Exercises to help you become better writers!

[Optimus Rhyme]

ITT:exercises that are useful in tuning a specific part of writing, such as plot or character development, or just writing in general.

More will be added as I have time to add them.

Spoiler Show

In short, freewriting is simply writing for 10ish minutes straight. Although it may seem tedious or boring, it's actually a very effective activity.

The key here is to actually write for 10 minutes. Even if you are writing "I don't know what to write", be writing for the full time. You'll be surprised at what you write down. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but the point is to get all of your thoughts and ideas onto paper. One of the things writers struggle with most is thinking about what they want to write, rather than starting to write something and just seeing where it will go from there. When writing a story, you don't want to necessarily have the whole thing planned out. Maybe along the way you think of an ending you think is better.

It is also useful for clearing up a bad case of writer's block you might have. If you feel that you can't think of anything to write, freewriting before you begin your actual project or assignment will do a few things: It will clear your head of any stray thoughts floating around in your mind, and it will also perhaps give you an idea that you can branch out into a full fledged story. If you are not sure of what you want to write, you could freewrite ideas, and once done, look over the ones that seem promising and begin to refine them.

It's up to you how often you do this, however I find it most effective to try and find time everyday. Sometimes you could find yourself writing for 15 minutes, sometimes you only have 5.

Spoiler Show

This one is fairly simple. Used for character development, and could be used for many other things as well. Basically all you really have to do is open your local phonebook, and pick a random name. If by chance it's someone you know, pick again. Now, use your imagination. Based on your character's name, what is he/she like? Think about everything that makes us as humans unique. We have fears, hopes, dreams, personalities, jobs, relationships, families, and the list goes on. Use these to your advantage.

Another thing you can do is either have someone else (preffered) or you yourself can create another character and have them interact.

 

[Reflection]

fu michael I was going to make a freewriting/stream of consciousness thread ugh

 

[Orion]

Generally reading good books helps as well. I get told all the time that stories I write are both creative and well-written, but I've actually done hardly any writing exercises and my school certainly didn't do anything to improve my writing skills, aside from perhaps getting them up to the same level as everyone else.
Through reading good books, you'll get inspiration for more ideas, experience a range of scenarios and writing styles, which can be more valuable than simply sitting around being spoken at about how to write well.

 

[Nyangoro]

Someone should write a guide telling people how to stop being a lazy bum and actually write consistently.

 

[Epif]

It isn't only the reading good books, but also reading the newer good books. That is, books that are not as old as dirt, yet that is more so for the story you write than it is for the way that you write. I mean, writing, as has been shown by many new, really terrible writers, is a business after all.

But another thing one could try is the "Writing 750 words" thing. 750 Words is where I (try to) go to write out said 750 words. The first time I did it, I accidentally wrote a really bad Warehouse 13 fanfic... <_>

 

[Solar]

Stepping outside you comfort zone is one. Mostly if you don't love writing and just want the "skill" then I can neither offer sympathies nor exercises.
One thing that helped me was to write a KH Fan-fic, something I was hesitant about. However, when limiting yourself to a topic you learn to improvise.

If describing is your weak point or you have trouble expressing yourself, then just write it out. School bells remind me of sunsets, and that's a unique comparison for most people. Mainly though, it's something stemming from me and my personality which leads to confidence and it's something you understand. If you compare feeling sick to feeling like a weed, do it! If song lyrics meshed with mythology is what you feel accurately describes your situation or story, put it down. Write what feels natural, then you can evolve naturally. Remember, personalize.

Now here's where the excersize comes in. Think about something, anything. I usually pick something that's either really foreign or close to home, the middle ground leaves me mixed but that's up to you. Then write about it, anything. Trust me, it works

 

[Lord of Chaos]

A few things:

1.) When you sit down to write (after you get a good idea of where you're going/what you're doing) as much as you may hear otherwise and want to, do not under the majority of circumstances leave your "writing space" (desk, table, etc.). Lack of distraction is key when writing, and even doing something as getting a drink or a bite to eat can end it for you.

