7 writing exercises you can do in 10 minutes or less
- Transcribe another author’s work. The desire to become a great writer often comes as the result of reading a great piece of writing. ...
- Funnel real reactions into writing. The most difficult part of writing is having something to say. ...
- Describe an in-person setting. ...
- Try vocabulary builder prompts. ...
- Develop a freewriting habit. ...
- Brainstorm multiple headlines. ...
Full Answer
What are writing exercises?
Writing exercises are designed to help kick-start your thinking. Whether you are a grant writer, or if you are writing fiction or non-fiction, you will find that stimulating your brain is half the battle. This is followed up with editing and formatting, which are two aspects that can also be practiced with a writing exercise.
How do I write a short story?
Research five fun facts about this country and use one to write a short story. Set yourself at least three writing goals. This could be a good way to motivate yourself to write every day. For example, one goal might be to write at least 150 words a day. Create a character description based on the one fact, three fiction rule.
What are the benefits of exercises for writers?
Exercise makes you stronger, and this can be said of writing exercises. Writing exercises are designed to help kick-start your thinking. Whether you are a grant writer, or if you are writing fiction or non-fiction, you will find that stimulating your brain is half the battle.
How can I Share my writing exercises with others?
If you've enjoyed these writing exercises, then please share them by clicking the buttons on the left, or link to them from your blog.
What are some good writing exercises?
8 Creative Writing ExercisesLet your stream of consciousness run. Start with a blank page. ... Switch up a story's POV. ... Use creative writing prompts. ... Write a letter to your younger self. ... Write flash fiction. ... Write a fake advertisement. ... Borrow someone else's story and make it your own. ... Try blogging.
What are writing exercises?
Here is your list of 13 free creative writing exercises:1 – Write a scene or short story using no adverbs or adjectives. ... 2 – Choose a random object from the room you're in and write an image-only poem about it. ... 3 – Take a story you've already written and write it from the point of view of a different character.More items...•
How do beginners practice writing?
Creative Writing Exercises for Beginners and WritersWriting Prompts. ... Alphabet Writing Exercise. ... Write a Letter to Your Younger Self. ... Write With Inspiring Images. ... Write from Someone Else's Perspective. ... Name a Character. ... Write a Story You've Heard Before. ... Use a Wikipedia Random Article.More items...
How do I practice daily writing?
How to Develop a Daily Writing PracticeMake a schedule. Calendar in an amount of time every day you can dedicate to your writing life to get into the habit of writing. ... Create a space. ... Set a daily goal. ... Consider it a daily habit. ... Do freewriting. ... Try morning writing. ... Join a writing group. ... Be fearless.
How do you teach writing activities?
These exercises may ease their entry into shaping their ideas for an assignment:Clarify all questions about the assignment. ... Write a letter describing what the paper is going to be about. ... Write a full draft. ... Turn your ideas into a five-minute speech. ... Make a sketch of the paper. ... Make an outline.More items...
How do I write a short story?
The Top 10 Tips For Writing Great Short StoriesUnderstand that a short story is not the same as a novel. ... Start as close to the end as possible. ... Keep up the pace. ... Keep the number of characters small. ... Give the reader someone to root for. ... Create conflict! ... Suggest a backstory but don't elaborate. ... Appeal to the five senses.More items...
What are the six basic rules of writing practice?
The Six Basic Rules of Writing PracticeKeep Your Hand Moving. Don't take your fingers from your keyboard or put down your pen because you want to check email, attend to chore or get something. ... Don't Cross Out. ... Don't Worry about Spelling, Punctuation or Grammar. ... Lose Control. ... Don't Think. ... Go for the Jugular.
How do I start writing at 50?
Here are a few things that are particularly important in order to start writing after 50.Realistic Expectations. First and foremost: Set realistic goals. ... Time. ... Self-care. ... Confidence and drive. ... Community. ... Parting advice.
How can I practice English writing alone?
13:2815:55HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS ALONE AT HOME?YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo to better prepare yourself to be writing in the journals. Every. Single day for 15 minutes inMoreSo to better prepare yourself to be writing in the journals. Every. Single day for 15 minutes in English.
How do I start just writing?
8 Great Ways to Start the Writing ProcessStart in the Middle. If you don't know where to start, don't bother deciding right now. ... Start Small and Build Up. ... Incentivize the Reader. ... Commit to a Title Up Front. ... Create a Synopsis. ... Allow Yourself to Write Badly. ... Make Up the Story as You Go. ... Do the Opposite.
How many hours should I practice writing?
If you can set aside 30 minutes to an hour every day for writing practice (and set yourself a word or page limit to meet), you can become a better writer. You should also aim to schedule your writing practice for the same time every day so it becomes a habit.
