Five-Minute Sprints

“I give assignments to my writing classes because it’s hard to make something up out of a clear blue sky. . . . It doesn’t have to be anything. It can contain a character who shows up out of breath. It can contain a lake and a bunch of swans. There can be conversation or silence. It can take place entirely in the dark. I have learned we do better when we’re not trying too hard—there is nothing more deadening to creativity than the grim determination to write.”

—Abigail Thomas

Do a five-minute sprint on each of the following words. Start with the very first thing that occurs to you and then write without stopping for five minutes. Then go on to the next word. Don’t skip any. This will increase your nimbleness as a writer:

Betrayal
Wrinkles
Imperfections
Hair
Teeth
Joy
Peanut butter
Hunger
Initiation
First car

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