2.) If you're trying to write something of a larger length, it really helps to develop an outline. Here's the outline I used for my last novel (which I currently have sent out to 9 publishers):

Title (Estimated Length -- 80K words/160 pages)

Preface/Introduction/Prologue (Yes/No. If yes, estimated length -- 5 Pages)

Act I -- Development (50 pages)
ChI -- Introduction/Est. of Character (10 pages)
ChII -- Est. of Conflict (10 pages)
ChIII -etc
ChIV -- etc
ChV -- etc

ActII -- Conflict/Rising Point/Etc. (50 pages)
Etc, etc.

ActIII -- Finale (5o pages)
Etc, etc.

Epilogue (If any, another 5 pages)

Now that's a very basic outline, but it normally helps to establish when things in the story will happen/who will be introduced/etc. Especially if you plan to write a sequel to this story or otherwise. These kind of outlines can be fixed to any situation (flash fiction to novels), and you should generally play it by ear (or eye in this case). I chose 160 pages because that's the typical novel length these days, especially for first-timers. Of course, your estimates don't have to be exact, but as my old professor used to say:

"It helps to know where you're going if you can see the road."


I've got a few other exercises and tips for people but I'll have to list them later as right now I'm in a hurry. Otherwise, keep up the good work.
​

 

[Twilight_Nobody]

I`ve been writing all my life and only recently decided to finish a few novels and try to go pro.
Let me tell you; it`s not as easy as it sounds, but with determination it CAN and WILL happen if that`s what you really want.
Anyway, writing excercises.

I call this the psycho sentence exerscise. It`s fairly simple, just follow these steps!
1. Find a sentence. It doesn`t matter is you hear it from the TV, read it in the paper, hear it from your friend`s mouth or just make it up yourself. Just find a sentence: any one will do.

2. Take it out of context. When your buddy says, "I just reached the second level" while playing some classic Mario, take that sentence and decontextify (ya, it`s a word) it! Now, what if he had said that while climbing the stairs at your grandma`s house or while trying to raise his rank in an army? Totally different situations.

3. Write one page about the sentence. Whatever comes to mind. If all you can think of is "And the hairy cheeseburger flushed in the roof with eight chinese cats while the turkey police tazed Tim Allen," then write it! Heck, I just got a killer idea for a story about ninja cats who travel via toilets to save the fabled hairy cheeseburger from the turkey police just by writing that sentence! NOTE: Just kidding, that is a horrible idea... Or is it???

4. Take what`s good from your page and USE IT. A lot of times we practice the crap right out of ourselves but never get to the real deal. Look fellas, if you want to write a story the only way to do it is to sit down and work at it.

Well, there`s my excercise.
(Sorry if my spelling and grammar sucked in this post. I`ve been speaking and writing nothing but friggin Spanish for a year now!)

 

[tangerine]

Someone should write a guide telling people how to stop being a lazy bum and actually write consistently.

Write something that interests you and not something that's meant to interest readers. If you still aren't interested in it then find something else to do. If that's impossible because you're obligated to write something then have a deadline/remind yourself you have a deadline. You don't need a whole guide for it when it's so simple. I'm pretty sure I already gave this advice in the Author's Corner thread.

 

[Dr_Mario64]

Ditto with what everyone else said. I also have an exercise that's very good for enhancing imagination. This one I recommend doing for 5 mins minimum, but 15-30 is ideal.

Let me give you a brief quote from Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass: "Alice laughed, 'There's no use trying,' she said, 'one can't believe impossible things.' 'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'" This is what I'm suggesting you try. Whenever you get time, just sit down in a dim room without distractions and do absolutely nothing. Just let your mind take the wheel for a little while. You'd be surprised how many impossible things you can come up with. My personal best is about seven.