Writing Exercises

Every week there will be a new writing exercise to try. Please, enjoy! These are for personal use only. The materials on this site are copyrighted to the author of this site. Thank you.

Week Two Hundred Forty-Six - Writing More
You've been working hard to create a writing habit. Today add 100 words to your previous word count goal. Take a calendar and record your word count every day. Have fun. Remember to put a heart on each day you reach or surpass your goal.

Week Two Hundred Forty-Five - Make It So!
Today we're talking about creating a good habit to build your writing. Make a plan for your writing. Decide how many words you're going to write each day regardless of topic or project. Take a calendar. Write that goal number next to the month. Then on each day, write the number of works you accomplish that day. Some will be a lot. Some a few. Put a heart on each day you accomplish your goal. Have fun with this and use it as a learning tool--one day at a time.

Week Two Hundred Forty-Four - An Ancient Relic
Many stories have focused around a hero or heroine obtaining a relic, some object with power or symbolic power. Whether it's Frodo destroying the ring of power or Indiana Jones going after the holy grail, the relic is the central motivation of the plot. Look around your house and choose an item. Just for fun, endow it with a special quality and write a story about it. Have fun.

Week Two Hundred Forty- Three - Finding A Moment of Possiblility
In this coming week, schedule 15 minutes when you are alone, when no one can talk to you. Close your eyes and think about anything you want but not a to-do list or what you're planning for supper. Think of something you've always wanted to do. Perhaps plan how you could do it. Even if it will take time so you can save up the money. Do this for yourself every week.

Week Two Hundred Forty- Two - Finding Balance in Your Life
The hardest part of a writer's life is balancing writing with your life. Writing usually takes a lot of alone time or time when you can concentrate on only that. Most of us are multitasking all day long. Start by designating 15 minutes. Then build from there. Keep a notepad and pen on you for captured moments of inspiration. Enjoying and participating in life is vital to your writing, so work at finding your balance.

Week Two Hundred Forty- One - A Walk in the Woods
For this exercise, take a walk in the woods and then write about it in detail. If you choose you can write another version of that walk only make it in your imagination and at night. See what happens.

Week Two Hundred Forty - Hot Cocoa Method
You will need the following. A great supper. A cozy spot. Some cocoa or another drink that will not make you sleepy. And the sworn oath to write until midnight. At the strike of midnight, you stop midsentence, midword. For four nights try this picking up from the night before. You'll amazed at what you've written.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Nine - Admiration, Part 2
Take the list of those qualities that you admire and write a scene where one character tells the other character how much they admire them. Use the example of action.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Eight - Skinny Dipping
Write a scene where two characters are swimming naked. Have fun and try to think outside the box.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Seven - Admiration
Make a list of those qualities that you admire the most in people and examples when those qualities shone through in action. We'll be using this for next week's exercise.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Six - What Do You Love?
What do you love? This is your week to write in rapture about that thing or topic you just absolutely love talking about whether it's a new car or tv show. Have fun and be specific in telling why you love that thing above all the rest.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Six - Who Do You Love?
Who do you love? Is probably the most honest question you will ever ask yourself. Answer it Write a letter to the one you love most. That's all. Easy. Think again.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Five - Tea
Oh, yes, I am challenging you this week. For those that have teas, writing a scene where the characters are having a tea should be easy. For the rest, I suggest you do a little research and Google how tea is served, the menu and manners for tea, and so on. Have fun. It's time your quest for writing made you stretch beyond the familiar.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Four - Escape
Think of the scariest place you can image and write an escape scene for three characters: a male that works in computers, a female model, and a grandmother. They have only 24 hours in which to escape. Have fun.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Three - Superbowl Party
This week's exercize should be fun and easy. Write about a Superbowl Party. Write down everything from the food to the personalities cheering on their team.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-Two - Countdown
You can use a countdown in many ways: to launch a spacecraft, to start a car race, or to disarm a bomb. Write a scene using a count.

Week Two Hundred Thirty-One - Tears
Write a scene about a character that is cry. Why is she or he crying? What happened? How is it resolved? Really think about all the things that might make someone cry. Stretch yourself with this work.

Week Two Hundred Thirty - Change
Write about a couple that gets to the airport to find their flight to Hawaii has been cancelled. Write what happens. Have fun. Think outside the box.

Week Two Hundred Twenty-Nine - Be More Expressive
Every day this week at 10 in the morning and at night, write about the secret life of Miles Baker. This is a made up name. You can make up your own name. This is your character and you're writing about his or her life. Have fun with this. Stretch your possibilities.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Eight - Express Yourself
Every day this week at 10 in the morning and at night, write a paragraph about how you're feeling and what you're doing. This is a challenge toward stretching your ability to writing in the moment.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Seven - Meeting
Write about two people meeting for the first time. They are in line at a job fair and are waiting to speak to the same company. They begin talking when one of them drops their resumes. Go to it. Make it real. Make it wacky and unpredictable. This is your opportunity to be original.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Six - Gratitude
As a writer, there are times when you must write for yourself and not for the general public. Every year, I make a list of all the things I am grateful for: the people, the happenings in my life, the things I've learned, and even the gift of knowing someone before they've left this realm of existence. I write it all down and keep it in a journal. My list has grown over the years. If you've never done this before start with at least 10. You are welcome and encouraged to write more than ten and review during the week and add to your list. While most exercises here are meant to stretch your ability as a writer who observes life, this exercise is meant to stretch your heart so you may enjoy more of that life gives you.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Five - A Mouse

