Sorry for the lack of posting, folks - been setting up new computers and adjusting to new schedules. Will be back on track soon.

Writing games are tricks, exercises, things to try to get your writing brain in the mood. I find them useful when a story's giving me trouble - I can't think of a way out of the corner, or I can't think of a corner to get into, or I'm just not feeling in the right mood to write that story - as well as generating new ideas, and just keeping my writing-mind in shape. And on the plus side, they're usually fun to try, and you can end up with the germs of some great little stories.

The unstoppable pen

Get a pen and paper, (or keyboard and word processor) and a timer that goes "beep" when the time runs out. It's important that it makes sound, so you can forget that it's there.

Set the timer for fifteen minutes (or more, if you're adventurous). Pick up your pen (or open your word document) and type the first word. Just the first word. It doesn't really matter what word it is, so here's one: Under. 

Now start the timer, and write. You are not allowed to stop, edit, pause or break until the timer beeps. Not even if the cat jumps on the keyboard and knocks over the petunias. If you run out of words, start writing about the fact that you've run out of words^. Only go forwards, as fast as your fingers can write or type. This is why you need a timer that makes noise - you don't want the excuse of pausing to look at it all the time.

When the timer beeps, you can stop.

If you like this game, there's an entire website called write or die devoted to it that will, depending on what settings you choose, poke you gently to keep writing if you've paused for too long, or even start erasing what you've written. You can even purchase a program to do the same on your system, without an internet connection.

^ Alternative schools of thought will have you repeat the last word you wrote over and over until the next one presents itself - it depends if you're someone who is likely to chatter themselves back to the story at hand given self-referential comments, or someone who'll blunder off into talking about their day, the process of writing, what's stuck to their shoe, etc. Neither one is a bad thing - you're still writing. It just depends which one you prefer.

A third alternative is a chosen set phrase, such as I don't know what to write, repeated over and over until the next thing to write comes to mind. Personally, I find this too restrictive - part of the joy is the free flowing association, and forcing yourself to one specific phrase whenever you're lost seems to defeat the purpose.

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