creative writing game

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Interactive Creative Writing Games

Fun interactive writing games to get your creative juices flowing...

• Visual Poetry  : Explore your creativity by drawing word mosaics with your poetry.
• Haiku Madlibs  : Fill out the text fields to generate 16 haikus, madlibs style - using templates from the masters, including: Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki, Shuson, and Soseki.
• Madlib Poem  : A madlib poem is a fun and creative way to write poems using a fill-in-the-blank format using poem templates from famous poems.
• Electronic Poetry  : Similiar to magnetic poetry. Create poems using the words of your favorite authors or create magnets from your own text. Includes author kits for: Antonin Artaud, Charles Baudelaire, Francesca Lia Block, André Breton, Poppy Z. Brite, Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Angela Carter, ee cummings, Hilda Doolittle, Brett Easton Ellis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Allen Ginsberg, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Stephen King, Comte de Lautréamont, The Smiths, Anaïs Nin, Flannery O'Connor, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, Marcel Proust, Anne Rice, Arthur Rimbaud, J.D. Salinger, William Shakespeare, Robert Smith, Gertrude Stein, Donna Tartt, Michelle Tea, Tristan Tzara, Oscar Wilde.
• Poem Collage  : Enter your poem and click Generate. Poem Collage will generate your poem as a series of draggable lines. Rearrange the lines to form a new poem.
• Poem Builder  : Flip 3 cards to build a poem - one: the subject of the poem, two: the poetic form you should write the poem in, and three: 10 words you should incorporate into the poem.
• Exquisite Corpse  : A writing game that originated in the Surrealist movement of the early 20th century. The game involves a group of writers who each contribute a sentence or phrase to a collective work without being able to see what the other writers have written. Add a word or line to the exquisite corpse poem - started in 2000!
• Poetry Stamp  : Poetry stamp will randomly generate lines of poetry, which you can then modify by changing or removing words.
• Letter Link Poetry  : When we play Boggle, we then like to use the words we found to write a poem, using each word to start each line of the poem.
• Ring Game [Vowels vs Consonants]  : Use letters to chain together words to write poems.
• Text Collage  : Linguasso - dynamic emotional design linguasso (for lingual and Picasso) creates totally random works of art, composed of text and based on varying emotions.
• Story Dice  : Roll the dice to get 6 different words - a setting, a character, an object, an action, an emotion, and an adjective. Use all of these words as prompts to write a story.
• Never­ending­ Story  : Add a line to the neverending story - started in 2000!
• Tarot Reading Writing Game  : Use a Tarot Reading to flesh out characters, come up with plot twists, and character conflict. Tarot readings can be a powerful tool for writers looking to generate ideas for their creative work. By interpreting the symbolism and meanings of the tarot cards, you can access your subconscious mind and tap into a rich source of inspiration and creativity.
• Fade Out  : Fade Out is a writing game that forces you to be creative with limited word choices.
• Alliterator  : An alliteration text generator that only uses words starting with the same letter.
• Ring Game  : Use letters to chain together words to write poems.
• Graffiti Wall  : Add to or edit the writing on the Graffiti Wall! Yes, your additions may be altered or deleted by someone else and you may change or delete other's additions. That is the game...
• Blind Finish-the-Story  : A modified version of the popular writing game where at least three players take turns adding to a story on numbered index cards, creating a surreal dreamlike tale that can inspire or be used for fun.

The online creative writing game.

Write original stories by playing a game with online friends. Storium builds your skills as a writer, exercises your creative juices, and helps you meet new people.

StoriumEDU is a collaborative writing game designed to help young writers build their confidence and skill. Inspired by Storium.com, it can be played either in class or at home and is designed for safety and privacy.

10-Minute Writing Games to Play with Your Students

Jen Schneider Blog , Writing writing 1

Want some quick games to share with your students during transitions or as attention-getters. Play these fun games independently or with groups! Here are a few of my favorites 10-minute writing games to play with your students. This post uses some affiliate links. Purchases from these links result in a small commission to help sustain this site.

Word Association Game

Word association games are perfect for 10-minute writing games! Start by giving students a random word and ask them to write down the first word that comes to their mind when they hear it. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and repeat the process with the new word. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how far around the circle they can go, building off of each other’s words. This game is a blast for generating vocabulary words or words to use in future writing prompts or stories.

Writing Roulette

My students beg to play writing roulette! I give each student five different colored sticky notes (or use this FREE Jamboard template ).

Each sticky note has a different topic. For example, here are the literary elements I use for my students. You can change these up depending on your grade level.

• Yellow: character
• Blue: quotation
• Pink: setting
• Green: conflict
• Orange: theme

Have your students each generate one of the literary elements on each colored sticky note. Make sure they write only one idea per note. Mix up the sticky notes, then give the students five sticky notes (one on each topic) to generate their own story. We LOVE sharing these with the class. As a bonus, expand on the quick stories and create a published, polished piece.

Literary Jenga

Literally playing a game when writing is so much fun! Write creative writing prompts on the sides of Jenga blocks (such as “Write a story in which the main character is an animal” or “Describe a place you’ve never been”) and stack them up. Students take turns pulling a block and then writing for 2-3 minutes based on the prompt they see. The game continues until the tower falls, and then students can read aloud what they’ve written.

Finish the Story Writing Game

This game is also called story or paper pass. I remember playing this writing game in school. I loved it then as much as I love it as a teacher! First, give students the first line of a story and have them write for 2-3 minutes. Then, have them pass their paper to the person next to them and that person continues the story for 2-3 minutes. Continue this process until everyone has contributed, and see how the story turned out in the end.

Random Word Stories

Use this random word generator to pick a fun, unique word. Have your students write a story using that word as a focus. You can have each student select their own word or use a class word.

Descriptive Writing Game

Many ELA curriculums have descriptive writing as an assessment. Why not teach descriptive writing skills with a 10-minute writing game! First, ask students to close their eyes and imagine a scene you describe to them, such as a beach or a forest. Give them 10 minutes to write a detailed description of what they see in their mind’s eye. Encourage them to use sensory language and descriptive adjectives to really paint a picture with their words. Share the stories, and as a bonus, have students illustrate their writing. You can also adapt this and share a picture as a writing prompt starter. Show students a picture or image and give them 10 minutes to write a story or poem based on what they see. Encourage them to be creative and use their imagination to build a story around the picture.

Character Creation Game

Students love creating their own characters! Have students brainstorm a character by answering questions about them, such as their name, age, occupation, likes and dislikes, fears, etc. Then, set a timer for 10 minutes and have them write a short story or scene featuring that character. You can add to the fun by having two characters team up together to create a new story or have a conversation with one another based on their characters’ backgrounds.

Six-Word Stories

Challenge students to write a complete story in just six words, such as “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many six-word stories they can create.

Mad Libs Game

The old Mad Libs games are so much fun! I remember having paper Mad Libs books that my siblings and I giggled over with delight. Online Mad Libs games let students work independently to create funny stories. I love using Mad Libs online !

Fan Fiction

My students absolutely love writing fan fiction. This gives them a chance to explore stories on a deeper level, and change the outcomes to what they really wanted to happen in the book! Have students choose a favorite book or movie character and write a short story featuring that character in a new adventure or scenario. Set a timer for 10 minutes and see how well they can capture the voice and personality of the character in their writing.

Story Cubes

Use storytelling dice or story cubes with pictures on each side, and have students roll the dice to create a story. Set a timer for 10 minutes and challenge students to create a story that includes all of the pictures they rolled. Share the stories in small groups or with the full class.

Writing Prompts

Using writing prompts in the classroom is an effective way to encourage a love for writing in students. Here are five ways to inspire and engage middle school students:

Daily writing prompts

Start the day with a short 10-minute writing exercise that covers various genres and themes. Use this list of 25 daily prompts to get started.

Structured writing prompts

Use prompts as a starting point for more structured writing assignments such as essays or research papers. This encourages students to think critically and provides specific guidelines for the writing task. Use this list of 10 structured prompts to get started.

Group brainstorming

Encourage students to work together in small groups to generate their own writing prompts. This fosters collaboration and creativity.

Writing prompt dares

Students can create their own writing prompt dares or use these 15 writing prompt dare examples to get started. These are great for group brainstorming prompts.

Try out this 52 writing prompt workbook . You even get an editable Canva link to add your own unique prompts!

Get ready for 10-minute writing games to use in your classroom! These games can be scaffolded and differentiated for all grade levels. What writing games do you use in your classroom!

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Four Creative Writing Games to Get Your Group Started

Last updated on March 17th, 2023 at 07:16 am

This article is part four of a series about starting your own creative writing group/club. Part one is here .  Topics will include giving constructive criticism , running a workshop , and writing games / prompts .

I found that the best way to start a group meeting is a fun game.