Try to write the adventure of a mouse going from the kitchen in your home to the bedroom. Remember to look up at everything from his perspective and breathe in every scent. Allow yourself to really get into the head of the mouse. Is he shaking from fear or excitement from the wheel of cheese on your table? Have fun with this. I know this is a very different character for your. It's time to stretch those writing muscles again. Squeak.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Four - Random
Let's play a little game this week. Pick up any magazine and take out four photos that interests you. Go to the dictionary and open it randomly ten times. Each time write down the word your eyes focus on first. Out of this strange combination, create a story. The object of this game is to loosen up and think outside the box. Have fun. Get going now.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Three -- Music
Put on a favorite instrumental piece of music and begin writing whatever comes into your mind. This is a great freeing exercise as you have no expectations. It gives you a clear head and a new perspective. Enjoy yourself. See where the music leads you.

Week Two Hundred-Twenty-Two - The Weekend
Write down everything that you did this weekend. Then rewrite it from another character taking your part. Change the whole experience from first person to third person. Enjoy yourself.

Week Two Hundred Twenty-One - The Review
Watch a tv show or movie and write a review of it, stating specifically what you enjoyed and why, and what didn't work and why. Notice how I'm repeating the word why? The why is your connection to the reader. Readers what to know the details. This is an excellent practice for your in being explicit in relating events and expressing meaning. Have fun with this.

Week Two Hundred Twenty - The Heirloom
Everyone has something that is passed down in their family: anything from a piece of jewelry to furniture. If you don't, then let's say you've inherited a strange clock from an uncle who lived in South Africa. Write the history of your inherited item--where it came from, any funny or weird stories about its creation, anything unusual about the item itself, and any letter that came with it. This is a fun exercise especially useful for people who write mysteries. Enjoy!

Week Two Hundred Nineteen - The Wedding
Write about a wedding that you've attended. Focus on these two details: what are people wearing and how are they acting. This focus should help you write a very interesting scene. Be detailed regarding both. Try to write the scene as you would see it on film with closeups. Have fun.

Week Two Hundred Eighteen - Birthdays
What was your best birthday present and why? Write down everything single thing about it, vividly describing it, and include your feelings about it at the time and why it was so important to you. Then write a scene using a character in your place. Change all the he and she to I. We're working this week on deep point of view. This is a beginning.

Week Two Hundred Seventeen - Rituals of Life
Even in a fiction story, getting the facts right is important. There are ceremonies or ritual that everyone participates in as a matter of living. Choose a ceremony that you've been to and write about it. Such rituals are weddings, funerals, birthdays, births, etc. Choose only one that you remember details about and write everything about it.

Week Two Hundred Sixteen - Research Field Trip 1
Being a writer is not being secluded in your house or apartment all the time. Yes, you need the tranquility to write, but there's time when you need to get out, randomly talk to people in line at the store, and explore the world around you. Today's field trip is to the bookstore. Go to the section that you enjoy reading. For me that's the romance section, then science fiction and fantasy, and sometimes young adult. You go to your section and buy a book from your favorite author. Assign some time today to read and relax. If you want you can also visit the how-to section. Some on those books are excellent. WRITING A ROMANCE NOVEL FOR DUMMIES by Leslie Wainger is one of them. If romance isn't your cup of tea, then find something that is. This is the winter to learn, though I have to tell you honestly, if you find out a romance author or RWA chapter is giving a workshop or conference in your area, go. Their explanations on how to do the basic parts of writing is so very clear--writing a great beginning, creating characters, plotting, great endings. They really know how to do it and how to teach it to others. In my local chapter, we have an author of military fiction. He joined because he was so impressed by our chapter's conference. Now for your assignment: Get to a bookstore. NOW!

Week Two Hundred Fifteen - Package In the Mail
This week, we going to stretch our imaginations. Let's say you have received a package in the mail that you don't remember ordering. You open it and it's a pair of shoes. Write about it.

Week Two Hundred Fourteen - Cooking Up A Story
This is a challenge. Choose a recipe that you would like to make but never have, follow it, cook it, and eat it, but most importantly write about your experience. If you need an example of this, go and see the movie "Julia and Julia." Enjoy.

Week Two Hundred Thirteen - What I Did Last Week
Seriously, your assignment last week was not to write. Now write as fast as you can everything that happened last week. Relish in the descriptions and how people did and said things. Change all names to protect the innocent and guilty. Have fun with this. Gotcha!

Week Two Hundred Twelve - Don't Write
Yes, you did not imagine it. I said, "Don't Write." Go out and do something fun. Get away from the computer. Live life. When you come back and you do write, your writing will flow more and be stronger for it. Your words are only as good as the experiences you live that gives them life.

