A tragedy, then, is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in language with pleasurable accessories, each kind brought in separately in the parts of the work; in a dramatic, not narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions.
                                          Aristotle (384-322 BC), "Poetics"
                            (translated by Ingram Bywater)

catharsis, katharsis = 1. (esth.) the alleviation of unpleasant emotions by witnessing their representation in an artistic production, such as the drama; 2. (pathol.) the relief of abnormal excitement by reestablishing the connection between the emotion and the object which originally excited it; 3. (psychoan.) a term applied by Breuer to the technique of unburdening disturbing complexes, which was subsequently developed as psychoanalysis.
                                        Dictionary of Psychology,
                            Houghton Mifflin Co. 1934

1- For 1 minute write about the emotions evoked by the room in which you are writing.

2- For 2 minutes describe a setting or an incident that would provoke fear in the reader.

3- For 3 minutes describe a character in such pain to generate pity in the reader.

4- For 4 minutes create a monologue that is full of hate, anger or insults.

5- For 5 minutes write a dialogue evoking fear and pity.