For Creativity Corner this week, I thought we’d try something a little different. It’s more of an exercise than a prompt, but I think you’ll find it useful.

One of my main goals for 2010 is to improve as a writer. The only way to do this, in my opinion, is to write. But I can’t just keep writing the same old things and tackling the same topics over and over again. I need to stretch myself in what I write and how I write it. I need to practice telling a story. I need to live life and pay attention to the details–so I can use the experiences and observations later.

Which brings me to this week’s prompt.

Choose an activity that you normally do mindlessly (e.g., washing the dishes, taking a shower, making the bed, folding laundry, you get the idea). The next time you do that activity, pay close attention to every detail of the experience. When you have finished, sit down and write out the details you remember. You don’t have to write in complete sentences, and you don’t have to describe the activity in chronological order. Just make note of the details and see what you discover.

Once you’ve written out all the details you remember, write out a scene using you, a character you already “know” or someone new as the protagonist. Add conflict, if you’d like, or introduce dialog and additional characters. But be sure to build the scene using those details and notice how vivid it becomes.

Good stories include the perfect level of detail in all the right places. Practice using details in your writing to bring it alive.

When you’ve come up with a short scene, please feel free to share it in the comments or post it on your own blog and leave a comment here with a link to your writing. Remember, these are exercises. They don’t have to be perfect.