Feeling stuck? Fed up feeling like this when you sit down to write?
Like so many things in life, taking one small step at a time can lead you to a better place. Here are some interesting – but short, easy and accessible – exercises you can play with to flex your creative muscles, either for fun or because you need something to jump-start your writing.
I originally wrote these for Litopia, and there are more great offerings there on the CraftChat thread, which has an abundance of information, advice and suggestions on writing. Litopians are great at adding their own experiences of what works for them, so all the threads are worth checking out.
So, if you’ve hit a wall in your WIP, or need something to break the boredom or the block, try some of these ideas to rev up your creativity.
Some writing exercises can get you thinking in different ways. You can try different styles that can help you see the techniques other writers have been using to good effect. At Uni we had to write a chapter or short story in the style of one of our (preferably successful) favourite authors. It was fun. Because first, of course, we had to read and analyse their writing. Sometimes, it’s only once you try to consciously emulate a writer (as an exercise in creative writing, not as a way to rip them off or earn money from a style they’ve perfected), that you see the joins, or what specific words / phrases the writer uses to give the reader a hint of how smart, stupid, or charismatic a character is.
I wrote a short story and learned the importance of one piece of punctuation: the question mark. “Indeed, sir?” Versus “Indeed, sir” from clever Jeeves to not-so-clever Bertie Wooster gave me all the tone of voice I needed as a reader to make me smile and know exactly what P. G. Wodehouse was trying to convey about what was going on inside the valet’s head. I think that’s genius. A question mark.
And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Woah there, I’m no P.G. Wodehouse! Who’d want to read my book?” Here’s something just for you 🙂
Here are a few exercises I’ve learned about down the years. Please add your own in the comments over the next five days – the more we have, the more chance our members have of finding one they’d like to try. One of them (the First Line one, under) fired me up enough to write a short story, which grew from one of the first lines I came up with. You never know where small steps will lead you.
1)
Write a scene where your protagonist is in emotional turmoil (anything from fury to grief, ecstasy to despair, terror to boredom, but the emotion must be strong). Describe it without telling us anything about what the character “felt” – or exactly what has happened to cause the emotion. You can allude to it, but absolutely no full-blown exposition. We don’t need it. We only want to know what this character does – their actions.
2)
Write a scene using only dialogue to let us know something has happened. Ideally, it should be something big. But sometimes even inane dialogue can make us laugh so, or betray a character’s true intentions – it’s up to you. A tip: read this out loud if you can. That helps you spot when it doesn’t sound natural.
3)
Write ten first lines. These can be for stories you would like to write, or just first lines you think are good.
Now write another ten for books that have to be commercial.
4)
There are two ways of doing this one. The first is specific. If you have access to any children around the ages of 4-10, ask them to choose five different things:
1) an animal
2) a ghost, a demon, Angel OR Vampire (or all four if you really want a challenge)
3) A meadow, a mountain, a river OR an underground world
4) What is the worst thing that could possibly happen in any world?
5) One character from TV or movies that you think is really silly / stupid
The second way is much looser. Choose:
1) An animal
2) A character (human or otherwise)
3) A place
4) A catastrophe
5) An idiot
Weave a story from the elements they choose.
Of course you can choose the elements yourself – there’s no rule that says you can’t. But your preferences are bound to affect your decisions, and it can stretch you more if someone else decides the elements you have to weave a story from. Besides, kids can come up with outrageous, funny, off-the-wall examples so it’s worth asking any you know.
5)
A poem, prose, or letter to yourself about who is emerging from your personal story. It’s about celebrating who you are.
6)
There are lots of creative writing exercises you can find by Googling that search term. One well-known one is to write a scene without including any adjectives or adverbs. Yeah yeah yeah. I challenge you to do both: write a scene without any adjectives and adverbs and then write a scene with adjectives and adverbs. The scene doesn’t have to be FULL of adjectives and adverbs, just include them.
Your own writing style will dictate which you prefer. Write the scenes anyway. And don’t just chuck in any old adjective or adverb – choose the right ones. Take your time. Think about these words just as hard as you think about not using them.
Now, bearing in mind that everything is about balance, edit both scenes. Don’t just delete or cross out all offending adjectives and adverbs. You are Counsel for the Defence and Counsel for the Prosecution. Consciously tell yourself why these words deserve the death penalty, or why they deserve to live in that sentence. Be fair. Remember karma…
Remember what I said about small steps?
Have fun.
Kay Leitch
Author of Treasure This
kaywritesheretoo 