How Do You Practice Writing?
This was the question I had when I first started The Write Practice in 2011. I knew how to practice a sport and how to practice playing an instrume...
Our 100+ Best Writing Practice Exercises and Lessons
Now that you know how we practice writing at The Write Practice, here are our best writing practice exercises and lessons:
Is It Time to Begin Your Writing Practice?
It’s clear that if you want to become a writer, you need to practice writing. We’ve created a proven process to practice your writing at The Write...
What is writing practice?
Writing practice is a method of becoming a better writer that usually involves reading lessons about the writing process, using writing prompts, doing creative writing exercises, or finishing writing pieces, like essays, short stories, novels, or books. The best writing practice is deliberate, timed, and involves feedback.
What is feedback in writing?
Feedback. Getting feedback is one of the requirements to deliberately practice writing or any other craft. Feedback can look like listening to the reactions of your readers or asking for constructive criticism from editors and other writers. “.
Is writing good in a vacuum?
Good writing isn’t done in a vacuum. Your readers will teach you to become a better writer. Tweet this. Tweet. This is why we ask you to post your writing practice in the comments section after each lesson, so that you can get feedback from other writers in The Write Practice community.
What is freewriting exercise?
Freewrite off of the first word of today’s newspaper. Among daily writing exercises, freewriting is one of the best writing exercises. Poets can use freewritten material as inspiration for their poetry. Prose writers can also find inspiration for future stories from the depths of their consciousnesses.
How can I improve my creative writing skills?
Of course, the best way to improve your creative writing skills is simply to write every day. Keeping a daily journal is a great way to exercise your writing mind. By sitting down with your personal observations and writing without an agenda or audience, a daily writing practice remains one of the best writing exercises , regardless of your genre or level of expertise.
How to write a metaphor list?
A metaphor list is simple. On a notebook, create two columns. In one column, write down only concrete nouns. Things like a pillow, a tree, a cat, a cloud, and anything that can be perceived with one of the five senses. In the other list, write down only abstract ideas.
How can I write better if I can't seem to write?
How can you write better if you can’t seem to write at all? One of the best poetry exercises, as well as writing exercises in general, is to start your day by freewriting. Freewriting, also known as “stream of consciousness writing,” involves writing your thoughts down the moment they come.
Why is it important to write with limitations?
Among exercises to improve writing skills, writing with limitations has the clearest benefits. This practice challenges your brain to think about language productively. Additionally, these limitations force you to use unconventional language – which, in turn, makes you write with lucidity, avidity, and invention.
What advice do writers give to writers?
The conventional advice given to writers is to “write what you know.” We couldn’t disagree with that statement more. The best creative works force both the writer and the reader to consider new perspectives and learn something new; writing from a new point-of-view makes for a great exercise in expanding your creative limits.
What is it called when you read like a writer?
Plagiarism is still off the table; however, you can learn a lot by paying attention to how other people write. This is what we call “reading like a writer.”. Reading like a writer means paying attention to the craft elements that make an excellent piece of literature work.
What is creative writing?
Creative writing exercises are short writing activities (normally around 10 minutes) designed to get you writing. The goal of these exercises is to give you the motivation to put words onto a blank paper. These words don’t need to be logical or meaningful, neither do they need to be grammatically correct or spelt correctly.
How to motivate yourself to write?
Set yourself at least three writing goals. This could be a good way to motivate yourself to write every day. For example, one goal might be to write at least 150 words a day. Create a character description based on the one fact, three fiction rule. Think about one fact or truth about yourself.
How to get random words?
Open a book or dictionary on a random page. Pick a random word. You can close your eyes and slowly move your finger across the page. Now, write a paragraph with this random word in it. You can even use an online dictionary to get random words: Create your own alphabet picture book or list.
How many words are in a flash fiction?
Flash fiction is normally around 500 words long, so try to stay within this limit. Write a six-word story about something that happened to you today or yesterday. A six-word story is basically an entire story told in just six words.
What is a writing exercise?
Writing exercises are designed to help kick-start your thinking. Whether you are a grant writer, or if you are writing fiction or non-fiction, you will find that stimulating your brain is half the battle. This is followed up with editing and formatting, which are two aspects that can also be practiced with a writing exercise.
What are some exercises to help you write?
The 10 Best Writing Exercises That are Borderline Genius. Steph Fraser. Updated on August 20th, 2020. Writing is difficult. It is a skill that you can exercise, just as if you were working a muscle in your body. Exercise makes you stronger, and this can be said of writing exercises. Writing exercises are designed to help kick-start your thinking. ...
How to get creative when you are not writing?
