The Writer’s Playground Series – The Ticking Clock

The Ticking Clock

• Objective: To practice writing with urgency and building tension.
• How to Play:
  1. The facilitator provides a simple character goal (e.g., “hide a secret document,” “bake a cake,” “find a lost set of keys”).
  2. Then, the facilitator adds a “ticking clock”—a time-sensitive stake (e.g., “…before the inspector arrives in ten minutes,” “…before the birthday party starts,” “…before the taxi to the airport leaves”).
  3. Everyone has 10-15 minutes to write the scene. The presence of a deadline forces the writing to be more focused, active, and tense.
• Best for: Building narrative tension, improving pacing, and focusing on external conflict.

Here are some character goals to get you started. Pick one, then set your time stake:

• Find a misplaced wedding ring.
• Locate a specific, crucial book in a massive library.
• Retrieve a hidden letter from a secret compartment.
• Find the right key on an oversized keyring.
• Track down a missing pet that has escaped.
• Find a single, vital ingredient for a recipe or potion.
• Hide a compromising photograph or document.
• Dispose of an incriminating object.
• Bury a small, valuable chest.
• Erase a specific file from a computer.
• Smuggle a note to someone who is being watched.
• Set a formal dinner table perfectly.
• Pack a single suitcase for a sudden departure.
• Finish decorating for a surprise party.
• Barricade a door against an unseen threat.
• Assemble a complex piece of equipment using only diagrams.
• Fix a flat tire on the side of a road.
• Stop a leaky pipe that is quickly flooding a room.
• Decipher a short, coded message.
• Find the circuit breaker to restore power to a dark house.
• Board up a window.
• Deliver a package to a specific, hard-to-reach location.
• Make a single, important phone call to warn someone.
• Start a car that won’t turn over.
• Bait a fishing hook correctly.