Generative Writing Games

*The following are "games" you can play while writing to help you make decisions. You are not beholden to these roles. I'm not writing Eunoia. This is not Oulipo. This is just a way to make decision-making easier to keep the writing process moving.

Anagramatic Name Game-

Take a prime quality of your character. change this into a name for the character. use other anagrams to prompt story elements for this character. There was a theory that Twin Peaks used this to determine Windham Earl's character arc.

[9:50 AM]

Game Board-Pick a story structure and lay out story circles onto this. ideas: laslo's heirerchy of needs, the kabalistic tree of life (where each character could be a card of the tarot) candyland board, menger sponge, watchmen 9x9 layout, etc.

[9:52 AM]

Assign Characters a Fraggle or Tarot Game- assign characters familiar dynamics: ei Greater Boston began with each of the characters corresponding to a Fraggle from Fraggle Rock, or Lodge 49 makes each character a tarot card. When in doubt look to these relationships to dictate how a character would react.

Big Game Game- model a novel after a pivotal classic basketball game. Assign characters to players, and interpret their movements and plays in story beats. Keep an eye on the clock to know how far into the book you are. Know what each of their goals are and their shots and misses coincide with attempts to make step towards those goals.

[9:53 AM]

Examples of games others have played:

[9:53 AM]

TFOWWSLIYH made each segment of the book begin with a different sense, taste, smell, etc.

[9:58 AM]

*Keep tools for each project in a bus tub and pull them out and lay them on my work table when I'm working on them. Spreading them out so I have a place to come back to each day to make progress each day.