The Three Minute Challenge (Teen/Tween Version)
Born of one of my absolute favorite creative writing class exercises, this short class is perfect for students with big imaginations, students who tend to overanalyze their work, and students who just need a creative kick in the butt to get started.
Together, we choose two totally random topics—like whales, ghosts, high heels, Italian restaurants, the last day of school, ponies, explosions, or the King of Spain. We then each write a three-sentence story that includes both topics in three minutes or less!
My students and I love this exercise because it helps calm the anxieties of perfectionists, focus the minds of dreamers, and encourage the minds of both to run with their first creative instincts. Stories are sometimes ridiculous, sometimes genius, but always fun to share. Students will receive light feedback on their piece, but the focus of the class is to get minds moving and forge new creative paths.
This class is a great supplement to other English or Creative Writing courses, especially for students who may need reminding just how fun writing can be. It is suitable for all writing experience levels! This class does tend to go a bit longer than scheduled at times—students are absolutely free to leave at the thirty-minute mark if they need to.
Here are some examples:
Topics: Cake and Fortresses
"The witch had worked in a variety of mediums—gingerbread, cookies, candy—and yet the cake fortress was no doubt her finest work. Sure, the gingerbread house was effective—it had lured in Hansel and Gretel after all—but the cake fortress was more spacious and, if the witch were being honest with herself, she rather liked the scent of buttercream frosting. There was just one problem, though: every time it rained, the exterior wall would collapse into the chocolate ganache moat."
Topics: Goblins and Swimming Pools
"Everyone agreed that it was only fair to give the Goblins access to the county swimming pool—they worked hard, after all, mining all day, and while the sight of bumpy green skin in a bikini was a little alarming, it hardly hurt anyone. The trouble, however, was the stealing—the snack bar, people’s purses, even the diving pennies at the bottom of the pool. The Goblins couldn’t help themselves, and pocketed it all before scampering off to the parking lot, swimsuit bottoms lumpy and jingling from their bounty."
Topics: Robots and Squirrels
"The robots had easily overpowered the humans—they were slow, couldn’t fly, and were always looking at their phones rather than at their impending doom. Now, however, the robots were up against the world’s most formidable force—the common gray squirrel. There were thousands of them, and the squirrels roamed in packs, taking refuge in trees and dropping bombs made of acorns and dynamite, shaking their tails at the robots in furry mockery."
Each 8 week term is totally different, so students may sign up repeatedly and never get the same content.
Class time: 30 minutes
Born of one of my absolute favorite creative writing class exercises, this short class is perfect for students with big imaginations, students who tend to overanalyze their work, and students who just need a creative kick in the butt to get started.
Together, we choose two totally random topics—like whales, ghosts, high heels, Italian restaurants, the last day of school, ponies, explosions, or the King of Spain. We then each write a three-sentence story that includes both topics in three minutes or less!
My students and I love this exercise because it helps calm the anxieties of perfectionists, focus the minds of dreamers, and encourage the minds of both to run with their first creative instincts. Stories are sometimes ridiculous, sometimes genius, but always fun to share. Students will receive light feedback on their piece, but the focus of the class is to get minds moving and forge new creative paths.
This class is a great supplement to other English or Creative Writing courses, especially for students who may need reminding just how fun writing can be. It is suitable for all writing experience levels! This class does tend to go a bit longer than scheduled at times—students are absolutely free to leave at the thirty-minute mark if they need to.
Here are some examples:
Topics: Cake and Fortresses
"The witch had worked in a variety of mediums—gingerbread, cookies, candy—and yet the cake fortress was no doubt her finest work. Sure, the gingerbread house was effective—it had lured in Hansel and Gretel after all—but the cake fortress was more spacious and, if the witch were being honest with herself, she rather liked the scent of buttercream frosting. There was just one problem, though: every time it rained, the exterior wall would collapse into the chocolate ganache moat."
Topics: Goblins and Swimming Pools
"Everyone agreed that it was only fair to give the Goblins access to the county swimming pool—they worked hard, after all, mining all day, and while the sight of bumpy green skin in a bikini was a little alarming, it hardly hurt anyone. The trouble, however, was the stealing—the snack bar, people’s purses, even the diving pennies at the bottom of the pool. The Goblins couldn’t help themselves, and pocketed it all before scampering off to the parking lot, swimsuit bottoms lumpy and jingling from their bounty."
Topics: Robots and Squirrels
"The robots had easily overpowered the humans—they were slow, couldn’t fly, and were always looking at their phones rather than at their impending doom. Now, however, the robots were up against the world’s most formidable force—the common gray squirrel. There were thousands of them, and the squirrels roamed in packs, taking refuge in trees and dropping bombs made of acorns and dynamite, shaking their tails at the robots in furry mockery."
Each 8 week term is totally different, so students may sign up repeatedly and never get the same content.
Class time: 30 minutes
Born of one of my absolute favorite creative writing class exercises, this short class is perfect for students with big imaginations, students who tend to overanalyze their work, and students who just need a creative kick in the butt to get started.
Together, we choose two totally random topics—like whales, ghosts, high heels, Italian restaurants, the last day of school, ponies, explosions, or the King of Spain. We then each write a three-sentence story that includes both topics in three minutes or less!
My students and I love this exercise because it helps calm the anxieties of perfectionists, focus the minds of dreamers, and encourage the minds of both to run with their first creative instincts. Stories are sometimes ridiculous, sometimes genius, but always fun to share. Students will receive light feedback on their piece, but the focus of the class is to get minds moving and forge new creative paths.
This class is a great supplement to other English or Creative Writing courses, especially for students who may need reminding just how fun writing can be. It is suitable for all writing experience levels! This class does tend to go a bit longer than scheduled at times—students are absolutely free to leave at the thirty-minute mark if they need to.
Here are some examples:
Topics: Cake and Fortresses
"The witch had worked in a variety of mediums—gingerbread, cookies, candy—and yet the cake fortress was no doubt her finest work. Sure, the gingerbread house was effective—it had lured in Hansel and Gretel after all—but the cake fortress was more spacious and, if the witch were being honest with herself, she rather liked the scent of buttercream frosting. There was just one problem, though: every time it rained, the exterior wall would collapse into the chocolate ganache moat."
Topics: Goblins and Swimming Pools
"Everyone agreed that it was only fair to give the Goblins access to the county swimming pool—they worked hard, after all, mining all day, and while the sight of bumpy green skin in a bikini was a little alarming, it hardly hurt anyone. The trouble, however, was the stealing—the snack bar, people’s purses, even the diving pennies at the bottom of the pool. The Goblins couldn’t help themselves, and pocketed it all before scampering off to the parking lot, swimsuit bottoms lumpy and jingling from their bounty."
Topics: Robots and Squirrels
"The robots had easily overpowered the humans—they were slow, couldn’t fly, and were always looking at their phones rather than at their impending doom. Now, however, the robots were up against the world’s most formidable force—the common gray squirrel. There were thousands of them, and the squirrels roamed in packs, taking refuge in trees and dropping bombs made of acorns and dynamite, shaking their tails at the robots in furry mockery."
Each 8 week term is totally different, so students may sign up repeatedly and never get the same content.
Class time: 30 minutes