Here are my general rules for writing games/prompts:

• Encourage everyone to share their writing, but no one ever has to share. This creates an environment where people feel comfortable. The important thing is doing the exercise. If they decide to share, they must read their prompt aloud so everyone knows what it was.
• Set a time limit. I would generally give everyone five to ten minutes per round to write, and then I would open up for sharing. Once everyone had the opportunity to read their work, I would start another round or move on. This also encouraged people to share. After all, no story is good after five minutes.
• No one ever has to keep their prompt. You’ll notice that all of these games include pulling prompts randomly out of a basket. If someone gets something and they don’t like it, they’re allowed to put it back and pick something else.

I created these games for a teen writing group. However, they’re still fun and can easily be played by adults. I encourage you to try them, and tell me how it goes!

The Inanimate Perspective

My teens loved this one. Write down some nouns on slips of paper and put them in a basket for people to randomly pick out. Write a description or a story from the perspective of the inanimate object, and everyone else will try and guess what your noun was. Your goal is to try to trick your listeners but still give them all the information they need in order to guess. Here are some nouns to get you started: rug, clock, ocean, laptop, rubber band, pencil, applesauce, printer, TV, photograph, bookmark, credit card, comic book, water bottle, tape, playing cards, headphones, bed, trash can, shoes, seed, calculator, blender.

Create a Villain

Write down adjectives on slips of paper and put them in a basket for people to randomly pick out. Pick two adjectives and describe or write a story about a villain that matches those adjectives. You can put back your adjectives, but you must put back both and pick two new ones. Here are some adjectives to get you started: pensive, onerous, arrogant, quiet, sneaky, classy, fumbling, disillusioned, determined, mature, chilly, cautious, tough, nervous, meek, grateful, dull, dysfunctional, selfish, proud, smart, ashamed, self-righteous, sulky, squeamish, weary, delicate, discreet, tactful, silent, outgoing, somber, cowardly, ambitious, elitist, whimsical, cheerful, noisy,  lazy.

Occupation Meet Setting

For this game, you’ll need two baskets. One for various occupations and one for various settings. Pick one from each basket to write a story about a person with that occupation in that setting. You can put back your prompts, but you must put back both and pick two new ones. Some occupations and settings to get you started: doctor/nurse, princess/prince, baker/chef, lawyer, journalist, student, tour guide, server, writer, farmer, secretary, homemaker, scientist, musician, photographer, cave, forest, asylum, desert, airport, cemetery, cottage, library, castle, restaurant, boat/yacht, classroom, office, car, hotel, church.

Photo Character

This is my favorite game. Get a bunch of pictures of people from the internet. There are several places to do this . Mix in pictures of people doing everyday things with people wearing bizarre costumes or doing bizarre things. Print them out and put them in a basket for people to randomly pick out. Write a story about the person or one of the people in the photo. It’s an exercise in character development that garners some pretty funny and unique results.

Do you want access to my templates for these games? Check out my resource library !

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Storiumedu is a collaborative writing game for youth that builds skill and lasting confidence., start transforming your students into motivated writers., virtual playing cards unlock creativity..

Gameplay revolves around digital “story cards” that represent different aspects of storytelling and character development. Along with vivid art , these cards serve as writing prompts, helping students figure out what to write next at each step of the game and overcoming the dreaded “writer‘s block.”

Characters give students a personal stake.

Each student creates and controls their own unique character . This helps them care about the story that they’re writing and builds strong, lasting motivation and engagement. Characters grow and evolve as the students play and write, just like in a real story.

Students write amazing original stories, together.

Students take turns playing story cards and adding to the story. Paragraph by paragraph, they collaboratively write their own original story simply by playing the game. StoriumEDU’s simple rules motivate even the most reluctant young writers and keep the story moving forward.

Supercharged tools help you encourage young writers.

StoriumEDU tracks your students’ writing speed and progress, giving you insights both into who is excelling and who needs additional attention. Teachers can monitor all student writing, provide feedback, and request revisions.

Endless stories, endless educational uses.

StoriumEDU is a ”Swiss army knife” that supports an impressively wide range of educational goals. You can use story cards and curricular content from our growing library , created by teachers just like you. You can also easily create your own cards to support your own unique classroom needs.

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“I would recommend StoriumEDU to any creative-minded teacher interested in engaging students in storytelling and collaborative writing. It's an excellent platform to help students creatively explore any number of writing skills.”

“StoriumEDU is unlike any other writing product I have seen. It offers students unique opportunities for learning, fun, and self-discovery, in a way that is manageable, assessable, and enjoyable for teachers to implement.”

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Regular price: $10/mo billed annually, or $15/mo if billed month-to-month. Offer expires 9/30.

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5 Enjoyable English Writing Games That Turn Practise Into Playtime

Step into a world of fun while improving your English writing skills. Fun writing games let you practise and learn at your own pace, making studying an enjoyable experience. In this article, discover 5 English writing games that are suitable for all learning levels, so you can improve your English writing skills while having a blast !

How games can help you learn English

Games for learning English are a fun and effective way to improve your language skills. English creative writing games can help learners like you explore different writing styles and experiment with language, ultimately helping to build your confidence.

Games are a great way to help you remember what you learn in English. They are enjoyable, and when you have fun, it’s easier to remember things for a long time.

Game #1: Story Starters

Story Starters is an English creative writing game that works best with a group of players. This game involves taking turns to write a story with each player adding a sentence within a set time limit.

How to play

To play Story Starters, gather a group of friends, some paper, pens, and a timer.

You will start with a pre-written sentence (if you Google “Story Starter sentences” you can find plenty). You must add a sentence to this story within 2 minutes set on the timer. Once you have written your sentence, pass the paper to the next person and let them repeat the process by adding a new sentence of their own.

This is a great game for letting your imagination run wild and getting your creative juices flowing !

Game #2: Scategories

Scategories is a quick and creative game where you think of words that start with a given letter and that fit into specific categories to earn points for answers that are unique.

A group of players is given a list of prompts such as “things babies need”. Then, a letter from the alphabet is picked at random (using a lettered die or an online letter generator). Once the letter has been chosen, the timer is set, and each player must quickly come up with a word starting with the chosen letter to answer each of the prompts.

To make things a bit trickier, you only get a point for your answer if nobody else has put the same answer. Playing this game challenges you to think fast to find the most creative and unique answers.

Game #3: Picture Prompts

Picture Prompts is a fun writing game that involves using pictures to create imaginative stories or descriptions. This game can be played by yourself or with a group of people.

Each player is given a picture or an image. Next, a timer is set for a specific amount of time – 5 to 10 minutes usually works well. The players must then write a creative story or description based on their picture. The goal is to be as imaginative as possible. Once the time is up, players take turns reading their descriptions or stories to the rest of the group.

Game #4: Consequences

In the game of Consequences, players take turns writing words or phrases on a piece of paper, then hiding what they have written to collaboratively create a funny and often silly story.

Each player takes a turn writing a word or phrase on a piece of paper, then folding the paper after each turn to hide what they’ve written. Then, it’s passed on to the next player, who adds their part before folding the paper and passing it on again. This continues until all players have contributed. Finally, unfold the paper and read out the funny story you created together.

Game #5: Rewrite The Ending

In this English writing game, players are encouraged to choose a favourite film or book and then rewrite the ending.

Rewrite The Ending is a game that does what it says on the tin . Quite simply, you get to rewrite the ending of your favourite book or film. You can change the story, add new characters, or create exciting twists. It’s a creative way to practise writing and using your imagination while having fun with stories that are already familiar to you.

Ready to take your English writing skills to the next level?

While games offer a fun and interactive way to practise and improve your writing skills, combining them with structured learning is even more powerful.

If you’re serious about mastering English, check out our English Online courses. Choose between group classes or private, one-to-one tutoring and experience expert-led learning and personalised guidance to help you perfect your English writing skills in no time at all.

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A collaborative creative writing app where stories are built line by line.

Contribute to multiplayer stories, seeing only what the previous author wrote. modeled on the game exquisite corpse, each creation is gloriously unique still curious learn more..

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Stories in need of a line, what is byline.

A multiplayer creative writing experience where a group of authors creates a story, one line at a time.

How does it work?

Loosely based on exquisite corpse, each author writes a line having only seen the line directly before theirs. Once complete, the creator titles the story and shares it with the group.

Is this a game?

Yes! Get started by creating a story and sharing it with friends. Don't know any writers? No problem. Post your story to Byline and you'll meet some!

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Public stories, private stories.

If you invite individual people (by username, email, or phone number) and make sure Plus others on Byline is deselected then your story becomes private and only those invited can contribute.

What's a breadcrumb?

