C. M. MAYO
Author of The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, etc.

C.M. Mayo < For Writers <

GIANT GOLDEN BUDDHA
& 364 MORE 5 MINUTE WRITING EXERCISES

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Home  + Beginnings + Character + Descriptions + Dialogue + Language + Structure + Prompts + Comedy 

Please note that some exercises may fall into more than one category.

Beginnings
Click to page for this category
1/2 "The Last Piece of Pie"
1/14 "Clarice"
2/4 "Falling Mattresses"
2/18 "Your Best Friend is a Mirror"
2/27 "Down Into the Cellar"
2/29 "Born on February 29th"
3/11 "Gone Fishing"
3/17 "I Love Her, But
"
3/31 "Once Upon a Time"
4/13 "Beginnings with Food"
4/19 "At Least"
4/24 "Both Delicious and Luxurious"
4/27 "Dry Skin"
5/3 "Rain of Rubber Chickens"
5/26 "After"
5/27 "Before"
6/13 "Opening by Ovid"
6/17 "Butterfly"
7/9 "Into the Forest"
7/17 "Strawberries"
8/7 "Wrong House"
8/8 "Books, Books, Books"
8/30 "The Steak Was Perfection"
9/17 "They Had Been Waiting Since Sunrise"
11/11 "The 'Gorgeous Orchid' Free Clip Line"
12/7 "What's Off Balance? Or, Beginnings"
12/18 "The Choked-Up Artichoke"

Character / Point of ViewClick to page for this category
1/3 "Passive Aggressive Grocery Shopping"
1/1 "Clutter"
1/10 "Three Characters' Dreams"
1/11 "555"
1/13 "Scene From Your Own Life, POV Switch"
1/15 "What's In Your Wallet?"
1/17 "What Did You Not?"
1/22 "Magical Furniture"
1/23 "Your Publishing Firm"
1/24 "Your Character Visits the Dentist"
1/30 "Movies Between 10 and 15"
2/1 "Giant Golden Buddha"
2/2 "OCD"
2/3 "Your Mom at Five"
2/15 "Shelly's Scene Objective"
2/21 "Extremely Famous"
2/24 "Jamilla, Joyce, and Larry"
3/4 "Princess Di"
3/6 "60 versus 16"
3/18 "Cat's Eye View"
3/19 "Shuffle Qs"
3/21 "Show Me The Money"
3/22 "200 Million Dollar Lottery"
4/7 "Odd Dogs"
4/8 "S. Gossips"
4/11 "Manic Morning"
4/12 "Your Desk Speaks Volumes, Possibly"
4/14 "Take the Day Off"
4/18 "Tunnel"
4/21 "The Bible"
4/23 "She's 'Always' Late"
4/26 "Questions for a Character"
4/29 "Pam's Scene Objective (Edward's Porch)"
5/3 "Suitcase"
5/18 "The Character's Car: Inside & Out"
5/20 "Not Enough"
5/23 "Foyer"
6/1 "Out in Front"
6/3 "Saturday To Dos"
6/4 "Bumperstickers"
6/7 "Top 10 Gift List"
6/10 "Sunburned"
6/20 "Telephone"
6/22 "Your Neighbor in Your House"
6/23 "Your Other Neighbor in Your House"
6/28 "Grocery Store Customer Comment Bulletin Board"
7/4 "On the Verge"
7/5 "Secret Yearning"
7/6 "Off the Cliff"
7/7 "Ten Years Younger Than Yourself"
7/23 "Zoo Animals"
7/24 "Pencils"
7/26 "Body Language"
7/29 "Mid-LIfe Crisis"
7/30 "One Eye"
8/2 "Three Jackets, Three Men & A Joke"
8/5 "Class Envy"
8/25 "Bed & Breakfast"
9/2 "Obsessed by Peaches"
9/7 "Laundry"
9/11 "Man on th Moon"
9/12 "Wedding Dress Dialogue"
9/13 "I'm Sorry"
9/15 "Chez Zag"
9/24 "Dream Before a Decision"
9/30 "Telling Gesture"
10/5 "The Phobia"
10/6 "Flea on a Golden Retriever"
10/7 "Upside Down"
10/8 "First Job"
10/14 "Reaction to the News"
10/16 "Breakfast"
10/18 "Bird's Eye View"
10/26 "Holiday Shopping Advice"
10/27 "Watching the World Series"
11/1 "Favorite Flicks"
11/3 "Sci Fi Titles"
11/5 "Welcome to Your Kitchen"
11/6 "Body Language in a Coffee Shop"
11/14 "The Last Person Who Made You Curious"
11/15 "Reactions in the Body"
11/17 "Writing for the Last 5 Minutes of Your Life"
11/21 "Manic / Depressive: Eating a Bag of Potato Chips"
11/22 "Purse & Person"
11/23 "Mpreg Story"
11/30 "Funny Expressions"
12/3 "Garbage"
12/9 "Car Lust"
12/11 "Breakfast"
12/20 "Animal Communicator"
12/22 "Dinner or Supper?"
12/23 "The Flamingo Lady"
12/28 "Quick Sketch 2 Neck Up"
12/31 "Total Transformation"

