Creative Writing Exercises

Character Introduction 

Name: Daisy Butler

Age: 7

10 things she has in her pocket

1. Sweets
2. Wrapper
3. Tissue
4. Toy
5. Pencil
6. Stickers
7. Mood ring
8. Flower
9. Notebook
10. Ribbon

DAISY BUTLER, aged seven, a small girl in a big world. She has already met an unfortunate beginning, with her parents splitting up and her younger sister dying, she has suddenly felt quite alone in the environment surrounding her. Although now, she is seen to have a permanent scowl, she was once able to light up the whole room with a bright sparkling smile and her big blue eyes. Her blonde curly hair was always in pigtails, with blue ribbons securing them. She always wore big, sparkly dresses that came to the knee, with white socks and matching sparkly shoes. People would regularly relate her to a young Dorothy from The Wizard Of Oz. But now that has all changed. DAISY now can be seen wearing a long, black button up coat, and a white stained dress flowing out underneath. Her shoes once sparkly, are scuffed and the glitter is so sparse that they no longer stand out. 

In a town square there is a truck with people in the back, looking solemn and the dark alleyways are the only escape from the squares filled with trucks, and soldiers holding guns.

There had been a sudden shift in dynamics in Germany, since the rise of Adolf Hitler. And DAISY'S life is in severe danger because of her Jewish roots. She faces a long and dangerous path ahead of her and she doesn't even know it yet...

Screenplay Formatting

FADE IN

int. car. Night

GIRL and FATHER both in car on a country road. RADIO playing gently in the background.

GIRL

(pointing up ahead)

DAD what is that up the road?

FATHER

I don't know, I'm still too far away. It looks like a person.

They drive further, the headlights illuminating the person. FATHER slows and stops beside them.

FATHER

(rolls down window)

Hi there! Are you lost?

HITCHHIKER

Hi, yes. Can you drive me back home?

FATHER

Course. Get in the back seat.

HITCHHIKER gets in the car. FATHER turns down the RADIO.

HITCHHIKER

I live in a house five miles up the road.

FATHER

We'll get there in no time.

GIRL

So how come you're stranded? Did your friends leave you?

HITCHHIKER says nothing and turns to look out the window. FATHER turns RADIO back up to drown out the silence.

EXT. COUNTRY HOUSE. NIGHT

They drive up towards the long drive to the house.

int. car. Night

GIRL and FATHER look shocked at the size of the house and turn to each other.

GIRL

Wow. Nice place. Who do you live here with?

HITCHHIKER still doesn't respond and carries on looking out the window.

FATHER

(pulls up outside the house)

Right, we're here. Ready?

FATHER turns around and sees that no one is in the backseat.

FATHER

(turns towards GIRL)

Where is she?

GIRL

(turns to backseat frantically)

Where'd she go?

FATHER

Right, I'm gonna go see what's going on.

EXT. COUNTRY HOUSE. NIGHT

FATHER gets out of the car and knocks on the front door. GIRL still sat in the car.

GIRL

(shouts from car)

Hurry up!

The door opens and an old lady appears in front of the FATHER.

OLD LADY

Yes? What is wrong?

FATHER

I was just dropping off a girl here, said this was her home?

OLD LADY

What did she look like?

FATHER

(looks confused)

Short brown hair, blue dress and a -

OLD LADY

(cuts FATHER off)

- and a brown backpack?

FATHER

How do you know?

OLD LADY

That was my daughter...years ago she went missing whilst hitchhiking. They

never found her.

FATHER

I found her on the country road, five miles away.

OLD LADY

I get the same call every year. Today's her birthday, she's just wanting to come home.