Breadcrumbs give authors an opportunity to select a key word/phrase from their line that they think is important. Breadcrumbs are visible for the life a the story and can act as clues that offer additional context.

They are optional, but fun to add!

What's a sequel?

Sequels are stories spawned from the last line of other stories. To create a sequel go to the bottom of a finished story and select Write More → Create sequel based on this story .

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If you see something that doesn't live up to our standards report it by clicking the next to any line.

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26 Creative writing games for adults

A selection of fun creative writing games for solo and group play. Each game is designed to help you develop story ideas or learn specific writing skills.

Writing Retreat in South France

The games below have been used with creative writing Meetup group which I've run for 6 years both in Montpellier and online. The group dynamic has changed over the years, however we often start with a short writing game before doing an hour and a half of silent writing, or a feedback session. I've specified whether the games are to be played solo or with a group, however with a little imagination, it's easy to adapt them.

If you're running writing exercises online, I recommend using Zoom, as this lets you use Breakout rooms, enabling you to split into smaller groups when you're sharing your work. This is great for large groups. In my experience, Zoom also has a better connection than Facebook chat or WhatsApp.

You might also enjoy these creative writing exercises and  writing prompts for adults .

A Letter From Your Character To You

If your goal is to write a complete work of fiction, whether it be a novel, a play or a movie script, you will one day need to write to an agent or publisher to ask them to publish your work.

In this exercise, we turn this around and ask you to instead spend 10 minutes writing a letter from a character in your novel to you, the author, explaining why you should write about them! This serves three purposes:

If you're doing this exercise with a group of teens or adults, and some of the group haven't already started working on their masterpiece, they can instead choose any fictional novel that they love and imagine that a character within it wrote to the author in the first place to ask them to write their story.  What did that letter look like?

As you write, it helps you get into the mindset of the character. Ask yourself how they would language this letter and what they would consider important to include.

It's motivating to know that your character wants you to write about them.

It's good practice for when you will need to send a letter to an agent or publisher.

If you're doing this exercise with a group of teens or adults, and some of the group haven't already started working on their masterpiece, they can instead choose any fictional novel they love. Ask participants to imagine that a character within the book wrote to the author in the first place to ask them to write their story. How did they plead their case?

The Opening Sentence

The opening sentence has to grab the reader's attention and make them want to keep reading. Many authors achieve this by starting with an action scene. It's best to avoid starting with someone waking up, or a description of the weather. In this exercise the task is to write an opening sentence either to a book you're currently writing, or simply for an imaginary piece of literature.  Here are some of my favourite opening sentences to get you going:

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

George Orwell , 1984

The Golem's life began in the hold of a steamship.

Helene Wecker , The Golem and the Djinni

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Leo Tolstoy , Anna Karenina

It wasn't a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance.

Diana Gabaldon , Outlander

You better not never tell nobody but God.

Alice Walker , The Color Purple

The cage was finished.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez ,  Balthazar’s Marvelous Afternoon

Imagine that you are living your life out of order: Lunch before breakfast, marriage before your first kiss.

Audrey Niffenegger ,  The Time Traveler's Wife

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

Douglas Adams ,  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There are a plethora of ways you can start a book, however two ways that help engage the reader immediately are:

• Set the scene in as few words as possible, so the reader immediately knows what's happening and wants to know what happens next.  The scene must be original and create a vivid image in the reader's mind.
• Surprise the reader with an unusual event or usual point of view.

Spend 5 minutes working on your own opening sentence, then share it with the other participants.

Make your protagonist act!

Exercise for 2 writers, or can be done solo.

According to John Gardner:

"Failure to recognise that the central character must act, not simply be acted upon, is the single most common mistake in the fiction of beginners."

Spend 5 minutes writing a scene where the protagonist is passive in a conversation with one other character. It could be that the other character says something dramatic, and the protagonist just listens, or it could be anything else of your choice!

Once the 5 minutes is up, swap papers with another writer. If you're using Zoom, or working online, send it to each other in a private chat. Now the other person spends 8 minutes rewriting the scene to make the protagonist as active as possible. This might include:

Read both scenes together. Which makes you want to keep on reading?

If you're doing this as a solo writing exercise, simply complete both parts yourself.

• Showing the emotion this evokes.
• Getting them to disagree with the other character.
• Showing how they respond physically (whether it's as a physical manifestation of how they feel, or a dramatic gesture to make a point).

Overcoming writer's block

Are you staring at a blank page or stuck for any story ideas? This exercise will help anyone who's experiencing writer's block with a particular piece of writing. If this isn't you, that's great, others will value your input!

If anyone has a particular scene they're stuck with (a pool of blood on the floor they have no explanation for, a reason why the rich lady just walked into a particular pub, etc.) then at the start of the exercise everyone briefly describes their scenes (if working online with a large group, typing it into the chat might be best). Everyone then chooses one scene to use as a writing prompt to write a short story for 10-15 minutes.

Afterwards, split into small groups if necessary, and read out how you completed someone else's writing prompt. As everyone listens to everyone else's ideas, this can be a wonderful source of inspiration and also improves your writing. As an alternative solo exercise, try free writing. With free writing, simply write as quickly as you can on the topic without editing or censoring yourself - just let your creative juices flow. If you're not sure what happens next, brainstorm options on the page, jot down story ideas, or just put, "I don't know what happens next." Keep going and ideas will come.

Writing Character Arcs

There are several different types of character arc in a novel, the 3 most common being:

For this exercise choose either a positive or negative character arc. Spend 8 minutes writing a scene from the start of a novel, then 8 minutes writing a scene towards the end of a novel showing how the character has developed between the two points. Don't worry about including how the character has changed, you can leave that to the imagination.

The point here is to capture the essence of a character, as they will be the same, but show their development.

• Positive  - Where a character develops and grows during the novel. Perhaps they start unhappy or weak and end happy or powerful.
• Negative  - Where a character gets worse during a novel. Perhaps they become ill or give in to evil tendencies as the novel progresses.
• Flat  - In a flat character arc the character themself doesn't change much, however the world around them does. This could be overthrowing a great injustice, for example.

Sewing Seeds in Your Writing

In this exercise, we will look at how to sew seeds. No, not in your garden, but in your story. Seeds are the tiny hints and indicators that something is going on, which influence a reader's perceptions on an often unconscious level. They're important, as if you spring a surprise twist on your readers without any warning, it can seem unbelievable. Sew seeds that lead up to the event, so the twists and turns are still surprising, but make intuitive sense. Groups : Brainstorm major plot twists that might happen towards the end of the novel and share it in a Zoom chat, or on pieces of paper. Choose one twist each. Individuals : Choose one of the following plot twists:   -  Your friend is actually the secret son of the king.   -  Unreliable narrator - the narrator turns out to be villain.   -  The monster turns out to be the missing woman the narrator is seeking.   -  The man she is about to marry happens to already have a wife and three kids.

Write for ten minutes and give subtle hints as to what the plot twist is. This is an exercise in subtlety. Remember, when the twist occurs, it should still come as a surprise.

This is a fun writing activity for a small group. You’ve found a magic potion labelled ‘Cat Chat’ and when you drink it, you turn into whichever animal you’re thinking about; but there’s a problem, it also picks up on the brainwaves of other people near you!

Everyone writes down an animal in secret and then reveals it to the other writers.  The spell will turn you into a creature that combines elements of all the animals.  Each person then spends 5 minutes writing down what happens when they drink the potion.

After the 5 minutes is up, everyone shares their story with the other participants.

If you enjoy this exercise, then you may also want to check out our  Fantasy and Sci-Fi writing prompts  full of world building, magic, and character development prompts..

Joe Brainard wrote a novel called:  I Remember It contains a collection of paragraphs all starting with “I remember”.  This is the inspiration for this exercise, and if you’re stuck for what to write, is a great way to get the mental gears turning.  Simply write “I remember” and continue with the first thing that pops into your head.

Spend 5 minutes writing a short collection of “I remember” stories.

Here are a couple of examples from Joe Brainard’s novel:

“I remember not understanding why people on the other side of the world didn't fall off.”

“I remember waking up somewhere once and there was a horse staring me in the face.”

Giving feedback to authors

If you're running a workshop for more experienced adult authors and have at least an hour, this is a good one to use. This is the longest exercise on this page, but I felt it important enough to include.

Give each author the option to bring a piece of their own work. This should be double spaced and a maximum of 3 pages long. If you're running a workshop where not everyone is likely to bring a manuscript, ask everyone who wants to bring one to print two copies each. If someone forgets but has a laptop with them, the reader can always use their laptop.

Print out a few copies and hand them around to everyone in the workshop of the guide on: 'How to give constructive feedback to writers'

Each author who brought a sample with them then gives them to one other person to review. They write their name on the manuscript in a certain colour pen, then add any comments to it before passing it to a second person who does the same (commenting on the comments if they agree or disagree).