DescriptionsClick to page for this category
1/1 "Clutter"
1/4 "The Presence of the Past"
1/5 "Smells of Things That Don't Smell (Much)"
1/8 "Textures"
1/13 "Scene From Your Own Life, POV Switch"
1/15 "Kid Stuff"
1/15 "What's In Your Wallet?"
1/17 "What Did You Not?"
1/19 "Ten Places, Ten Smells"
1/20 "Childrens Birthday Party: Surprise"
1/21 "Filmy Fluttery"
1/26 "Dream Solution"
1/27 "Flying a Kite"
1/28 "Purple Things"
1/29 "The Five Dollar Bill"
1/31 "Kinesthesia"
2/5 "Name, Jewlery, Adjective"
2/7 "Repair/ Service"
2/8 "Significant Someone"
2/16 "Falling Snow"
2/17 "Windy Weather in the City"
2/22 "Airplane"
2/26 "Wondrous Winter"
3/2 "Orange Traffic Cone, etc."
3/5 "A Little Scene"
3/8 "Curtains of Paperclips"
3/10 "Your Dentist's Waiting Room"
3/12 "Ten Hands"
3/13 "Fruit Galore"
3/14 "Vegetables Galore"
3/16 "Dogs-o-rama"
3/24 "Yellow List"
3/26 "Where the Dust Settles"
3/29 "Body Language: Two People Talking"
4/4/ "Future Neighborhood"
4/9 "What's In Your Kitchen Drawer?"
4/10 "Foamy Things"
4/15 "Soft Things"
4/17 "Rx"
4/20 "Ears"
4/25 "Here Now and Then Outside"
4/28 "Of Time"
5/2 "The Morning After the Party"
5/3 "Suitcase"
5/8 "Ten Places, Ten Sounds"
5/10 "Addicted to TV"
5/15 "Breads"
5/16 "Tough Grandma"
5/19 "A Body of Water"
5/21 "Red, Yellow, Blue & More"
5/22 "Time Elasticity"
5/25 "Wobbly"
5/28 "First House"
5/31 "What's On Your Desk?"
6/2 "Smells Today"
6/11 "Haunted House"
6/15 "Your House, Room by Room"
6/16 "Don't Look Behind You"
6/19 "Belgium"
6/24 "In the Dentist's Office: Stretching, Folding, Tilting"
6/26 "A Drnk of Cool Water"
6/29 "After the Flood"
7/1 "Noises"
7/2 "The Most Beautiful Thing in This Room"
7/8 "Up and Down"
7/10 "Turquoise Things"
7/11 "Wolf, Forest, Sky"
7/12 "Arcgitectural Adjectives"
7/18 "Shadows"
7/25 "Box"
7/28 "What's Underneath?"
8/3 "The Big Three"
8/6 "Scratchy Things"
8/9 "Elephant Ride"
8/10 "Boy, Pool, Dive"
8/12 "Bread"
8/14 "Musical Chairs"
8/15 "Yellow Bird"
8/16 "Aftermath of the Pizza Party"
8/19 "10 Amusing Things"
8/23 "Hallway; Office; Storeroom"
8/29 "Bizarre Accidents"
9/2 "Obsessed by Peaches"
9/4 "Labor"
9/6 "Your Front Door"
9/9 "Places to Write"
9/10 "Close Your Eyes and Expand"
9/11 "Man on th Moon"
9/18 "Playing Dominoes"
9/19 "Hot & Cold Combination"
9/21 "Tools"
9/22 "What You're Wearing Right Now"
9/25 "Cat, Kitchen, Window"
9/28 "Light + Verb"
9/29 "That Hat"

