Free Write Rules:
- Keep your hand moving. (Don’t pause to reread the line you have just written. That’s stalling and trying to get control of what you’re saying.)
- Don’t cross out. (That is editing as you write. Even if you write something you didn’t mean to write, leave it.)
- Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar. (Don’t even care about staying within the margins and lines on the page.)
- Lose control.
- Don’t think. Don’t get logical.
- Go for the jugular. (If something comes up in your writing that is scary or raw, dive right into it. It probably has lots of energy).
Learning to Lie– see criteria below. 2 lies, 1 truth
- My friend Dan’s Uncle Joe in Nova Scotia has a pet horse named Candy that comes into the house and sits on the couch with him.
- My Dad had a pet cayman alligator that lived in the house in a huge tank when he was growing up.
- My grandfather’s family was exiled during the Spanish Revolution.
Can you guess which one’s the truth?
We Do:
You only have 100 words to tell your story. You will need to:
narrow your topic for the story
focus on word choice and figurative language
show – ‘paint a picture’ for the reader
He warned her about the book, but now it was too late.She had fallen asleep, the open pages resting on her chest. From between the words, delicate vines emerged, curling around her wrist with quiet purpose. The lamplight flickered as the tendrils grew, their roots sinking deep into the book, pulling her into its world.
The folktale had been true—this book wasn’t just stories, but seeds. It fed on her dreams, her fears, until she became part of its garden. The vines tightened, creeping towards her heart.
In the pages, she wandered barefoot, unaware the roots had already claimed her.
Example 2
She stood over the glowing pumpkin, its light pulsing softly in the dim kitchen. The air felt thick, charged with something she couldn’t name.
He’d warned her not to touch it, but curiosity had gotten the better of her. Now, the knife was in her hand, trembling as she hovered over the skin. Her breath quickened.
With a steadying exhale, she lowered the knife, and it grew even brighter. The glow intensified, spilling out across the room.
Then, she heard a voice—soft, ancient—whispering from inside the pumpkin, “You’ve awakened us.”
The light burst, and the darkness swallowed her whole.
Day 3 Abandoned Places– Flash Fiction
1. Picture Prompts– gallery walk choose your favourite setting
2. Complete your Brainstorming Sheet
3. Write a 100-200-word flash fiction story.
Flash Fiction is a very short story that still has plot, character development, and conflict. Since you don’t have pages and chapters to develop your ideas, it can be challenging to draw your audience into the story. The trick is to get right to the heart of what’s important to the story you want to tell.
4. Now discover some new clues….
5. research, revise and edit to write your very short story, 200-500 words or less.
Example 1
I wandered through the Winchester House, its endless halls twisting like a maze. Each step echoed, as if something unseen followed close behind. A door caught my eye—small, unmarked, slightly ajar.
I pushed it open, revealing a narrow staircase spiraling into darkness. Curiosity tugged at me. Halfway up, the air grew colder.
Suddenly, I heard a faint whisper: “She’s still building.”
At the top, I reached a dead end—a solid wall. But behind me, the staircase had vanished, leaving nothing but a drop.
In the silence, a hammer started tapping, as if the house was still growing around me.