By Beaver
Create a grab bag of words. Write random words on slips of paper or clip them from old magazines and place them in a container to draw from. This would be a good writing group or classroom activity, as each person would contribute different words to the grab bag and no one would know what to expect when the draw was made.
Alternatively, use one of these random word generators:
- random word generator (options: generate unlimited number of words; include/exclude duplicate words)
- random word generator (options: generate 1-8 random words; click/drag to rearrange words; double-click to swap out a word for a new one)
- random word generator (options: generate 2-10 random words; temporarily save words you like to a list)
- random word generator (options: generate one word at at time)
- random word generator (options: generate unlimited number of words; choose first and/or last letter; choose number of syllables or letters)
Draw one word and write the first sentence that comes to mind using that word. (Like a word association game, but word ➡️ sentence instead of word ➡️ word.) Repeat nine more times, so you have a total of ten sentences.
Write a story using all ten sentences. These sentences can be rearranged (used in any order) but must be used as-is. The ten original sentences are just a starting point—add as much as you need to fill in and complete the story.
If you do this exercise as a group, read the stories aloud once they’re complete.
Alternative group story exercise: After everyone has completed their 10 sentences, have one person start by choosing one of their sentences as the first sentence of the story. Go around the room in turn. Each person can either add a sentence to the story or pass when it comes to their turn. Stop when someone runs out of sentences. Read the completed story out loud.
