Member-only story
Writing exercise
The Writing Game
Stuck on ideas? Try this game to unlock creativity.
Years ago, I found a writing exercise I’ve been using ever since. It sounds simple, but the execution can be difficult. Ultimately, it will strengthen your writing and creativity each time you do the exercise.
I call it a game. There’s no board, app, or subscription. All you have is a number, a word, and a blank page (or document).
Here’s how it works. Ask someone: a friend, coworker, or stranger to give you a number between 100 and 1000. You could ask your cat, but the results may vary. Then, when you have a number, ask, “What is the first word that comes to mind?” That’s it. Remember the word and the number.
Now write the story.
There are only two rules. Your story’s word count must match the number, and the title and last word of the story must be the word they gave you.
If the number they gave you was 666, and the word Satan, your story must be 666 words, titled Satan, and the last word must be Satan. Within reason, it’s okay to take some poetic license with the title. For instance, one time, someone gave me the number 987 and the word, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” I turned the title into, “Super Cal, A Fragile Lipstick, and His Ex…
