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.

They're playing my song

Ever heard of Weird Al Yankovic? In my generation, he's probably most famous for his reworking of American Pie into the first Star Wars prequel as The Saga Begins. He's reworked a number of classics - Like a Surgeon (Madonna's Live A Virgin) and Fat (Michael Jackson's Bad), and countless others. He takes the music, keeps the rhyme of the lyrics (rughly), and rewrites the song, usually in parody of the original meaning or theme.

Another group with a similar schtick is Ameteur Transplants. They are perhaps more offensive - some of the language is definitely not safe for work, and some of the imagery not safe for lunch - they are medical students, after all. And some of their topics might be offensive to the sensitive. (Some of my favourites in the I-don't-think-they-swear-in-these category: the Anaesthetists Hymn, New Man, and Careless Surgeon - you'll recognise the tunes if you listen).

A rather long preamble (really, an excuse to share what I think are funny songs, I'll admit) for a writing exercise shamelessly stolen from my mother - take a song, and rewrite the lyrics. Either parody it, or pick something that sounds similar to the key words and work from there, or write new lyrics completely.