Week Two Hundred Eleven - Write A Review
This is to practice your analytical skills. Write a positive review of a favorite book, tv show, or movie. Writing a positive review takes more talent and the ability to give detailed information in an entertaining and lighthearted way. It convinces others to see the value you see. So get to it.

Week Two Hundred Ten - A Change of Setting
This is a writer's field trip. Go some place you've never been. It can be some place different but local. It doesn't have to be far away. Write down everything you experience there--people, scenery, scents, sounds, happenings. Write it so without naming it, someone else will recognize it. This is your opportunity to make it real. Keep this written setting for a future story.

Week Two Hundred Nine - Up for A Challenge
Go to a paper dictionary. Randomly open up the book 20 times. Each time write down the first word you see. Now write a short story using all these words. Have fun. This is an exercise in letting go.

Week Two Hundred Eight - Living with Change
My template crashed. That's why you're seeing a change site. What does a writer do when that happens. You write about a character who is working on their site and it is sideways and that ways and every each way. How does your character react? What do they do?

Week Two Hundred Seven - Loving Food
Following the theme of last week, write a scene between a man and a woman on a date eating dessert in a restaurant. Really think about what each would choose, what they are thinking as they watch each other eat, and what to the say to each other between bites. Having fun with this.

Week Two Hundred Six - The Food Critic
I know you've been waiting to do this. Go to a restaurant, have a meal, and write a review of the meal, giving details about each item. Then rate the meal overall as well as the ambiance of the restaurant. Have fun with the eating and the writing. Bon appetit!

Week Two Hundred Five - Independence
This weekend, the United States of America celebrated its Independence Day. Write a story about a slave and what he or she does to win freedom. Have your story take place over the course of 24 hours. Have fun with it. Hint: Begin with the moment the slave sees his or her chance.

Week Two Hundred Four - Trains
In this exercise you're going to write a story about people on a train. They go through a tunnel and it stops. The lights go out. One passenger freaks--he or she is afraid of dark, enclosed places. Screaming. What is happening? You decided. Write fast and use details.

Week Two Hundred Three - Listening to Music
This exercise will stretch your imagination. Listen to a selection of instrumental music (without lyrics) and write. Close your eyes and let the music move you and tell you a story. Write that story.

Week Two Hundred Two - Don't Write
Today go out and have an adventure. Don't write. Set your alarm for an hour earlier tomorrow morning. Then go to bed. When you wake the next day, write about your adventure. Write everything down to dialogue and the smallest detail of description. See how well you observed life. Repeat this for the rest of the week. You should end up with three life scenes. On Saturday, put them together in a story.

Week Two Hundred One - Walk in the Surf
Experience is the best research you can do for your writing. Spend some time experiencing life at least a couple of times a week. Write about your experiences. In that way, if you decide to write fiction, you will infuse the life of your character with reality. You'll make the fantastic alive. If you haven't walked out into life today, there's still time. Take a walk in the surf or among the trees or down a favorite street. Come home and write down every detail of your experience--scent, taste, texture, and sound. Be alive in your writing.

Week Two Hundred - Listening to Your World
This week you're going to take the information you gathered last week and write a scene between three friends. Place them in your setting whether a home preparing dinner together or in the park, mall, or grocery store. One of them has a problem and the other come up with ideas to help. They disagree on how to help.

Have fun and enjoy the natural dialogue and setting and adding the conflict.

Week One Hundred and Ninety-Nine – Listening to Your World
For this exercise, you will need a small pad of paper and pen. If you can, leave your home and go somewhere–a park, a mall, the grocery store, somewhere. The idea is to write down everything you hear. Snippets of people talking (not entire conversations–that’s eavesdropping and will cause you trouble–example of ’people talking’ is when you’re waiting in line and you overhear the clerk and the customer in front of you talking–write it down after you leave the store), the ocean, birds–describe the bird making the sound, frogs, the whir of a car passing, whatever it is. If you can’t leave your home today, turn off the tv and just listen to all the sounds your home makes–the puppy slurping water, the cat hissing when he gets too close, the hum of the computer, the whirling of the dishwasher, the house shaking as a truck passes.

This exercise will do two things. First, it will help make the environment of your characters more real. Second, you will see next week.

Week One Hundred Ninety - Eight - Dialogue Me Again
Let's add one more person to the scene. You've written the scene from last week. Now in the middle of the argument add someone both characters know. This new character is invited to join them. How does this new addition change the scene? Have fun. Be unpredictable.

Week One Hundred Ninety - Seven - Dialogue Me
Dialogue is a tricky matter. Let us begin simply. Write a dialogue between two people who are sitting, eating dinner in a restaurant, and they are discussing a problem. Use a name and the word said exactly once for each speaker. At intervals, add either before or after the character speaks an action.

Example: "It's hard to talk about." Joe wiped his mouth with his napkin. -- Now you try it. Write not more than a page. Do not add any adverbs onto "said." Now go forth and write dialogue.