Creative Writing Exercises - Leicestershire County Council

Life’s Paper Trail
You will need: tickets, postcards, invitations etc.
What to do:
Section C
Longer
Exercises
• Catalogue the paper trail of a character you have invented, ignoring official documents.
If participants will find this hard to do independently, you can pre-teach, or generate
ideas through discussion.
• List ten pieces of paper (cards and tickets etc.) associated with your character’s life.
Make a note of what was on each piece of paper. You might also imagine what the piece
of paper looked like, and whether the writing was hand-written or typed, mass-produced
or unique…
• After each item provide information about when and where it was used, and what difference
it made to your character’s life. State if your character kept it, and if so where it was kept or
if it was discarded.
Portraits & Objects
You will need: (a portrait), and a number of
What to do:
• Write a story or poem that combines the portrait and objects.
For example, a portrait of a sailor could be combined with a broken watch, a glove,
a spade and a photo of a woman and child.
• This could simply be a story in which all the items appear, or a more causal narrative,
in which one object leads to another somehow.
• A simple version would be that they are all in the same room, owned by an individual.
They may be part of a treasure hunt, or clues in a crime investigation.
For example, consider a portrait of a pelican combined with a silver tea-service,
a mobile phone, and a tin of ginger biscuits.
Exercises given by Mark Goodwin and Bead Roberts
“You can find inspiration in almost anything.”
Paul Smith, Fashion Designer
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