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Props are an important part of fiction, yet they tend to be an aspect of writing that many beginning authors neglect to include. They don’t neglect it on purpose; rather, it’s just something that never crosses their mind. The following exercise will help you to discover for yourself just how important props can be in your fiction.

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Find an old object in your house–the oldest object you can find. Preferably something with some kind of sentimental value you attached to it. It can be anything: an old toy, an antique picture frame, your first baseball mitt, an old sweater.

Once you pick an item, take a moment to handle it. Hold it in your hands. Feel the weight of it, the texture of it. Does it have a particular odor to it? Notice the colors. Are they faded? Or does it look the same as it always did?

Once you’ve thoroughly examined the object, sit down and write a story about it. But not a true story. Give the object a new owner, a new place, another time in history. Tell a story about the people who owned it or came into contact with it. Let your imagination wander as far as it wants to go.

Having trouble with your muse? Is she not doing her job? Well, guess what? She’s YOUR muse, and YOU get to tell her what to do! There are endless exercises you can do to help you prod your muse into working for YOU, and not the other way around. Here’s one:

Divide a piece of paper (or a Word document, if you prefer the less personal touch) into three columns. In the first column, make a list of 10 places you’d like to visit. These places don’t have to be real. If they’re NOT real, give a brief description of the place.

In the second column, make a list of 10 professions or occupations. They can be as normal or as strange as you’d like.

For the third column, I want you to pull out a newspaper or go to foxnews.com or some other news website. Snag 10 attention-grabbing headlines and list them in the third column of your paper.

Now, rip (or cut) a second sheet of paper into 10 squares of equal size and label them 1 through 10. Put them in a hat or a cup, and shake well.

Then, draw a number. The first number you draw will correspond with the first column, where you wrote a list of 10 places you’d like to visit. If you drew a “3″, for example, circle the third place you wrote down on your list.

Draw a second number. This number will correspond with the second column. Draw a third number, and this will correspond with the third column.

Now that you have one item from each column selected, sit down and write a short story containing all the elements contained in your selected list items.

That’s not so hard, is it? Now that you’ve got your muse working for YOU, make some more similar lists and see what you come up with!

ENJOY!!

In this week’s exercise, I want you to take a long, hard look at this picture. Close your eyes and put yourself in this setting. Immerse yourself in the setting. Try to imagine what sounds you would hear, what aromas you would smell, what feelings you would feel.

Now I want you to pull out a piece of paper and write for ten minutes, describing the scene you see from the point of view of someone who has just fallen in love.

When your ten minutes are up, I want you to change gears a little bit. This time, reset your timer and write for ten MORE minutes, describing the scene from the point of view of someone who just lost his or her spouse in a car accident.

Continue this exercise as many different times as you’d like, writing from the point of view of different types of people. If you’re on a roll, and you want more, then just find another picture online and start the exercise over. This exercise will really help your description skills by adding your characters’ personalities to your descriptions instead of just giving a flat, purely descriptive account of the scene.

ENJOY!