June 9, 2009: Interesting exercise
Here's a writing exercise that I think is very useful. Think about your day tomorrow. Think about (and jot down) all the things you want to and are going to do tomorrow and how you think tomorrow will play out. Even if you have nothing out of the ordinary planned you should still write down how you envision the day going. For example, it could be as simple as "I will wake up, shower, eat breakfast, go to work, go to the gym, watch TV, write, read and go to bed." Also, think about all your goals that may accompany those things. For example, you may want to finish the book you're reading or run an errand on your way to work or finish a crossword puzzle while you watch TV. Then, as you go about your day tomorrow pay attention to (and jot down) all the little (and big) things you didn't expect, including the various people you encounter throughout your day and what they look like and how they act. Think about all the unexpected events of the day that throw off your best laid plans or that make the day interesting and take you in directions you didn't plan on going. Maybe you bump into someone you know while you're doing your errands and decide to grab a beer later or maybe you get an email you didn't expect and have to attend to it. There will definitely be events and people you could not have predicted. (For example, yesterday I saw a guy drink pasta sauce from a Prego jar like he was drinking a cup of coffee. Priceless) These are the unexpected events and characters that can populate your scripts and take your stories in interesting directions.

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