The i's have it

Who needs i's anyway? Write for 10 minutes on the topic of romance without using the letter i.

Follow the path

You're walking along a country lane and notice a small path leading off to the right. You've got 10 minutes to spare so you decide to follow it. Where does it take you?

Colour my word

Colours are emotive things. Purple has a very different vibe to yellow, say. What do colours mean to you? Choose a colour and write about it for 10 minutes.

Pick n Mix

Write down your choice of words for the following:

A day of the week
A time of day or night
A colour
A room in the house
A body part
A piece of clothing
A sound
An expletive.

Write a short story incorporating all the words you've chosen.

Prepositions are us

You can write wonderfully without knowing a great deal about grammar or, for instance, what a preposition is. Well, you can, but you'll be an even better writer if you know a few odds and sods to give your work colour, texture and verve. So. A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases and usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:

The book is on the table.

The book is beneath the table.

The book is leaning against the table.

The book is beside the table.

She held the book over the table.

She read the book during class.

So now you know what one is, try writing without any. For 10 minutes.

A of the Dolphin

OK, you will not be compelled to write on dolphins, but the pun's too good to miss. Notice something interesting in the previous sentence? This one, too? Yep, no As. Now it's your turn. For 10 minutes. Beginning "I remember the first time I..."

Alphabet writing

Write for 10 minutes, using each letter of the alphabet in sequence as the starting point for a new sentence. For instance: After the rain started, Florence worried more than usual. Baby Joey cried as the raindrops whipped against their roof. Couldn't he tell they'd want him home?  Down at the bar, Mike drank long and hard. Even though he knew he should be getting back, he stayed. etc. etc.