The Door Exercise from Jody Feldman

Dear Writers, Teachers of Writers, or Any Creative Types,

As I embark on a big revision of my WIP, I'm finding opportunities but, also, sticking points. So, let's haul out The Door Exercise, something I devised for just these times. Here we go. 

Let's say we have a scene that's stale, stagnant, or otherwise static. Something's missing. Some spark. Some life. Some excitement. What do we do?  We can either sit there and let that wheel of death spin endlessly in our minds. Or we can answer a knock at the door.*

Knock, knock!

Don't even ask who's there.

Just open the door, and answer this:
What path would this scene take if, on the other side, is...
...your best friend?
...a stranger?
...an enemy?
...a famous singer?
...an unexpected delivery?
...a salesperson?
...a police officer?
...a charity collector?
...the subject of an Amber Alert?
...an Aztec warrior?
...a flock of pigeons?
...nothing?

You get the idea. Go ahead. Choose an option. Or pull out an idea from a hat. Pull out two or three. See what happens. See what magic you can make. Because we all can make magic.

*Your character(s) do not actually need to be behind a door. Are they at the beach? Who peeks around the umbrella? At a restaurant? Who serves their food? At an amusement park? Who's taking tickets? You get the idea.

Today, behind Jody Feldman's door was a librarian asking when her next middle grade is coming out. "Believe me," she said, "I'm working on it!" Meanwhile, The Seventh Level and The Gollywhopper Games series are still bringing her into schools to meet with readers. Want to get in on the fun? Contact her: jody@jodyfeldman.com