Do something creative that is not writing related, you may find that this creativity can help to spur on an idea. Do a writing exercise that has no real meaning. It can be something that just gets you to write. Take some time to do something physical, as this can release some of the stress that you may be feeling.
Why is writing exercise important?
In addition, this writing exercise has been shown to help you think like your readers - as real people with emotions rather than a generic form. The idea behind this exercise is to help your writing become something that moves people emotionally.
How does Squibler help you write a book?
If you want to learn how to write a book, Squibler can help. It even takes things a step further and helps you write your book fast. This doesn't mean the quality is compromised. It simply means that Squibler gets you so organized and motivated that you are able to complete your book in record time.
How to write a short story?
A few writing prompts: 1 Pull a book from your shelf, open to a random page, pick a random sentence, and use that sentence as the first line of a short story. 2 Write a story based on the last dream you can remember having. 3 Write in public (a coffee shop, a library), and eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation. Snatch a line you hear and write a story around it. 4 Take a memory of something that confused you in your childhood–write an explanation for it. 5 Listen to a song, imagine a music video, and write the story of the music video.
Why is speed writing important?
Speed-writing helps to release judgment you might put on your stories, allowing for a more natural process. I like to speed-write when I’m stuck on a short story or a particular scene.
How to write a dream?
Write a story based on the last dream you can remember having. Write in public (a coffee shop, a library), and eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation. Snatch a line you hear and write a story around it. Take a memory of something that confused you in your childhood–write an explanation for it.
Why do we write stories out of order?
Writing a story out of order is another way to get a fresh perspective. This exercise can also give you insight on things like story structure, progression, climaxes, conclusions, and countless other story elements. It’s a way to dissect a story and see how they’re built.
Is reading good for writing?
You’ve probably heard this a million times before, but if you aren’t a good reader, you aren’t a good writer. Reading is the most beneficial thing you can do for your writing style outside of actually writing. Read tons of content in your genre, but make sure you aren’t pigeonholing yourself to it. Keep your style eclectic ...
How long does it take to write a prompt?
There are no right or wrong suggestions and the intention is to focus on big concepts, not little details. This whole exercise takes around 15 minutes. Writing prompts to use as prompts. Exercise for groups of 3-5. If you're in larger group, split up into groups of 3 or 4 people.
How to write a scene in a group of 5?
For groups of 5 or less, write down numbers starting with 1 and going up until everyone has a number, then give them out in order. For groups of 6 or more, divide groups into 3's, 4's or 5's. Each person has to write a scene where the protagonist is alone and is only allowed to say a single word, e.g. "Banana".
What is solo exercise?
The solo exercises are ideal if you’re working by yourself to help stimulate your mind before working on a larger project or to overcome writer’s block, or can be used with a larger group, where you simply ask everyone to share what they’ve written in groups of 3 or 4 people afterwards.
The Hammer and the Hatchet
A stranger walks into the general store and buys a hammer, a hatchet, some rope, and an apple. What does he do with them?
Telephone Directory
It is commonly known that a telephone directory might be the most boring text in the entire world. Here is your challenge: write a page of a telephone directory and figure out SOME way to make it interesting.
Eight
Pick a fiction book from your shelf. Go to page eight and find the eighth sentence on the page. Start with that sentence and write an eight-line poem that connects in some way to your work-in-progress. For instance, write from the POV of a character, or set the poem in a story setting. Don't worry about poetry forms.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
A talk show is scripted to promote the guest and discuss topics with which the guest is comfortable. Imagine your protagonist on the Ellen Degeneres Show (or The Late Show With Stephen Colbert - whichever show you're familiar with).
Beginnings
Getting started is one of the most difficult tasks that faces every writer. Julie Parsons is an international bestselling author. For this exercise, she's giving you the opening lines from some of her books. Take the following lines and use them to write the beginning of your own chapter:
Discover Online Classes in Writing
Training your mind and body to respond faster and in more effective ways is an essential part of building any skill, whether that’s bodybuilding or publishing a novel. When it comes to writing, flexing your creative muscles is an important part of honing your craft and finding new ways to get everything in your head down on paper.
What Are Writing Exercises?
Whether you’re a new or experienced writer, you might never have heard of writing exercises before. So what are they? They’re short bursts of improvisational writing, where you don’t plan anything in advance and note down what is on your mind.
Writing Exercises to Try
Now that you have a better idea of what writing exercises are and how they might work to improve your skills, let’s dive deeper into some exercises that are specific to different writing forms.
Pencils at the Ready!
There are hundreds of possible writing exercises out there for you to try. We hope that these ideas will give you some inspiration the next time you want to start a new writing project.