DIY MFA in Creative Writing Semester 1 Exercises

Month 1: Character & Voice

  1. Character Sketch - Character Sketch.Echo
    Objective: Develop a deep understanding of a character’s background, motivations, and voice.

    • Task: Write a 500-1000 word character sketch of someone who would live in one of your solarpunk worlds. Explore their desires, fears, daily life, and how they relate to their environment. Be detailed—what do they carry in their pockets? How do they speak?
    • Reflection: What did you learn about this character that surprised you? How does their voice differ from yours?

  2. Dialogue Without Tags - Dialog Exercise
    Objective: Master natural, distinctive dialogue without relying on dialogue tags (e.g., “he said”).

    • Task: Write a 300-500 word scene of two characters in conflict (an argument, negotiation, or a heated debate about identity or philosophy). Do not use dialogue tags. Rely on tone, pacing, and context to make clear who is speaking and what they are feeling.
    • Reflection: Did you find the scene easy to follow? What did you learn about using dialogue to convey emotion and subtext?

  3. Voice Variation Exercise
    Objective: Experiment with different narrative voices.

    • Task: Take a scene you’ve already written (or write a new one) and rewrite it three times in different voices—first person, third person limited, and omniscient. Focus on how the perspective changes the emotional tone and the depth of detail.
    • Reflection: Which voice felt the most natural for you? Which brought out more depth in the scene?

  4. The Lie a Character Tells
    Objective: Explore character motivation and internal conflict.

    • Task: Write a 500-750 word scene where your character tells a lie—whether to themselves or to someone else. Focus on revealing the truth behind the lie through subtext or their inner thoughts.
    • Reflection: How does the lie impact the character’s internal conflict? Did it help you understand them more deeply?

Month 2: Setting & World-Building

  1. World-Building Through Objects
    Objective: Establish a rich setting through the lens of a character’s relationship with their environment.

    • Task: Write a 300-500 word scene where a character interacts with an important object from their world (e.g., a relic from a lost civilization, a tool central to their work). Through this interaction, reveal details about the setting without direct exposition.
    • Reflection: How did focusing on an object help you develop the setting? Did it evoke any unexpected world-building elements?

  2. The Five Senses
    Objective: Enhance your descriptions by engaging all five senses.

    • Task: Write a 500-750 word scene where a character is in a new or unfamiliar place (a city, forest, or underground sanctuary in your solarpunk world). Describe the setting using all five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
    • Reflection: Which senses did you rely on the most? Which were the hardest to integrate? How did engaging all senses change the depth of the scene?

  3. Setting as Character
    Objective: Treat the setting itself as an active participant in the story.

    • Task: Write a 500-word scene where the environment impacts the mood and actions of the characters (e.g., a storm, a festival, or a decaying utopia). Let the setting shape the tone and tension of the scene.
    • Reflection: How did making the setting more active affect the pacing and tension of the scene?

  4. Contrasting Settings
    Objective: Explore how contrasting settings can reveal character or plot.

    • Task: Write two short scenes (300-500 words each) with the same character in two radically different settings—one calm and serene, the other chaotic or hostile. Show how the character behaves and reacts differently in each place.
    • Reflection: How did the setting influence the character’s emotional state or decisions? Did the contrast reveal anything new about the character?

Month 3: Plot & Structure

  1. Character-Driven Plot
    Objective: Develop a plot that emerges naturally from a character’s choices.

    • Task: Write a 500-750 word scene where your character is forced to make a difficult decision that drives the story forward. Focus on the internal struggle leading up to the decision and the immediate consequences.
    • Reflection: How did the character’s decision shape the plot? Did it feel like a natural progression of their personality and motivations?

  2. Nonlinear Narrative
    Objective: Experiment with nonlinear structure and time jumps.

    • Task: Write a scene (~500 words) where the narrative jumps between two or three points in time. These could be memories, flash-forwards, or alternating timelines. Focus on how the shifts in time reveal different aspects of the plot or character development.
    • Reflection: How did the nonlinear structure affect the flow of the story? What challenges did you face in keeping the transitions clear?

  3. Conflict & Resolution
    Objective: Practice building tension and resolving conflict within a scene.

    • Task: Write a 500-750 word scene centered on a confrontation—this could be physical, emotional, or philosophical (e.g., a debate over ideals in your solarpunk world). Build the tension gradually and resolve the conflict in a way that reveals something new about the characters.
    • Reflection: Was the resolution satisfying? Did it feel earned through the buildup of tension?

  4. Subtext in Action
    Objective: Use subtext to add depth to a simple scene.

    • Task: Write a 300-500 word scene where two characters perform a mundane task (e.g., sharing a meal, fixing something mechanical) while avoiding a deeper conversation they both need to have. Let the true conflict simmer under the surface without being stated outright.
    • Reflection: How did you convey the underlying tension without explicit dialogue? What did you learn about balancing subtext with action?

Flexible Bonus Exercises (Optional)

Monthly Review

At the end of each month, take time to review: