✍🏼 Your Challenge, Should You Choose to Accept it ...
Choose a scene. Choose one you've written already, one you're about to write, or even a wacky new scenario, such as, "What would happen if an elephant walked into the grocery store down the street?"
Let's try a big, bigger, biggest experiment with your scene.
- First, write or revise the scene in a way that feels strong, active, and interesting. We'll call that version big.
- Next, exaggerate at least one aspect of the scene. For instance, you might change the setting. If we're using that elephant example, maybe you could swap the grocery store with the fanciest restaurant you can imagine. You can also add or remove characters, magnify the conflict, add complications, or exaggerate the scene in your own creative way.
- Finally, build on what you did in step two, and go as far as you can imagine. Let yourself be silly and don't worry about what could happen. Have fun, overblow the drama and conflict, let yourself laugh.
Now, look back over your ideas. Ask yourself, what do I like from my three examples? Is there something I can use from my big, bigger, or biggest scene in my actual writing project? Notice how that last option, the biggest one, may go miles too far in the direction of ridiculousness. Even so, pay attention to how it felt to write that way, without caution, and see if you can take any of that openness and laughter into your next writing session.