I created this game to help myself practice creative writing. After playing it on stream, folks have asked for the exercises & rules so they can play on their own.

It’s super simple.

Start by rolling a d12 to pick which exercise you’ll do…
(if you want to use digital dice, I recommend Mighty Dice)

1. Random Titles

Purpose: practice writing engaging openings

1. On this page, generate one list of titles
2. Pick one
3. In 5 minutes, write the opening sentence or two for a book with the chosen title
4. If completed before time is up, write another opening.

2. Random Card

Purpose: practice chasing inspiration and impromptu creativity

1. On this page, and click “Random”
2. In 5 minutes, write a snippet from the world pictured
3. You may veto a card and generate another one time.

3. Conjure Emotion

Purpose: practice hitting an emotional beat in a scene

1. Go to the Wheel of Emotion!
2. Spin it
3. In 5 minutes, write a scene wherein the chosen emotion is elicited from the reader.

4. Personified Places

Purpose: make your settings memorable

1. Roll a d12 to choose one of the following settings: 

1 - room 2 - house 3 - town

4 - forest 5 - pond 6 - creek

7 - thicket 8 - vehicle 9 - road

10 - garden 11- tree 12 - mountain

2. Spin the Wheel of Emotion!
3. In 5 minutes, describe the chosen setting such that the chosen emotion becomes it’s dominant characteristic.

5. Worldbuilding through Dialogue

Purpose: convey information through dialogue instead of simply telling the reader

1. Go to this site and generate a random (fake) historical event
2. Roll a d20
3. If 6-20, perform exercise with two characters; if 1-5, perform with three characters
4. In 5 minutes, write a scene wherein the reader learns about the historical event through the conversation instead of being directly told. Try to limit text to spoken dialogue.

6. Do the Funny

Purpose: practice making light of any situation

1. Go to this site and generate a situation
2. In 5 minutes, write a scene focused on the generated situation and make light of it (have a character crack a joke, or add a humorous observational aside from the narrator, anything to make the scene funny or raise a giggle).

7. Perfecting Prose

Purpose: practice writing seamless prose for when an event can be told instead of shown

1. Go to this site and generate a random (fake) historical event
2. Roll a d4 to choose one of the following:

1 - first person POV 2 - second person POV

3 - third person POV 4 - narrator’s POV

2. In 5 minutes, write a paragraph of prose that explains the event, or a moment from the event, in the chosen Point of View (POV).

8. Descriptive Descriptions

Purpose: practice describing objects, scenes, landscapes, etc., detailed and with ease

1. Go to this site and generate a random image
2. In 5 minutes, write a few lines describing the image.

9. Emphasis

Purpose: practice emphasis 

1. Roll a d4 to choose one of the following:

1 - main character 2 - setting

3 - situation 4 - theme 

2. Go to this site and generate a main character, setting, situation, or theme based on the outcome of your roll
3. In 5 minutes, write a scene with that places an emphasis on the generated main character, setting, situation, or theme.

10. Dialogue Dash

Purpose: create clear, distinct voices

1. Roll a d20
2. If 1-4, use three characters. If 5-20, use two characters
3. In 5 minutes, write a scene in which you distinguish the voice of each speaker such that no dialogue tags are used or needed, and the reader is clear who is speaking.

11. Transitions

Purpose: imbue emotion into movement and setting changes

1. Go to this site and generate a setting. Take note of it, then generate a second setting.
2. Spin the Wheel of Emotion!
2. In 5 minutes, write a scene where a character (or characters) travel from the first setting to the second, and one of them feels the chosen emotion. This can be written in the moment with the characters moving from one building to the next, as an example, or more zoomed out as if narrating part of a larger journey.

12. Veiled Language

Purpose: to practice saying things without actually saying them

1. Roll a d4 to choose one of the following:

1 - threat 2 - compliment

3 - insult 4 - assurance

2. In 5 minutes, write a scene wherein a character relays the chosen message to another without actually saying it.