Creative Writing & Screenwriting Worksheets...0 | P a g e Creative Writing & Screenwriting...

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Creative Writing & Screenwriting Worksheets Collated from a decade of material used in Jamie Rhodes’ courses and workshops, this collection of exercises is a public resource for writers seeking to develop their creative writing and screenwriting skills.

Written by: Jamie Rhodes

Jamie Rhodes

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Copyright © 2016 Jamie Rhodes

Contents

Forward by Jamie Rhodes………………..3

Finding the Story…………………………….4

Character………………………………………10

Structure……………………………………....17

Dialogue…………………………………….…23

Genre……………………………………….…..30

Writing Technique………………………..35

Jamie Rhodes

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Forward

My first gig teaching creative writing was in my very early twenties, freshly trained

as a script reader, I walked nervously into an all girls’ secondary comprehensive school.

Standing in front of thirty rowdy teenage girls, hoping they will be remotely interested in

what you have to say – and praying they won’t heckle too viciously – is quite a daunting

experience! Thankfully, it went well and went on to teach screenwriting and creative writing

in many schools, colleges, universities, media centres, community groups and homeless

shelters throughout the country, working with adults and young people of all ages and

backgrounds.

Over ten years, I have developed a large selection of worksheets and exercises to

suit specific audiences in terms of age, ability and desired outcomes. I felt the time had

come to offer these worksheets publicly in one simple pack, grouped according to the

particular writing elements they are designed to address. I hope you find them useful.

The exercises do not need to be followed in any particular order, and not every

exercise in each section will appeal to every writer. Everybody works in different ways, but it

is my intention that the exercises should be diverse enough in their approach that there is

something in each section for every writer.

I use many of these exercises when writing my own stories, turning to different

chapters of the pack to improve my work and keep practicing. Feel free to get in touch and

let me know what has worked for you.

Happy writing!

Jamie Rhodes

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Finding the Story

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Finding the Story

Exercise 1 – Before the Internet

With the Internet offering such a wealth of information at your fingertips, it is easy to forget

how vital other avenues of research can be to finding intriguing stories. The local library is a

good place to find information that is not available on the Internet. A quick look at the local

history section can reveal some unique inspiration for true stories.

1. Scan the books about local history for potentially interesting people or events in

your region.

2. Choose one person and one event, then either:

a. Put the person in the event and write about how they might react.

b. Make note of the main plot points taking place in the event, adapt them

slightly to increase drama if needed.

c. Write a brief character study on the person and identify a dramatic

turning point in their life.

3. Using part 2, write a timeline for how the story that you have found or adapted

could be told.

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Finding the Story

Exercise 2 – New Information

Researching something that you have absolutely no knowledge of can be interesting and

useful when finding a story to tell. First choose a character, it can be one that already exists

or you can invent one. Think of one subject that your character knows a lot about, but that

you know nothing about.

Now list ten facts about this subject:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

These facts will be known by your character and will contribute to his/her

personality. Make notes on how this aspect of a character’s personality could be used within

a story.

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Finding the Story

Exercise 3 – Interview

We are constantly surrounded by stories, every person has a story to tell, and so a brilliant

story may be closer than you think. For this exercise, ask a relative or family friend if you can

interview them about their life (bear in mind an older person will have more stories to tell).

Interview them in a journalistic way, asking detailed, probing questions. Be sure to take

notes about periods of their life stand out as particularly dramatic or emotive.

From the interview, pick apart one thing to focus on and write a short sentence for a

potential story idea.

Story Ideas:

1.

2.

Example:

If I interviewed my Granddad, a succinct story idea description might be:

1. A short film about the emotional journey of an old widower whose only son has left home

to join the army and fight in a war.

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Finding the Story

Exercise 4 – Quick Writing

Getting a story out of your head is difficult, but it helps if you remember that at this early

stage it doesn’t have to be ground breaking or even good. Just get it on paper. This exercise

will help to dump a batch of story ideas out of your head, and then sift through them for

potential gems.

