Writing Exercises

Here are some simple exercises for creative writing. Each week I’ll add another.

A Writers Notebook
If you aren’t already carrying a notebook with you at all times, I suggest you start doing so right away. Inspiration can happen at anytime and you need to write the thoughts down, otherwise you’ll forget or find it hard to recreate the fresh exciting feeling you had at the time. So if you don’t have an notebook yet, go get one now and put it in your pocket, purse or handbag now before you do anything else.

This first exercise is to help you make carrying a notebook a good habit.

  • Carry your notebook everywhere with you for one week
  • If you hear some interesting conversation, write it down. You never know when some dialog may be useful in your writing. If don’t seem to hear anything interesting, use a bus, or go to a cafe and listen carefully.
  • Write down any bright ideas, before you forget them.
  • If you see, hear, smell or touch something for the first time, write a few notes about it.

See what you can achieve in a week, then try to do better the next week. Keep up a notebook for three to four weeks and it will become a habit that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Write a Character Sketch
Spend 5 minutes describing someone you met today in your notebook. You do have a notebook now, don’t you? Find the important, telling, details. Does she hold a hand in front of her mouth to hide bad teeth? Is he so tall that he stoops to be appear nearer to his companion? Are his shoes well polished, or scuffed?

Learn to See
Here’s another simple exercise for creative writing. Find something that captures your attention. For example, shapes in clouds flitting across the sky or patterns of ripples on water. Now, see the scene through the eyes of a child and describe what you see.