Writing Exercise - Blank Mad Libs

Mad Libs can be a fun game to play with friends, but it can hardly be considered writing. However, there is a way to turn it into writing.

Consider the basic Mad Lib. It is a piece of text, generally a mundane story, with 20 or so random words removed. In its place is a blank space, with the part of speech that word is. Then you fill in the blank with a word of the same part of speech.

In the basic Mad Lib, you have too little freedom to do anything creative. But try stretching the premise further. Instead of 20 words, try 40 words. Try 60, 80, and keep going up. Eventually, you will reach the point of having a blank Mad Lib.

Now you have a sheet of paper filled with blank lines and a whole lot of parts of speech under them. Start filling in those blanks. This will give you a great deal of freedom, but with a preset structure that can give you a sense of stability.

This exercise will give you some insight on sentence structure. Figure out what patterns feel good to you and what ones are unpleasant. Also, if you break down your own sentences into parts of speech, you will see what patterns you favor and how to add some spice and variety. The more you know, the stronger you will be.