A Story in a Box

• Have each member bring a small box containing a person, place or thing. These can be simple photographs or pictures from magazines, or they can be actual objects.
• Each member takes the box, opens it, and has 15 mintues to write a scene incorporating all three of the elements.
• After 15 mintues, get together and share.

Our local ACFW group did this as a Christmas party activity, so there was a definite Christmas theme to some of the elements, and to all of the stories. But the actual genres were very different. Some wrote romance, others had a definite suspenseful tone. There was one fantasy, one very dramatic piece, and some light comedy. As we listened to each other's work, we were amazed at the level of characterization that could come about in such a short writing, and we all recognized the importance of establishing immediate conflict. Two very important elements in any novel, and two of the hardest elements to master.

Maybe it was being free from the restraints of editing and revision that let us all push forward with our creativity. Nobody had a finished product--not even close--but there were some very good story nuggets in the room that day, and who knows? With a little time and work, a party game might be a best-seller!