Write 25 titles in the boxes on the left hand side of the table below. Swap your titles with a

partner and have them circle 5 that sound interesting. Of these, choose 3, and write a short

synopsis about the story behind the title.

Title Brief Synopsis

Title:_______________________

Title:_______________________

Title:_______________________

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Finding the Story

Exercise 5 – 5-point Treatment Development

A treatment is a summary of what happens in a story. It can help you to see the direction a

story will take before you start writing up the work. It is also useful for

producers/publishers/agents to get a feel for a story before they read a longer piece of

work.

A simple treatment can be broken down into five main points. For this exercise, fill in the

five points for two different story ideas:

Idea 1

1. Title:

2. Logline: (A Logline is one sentence that explains what the story is about)

3. Set up: (This is a little about background and some build up of the story)

4. Hook: (This is the aspect of the story that makes it different and original)

5. Resolution: (How does the story turn out?)

Idea 2

1. Title:

2. Logline:

3. Set up:

4. Hook:

5. Resolution:

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Character

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Character

Exercise 1 – Determining the Main Character

Stories are often character driven; this means that a character (or characters) in the

story has a particularly interesting personality, and it is their way of perceiving and

interacting with the things around them that moves the story forward in an entertaining

way.

This exercise will help you develop your main character, but it can also be applied to other

characters.

1. Consider what might be your character’s Dramatic Need? This means, what does

the character want to win/gain/get/achieve over the course of the story? Define this

in a sentence or two

2. What is your character’s Point of View? This is their way of seeing the world around

them, for example; are they a cynic/idealist/dreamer/optimist? Define this in a

sentence or two.

3. The final aspect to consider is Change. Seeing how a character changes allows the

audience to connect more with that character. What sort of change does your

character undergo over the course of the story? Write a few sentences about this.

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Character

Exercise 2 – Bringing a Character to Life

Without a well-developed back-story, characters can easily lapse into being flat stereotypes

or clichés, rather than interesting three-dimensional individuals. The best way to make your

characters more real is to understand their history; giving your character a history in turn

gives them an individual personality influenced by everything they have been through – just

like a real person.

Though the audience will not necessarily see all, or any, of the biography, the character’s

actions and behaviour that is in the story will be directly related to their past.

For this exercise, you need to write a brief biography of your character, starting from their

birth up to the point at which we meet them in your story.

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Character

Exercise 3 – The Life-Changing Moment.

A life-changing moment is an interesting point around which to create a story. It could

happen at the beginning of a story in which a character has to come to terms with their new

life. It could happen at the end of a story in which the character is dissatisfied with their life

and wants a way to change it. Or it could happen part way through a story and contain

aspects of both.

Either way, going through a life-changing moment can make a character more believable

and well rounded. For this exercise create a transformational moment in a character’s life

and answer the following questions:

What was the character’s life like before the transformation?

What took place during the transformation?

What were the obstacles to transforming (both inside the character and

external)?

How did the character face these obstacles?

Name the other people involved in this transformation. What were their roles in

the moment transformation?

What happened to them because of this transformation?

What was the outcome for the character?

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Character

Exercise 4 – Personality Traits

Knowing your characters’ personality traits is important when writing a script; personality

traits will dictate how someone reacts in different situations. This simple exercise will help

to cement a character’s personality, and stick firmly in your mind as you write.

Write your character’s name vertically down the left hand side of the page. Then for each

letter of their name, write an aspect of their personality.

First Name:

Surname:

Example:

For a character called Homer, the following might be true.

Hates exercise

Often forgets

Makes trouble

Eats too much

Rude frequently

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Character

Exercise 5 – Depth and Balance

Adding depth and balance to your characters makes the story that surrounds them much

richer. In real life, nobody is happy and lively ALL the time no matter how they may appear.

Equally nobody is serious and dull ALL the time. The same should be true of your characters

to make them behave more like real people.

