A String of Pearls

Have you noticed that I've been using word games and storytelling games for summer writing activities? Any time of year is great for word play, but summer seems especially good because we're often hanging around with friends. Friends make a word game or storytelling game even more fun.

I ran into Nancy Lewars the other day. Nancy teaches an improv acting class (short for "improvisational") on Bainbridge Island where I live. Nancy told me about a great improv storytelling game called "A String of Pearls." Here's how you play.

You need at least three people (that's where your friends come in). Imagine an invisible string in front of you. The first person starts by stringing the first pearl--by saying a sentence that begins a story.

Beginning: One day a mouse jumped out of the heating vent.

The second person strings the second pearl--by saying a sentence that will be the middle of the story. The second sentence doesn't have to be related to the first.

Middle: The paper bag filled with marbles flew across the street and under the bus.

The third person strings the third pearl--by saying a sentence that will be the end of the story. The third sentence doesn't have to be related to the first or second.

End: The giraffe drove the stolen car to the police station.

So far we have three pearls on our string:

Beginning: One day a mouse jumped out of the heating vent.

Middle: The paper bag filled with marbles flew across the street and under the bus.

End: The giraffe drove the stolen car to the police station.

Now the three people (or more) string the rest of the pearls by filling in the story. How will you create a story by connecting a mouse, a paper bag filled with marbles, and a giraffe driving a stolen car?

Have fun stringing your own pearls!

The Translation Game

Q B X M P C Y D A H U K S E Z N L T W O V F G

I J R

Here's a word game I learned from Nancy Lewars. It's a great game for summer, because you can play it outside while the weather's warm and sunny.

Three people sit in a row. The person in the middle is the Translator. The first person says something to the Translator in a made-up language (gibberish). The second person, or Translator, "translates" that to the third person in English. The third person answers the Translator in another made-up language (gibberish). The Translator then "translates" that back to the first person.

Sound complicated? It isn't. Here's an example:

First person: "Eee-ee ha la, moo hani la?"

Translator: "Why are you wearing a wool coat in June?"

Third person: "Sher trekk ponter dred trekk setin klakervin."

Translator: "Someone took my clothes."

First person: "Moo?"

Translator: "Why?"

Third person: "Sher trekk klakervin bettlever dagin."

Translator: "Because the clothes didn't belong to me."

You get the idea. Create a story using the Translation Game, and see how long you can keep it going. Have fun making up your gibberish language on the spot!

P.S. Lemonade goes great with this game.

Once Upon a Time

It's spring break here on Bainbridge Island where I live, so I thought it would be fun to have a writing game.

This idea is from Nancy Lewars. Last winter, I took Nancy's class on improvisational acting, or "improv." In improv, members of a group "improvise" with each other. That means they interact in a group to create scenes and characters. It's really fun!

In Nancy's improv class, we played a game called "Once Upon a Time." It's a great game for writers, and it goes like this:

Round up a group of nine people, including yourself. The nine people can be your friends, family, or neighbors. They can be kids or grown-ups. Form a circle. Each person in the group completes one of the following lines, going around the circle until you have a complete story.

Once upon a time....

And every day....

Until one day....

And because of this....

And because of this....

And because of this....

Until finally....

And ever since that day....

The moral of the story is....

The "moral" of the story is the little lesson you can learn from it. (Oops, sorry, didn't mean to talk about lessons during spring break.)

Here's an example to get you started:

Once upon a time, a grizzly bear escaped from the zoo.

And every day, it would visit Mrs. Merckle's garden to eat her spinach.

Until one day, Mrs. Merckle....

What? What did Mrs. Merckle do? It's up to you to finish the story with the other members of your group. Have fun improvising!