Then allow 5 minutes for everyone to discuss the feedback they've received, ensuring they are giving constructive feedback.

The Five Senses

Painting by Giovanni Battista Manerius -  The Five Senses

Choose a scene and write it for 5 minutes focusing on one sense, NOT sight. Choose between:

Hearing  Taste Smell Touch

This can be internal as well as external (I heard my heartbeat thudding in my ears, or I smelt my own adrenaline).

After the 5 minutes stop and everyone reads it out loud to each other. Now write for another 5 minutes and continue the other person's story, but do NOT use sight OR the sense they used.

You can use any sense to communicate the essentials, just focus on creating emotions and conveying the story with the specific sense(s).

If you need some writing prompts, here are possible scenes that involve several senses:

• Climbing through an exotic jungle
• Having an argument that becomes a fight
• A cat's morning
• Talking to someone you're attracted to

Show don't tell

2 or 3 people

A lot of writing guides will advise you to, "Show, don't tell". What does this actually mean?

If you want to evoke an emotional reaction from your reader, showing them what is happening is a great way to do so.  You can approach this in several ways:

Split up into pairs and each person writes down a short scene from a story where they "tell" it.  After this, pass the description of the scene to your partner and they then have 5 minutes to rewrite it to "show" what happened.  If there are an odd number of participants, make one group of three, with each person passing their scene clockwise, so everyone has a new scene to show.  After the 5 minutes, for small groups everyone reads their new description to everyone else, or for large groups, each person just reads their new scene to their partner.

• Avoid internal dialogue (thinking), instead have your protagonist interact with other people, or have a physical reaction to something that shows how s/he feels.  Does their heart beat faster?  Do they notice the smell of their own adrenaline?  Do they step backwards, or lean forwards?
• Instead of using an adjective like creepy, e.g. "Mary entered the creepy house", show why the house is creepy through description and in the way the protagonist responds - "The light streamed through the filthy skylight, highlighting the decomposing body of a rat resting on top of it.  As Mary stepped inside, she felt a gust of freezing air brush past her. She turned, but there was nothing there..."

World building

World building is the art of conveying the magic of living in a different world, whether it's a spaceship, a medieval castle, a boat, or simply someone's living room. To master world building, it's not necessary to know every intricate detail, rather to convey the experience of what it would be like to live there.

Choose one of the above images as a prompt and spend 10 minutes writing a scene from the perspective of someone who is seeing it for the first time. Now, move your character six months forward and imagine they've spent the last six months living or working there. Write another scene (perhaps with an additional character) using the image as a background, with the events of the scene as the main action.

Click the above image for a close-up.

Gossiping about a character as if they're a friend.

Judy Blume says that she tells her family about her characters as if they’re real people. 

Chris Claremont said, "For me, writing the 'X-Men' was easy - is easy. I know these people, they're my friends." 

Today’s exercise has 2 parts. First, spend 5 minutes jotting down some facts about a character you’ve invented that might come up if you were telling your friends about them. Either choose a character in something you’ve already written, or invent one from scratch now.

Answer the questions:

What are they up to? How are they? What would you say if you were gossiping about them?

Then split up into groups of 4 to 6 writers. 2 volunteers from each group then role-play talking about their character as if they were a friend (perhaps another character in the story).  The other participants will role-play a group of friends gossiping about the character behind their back and ask questions. If you don’t know the answer, invent it!

Degrees of Emotion Game

This is based on an acting game, to help actors understand how to perform with different degrees of emotion.

Ask everyone to write the following 4 emotions:

For groups of 5 or less, write down numbers starting with 1 and going up until everyone has a number, then give them out in order. For groups of 6 or more, divide groups into 3's, 4's or 5's.

Each person has to write a scene where the protagonist is alone and is only allowed to say a single word, e.g. "Banana".  The writer with number 1 should write the scene with a very low level of the emotion (e.g. happiness), number 2 increases the intensity a bit and the highest number writes a scene with the most intense emotion you can possibly imagine.

Once each writer has written about happiness, rotate the numbers one or two spaces, then move onto anger, then fear, then sadness.

It can help to give everyone numbers showing the intensity of the emotions to write about at the start of the exercise, in which case you may wish to print either the Word or PDF file, then use the ones corresponding to 3, 4 or 5 writers.

Everyone shares their scene with the other course participants.

Three birds, one line

The first paragraph of a surprising number of best-selling novels serves multiple purposes. These are to:

• Establish a goal
• Set the scene
• Develop a character

Nearly every chapter in a novel also serves all three purposes. Instead of establishing a goal though, the protagonist either moves towards it, or encounters an obstacle that hinders them from achieving it.

Some books manage to meet all three purposes with their opening lines, for example:  

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

J.K. Rowling ,  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  

A little more than one hundred days into the fortieth year of her confinement, Dajeil Gelian was visited in her lonely tower overlooking the sea by an avatar of the great ship that was her home.

Iain M. Banks ,  Excession  

"We should start back," Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.

George R.R. Martin ,  A Game of Thrones

For this exercise write a sentence or short paragraph that serves all three purposes. If you're already writing a novel, then see if you can do this for the first line in a chapter. If not, choose any combination from the following table:

Blind Date on Valentine's Day (Exercise for Adults)

In pairs one writer spends a minute or two describing a character they're writing about, or alternatively they can describe a celebrity or someone from a work of fiction.  The next writer then describes their character.

The story is that these 2 characters (or in my case, person and alien, as I'm writing a sci-fi) have accidentally ended up on a blind date with each other. Perhaps the waiter seated them in the wrong location, perhaps it's an actual blind date, or perhaps they met in some other fashion the writers can determine.

Now spend 10 minutes discussing what happens next!

A Success (Works best for online groups)

This exercise works best for online groups, via Zoom, for example.  The instructions to give are:

"In a few words describe a success in your life and what it felt like to achieve it. It can be a small victory or a large one."

Share a personal example of your own (mine was watching my homeschooled sons sing in an opera together).

"Once you have one (small or large), write it in the chat.

The writing exercise is then to choose someone else's victory to write about for 10 minutes, as if it was the end of your own book.

If you want to write for longer, imagine how that book would start. Write the first part of the book with the ending in mind."

This is great for reminding people of a success in their lives, and also helps everyone connect and discover something about each other.

Your dream holiday

You’re going on a dream holiday together, but always disagree with each other. To avoid conflict, rather than discuss what you want to do, you’ve decided that each of you will choose a different aspect of the holiday as follows:

• Choose where you’ll be going – your favourite holiday destination.
• Choose what your main fun activity will be on the holiday.
• Decide what mode of travel you’ll use to get there.
• If there’s a 4 th  person, choose what you’ll eat on the holiday and what you’ll be wearing.

Decide who gets to choose what at random. Each of you then writes down your dream holiday destination/activity/travel/food & clothes in secret.  Next spend 5 minutes discussing your dream holiday and add any other details you’d like to include, particularly if you’re passionate about doing something in real life.

Finally, everyone spends another 5 minutes writing down a description of the holiday, then shares it with the others.

A haiku is a traditional Japanese form of non-rhyming poetry whose short form makes it ideal for a simple writing exercise.

They are traditionally structured in 3 lines, where the first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the third line is 5 syllables again. Haiku tend to focus on themes of nature and deep concepts that can be expressed simply.

A couple of examples:

A summer river being crossed how pleasing with sandals in my hands! Yosa Buson , a haiku master poet from the 18 th  Century.

And one of mine:

When night-time arrives Stars come out, breaking the dark You can see the most

Martin Woods

Spend up to 10 minutes writing a haiku.  If you get stuck with the 5-7-5 syllable rule, then don’t worry, the overall concept is more important!

See  How to write a haiku  for more details and examples.

Unlike a haiku, which is profound and sombre, a limerick is a light-hearted, fun rhyming verse.

Here are a couple of examples:

A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill can hold more than his beli-can He can take in his beak Food enough for a week But I'm damned if I see how the heli-can.

Dixon Lanier Merritt, 1910

There was a young lady named Bright, Whose speed was far faster than light; She started one day In a relative way, And returned on the previous night.

Arthur Henry Reginald Buller in  Punch,  1923

The 1 st , 2 nd  and 5 th  line all rhyme, as do the 3 rd  and 4 th  line.  The overall number of syllables isn’t important, but the 3 rd  and 4 th  lines should be shorter than the others.

Typically, the 1 st  line introduces the character, often with “There was”, or “There once was”. The rest of the verse tells their story.

Spend 10 minutes writing a limerick.

Time Travel - Child, Adult, Senior

Imagine that your future self as an old man/woman travels back in time to meet you, the adult you are today.  Alternatively, you as a child travels forward in time to meet yourself as an adult.  Or perhaps both happen, so the child you, adult you, and senior you are all together at the same time.  In story form write down what happens next.