For this exercise, first choose a well-known over-the-top comedy character, and write a

short paragraph about their emotional life.

Character:

Next, choose a well-known serious or emotional character and list ten things that they do for

fun or that make them happy.

Character:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Character

Exercise 6 – Character Descriptions

This is a quick method for practicing effective character descriptions. Think of ten well-

known film characters and write a one-sentence description of each of them in the left-hand

column of the table below (don’t write their name yet!).

Now swap with a partner and see if they can guess the characters by writing their guess in

the middle column.

Finally, in the last column write the character you were describing and see how many your

partner got right.

Description Partner’s Guess Actual

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Structure

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Structure

Exercise 1 – Preparing to Write the Story

Before you start writing your story, try the following exercise. Breaking down the story in the

way shown below, you will be able to see: 1) how many pages you estimate to spend on

each scene, 2) the main scenes in the story, and 3) the overall length of the story.

Example:

Scene

No.

Brief description. No. Of

Pages

Used

1 Old man going to shop to buy groceries 0.5

2 Two young men enter shop and pull a gun out on shopkeeper. Old

man sneaks out unseen.

2

3 Old man at home shaken up. Hears on radio someone in the area has

been shot.

1

4

As you write the script you can refer back this table. For the example above, if you get to

scene 3 and find you have written 5 pages, you know you have been waffling. If you have

only written a page and a half, you know you are missing some detail. However it is up to

you to make a judgement call as to whether your initial estimation was wrong.

Scene

No.

Brief description. No. Of

Pages

Used

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

(Continue on another page if needed)

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Structure

Exercise 2 – Timeline

Timelines are visual tools that help create chronological outlines of characters’ lives. For this

exercise, create a timeline for the internal and external events in your character’s life from

the beginning to the end of the story. Internal events are things that happen to the

character inside their mind or body. External events are those that happen on the outside

(i.e. meeting people, going places, etc.).

External

Internal

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Structure

Exercise 3 – Brainstorming Structure

Once you have your main story idea, there are many different ways of telling the story. For

example, who’s perspective could you tell the story from? Where could you start the story?

Are there any sub-plots that could work well? Are there any underlying themes in the story?

For this exercise, put your story idea in the centre box, then brainstorm all of the structural

possibilities that could link your story together.

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Structure

Exercise 4 – Overcoming Obstacles

A character encountering and overcoming problems can provide interesting and pivotal

moments in a story. This is a simple exercise in thinking about potential obstacles that may

hinder your character reaching their goal. On one side of the paper put the character, and

the other side, their goal, then fill the space on the middle line between with possible

obstacles. Now, on the next layer out from the timeline, write some action the character

could take, or conversations they could have to overcome these obstacles.

C

H

A

R

A

C

T

E

R

G

O

A

L

CONVERSATIONS HAD

OBSTACLES

ACTION TAKEN

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Structure

Exercise 5 – Break Down a Story

A good way to understand structure is to get into the habit of noticing the structure in other

people’s work. For this exercise, examine a story make a list of each scene. Make a note of

where it takes place and a brief description of the point of the scene, answering the

questions in the table below.

Scene

No.

What happens in the

scene?

Is the intention of the

scene to move the plot

forward?

Is the intention of the

scene character

development?

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Dialogue

Dialogue

Exercise 1 – Uses of Dialogue

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There are broadly two kinds of dialogue: Expository dialogue and Action dialogue.

Expository dialogue says something about the characters, and the who, what, why, how and

where of the film’s narrative.

Action dialogue, on the other hand, is a way of moving the plot forward.

For this exercise, write a sequence of dialogue between two characters to expose them and

move them to the next scene.

Dialogue

Exercise 2 – Conversation on a Journey

1. Open a phone book to two random pages, and select two businesses. You are going to

move two characters from Business A to Business B by whatever means you like and create a

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reason for the journey.

