Writing Exercises And More

Writing Exercises

Jump Start Your Writing with Creative Exercises

By Author - Anita Hackley-Lambert

Let's jump right into the creative process of writing. Random and frequent writing exercises helps improve your skills and helps inspire new topics to write about.

Choose a time when you can relax and write freely (non-restrictive). When ready, go through the list below and begin writing to your hearts content.

When you get new ideas to write about do that, too. You will be amazed at how much and how fast your writing becomes.

Enjoy!

Write a story of your favorite or special photo or family photo. What made it so special?
Write a 500 word description of your favorite place. Is it a secret place?
Who do you admire most? Write a brief biography of that individual. Or write about someone you love, or perhaps someone famous. Generate a list of questions that you need to research. Use these answers to amplify your story.
Pull out your resume. Write a brief autobiography for it? Make it exciting.
Read an article that gets your attention. Now, in your own words re-write the article. How can you make it shine?
As a passenger in an automobile or on the subway, pick out a person or situation that gets your interest. Write a 200 word description of what you see, hear, smell, or can touch. Take your readers where you are.
Write 500 words or less to describe a happy or regretful time in your life. Be sure to write it so your audience can feel how you felt. Will it inspire or sadden them.
What time of year is it? How is the weather? Is the weather in or out of season? In other words is it warm when it is normally cold? What's different and of interest to others? What's the same but odd?
Do you want to fire your boss? Why? Write 200 words to describe you relationship on your job.
Who inspires you most? Why? How does this person make you feel? Does anyone else make you feel this way?
Quick work. Pick out a favorite pair of shoes. Write a quick story about their history. Did they walk you into success or sadness? Briefly descript the situation.

There you have it - great exercises to get your mind right to write!

Never give up on your writing!

Pictures & Words

Take a painting and look at it for a while then write a story about it. You can write about the actual painting or take the theme of the painting as the theme of your story. You can do the same with poems or with book and movie titles. Thanks to Sam Lomax for suggesting this.

Writing exercises from Wake Up Writing

The Wake Up Writing website (www.wakeupwriting.com) has frequently updated writing exercises. Check it out and keep checking back here as this list will update itself.

Story Seeds - Which One Will Flourish?
Start a piece of fiction with any of the following and see where your creativity takes you:

The engine burst loudly into life, jolting the ………

It doesn’t really matter what happens next, the damage was done the moment that ……..

Waves swept up the empty beach, removing all evidence of ………

Can You Follow the Rules?
Ok, so today we’re going to be a little inflexible - see how your creativity handles it!

Write a piece of fiction that:

Is complete in less than 500 words (flash fiction).
Has a male lead character who is allergic to fish and pollen.
His story goal is to get a date with the girl who works in the fresh produce market.
The story is to be set somewhere in spring during the 1990’s.
The sea/ocean must figure as a major component of your story.

The one piece of flexibility I’ll give you is to switch the genders of the characters if that works better for you.

Your Favorite Spot
Describe your favorite place to be outside of your home. This is to be somewhere that’s not part of your property at all. It could be part of your neighborhood, or town - or it could be somewhere far from where you live. What makes this place special to you?

Fiction? Creative Non-Fiction? Your Choice!
The scene before you is a swimming pool. Beside it a pile of clothing, a tipped over patio chair and a plastic drinking glass floats on top of the pool.

Nothing too taxing to start the week!
Do you think your tax dollars are being spent correctly? What would your priority spending areas be if you controlled where they went?

Keep writing!