Participants then share their story with other writers either in small groups, or to the whole group.

Onomatopeai, rhyme and alliteration

Today's session is all about sound.

Several authors recommend reading your writing out loud after you've written it to be sure it sounds natural.   Philip Pullman  even goes as far as to say:

"When I’m writing, I’m more conscious of the sound, actually, than the meaning. I know what the rhythm of the sentence is going to be before I know what the words are going to be in it."

For today's exercise, choose the name of a song and write for 10 minutes as if that's the title for a short story. Focus on how your writing sounds and aim to include at least one onomatopoeia, rhyme or alliteration.  At the end of the 10 minutes, read it out loud to yourself, or to the group.

Alliterations

An alliteration example from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.

Onomatopoeias

Buzz, woof, quack, baa, crash, purr, beep, belch,...

The alphabet story - creating a story as a group

This is a novel way to write a story as a group, one word at a time.  The first person starts the story that begins with any word starting with “A”, the next person continues the story with a word starting with “B”, and so on.

Keep going round until you have completed the alphabet.  Ideally it will all be one sentence, but if you get stuck, start a new sentence.  Don’t worry if it doesn’t make complete sense!

It can be tricky to remember the alphabet when under pressure, so you may wish to print it out a couple of times, so the storytellers can see it if they need to, this is particularly helpful if you have dyslexics in the group.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Here’s an example of an alphabet story:

A Band Can Dance Each Friday, Ghostly Hauntings In Jail Kill Lucky Men, Nobody Or Perhaps Quiet Rats, Still That Unifies Villains Who X-Ray Your Zebras.

As I mentioned, it doesn’t need to make sense!

Murder Mystery Game

Groups of 3 or 4

This exercise takes 20-30 minutes and allows participants to create a murder mystery outline together.

Phase 1 (3 minutes)

• Split into groups of 3 or 4
• Decide as a group where the murder occurs (e.g. the opera house, a bar, a casino)
• Decide one person who will write the details of the victim and the murder itself.  Everyone else writes the details of one suspect each.
• The ‘victim author’ then invents a few extra details about the scene of the crime, who the victim was (a teenage punk, an adult opera singer, etc.) and the murder weapon and summarises this to the others.

Phase 2 (10 minutes)

Each person then writes a police report as if they are either describing the scene of the crime, or recording the notes from their interview with a single suspect:

Write the following:

• 1 line description of the victim.
• When they were last seen by a group of witnesses (and what they were doing).
• How the murder occurred in more detail based on the evidence available.

Write the following (from the perspective of the investigator):

• 1 line description of the suspect
• What they said during the interview (including what they claim to have doing when the murder occurs).
• A possible motivation (as determined by the police from other witnesses).

Phase 3 (5 minutes)

• Each person reads out their police reports to the other members of their small group
• As a group, decide who the murderer was and what actually happened

See more ideas on  creating murder mystery party games

The obscure movie exercise

Pick a famous movie and spend 5 minutes writing a scene from it from an unusual perspective.  Your aim is to achieve a balance between being too obscure and making it too obvious.  Feel free to add internal dialogue.

At the end of the 5 minutes, everyone reads their movie scene to the others and all the other participants see if they can guess what the movie is.

Creative story cards / dice

Cut up a piece of paper and write one word on each of the pieces of paper, as follows:

Give each participant a couple of pieces of paper at random.  The first person says the first sentence of a story and they must use their first word as part of that sentence.  The second person then continues the story and must include their word in it, and so on.  Go round the group twice to complete the story.

You can also do this creative writing exercise with story dice, your own choice of words, or by asking participants to write random words down themselves, then shuffling all the cards together.

Looking for more writing games?

If you're looking for more writing games, checkout the following:

• Writing exercises for adults
• Creative writing prompts
• Sci-fi and fantasy prompts

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13 Creative Writing Games For Kids To Nurture Their Imagination

Writing is such an important part of your child’s development and education . Of course, you probably already remember how important essay writing was during testing time when you were in school. That hasn’t changed. When you also consider all the poorly written work emails you get in a day, it makes it even easier to understand how dire it is for kids to learn to communicate effectively when they write. There’s more to writing than just school work and business communication, though. Journaling is an excellent way to teach kids to explore their feelings. Creative writing is also wildly important for kiddos as it nurtures their imagination .

How do you encourage a child to write? It’s not always easy, but making it fun can certainly help.

1. Telephone Pictionary

There’s actually a board game , called Scribblish , that follows this same concept. However, you can play the game without shelling out money. Start by having your child write down a secret sentence. Maybe it’s a short quote from a Disney movie or just something they’re feeling. Next, they’ll pass it to a friend or sibling and that player will try to draw what the sentence says. They’ll fold over or tear off the original sentence. When it gets to the next person, they’ll try to translate the drawing into a sentence. This can follow as many steps as you want. In the end, it’s just like playing telephone and super fun to see how convoluted things got from the original message.

2. Personalized Card Messages

Getting ready to send that Amazon gift card to your brother in another state? Set down your child and ask them to write a letter to their uncle. If they’re stuck, make gentle suggestions by asking them about their favorite memory with their uncle or reminding them of the last present he sent.

3. Start a Journal

The traditional way of doing this is to just buy your sweetie a fun new journal and some cool pens. Then let them decide what to write inside. You could also make it a journal you share — a safe place for them to tell you their feelings and secrets or ask you questions they might be embarrassed to ask out loud. You could even write shared stories by taking turns filling a page each night.

4. Popcorn Storytelling

Remember popcorn reading in class? Think of this like that. You can start a story with a sentence or two, then pass it on to one of your children. Whether they take two minutes to write out the next part of the story or just tell you what happens next, they’re still “writing” and creating something new. After two minutes, it’s someone else’s turn.

5. Secret Storytime

Similar to popcorn writing, but with a bit more structure. Start with a piece of paper and have the first kiddo write down the name of a person or character, then fold it over and pass it along. The next kid will name another person, fold it, again, and pass it on. Keep passing until each of the following questions are answered:

Where did they go? What did they do? What did they say? How did it end? The last player unfolds the paper and uses the answers to tell the story.

6. Mad Libs

Mad Libs have been around for decades and are still pretty popular. Now only is it a fun storytelling adventure, it’s also a chance to each your kids grammar and sentence structure. Start by working your way through a couple books. Next, make up your own Mad Lib for your children to fill in and, eventually, encourage them to make one for you.

7. Vocab Challenge

You can use your children’s vocabulary words from school or have your own set of words at home. Help them learn a fun new word each morning and then ask them to come up with a sentence that uses that word. For older kids, ask them to take all their sentences from the week and use them (and new sentences) to create a story.

8. Screen time, School time

It’s summer. You don’t want everything they learned to go to waste. But, you also don’t have a brain full of activities to fill the two months’ worth of days they’re off. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of screen time. However, if you’re feeling guilty, making it a “learning opportunity.” “You can watch Moana, but then you have to write five sentences about it.” As they get older, challenge them with more specific questions to answer. “What did she learn?” “Why was her grandma so important to her journey?” You get the idea.

9. Grocery Time

This isn’t exactly a game but, with enough enthusiasm from you, it might seem like one. Ask your kiddo to help write out the grocery list. This could be as imaginative as asking them what they’d like to buy or as useful as helping them write out and spell the things you actually need to get. Bonus: Including them in your meal planning and grocery buying might actually mean less dinner table stubbornness. Maybe.

10. Caption Contest

Make copies of funny family pictures and put them in a scrapbook. Let your kids have fun writing the captions for each picture.

11. Guess Who!

Remember the game of Guess Who where you had to use descriptors to eliminate people until you accurately guessed who the other person was? A simple twist on this game is to show your kids different pictures of people or characters they know, then ask them to write out five sentences that describe their person. Afterwards, they’ll take turn reading their descriptions to one another and guessing who they got.

12. Dialogue Writing

This can go multiple directions. You could print off a comic strip with no dialogue and ask your children to decide what happens and what is said. You could even print out completely blank comic strips and let them write or draw their own comics. Another option, though, is to simply say, “What do you think so and so would talk about while out to dinner?” This could be something like Mickey and Minnie or even Grandma and Dad. Start simple, but mix things up as they get better about it. “What would you talk about while stuck in traffic with your music teacher?” “What do you think I would say to the President?”

13. Invest In Story Cubes

There are so many iterations of story cubes and so many ways to play! The basic concept is simple, though: Little cubes that you roll like dice and help get your brain working.

Related: There’s A Way For Schools To Do Homework That Doesn’t Suck

This article was originally published on Jan. 29, 2020

A Big, Bold List of Creative Writing Activities

by Melissa Donovan | Jan 4, 2024 | Creative Writing | 24 comments

Try some of these creative writing activities.