Journey

From:

To:

Reason:

2. Write a conversation between two characters on this journey. Try to use the interchange

not only to explore the reason for the journey, but in doing so, reveal who the characters

are, individually and in their relationship to each other.

Dialogue

Exercise 3 – The Subtext of Conversations

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Writing dialogue is not only writing what people say. It includes writing why we say or don’t

say the things we do. For this exercise think about the last few conversations you had, then

answer the following questions:

Did I say everything I wanted to say?

Why or why not?

What did I leave out?

What is my general attitude when I talk?

How does it change depending on whom I’m with?

Dialogue

Exercise 4 – The Way We Talk

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Think about what defines the way a person talks; do you see people differently because of

it? Many aspects of someone’s personality can be revealed through the way they talk.

Focusing on a character you have developed for this exercise, first:

Make a list of 3 things that define your character’s personality:

1.

2.

3.

Now, list 2 ways this personality reflects in the way they talk.

1.

2.

Finally, write one scene with dialogue that reveals aspects of your character’s personality.

Dialogue

Exercise 5 – Show Don’t Tell

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It is important to remember that it is much better to show the audience what is going on,

rather than telling the audience what is going on.

For this exercise, convey the five statements below using brief passages of descriptive

dialogue, without using the actual statement itself.

1. I love you.

2. I don’t trust you.

3. Accept me for who I am.

4. We’re in danger

5. I’m really excited

Dialogue

Exercise 6 – Drawing on real life conversations

Writing dialogue that sounds natural is difficult, especially if that dialogue is then going to be

performed by actors when you are writing for stage, screen or radio. One way to write

better dialogue is to use actual dialogue you have heard. Accurately making a mental note of

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the things you hear is a skill you can develop through practise, repeating the following

exercise a few times will help you recall conversations more accurately.

(You will need a Dictaphone or tape recorder for this exercise).

1. Record two people having a conversation for 5 minutes then stop and do something

else for 10 minutes.

2. After 10 minutes, write down as much of the dialogue as you can remember.

Recreate the conversation as accurately as you can, include the details of how the

people speak, not just what they say.

3. Check how you did by playing the recording back.

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Genre

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Genre

Exercise 1 – Confrontation in Genre

Different genres follow different sets of conventions. Establishing and maintaining the

conventions of the genre in which your story takes place is vital in allowing the audience to

follow what is happening, and giving an amount of expectation as to what is possible further

into the story.

Although it is possible for certain genres to overlap, it would be confusing for the audience

and inconsistent if, for example: a confrontation in what started as a romantic comedy

suddenly featured the bloody slaughter of a ghost-hobbit by an FBI agent with a lightsaber!

Too many genres are mixed up.

For this exercise, think about how confrontational situations are resolved in different genres.

Imagine two vehicles arrive at the same parking spot; changing the vehicles and characters

accordingly, write about what would happen if the genre were:

1. Romantic Comedy:

2. Action Adventure:

3. Horror:

4. Fantasy/ Sci-fi:

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Genre

Exercise 2 – A New World

Many horror, fantasy, and science fiction stories create whole new worlds for the audience

to partake in. Identifying the rules for these worlds and displaying them for the audience is

important in explaining the plot.

Before writing a story in any of these genres you must identify the rules of the world in

which your story is based. For example, is there gravity? Are there humans? Do the same

rules apply to all characters in the world? In this exercise, invent a set of rules that could

apply to a new world you create, then write a title and one sentence story idea based in

your new world.

New world:

Potential Story

Title:

Short summary:

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Genre

Exercise 3 – Made You Jump

There are certain characteristics that give a story its’ genre. For example, all horrors are

intended to make people scared. Focusing on horrors for this exercise, study what induces

fear.

As you engage with a horror story, or part of one, take note of each scary point. When you

have finished, look at all the scary points and write a short paragraph about the common

thread between them.

Story:

Scary Points:

Common Thread:

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Genre

Exercise 4 – Re-writing Genre

A good understanding of codes and conventions used in different genres is vital when

writing a new story. A good way to see the true value of different genre conventions is to

take a story out of the genre it was originally written for.

