Writing Exercises to Keep Your Craft Limber

Writing requires an exorbitant amount of brain power that coffee, alone, cannot propel. The brain is a muscle and, no different from any other muscle, needs regular exercise to stay limber. If you consider writing a book, or any long piece, as the author’s big game, then use one of the following techniques as a warm-up or training to keep the writing muscle at the ready.

Free-writing. Grab paper and pen, set a ten-minute timer, and write whatever pops into your head. No forethought is required before hitting start on the timer. Just let the pen fly. The key to free writing is the old-fashioned writing by hand because you probably type faster than you hand-write, giving your tired, scared, cold brain a fighting chance to keep up with the act of writing. Free-writing is an excellent warmup to a long writing piece; don’t expect your brain to hit stride right out of the gate.

Some topics I free-write about:

• a scene to practice dialogue or setting. Does not have to be for an active project, just some random place or conversation I draw out of memory or imagination and put to paper.
• a character profile. Again, does not have to be for an active project; can be someone I know or create and record.
• all the crap (fear, negativity, bullying) my inner editor needs to say so she can shut up and let me work.

Inspiration journal or prompt. There's no lack of journals prepackaged with writing prompts. Similar to free writing but it dictates what topic you write about. Use a timer for this exercise, too, so you don’t get bogged down in making perfect prose. The goal is to see what your brain can produce on any one topic for a set duration without having to come up with the topic yourself. This little exercise trains your writing muscle to be at the ready.

Story Cubes. It’s a game and writing all in one. Roll the dice, draft a little story or scene based on the displayed images. Remember, it’s a game, an exercise to awake the brain. Do not take yourself seriously and expect something perfect or even salvageable. Have fun, be silly, experiment with a different writing style or genre, like the challenges I’ve mentioned in other posts to keep writing fresh.

Positivity Journal. Most writers journal; many writers journal only about the negative aspects of life or writing or a life of writing. No? Just me? Fine. I’ve always journaled away my negative emotions but I’ve started to use journaling for positivity too. Not a gratitude journal (which is also good). More like a pep talk to boost confidence, the opposite of letting the negative editor have their five minutes. Focus on what feels good for you at that moment. Give yourself a rave review after meeting a writing goal. Think of it as the stretch that feels so good after vigorous performance.

Ideas Journal. Think of the ideas journal as your playbook, recording all your creative sparks and preventing your writing brain from getting bored. I’m of the belief that writer’s block is actually forgetfulness. Whether digital or analog, have a place where you can store an idea, tag it, then come back later when you have time to expand on it. Bullet journaling is a great analog method for tracking writing ideas because you can organize your thoughts by topic. You could make note of ideas in a phone app. Start to see how ideas correlate or expand on each other to form robust content.

Book Reviews. Consider book reviews as a method for studying the craft of writing. Writing is critical thinking and communication, both of which are performed in a book review through an evaluation of the narrative‘s technique and expressing that evaluation for other readers (and maybe the author if they happen upon it). Remember, anything you write is a chance to hone your writing. Sharing your writing through a review on goodreads or Amazon should be done with thoughtful intent. You’re putting your authentic voice out in the world plus displaying how much attention you put towards the technical aspects of writing (grammar, punctuation).

Remember, your writing muscle needs to stay in shape if you want to flex it on a whim. Use these techniques as warmups or trainings between your bigger writing projects.