Are you looking for writing motivation, inspiration, or ideas that will give your latest project an extra boost?

Below you’ll find a massive list of creative writing activities. Some of these activities will keep you writing when you’re in need of ideas and inspiration. Others will improve your writing skills and techniques through practice. Some will give you experience with forms and genres you haven’t tried. And others will help you promote your writing once it’s published.

Pick any activity and use it as a creative outlet. Bring a few activities to your writing group or do one with your kids. Use these creative writing activities in any way you want.

Start a Journal

Journaling is an excellent way to maintain a steady writing practice, and there are lots of different journals you can write: gratitude journals, dream journals, media journals, poetry journals, and idea journals, to name a few.

Image Prompts

Flip through some images on Instagram or Pinterest and see what sparks an idea. Don’t place limitations on your writing—just let the words flow.

Character Letters

Writing letters in your characters’ voices can help you get inside their heads and understand them better so you can write them with more depth and realism. Create an ongoing correspondence to explore character relationships and group dynamics within your cast.

Write Your Bio

Write a series of short bios for your social media accounts and a longer one for your author website. Don’t forget to make a bio for your press kit and another to include in your books.

Rhyme and Meter Exercises

Set your inner musician free by composing lines and couplets in metrical patterns with rhymes. Establish the parameters before you start writing, or just let the words flow and note the meter and rhyme afterward.

Memory Prompts

Grab an old photo album or flip through the photos on your phone—or use recall to bring forth memories that you can write about. Use this as an exercise in writing description or crafting a narrative about something you experienced or witnessed—ideal if you’re interested in writing a memoir.

Writing Exercises

Writing exercises keep your skills sharp and your creativity flowing even when inspiration is fleeting. They are excellent for keeping up your writing practice between projects. Pick up a book of creative writing exercises so you’ll have plenty to choose from.

What-if List

Create a repository of ideas by writing a list of what-if questions that could spark characters, plots, and settings for your future works of fiction or provide ideas you can explore in poetry and nonfiction writing projects.

Newsletters

A mailing list is one of the best ways for an author to connect with a readership. Start planning yours now. You can fill your newsletter with behind-the-scenes material from your books or excerpts from your work in progress. Or write a poem or piece of flash fiction for your newsletter.

Character Diary

The best characters feel like real people, which means the writer has fully gotten into their heads and hearts. One way to do that is to keep a diary in your character’s voice, which will help you establish their innermost thoughts and feelings. And who knows? Maybe a character diary will turn into a novel written in first person!

Your Future Self

Jump at least ten years into the future and write a letter from your current self to your future self, write a letter from your future self to your current self, or write a diary entry as your future self.

Try Writing for Comics

Comics are often partnerships between artists and writers. Give the writing side of comics a try. If you don’t want to draw, just make notes about what the illustrations will depict. Focus on character, plot, and dialogue. Flip through a few comics if you need examples to guide you.

Dream Vacation

Write a few pages describing your dream vacation. Where will you go? How long will you stay? What will you do there? If you’ve already experienced a dream vacation, write about that instead.

Blurb Your Favorite Books

A book blurb is a short statement endorsing a book, often written by another author. Choose a few of your favorite titles and write blurbs for them.

Focus on dialogue by writing a script. It could be a script for a play, a TV series, or a movie, or it can simply be an exercise in practicing or exploring dialogue.

Imagined World History

Create a fictional history for a fantastical or sci-fi story world. What were the origins of the civilization? What are their customs and traditions? Their laws and beliefs?

Write a Recipe

Start with an introduction that makes the reader’s mouth water, and then deliver the recipe, complete with an ingredient list and cooking instructions.

Propose an Adaptation of Your Favorite Book

Do you have a favorite book that’s never been made into a film or television series? Put together a two-page pitch convincing studio executives that this story needs to be seen on a screen.

Write a Letter You’ll Never Send

Write a letter to someone who’s gone, someone who’s upset you, or someone you admire from afar.

Find Poetry

Found poetry is when we use words and phrases from source material to create a poem. This is most often seen as a page of printed text with various words and phrases circled, or all text blacked out except the portions that make up the found poem.

Write a Speech

Write an award acceptance speech; a campaign speech, or a graduation or wedding speech.

Make an Outline

Create an outline for a large-scope project, such as a book or series of books.

This is Like That

Practice writing similes and metaphors. Similes are when one thing is like another (your smile is like sunshine) and metaphors are when one thing is another (your smile is sunshine).

Make a Chapbook

If you’ve written a lot of short pieces, like essays, poems, and short stories, collect them into a chapbook. Bring it to an open mic and take along copies you can sell or give away, or offer it on your blog, website, or social media as a free or premium download.

Create a Motivation Journal

Fill it with things that make you want to write — positive affirmations, favorite lines from poems, quotes of wisdom, and useful reminders. Crack it open whenever you catch yourself procrastinating when you should be writing.

Give Fan Fiction a Whirl

Write a few scenes in your favorite story world. Create new characters or use existing characters. Just remember — you don’t own the intellectual property, so you can’t commercially publish it.

Write a Critique

A critique should start by highlighting the strengths in a piece of writing, and then it should gently but constructively offer feedback that is meant to show the author how to make improvements. You can critique any work, but it would be ideal if you can find a writer friend to swap critiques with.

Write Log Lines for Your Favorite Stories

A log line is a sentence or two that summarizes a story and entices readers. If you’re working on a project, write a log line about it. Log lines are excellent for crystallizing your vision, and they’re also useful for pitching and selling written works.

Start a Legacy Book

A legacy book is a collection of writings and other materials (letters, photos, ephemera, etc.) that can be passed down as a family heirloom. Write about your family history and document significant or memorable family events.

Speculate the Future

What do you think the world will look like in twenty-five years? Fifty? A hundred? A thousand? Write an essay or short story, or create a world-building document for a futuristic civilization.

Write a Film Treatment

Written like a short story in present tense, a film treatment is an overview of an entire film; it’s usually written before the first draft and used for pitching film ideas throughout the industry.

Write a Blog Post

If you write nonfiction, this should be easy; just write a post about one of your usual topics. If you’re a poet or a fiction writer, write about the craft, the industry, or use subject matter from your written works.

Practice Description

Writing description is an important skill. Create a one-page description for a story setting, or describe a location you’ve visited, or write a description of a real person or a fictional character.

Turn Memories Into Magic

Memories can provide a wealth of ideas for any type of writing, from poetry to fiction and a variety of essays. Choose an early memory and write it as a story, essay, or poem.

Social media is ideal for people who can write snappy, witty, and entertaining or engaging vignettes. Social media is an excellent tool for writers to find readers and connect with one another, so mastering a couple of these social platforms is a good idea if you hope to build a career as a writer.

Rewrite What You Don’t Like

Dig through your old, discarded writings and find a piece that had some potential. Then rewrite it.

Analyze a Written Work

Choose a piece of writing (it can be a book, an article, an essay — anything) and then write an analysis of at least 2,000 words (or about four pages).

Read and Resemble

Read a handful of poems by a single poet and then attempt writing a poem in that poet’s voice. This is not an exercise in copying; it’s an exercising in studying the voice of a writer. If you’re feeling ambitious, try it with works of fiction and write a scene in an author’s voice.

Write a Review

Choose a book that you’ve read recently and write a detailed review of it. What worked? What didn’t work? What did you like? What didn’t you like? Remember, a review should help a book find its readers. Who is this book for, if not for you?

Get Busy with These Creative Writing Activities!

What are some of your favorite creative writing activities? Have you done any of the activities on this list? Which ones would you want to try? Can you think of any writing activities to add to this list? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment, and keep writing!

24 Comments

Thank you for all these wonderful ideas. After a very long hiatus from the writing world (mostly because of health) I am feeling a bit rusty. Using some of these ideas will certainly prime the pump! I really enjoy your blog and appreciate the basics of grammar, etc. I find that I have slipped into some old habits just in my everyday writing and your tips help me get back on track.

Thanks, Ann. I’m always touched by comments like yours. It keeps me going when people let me know this blog is helpful or inspiring. So thank you for taking the time. Best of luck and keep writing!

The character journal is a great idea!!!

The problem with the character journal is that it could be time consuming, but I love it as a way to get to know a character, and more specifically, to get inside a character’s head.

All of these ideas are wonderful. I’m especially attracted to the last two suggestions. Both of those activities are fun for me and certainly bound to be helpful concerning my writing skills.

When I must wait in the car (with a sleeping grandchild, for instance) I’m only happy if I can see folks as they come and go.

We play word games on a regular basis and have found it strengthens the writing skills of even those of us who do not call ourselves wordsmiths.

Keep up the excellent work.

