Writing Exercise: Group Narrative

In this exercise, you will all participate in writing a portion of a story. To begin, each of you will write a paragraph describing, in as much vivid detail as possible, any setting you can imagine. Then you will pass this onto someone else who will then write a paragraph in the next section. At the end of this exercise, we will have many complete stories with all four sections:

1. Setting

2. Character

3. Problem/Conflict

4. Solution

This writing exercise was always a big success in my class; a great ice breaker (especially if you ask the students to introduce themselves as they exchange sheets) and a great way to start discussing the narrative arc. Plus, it's always a lot of fun to get volunteers to read the final products, which are always hilarious.