3 Fun Writing Activities

Writing is a rather solitary craft. Yet, it's nice to go out and meet other people who enjoy writing as much as you.  That's one reason why writing clubs are common.  There are all sorts of writing groups out there.  Some are private and made up of friends, some are school clubs, and some are among the community.  Most of these groups focus on reading each other's work and giving feedback, which is great.  But if no one has anything to share, or just for diversity, why not have some entertaining group activities? 

Here are 3 writing activities I know are fun for groups:

1. Hot Potato Story
The object of the game is creating an impromptu, unplanned, story together.  Generally you should have everyone sit in a circle, as if they were sitting around a camp fire.  The way it works is someone starts a story then passes it on to the next person to continue.  After they are done adding something to the story they pass it on the the next person.  As it goes from person to person the story develops taking a new spin with every person's addition.  You keep going until either the story ends or there is no more time left.  This game is great in getting shy members out of their shell and to have a good time as a group. 

2.  Group Character
It's somewhat like the Hot Potato game, except instead of making a story the group creates a character.  As a group you add on certain characteristics to the character: name, age, gender, appearance, personality traits, memories, and other random facts.  If you have a dry erase board you can draw the character and write down his characteristics.  If not, use pencil and paper to keep track of what you all come up with. 

3.  Observe and Make Up
This is a perfect game if your meetings are at a busy public place like a restaurant or library.  Pick a random stranger that is nearby.  Watch them for a moment and take note of what they do and what their demeanor is like.   After some time, everyone in the group will write down a fictional story about the random person.  In their story the random guy should be given a name, some sort of background, and why they are at that public place.  When everyone is done take turns sharing stories.  This game also be played alone.