Thanks so much for your kind words, Yvonnne. I’m looking forward to the day when the little ones in my family (niece and nephew) are old enough to play word and letter games.

Hi Melissa, Thanks for these wonderful ideas. I ‘m taking a couple of days off from writing my memoir, and will try them out.’Writing as one of my characters’ and ‘sitting in some heavily populated place for observations’ are intriguing.

Those are my two favorites as well. Good luck, Margaret, and enjoy your hiatus. I hope it refreshes you so you can return to your memoir.

Love the character journal idea! To keep my vocab going I choose pages out of the dictionary/thesaurus to keep my brain working. It also does wonders for my muse. 🙂 Thanks for sharing this list.

I write a lot of scenes and backstory for my characters, which are never included in the book. Exploring the characters outside of the narrative has proven to be very helpful in better understanding them.

Hi, Melissa!

Well, I’ve been absent for quite a long while. But I have been busy. A spec piece submitted to my local daily newspaper landed me a column. (Who couldda guessed?) I also write theater reviews for them; write what you know has never been more true.

Consequently, I find that my creative writing has slowed quite a bit. The sequel to my debut needs, maybe, two more chapters yet there it sits, though a production company asked for it. Even reading the preceding few chapters doesn’t help me get into the character’s heads in order to finish the thing.

Got any ideas?

Congrats on landing a column, Paul. That’s awesome. I’m not sure why you’ve been unable to finish your sequel, so I can’t offer any specific suggestions, but you can start by fguring out why you’re not finishing it (no time, lost interest, etc.), and then you can probably rectify the problem.

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing these great ideas.

You’re welcome. Thanks for commenting!

It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut. Every writer needs to step away.

I live near the University of Oregon. Every now and than I take a walk through campus. I try to time it during a busy school day. I wish I could bottle the youthful energy that is floating in the wind.

If any of you live near a school try it.

Thank you for the list. It helps a lot.

Yes, breaks are great refreshers for a creative mind. You’re lucky to live near a beautiful place for walks.

I don’t speek english so, sorry if i write wrong, but i need to tell you that your blog is amazing. Your write it’s soo good and make me wanna write. I have 15 years old and i love write, maybe I become a writter when I grew up, and I don’t know how to make my ideias go for the paper but your blog has helped me. Thank you!!

Hi Isabella. Thanks for sharing your passion for writing. I’m glad you’re enjoying this blog. Keep writing!

Thank you for your useful ideas! You have inspired me to try out new formats. I’m not a professional writer, it’s more my hobby. But still, I want to improve myself by writing texts and short stories.

You’re welcome. I’m glad this inspired you, and I’m thrilled that you’re working toward improvement. That’s wonderful!

Hi Melissa! I just wanted you to know that I recently bought some of your books and I absolutely love them and carry them around with me everywhere. Keep up the amazing work! Best wishes, Sandra Harris.

Wow, you just made my day, Sandra. That’s one of the nicest things anyone has said about my books. I’m so glad you like them. Keep writing!

Thank you for those amaing ideas. I’m not exactly stuck, as I know where my latest book is going, but I’m a bit lacking in motivation right now. Some of your suggestions might just get my juices flowing again.

Hi Vivienne. You’re welcome. I’m glad you found some motivation here. Keep writing!

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Writing Games: Engaging Activities to Boost Creativity

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on October 17, 2023

Categories Creativity , Entertainment , Inspiration , Writing

Writing games are an excellent way to improve and hone your writing skills while having fun at the same time. These games not only enhance your creativity but also help in developing a strong foundation in grammar, punctuation, and storytelling.

From classroom activities to online platforms, there’s a wide variety of writing games available for learners of all ages and expertise levels.

Educational writing games provide an engaging and interactive approach to teaching language skills, making the learning process enjoyable for both students and teachers.

These games often focus on key aspects of writing, such as sentence structure, word choice, and narrative development, adapting to the needs of each individual learner.

Story and letter writing games, in particular, provide a structured yet creative environment for aspiring writers to put their thoughts into words and channel their inner storyteller.

Key Takeaways

• Writing games help improve writing skills in a fun and interactive way
• Educational writing games focus on grammar, punctuation, and storytelling
• A variety of games are available online and in classrooms to suit different skill levels and learning styles

Fun Writing Games

Adjective Games

One fun and engaging way to strengthen your writing skills is through adjective games . These activities help you expand your vocabulary and make your sentences more descriptive. For example, try “Adjective Showdown,” where you take turns with a partner, picking a noun and brainstorming as many adjectives as possible to describe it.

Another game is “Adjective Charades,” where players take turns acting out adjectives, while others try to guess the word.

To make your writing more dynamic and action-packed, try practicing with verb games . “Verb Relay” is an entertaining option where you form two teams and race to list verbs that fit a given category, like “things you do in the kitchen.”

Another game, “Verb Tenses Race,” challenges you to write sentences in different tenses, like past, present, and future, for a selected verb. These games not only enhance your use of verbs but also improve your understanding of grammar rules.

Pictionary Games

Pictionary games are not just fun, but also great for developing your writing skills. Combining drawing and writing, these activities encourage creativity and boost your ability to visualize ideas. One example is “Illustrated Stories,” where you draw a simple doodle or picture, and then write a story inspired by your drawing.

Another option is playing a traditional game of Pictionary focused on literary themes, like characters, settings, or objects from famous books. By transforming your ideas into visual representations, you’ll unlock new perspectives and improve your ability to craft engaging stories.

Educational Writing Games

Noun games are a fun way for children to practice their writing skills while learning about the basic building blocks of sentences.

One great example is the Nouns and Verbs Sort Game , where players categorize words into the correct column. This activity works well in homeschool settings and helps children identify nouns easily. Another interesting option is the “Name It” game, in which the child looks at pictures and writes down the nouns they represent.

Pronoun Games

Teaching pronouns can be engaging and enjoyable with creative games. Your child can practice replacing noun phrases with appropriate pronouns by playing the “Pronoun Swap” game. In this activity, you provide sentences with underlined nouns, and your child replaces them with the correct pronoun, such as he, she, it, or they.

For an online experience, ABCya is an excellent resource for writing games, including those that serve as pronoun exercises.

Grammar Games

Grammar games incorporate various aspects of writing, such as punctuation, capitalization, and conjugation.

Fun Factory is a great example you can use, where children practice adding the correct punctuation or capitalization to sentences. To work on verb tense, try the “Tense Transformation” game, in which sentences are provided in one verb tense, and your child must rewrite them into another tense.

These games are a valuable addition to your homeschool writing curriculum, providing an exciting way for kids to learn and practice grammar.

Story and Letter Writing Games

Storybuilding Games

Engaging in story writing can be a great way to spark creativity and improve literacy skills. To make it fun and interactive, try playing some storybuilding games with your students or kids.

One cool example is Storymaker from ABCya, where young learners can create their own unique tales using a variety of characters, objects, and backgrounds.

Another entertaining game is sentence stretching. This game encourages players to expand short, simple sentences into more detailed and descriptive ones. Simply start with a basic sentence and take turns adding adjectives, adverbs, or other words to make it more interesting.

Letter Composition Games

Letter writing is an essential skill to master, and it can be just as enjoyable as crafting stories.

To liven up the learning process, check out Write a Letter to Santa from ABCya, catered to children in kindergarten to grade 3. This interactive game guides youngsters through the process of composing a letter while covering vital aspects such as addressing, greeting, body, closing, and signatures.

Another fun letter composition game is “Grammar Toss – Sentence Making.” In this activity, players toss a ball or beanbag to each other while they construct sentences. Each person must include a correct grammar element, such as a noun, verb, or punctuation mark. As the players continue tossing the ball, they work together to form a coherent sentence that incorporates the various grammar components.

By incorporating these games into your teaching or parenting approach, you’ll make story and letter writing more enjoyable and engaging. So go ahead, give these games a try, and watch as your young ones become more confident and proficient in their writing skills!

Creative Writing Games

Space-themed Writing

Unleash your inner astronaut and delve into the world of space-themed creative writing games! By focusing on this exciting topic, you can explore endless possibilities and fuel your imagination. Try crafting short stories about intergalactic adventures, alien encounters, or futuristic space technology.

You can even engage in a group activity where each person writes a paragraph, building a collaborative cosmic tale. Remember, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you – all you need to do is let your mind wander through the vast universe.

Character Interview Games

Developing intriguing characters is crucial for successful creative writing, and character interview games are your fun ticket to achieving that.

These games challenge you to think deeply about your character’s traits, backstory, and motives, through a series of interview-style questions. Start by creating a list of questions that your character might be asked, focusing on their personality, life experiences, and relationships.