10/1 "Flowers"
10/3 "Woman, Dog, House"
10/4 "Lawns"
10/7 "Upside Down"
10/8 "City / Body Part"
10/10 "Interesting Pink"
10/11 "Blind on a Sunny Day"
10/13 "The House is Alive"
10/16 "Breakfast"
10/17 "Favorite Things"
10/20 "A Tree in Time"
10/22 "Falling Mirror"
10/23 "Wedding Disasters"
10/24 "Orange + First Word"
10/28 "The Four Comedy Adjectives"
10/30 "Peek Through a Keyhole"
10/31 "20 Questions"
11/2 "Scene Without Visual Cues"
11/3 "Sci Fi Titles"
11/5 "Welcome to Your Kitchen"
11/6 "Body Language in a Coffee Shop"
11/8 "Ears"
11/9 "Your Town"
11/12 "Reflecting Light & Moving Shadows"
11/13 "3-D Pop Up"
11/15 "Reactions in the Body"
11/16 "Show Don't Tell: The Flu"
11/18 "The Lamp"
11/19 "Tap It"
11/20 "What Every Poem Needs"
11/22 "Purse & Person"
11/24 "Moo-moo Stuffing"
11/25 "Turkey Soup"
11/26 "Interesting Red"
11/27 "Dog"
11/28 "Show Don't Tell: Crowded Shopping Mall"
11/29 "Living Room"
12/1
"Three Skies"
12/3 "Garbage"
12/6 "Stretching, Folding, Tilting"
12/8 "Postcard from an Imaginary Land"
12/9 "Car Lust"
12/11 "Breakfast"
12/15 "Lawn, Tree, Kite"
12/18 "Romance Novel Titles"
12/22 "Dinner or Supper?"
12/24 "The Day the Smith's TV Broke"
12/25 "Santa Has Alzheimer's"
12/26 "Show Don't Tell: Won the $10 Million Lottery"
12/27 "Trees"
12/28 "Quick Sketch 2 Neck Up"


DialogueClick to page for this category
1/3 "Passive Aggressive Grocery Shopping"
1/6
"Pjugsarkjan Breakfast"
1/7 "Nag Nag Nag"
1/18 "God no"
1/22 "Magical Furniture"
2/1 "Giant Golden Buddha"
2/9 "Lulu and Sandra Make Salad"
2/10 "Larry and Saul Bake a Cake"
2/11 "Grandpa Is Backing Out..."
2/13 "Message for a Stranger on February 14th"
2/15 "Shelly's Scene Objective"
2/23 "Hank and Helen: The Beachfront Condo"
2/28 "So Terrible. So Awful."
3/5 "A Little Scene"
3/25 "Karl's Scene Objective (Charlie's House)"
4/29 "Pam's Scene Objective (Edward's Porch)"
5/9 "Cliche Conversation"
5/13 "Jacket Lust"
5/17 "With the Wedding Planner"
5/30 "Doris & Ted"
6/8 "Salesmen Arguing About Yellow Donuts"
6/25 "Sprinkle in ze French"
7/3 "She Was Telling the Truth"
7/15 "Saying No and Not Saying No: Part I"
7/16 "Saying No and Not Saying No: Part II"
7/19 "Dialogue with Body Language: 3 Scenes"
7/27 "Echoing in Dialogue"
8/4 "When in Rome"
8/11 "Control Freak, the Liar & the Narcissist"
8/17 "In a House the Size of a Closet That's Big Enough"
8/26 "Ben & Ned in the Gas Station"
9/1 "##&%#@*!!!"
9/12 "Wedding Dress Dialogue"
9/13 "I'm Sorry"
9/14 "What Happened to the Homework"
9/27 "The Italian Restaurant"
10/19 "Nun of the Above"
10/29 "Good Cat, Bad Cat"
11/7 "Create A Conflict"
12/13 "Capturing the Sound & Shape of a Conversation"
12/15 "Worm in the Salad"
12/23 "The Flamingo Lady"


