Anyone familiar with the improv show Whose Line is it Anway? is familiar with a vast number of improvisational games that actors can play to create a scene. But did you know that some of these games can also be used in the context of creative writing?
One such game is “Whose Line.” It involves two people (but you could possibly add more) on the stage, each playing a character that has been assigned to them and dealing with a specific situation or problem. They are both free to say whatever they would like, but every once in a while they are prompted, by themselves or by each other, to reach into their pockets and pull out a piece of paper with a random, usually ridiculous, phrase written on it. They then have to incorporate that phrase into the scene and have it make sense.
Find a trusted friend or family member and ask them to write out some random phrases on scraps of paper. (You could also eavesdrop on a conversation or steal a line or two from a movie or TV show and write them down). Put all the scraps together in a bowl or in your pocket, and begin a scene with two or three characters dealing with a specific situation. Focus mainly on their dialogue, and every once in a while, reach into your supply of random phrases and find a way to incorporate them into the scene in a way that makes sense. Be sure to evolve the scene and the reactions of the characters to each other as the phrases make their appearance. And remember the improv rule of “Yes, And…”: do not let one character dismiss or deny outright what another character is saying. Rather, have the reacting characters accept a response without question (Yes,), and then add onto it to further drive the scene (And…).