Christi Krug, Wildfire Writing coach and an amazingly versatile and soulful writer herself, has submitted this wonderful exercise for this challenge. Here’s what she has to say:
My superpower is helping writers overcome creative blocks. I especially love blocked beginners–those who suspect they could write, and perhaps have always wanted to, but have been unable to put anything on paper.
“The Burned Letter” is one of the exercises I designed to break through to the imagination. Whether you’re a beginner or an old-time writer, have fun with it!
–Christi Krug, Wildfire Writing
THE BURNED LETTER
This letter was found in an ashtray in the damp, mildewy shell of an abandoned three-room house somewhere near the Oregon coast.
A conflicting report says this letter was found in the stone fireplace of an old mansion on a lonely English moor.
A third source tells us this letter was smashed between the pages of the book, Pollyanna, and found on a shelf of the Multnomah County Library, central branch.
Using your mystical powers of discernment, can you tell us who the author is? Who is the intended recipient? What is (are) the story (stories) being described? Why was the letter burned? How? How was it truly discovered? Write a line or two to sketch the circumstances, or write a paragraph, or go on for one page, or several!
Thanks so much for participating, Christi! For more of her inspirational thoughts on writing, check out her blog Kindling. And if you want to suggest a Writing Challenge, email me at laurastanfill at hotmail dot com. I’ll credit your contribution and link back to your blog or website.
Laura, I am SOOOOOO enjoying your site. Thank you for sharing this, especially…a lot better than my limp-through-it, lick-my-wounds approach. 😉
-Cheers! Lynn
Thanks, Lynn! Christi’s a great cheerleader and coach for writers. I’m so glad she agreed to participate in this fun endeavor–amazing what she came up with, isn’t it? I’m really lucky to count her among my inner circle of writing friends.
This is a really cool writing exercise! I especially love the idea that the letter’s origins are unclear. You could decide that it was discovered in some way other than those that are suggested, and that could lead to anything. You could try filling in the missing words. Oooh, the creative juices are already flowing…
Excellent! Have fun with the prompt, and thanks for stopping by!
Love this one. Thank you, Christi and Laura!