One Really Simple Writing Exercise

I took this writing exercise from Chris Baty's book, No Plot, No Problem. It's incredibly simple, and big help if your stuck for ideas. I've been using it to brainstorm for February's Short Story Month.

First, make a list of all the things you think make a good book. This can be anything from the most lofty and literary, to the downright trivial. This is your Magna Carta I. Mine looks something like this:

Uncomplicated, nearly transparent settings
Smart, uncluttered prose
The 80s and 90s (okay, I am a proud member of Generation-X)
Aging Gen-X'ers (and obviously a fan of Nick Hornby)
Gender and sexual identity, but not where the primary conflict is centered around the character's gender or sexual identity
Unpretentious dialogue
Music
A phrase I heard once describing David Foster Wallace's writing: "the masking and unmasking of self" (yes, that sounds pouffy and pretentious)
Flawed characters

Now list all the things that would make you put down a book. This is your Magna Carta II:

Turgid prose
Anything self-consciously clever
Manic pixie dream girls
Vampires, ghosts, werewolves and
Zombies, especially
Period dramas (as in time, not menstruation)
Crime novels
Rich people problems

The idea is that if you're writing what you love, you're apt to stick to it, though a lot can be said for going outside one's comfort zone. But for novice writers, it's best to figure out what that comfort zone is first before you venture too far outside it.