For this exercise, choose one scene that you know well. It could be a scene you have been

working on, or a famous scene. Then re-write the scene as though it were part of a different

genre, either:

1. Romantic Comedy

2. Action Adventure

3. Horror

4. Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Original Scene:

Scene re-written in ____________________

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Writing Technique

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Screenwriting/Storytelling Technique

Exercise 1 – Chase Scenes

Chase scenes are fast paced, action packed scenes that require little or no dialogue. The type

of chase will depend on the nature of the story, but the means by which the action is

conveyed will often be similar.

This exercise will explore different types of chase scene.

First, write a short chase scene involving one of these methods of travel:

Horse

Helicopter

Boat

Foot

Car

Now, using the same scene, change the method of travel and write the scene again.

Finally, write a paragraph about the things that remain consistent in both scenes. This will

highlight the typical conventions of a chase scene.


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Exercise 2 – Creative Instruction

Learning how to get ideas out of your head clearly and concisely, can give you a better

understanding of how to write visual sequences.

For this exercise, you will need a partner. You are going to give them a brief set of

instructions on how to put on a shoe, however, your partner is to behave as though they

have never seen a shoe, don’t know what it is, and don’t know what its various parts are or

do.

Write no more than ten bullet points of instruction, and then deliver them verbally without

pointing at any parts of the shoe. Every part of the explanation needs to be clear and

effective enough for your partner to get the shoe on.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Exercise 3 – Someone Else’s Action

When describing action in a script, it shouldn’t take longer to read than it would to see on

screen. Keep this in mind for this exercise.

Watch an action film and choose one scene to focus on, in the space below, write out the

action in that scene using a script format. Use as few words as possible to convey what

happens.

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Exercise 4 – The Visual Medium

Screenwriting is a visual medium and as such, it is important that characters’ actions convey

meaning in some way.

For this exercise, try writing 5 brief scenarios to convey the following 5 sentences:

1. I love you.

2. I hate you.

3. I’m hungry.

4. I’m scared.

5. We need to get out of here.

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Exercise 5 – Economy with Words

When writing a story, it is good to be descriptive. When writing in a screenplay format, it is

imperative to narrow that descriptive drive into shorter sentences and less words. The point

is to get more into less.

Think of a place and come up with 10 words that describe this place. Now, narrow it down to

3 that truly capture its essence. Finally, write 1 punchy descriptive sentence that captures

this place.

Place:

10 Words to describe:

3 to truly capture the essence of the place:

1 Descriptive Sentence:

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Exercise 6 – Reacting to Circumstances

People’s reaction to sudden occurrences can make very interesting viewing, and reveal a

large amount of information about character and setting.

For this exercise, imagine two people are on a couch watching television. Suddenly, a siren

or alarm is heard. Or the phone rings. Or a doorbell goes. WRITE THE SCENE.

Think about: Who are these people? Who are they to each other? What are the immediate

circumstances? How does the sound affect them? What do they do?

Try placing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, or extraordinary people in

ordinary circumstances.

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Exercise 7 – Outside

The setting in which a story takes place has a massive influence on they way the story is

received by the audience. The whole feel of a scene can change dramatically, simply by

changing the setting slightly.

For this exercise find a short scene that takes place out in the sunshine. Your task is to re-

write this scene changing only the setting.

1. Write the scene taking place in the rain.

2. Write the scene taking place at night.

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Exercise 8 – Plot Devices

A Plot Device is a person or object in a story that is used to drive the narrative and move the

plot forward. Effective use and understanding of plot devices can provide sturdy pivot points

around which to improve the tension, construction, and pacing of a story.

For this exercise, identify a plot device from three different stories.

1. Story:

Plot Device:

2. Story:

Plot Device:

3. Story:

Plot Device:

Example

Film: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Plot Device: The Vanishing Cabinet

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