Then, answer these questions as if you were the character, ensuring to write in a friendly, conversational tone. You’ll be surprised how these insightful answers deepen your connection with your character and enhance your overall writing. So go ahead, and enjoy the journey of getting to know your characters better through these entertaining exercises.

Writing Games for Journalists

As a journalist, it’s essential to keep your writing skills sharp and engaging. Writing games can be a fun and interactive way to enhance your abilities. In this section, we will discuss two types of writing games specifically tailored for journalists: Article Drafting Games and Headline Creation Games.

Article Drafting Games

Article drafting games are designed to help you practice crafting well-written and engaging newspaper articles. One idea is to create a communal story, where you and your fellow journalists take turns adding sentences or paragraphs to a shared document. This can be a great way to collaborate on a story and see how different writing styles blend together.

Another useful game involves focusing on the details. Pick a specific event or topic and challenge yourself to write a news article filled with vivid and accurate descriptions. Be sure to include quotes from relevant sources and present the information in a clear, concise manner.

You can also try rewriting the endings of existing articles. Find a newspaper article whose conclusion doesn’t satisfy you and rewrite it in a way that you find more compelling. This will help you practice creating strong, impactful endings for your stories.

Headline Creation Games

Crafting attention-grabbing headlines is a key skill for journalists. One simple game to improve your headline writing skills is to pick a random newspaper article and brainstorm at least five alternative headlines for it. Try to create headlines with varying tones (serious, humorous, or informative) to practice adapting your style to different situations.

Another game is called “Headline Roulette.”

Gather a group of fellow journalists and give each person a stack of cards with intriguing single words written on them. Then, challenge everyone to create a unique headline using the words they’ve received. This exercise is fun and encourages creativity in crafting engaging headlines.

By participating in these writing games, you can hone your journalism skills and ensure that your newspaper articles are always well-written, engaging, and informative. Have fun, and remember that practice makes perfect!

Fun Writing Activities

One exciting method is to participate in creative writing exercises that challenge you to think outside the box, whether you’re writing alone or with a group.

Examples of these exercises include writing prompts or activities that focus on specific writing skills. Giving your imagination free rein will undoubtedly make the writing experience more enjoyable.

Another way to spark your creativity is by creating an Island Story Map. Begin by marking a starting point with a star and an endpoint with a red cross. Then, fill the map with obstacles, challenges, and interesting events for your characters to overcome. This approach allows you to visually explore and engage with your story world, making the writing process more exciting.

Don’t forget writing games that can entertain while improving your literacy skills. These games can be simple to play and easily adapted to suit different age levels. Whether it’s using random words to create a story or starting a sentence that your friends must finish, writing games help you think on your feet and keep your creative mind engaged.

Classroom Applications

As a teacher, you can incorporate various writing games into your classroom to make the learning process more engaging and fun. Writing games are versatile and can be utilized in almost any subject or course.

By integrating these enjoyable activities into your teaching strategy, you are not only making the learning process enjoyable but also helping your students develop their writing skills in a playful manner.

One fantastic tool to check out is BookWidgets , which allows you to create different types of interactive activities and assessments that can be easily assigned to your Google Classroom. This platform brings the convenience of creating and managing all your interactive activities in one place.

A fantastic app to improve your students’ writing skills is the Writing Challenge App . This app is designed as an interactive game that provides prompts to get the students started, and as they write, it supplies new prompts to add ideas, characters, and actions to the plot.

Incorporating this app in your classroom will encourage students to explore their creativity and improve their ability to generate unique ideas.

Another highly recommended app is Story Builder , designed to help students with paragraph formation, integration of ideas, and abstract thinking. It uses audio clips to promote access to writing, making it an engaging tool in the classroom.

Advanced Writing Games

Adverbial Phrase Games

Friendly competition among peers can make learning grammar more enjoyable, and advanced writing games that focus on adverbial phrases are no exception. Here are some interesting and creative games to challenge your writing skills and deepen your understanding of adverbial phrases:

• Adverbial Phrase Challenge : Select an action verb, and then come up with as many appropriate adverbial phrases as you can to modify that verb in a sentence. For example, if “run” is the chosen verb, you could create phrases like “run quickly,” “run gracefully,” or “run at full speed.” Share your ideas with your peers and see who comes up with the most unique and creative combinations. Using a timer can add an extra challenge!
• Adverbial Phrase Stories : Engage in creative writing by starting with a simple sentence, then expand it with adverbial phrases to create a vivid scene. For instance, the sentence “The cat jumped” can become “The cat jumped agilely onto the rusty fence in the moonlight.” You can collaborate with others and build a coherent story by taking turns adding adverbial phrases to each sentence.
• Adverbial Phrase Showdown : Have two players face off in a head-to-head battle where one player must use adverbial phrases to enhance a given sentence, while the other must spot and explain why each adverbial phrase is effective. This game helps both players improve their understanding of adverbial phrases and their potential impact on a sentence’s meaning.

Remember, adverbial phrases add depth and excitement to your writing, making your story or essay more engaging. By incorporating these games into your practice, you’ll not only have fun but also improve your writing skills in no time.

Fundamentals of Writing Games

You might be wondering how to step into the world of writing games. Well, we’re here to help! In this section, we’ll cover the main fundamentals of game writing to give you a strong foundation.

First, let’s talk about your writing skills. It’s important to have solid writing abilities when tackling game narratives. You need to create compelling stories, characters, and dialogues that engage players. Remember, practice makes perfect, so honing your craft by writing daily can make a big difference.

Now, let’s dive into the world of game writing. It is unique from other forms of writing, as you need to integrate the story into the interactive and dynamic nature of video games. A game writer must keep in mind the player’s choices and the non-linear story structure and plan multiple narrative paths accordingly.

With resources like Video Game Writing Essentials available online, getting started shouldn’t be a problem.

When writing for games, you must consider the game’s mechanics and design. This means understanding how gameplay elements, challenges, and environment fit into the story. Collaborating with game designers will help seamlessly weave the story into the gameplay.

During the game development process, it’s essential to be flexible and open to adaptation. Game writing involves a lot of iterations and refining. As the game design evolves, your story may need to change as well. Listen to feedback, stay receptive, and be a team player to create a captivating game.

Tips and Guides

First off, always familiarize yourself with the basics of game writing. You can find inspiration and great examples by looking at the instruction manuals of some of your favorite games. Analyze how they format instructions and take note of any elements you particularly enjoy.

When starting your project, make sure to have a solid plan for your story and characters. A practical guide to game writing can be a valuable resource to help you get started on the right foot. This guide will give you insights into collaborating with design, production, and writing staff during the pre-production and production phases of your game.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with various writing techniques. Sometimes, incorporating things like sentence stretching, rebus writing, or touch-and-tell activities can add excitement and engagement for your players.

To explore more writing games, check out this list of 10 quick and fun writing games to improve students’ literacy skills, which you can adapt to fit your game concept.

Finally, always keep your audience in mind. Write for your target audience and tailor your game to their interests, preferences, and skill levels. Remember, your goal is to create an enjoyable and memorable experience for your players.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good writing games for kids?

There are plenty of enjoyable writing games available for children. Some popular options include Five-Word Story, where kids use prompts to create brief stories like these , and Poetry Strips or Word Banks, in which children get inspired by pre-selected words or create word banks themselves. Experiment with different games to find the ones your child enjoys the most!

How can one play writing games with friends?

To play writing games with friends, choose activities that involve collaboration and group participation. One example is Secret Pictionary, where players write a random phrase, pass it along, and the next player attempts to draw it. You can also try Word Association games where friends take turns writing words related to a common theme.

Which writing games help improve skills?

Many writing games can improve various aspects of writing, such as vocabulary, grammar, creativity, and storytelling. Engaging in different writing activities like using themed word banks, creating poetry, or in-depth stories can help children develop and enhance their skills. Keep an eye out for games that target specific areas your child needs to improve.

Which games are suitable for middle school students?

Middle school students can benefit from writing games that encourage creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking. Options like group storywriting, where each participant contributes a sentence or paragraph to form a coherent narrative, can be both engaging and educational. Other activities like collaborative poetry, writing dialogues, and adapting stories into scripts can also be suitable for middle school students.

What are fun writing activities for 4th and 5th graders?

Fun writing activities for 4th and 5th graders can include creative storytelling games, where they use prompts or images as inspiration; poetry creation with various forms like haiku or limericks; and word games that involve making sentences using specific letter combinations. Always encourage them to use their imagination and creativity, as well as focusing on proper grammar and punctuation.

Can you recommend writing games for toddlers?

While writing games might be too advanced for toddlers, you can introduce activities that help develop fine motor skills and a love for storytelling. Encourage them to draw simple pictures depicting stories, dictate stories to you, or engage with letters and numbers through play. As they grow older, you can gradually introduce more complex writing activities.