Creative Writing Exercise – 24 Hours to Live

Exercise: You have 24 hours to live. Write a short story based on this. Maximum length is 3 pages. There are no restrictions on what you can write about. You have to have a minimum of 3 characters and 3 different locations.

Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to help you learn to take a simple concept and turn it into a piece of work you and your readers can enjoy. You have a short span (3 pages) in which you can build characters and develop a meaningful and interesting story. This exercise also gives you the opportunity to write about what you would like to write about without having to consider what you think readers would like to read. I’ve always written what I enjoy reading because I love to read my own work. In doing so, I feel I have been able to create more interesting stories and I discovered that others also liked reading what I enjoy reading as well. So take this opportunity to just think about you.

Tips: This is a creative writing exercise, think outside the box. You have 24 hours to live, 3 characters, and 3 locations are the only things you have to consider when writing the story. You don’t even have to be a human being, be on planet earth, be in the present, or even die at the end. Be creative!

If you would like to have your story posted, please fill out this submission form. By submitting your work, you can gain valuable feedback from myself and fellow readers. I reserve the right to decline any submission for any reason.

This post was written by:

Tressa Sanders - who has written 107 posts on Three West.

Tressa Sanders, founder of Three West Creative Development, Asabi Publishing, and Ijaba Films, provides active learning, workshops for business Image, publishing, creative writing, graphics design, and filmmaking. In addition, she has authored the curriculum for the Big Bad Business Image, Concise Publishing, and Creative Writing workshops as well as several literary titles. Tressa also holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology and authored the introduction for a book titled “A Peek Inside the Goo: Depression & The Borderline Personality”. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Tressa was a well established Information Technology professional working with the largest IT, communication, utilities and financial companies in the country. Some of the companies Tressa has worked for include, the New York Independent System Operator, GE Capital Business Asset Funding, IBM Global Services, AT & T Wireless, Hewlett Packard, MCI/Worldcom, GTE, and Sprint. Her areas of expertise include: Publishing Startup & Planning, Business Image Planning, Creative Writing Development, Effective Graphics Design, Cost Conservative Filmmaking.

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