Creating an epic tale: Exercise 1

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite writing exercises.  It's something I created as a way to "warm up" just before writing or when I'm in the process of starting a new story.  I have also discovered that it is great in groups just for the hell of it!  You will have so much fun doing this exercise.

I call it:  The Body in the Bathtub
(cue the creepy music . . . .)

First, I tell you that there is a Body in the Bathtub.  Now it's your turn to take it from there.  But here are a few steps to organize your thinking until we come up with an awesome story.  I want you to engage with the scene that unfolds in your brain when you hear that there is a body in the bathtub.  The image conjured is different for everyone, that's what makes this so fun to do in groups.  So, we need to answer the 6 main questions:  Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.  For a great story, the reader may not know the answer to all these questions right away.  It's the job of the writer to know everything, though, even if the reader never knows the answers.

Who:  Is it a woman?  A man?  Young?  Old?  What color is his/her hair?  Ethnicity?  You might think it's an attractive woman in her mid-thirties while your friend imagines an old man in his late seventies.  In addition, who discovered the body?  The cleaning lady? A relative?  The cops?  There may even be aspects of the Who that the reader will never know, but the author will always know.

What:  Is there anything in the room that accompanies this body?  A book, perhaps.  Or maybe a gun?  Maybe there is a cordless phone (or corded, depending on the When in this scenario) on the ground.  Is there a curtain around the bathtub, or is it one of those huge jetted tubs that fill a room the size of your average living room?

When:  Is this a modern room, with all the latest amenities?  Is this in the future, where there are monitors and screens everywhere to control the temperature of the bathwater and tell you the time of day or what is on television that can be viewed right from the mirror while the person bathes?  Is it the middle ages, when the bathtub is lined in iron and filled from a bucket heated over a fire?

Where: Is it someone's home?  Is it a hotel?  Maybe it's a cast-off, old, clawfooted bath tub lying in waste in a landfill somewhere (Oh!  didn't think of that one, right?)

Why:  Here is where the writer gets really creative.  There will always be a why, but the author may never tell you.  It may be something only he or she knows the answer to, but in order to set the scene and tell the story, the author must know everything about the scene, even if it's something the reader never knows.  This, of course, is why is there a body in the bathtub to begin with?  Murder?  Accident?  Suicide?  A hit?


How:  This will often link with the why, but again, may be something that the author never tells the reader.  A good mystery will often have the detective determine the How, such as in shows like Bones and Castle.  Mysteries thrive on the How.  But what about a good Fantasy?  Sometimes the How is the beginning of the story that triggers the quest.  Was it with a knife?  A gun?  A good case of Avada Kedavra (Cedric Diggory didn't kill himself!)?  Also, how was the body discovered?

Hopefully this will make for some deep thinking and maybe some good fun in your little group.  I find this writing prompt entertaining on long road trips.  Everyone joins in and it's really amazing to see how everybody comes up with something different.

Have fun!  Please share some of your exercises here. I would love to hear what you guys come up with.  And feel free to share this exercise on social media.  The more the merrier!

Until next time,

It was Colonel Mustard in the Bathroom with the Candlestick!