Coffee break creative writing exercise: Hiding place

You don't need to spend hours on your writing to feel creative. Fuel your imagination wherever you are with our 15-minute coffee break exercise.

Think back to when you were a child and the places you played – real and imaginary. Set a timer for five minutes and write as much detail as you can about one of those places. Use the senses as much as you can. Did you play with other children? What were the rules?

For your next five minutes, play the ‘what if’ game. Add a fairy-tale element – what if something strange or magical happened. What if someone went missing?

Use your remaining time to create a poem or the beginning of a story. Build the drama and suspense.