LanguageClick to page for this category
1/9 "Letter of Complaint"
1/12 "In the Closet: Questions & Commands"
1/25 "Permutation"
1/27 "Flying a Kite"
2/6 "Gob!bledyghuk"
2/12 "Popul Vuh: Seven Random Bits"
3/9 "Rollercoaster Ride"
3/15 "Napo Says"
3/23 "Permutation / Diary"
3/27 "Euphemisms"
4/1 "More-Organic-Than-Thou & Etc."
4/2 "Heaven and Sky"
4/5 "Little Dog (or Cat) Name Poem"
4/16 "Language Overlay: Music"
5/1 "May Day: Make It Rhyme on a Dime"
5/6 "Five Words"
6/18 "Human Body Action Verbs"
6/27 "Only the Top Ten Nouns"
6/13 "And the Perfect Afternoon"
7/20 "D Verbs"
7/21 "P Words"
8/18 "Ch-ch-ch"
8/20 "Permutation Exercise"
8/21 "Another Permutation Exercise"
8/22 "Yet Another Permutation Exercise"
8/27 "Language Overlay: Pirates"
10/12 "S + 7"
10/26 "Holiday Shopping Advice"
11/10 "Random 2 + 10 Persuasion"
11/21 "Manic / Depressive: Eating a Bag of Potato Chips"
11/30 "Funny Expressions"
12/4 "Five Random Words"
12/2 "Mapping"
12/12 "Formal and Informal Twinkie Purchase"
12/14 "Aliteration"
12/17 "'L' Words"
12/30 "Blogalicious"


StructureClick to page for this category
2/14 "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre"
2/19 "The Unwanted Gift"
2/20 "Zizi and Zulie"
2/25 "The Ironic Fortune Cookie"
3/3 "The Piano Tuner"
3/7 "Montage"
3/20 "Quilt & Quotient, Etc."
3/28 "Image Patterning, Starting with Jell-O"
3/30 "Improbable Rescue"
4/3 "George's Movie Plot"
4/6 "Trouble Sleeping"
4/22 "Who Went to McDonald's?"
4/30 "Fred's Phone Call"
5/5 "Five Ingredients"
5/7 "Elmer's Tooth Fairy"
5/11 "Cracked"
5/12 "Dry Leaves and Humbug"
5/14 "Barrel, Mirror, Telephone"
5/24 "Chocolate Cake"
5/29 "Accidents"
6/5 "How Did They End Up Bankrupt?"
6/9 "Suitcase From the Attic"
6/12 "Tina Tries to Help"
6/21 "Ending"
6/30 "Brenda & Arnold"
7/31 "Lifeguard Axes Oak Tree"
9/16 "Herbert's Credit Card Tragedy"
9/26 "Gerbil in the Attic"
10/2 "Wilting Poinsettia, Etc."
10/8 "First Job"
10/15 "Spooky (?) Story"
10/21 "Dog Wants Bone"
10/25 "Small Emotional Moment"
11/7 "Create A Conflict"
11/24 "Moo-moo Stuffing"
12/5 "Aesop's Fable Permutation"
12/10 "U-Turn"
12/20 "Animal Communicator"
12/21 "Octopus Merengue"
12/29 "Jason's Jillian: Complications"
12/31 "Total Transformation"

PromptsClick to page for this category
3/6 "The Squid, the Lampshade, and the Smell of Burning Tortillas"
6/14 "Bob's Front Page"
7/14 "Vive la France"
7/22 "Bizarre Thing in a Shopping Mall"
8/1 "Birthday Cake, etc"
8/13 "Cardboard Box"
8/24 "Facial Expression"
8/28 "Phone Call"
8/31 "Stamps, Pins, and Clips"
8/3 "The Story of the Aztec Headdress"
8/5 "Man with an Unusual Mustache"
9/8 "Always, Never, Always"
9/20 "Baking Chicken"
9/23 "Taj Mahal, Etc"

ComedyClick to page for this category
3/1 "If
Duh!"

Home  + Beginnings + Character + Descriptions + Dialogue + Language + Structure + Prompts + Comedy


Please feel free to use these for your writing group or classroom; however, for permission
to reprint on-line, in a magazine, book, or other format, please contact the author.

Please feel free to use these for your writing group or classroom; however, for permission
to reprint on-line, in a magazine, book, or other format, please contact the author.