The Writers Toolbox - A distraction

Several yeas ago, I was given a copy of The Writers Toolbox as a way to help me focus on my writing. Here's a snippet of the description from their website:

Designed by a long time creative writing teacher, this innovative kit includes a 64-page booklet filled with exercises and instructions that focus on a "right-brain" approach to writing. Sixty exercise sticksFirst Sentences, Non-Sequitur, and Last Straws will get stories off the ground, 60 cards fuel creative descriptions, and four spinner palettes will ignite unexpected plot twists. For any aspiring writer, this kit is the perfect first step on the path to literary greatness!

Sometimes I need a break from working on my manuscript. Especially when looking at the keyboard and making fish faces as I try to think of what comes next. This little gem proved fun and constructive. On my first outing, I wrote about two thousand words in a story that I'd not put any pre-planning or thought into (it does show).

The idea isn't to knock out an award winning piece of literature, but to free the mind from the confines of your regular thought patterns. I've put the stuff that's come out of this process below.

• Feb 2015: There she was
• July 2014: He swore on his mothers grave