go on. What happens after midnight?

Was this helpful?

Feel free to share what you came up with in the comments! I always love seeing the variety of directions people take when given a simple prompt.

I'll be back on Saturday, but until then, go tell some stories!