Don't Thumb Your Nose at Writing Exercises

Who are they? Where are they? What are they talking about? 

Don't thumb your nose at writing exercises. You can sharpen your writing skills if you do them on a regular basis. They can be a warm-up to your regular writing routine. You can also come up with an idea for a piece to write that is publishable. These exercises are not punishment, only meant to help.

Many writers don't bother with writing exercises. "I just want to write!" That's the attitude. Exercises are all about writing, so don't roll your eyes and move on. If you are someone who thinks they are boring, all you have to do is vary the kinds of exercises you do. Try them daily, three times a week, or occasionally. Whatever works for you. 

Here are a few writing exercies you might try:

A.  Photo Prompt:  Find a photo of any kind, one that shows some activity or a person in a particular setting. Like the one with today's post. Don't start writing yet. Study the photo or painting. Use your imagination to decide who the person or people are, where they're at, where they might be going and more. Then start writing a paragraph or several. Keep going as long as something comes to mind.

B.  Free Write:  Open a book, close your eyes, and point to a word. Type that word, then start writng whatever comes to mind for a full ten minutes, or even longer. (Some writers say that fifteen to twenty minutes gets the best results. ) Don't stop to think, keep writing. Let your subconscious free itself. You don't need to make sense, but normally something sensible will come in part of what you write in this exercise. Some of it may give you an idea for a story, essay, or poem. 

C.  Color Exercise:  Choose a color, then write a descriptive paragraph without naming the color. Here's your chance to highlight your descriptive abilities.  Make a list of colors and choose one each day.

D.  Weather Exercise:  Make a list of weather situations (tornado, hail, hurricane, windy day etc). Choose one and write a descriptive paragraph or paragraphs using the word as a prompt.

E.   Emotions:  Make a list of emotions. Choose one and write whatever comes to mind. Let yourself use emotion in this exercise. Too often, we hold back our emotions when we write. Doing this one repeatedly will allow you to release some of those pent-up feelings. 

Exercises, whether physical ones or the writing kind, are meant to make you stronger. Hit the walking trail for an hour and your body will benefit. Try a writing exercise for fifteen minutes to half an hour, and your future writing will gain in quality. The more you do the exercises, the stronger writer you will become. 
 

Good Writing Takes Practice

 

Today's photos speak to us of autumn, or fall, whichever word you prefer. Personally, I tend to autumn. It seems a much nicer word. Maybe I prefer it as fall has more than one meaning. Autumn is its own word. Say the two words aloud. Which one do you prefer?

The two autumn photos are perfect to inspire a freewrite exercise. They give you the opportunity to practice writing description. Each one can inspire a story or poem. Three possibilities.

When you describe the color in each photo, try not to use 'red' or 'yellow.' Instead, use words that bring the thought of red or yellow to mind but are more poetic, more descriptive. If you want your writing to sing, then you must use words that will help you write beautiful prose. 

When using photo prompts, consider the sensory details. What do you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste? Including some of those senses will bring the scene alive for your readers. 

Can a writing exercise evolve into a full story, essay, or poem? Absolutely! I've done it, and so have many of the members of my online writing group. You can, too.

Use either one or both of the photos to for a writing exercise today. Make one a freewrite where you write without thinking, without stopping, or simply as a prompt to write a descriptive paragraph, or even as inspiration to write a full story, essay, or poem. Your choice.

Good writing takes practice. So, go for it!

Strength Through Writing Exercises

  

Today's poster shows some young, limber person exercising. There was a time I could do this, but not now. Instead, I choose writing exercises which strengthen my writing abilities. 

A couple weeks ago, I attended a writing workshop moderated by Marlene Cullen. ( www.thewritespot.us) She lives in California, and I live in Kansas, but thanks to the miracle of zoom, I was able to join her group. Marlene is the lady of writing prompts. She has ever so many good ones. 

That evening, she gave those who attended one prompt that I particularly liked. We all spent a few minutes writing whatever popped into our minds when we were given the prompt. Then, several read their efforts. One prompt, but all wrote about something different. That's the beauty of writing to a prompt. 

I have three writing prompts for you today. With the weekend upon us, perhaps you can set aside a little time to respond to them. Note that I didn't say that you might find a little time. Instead, I asked that you set aside some time. Two different things, aren't they? 

Now to the prompts:  (# 1 is the one Marlene gave us)

Prompt #1:  My mother told me...

Prompt #2:  My father told me...

Prompt #3:  My teacher told me...

Use the freewrite method. Look at the prompt, then start writing and don't stop to think. Let the words flow until you run out. Or set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes and stop when time is up. 

Physical exercise is aimed at muscles and flexibility. Writing exercises work on your writing muscles and flexibility. Do both kinds, and you'll be a sensation!

Why Bother With Writing Exercises?

Exercise for the Body

We all know exercise is good for the body. It helps muscle tone, keeps fat from taking over, and increases your stamina. It also makes you feel energized. 

I'm sure there are many writers who exercise several days a week, if not every day. Writer A says he wouldn't miss his morning jog for anything. Writer B says she never misses her three days a week yoga class. Writer C swims laps five days a week.

Do Writers A, B, and C go home and do a writing exercise? Or do they start in on whatever writing project they're working on or are about to begin? Writer A says he doesn't need those basic writing exercises. He's been writing for 20 years. Writer B throws her hands up and says she doesn't have extra time to do writing exercises. Writer C says she sees no reason to spend time doing silly writing exercises. 

All three of those writers pay attention to exercising their bodies, but do they exercise their writing self? Do they work out their writing muscles? What can writing exercises do for them? 

Writing exercises do a lot for those who practice them:

• They warm up a writer for some serious writing later.
• They stir up memories that we can write about some other time.
• They make us think along different lines.
• They flex our brains rather than our limbs.
• They open doorways to new writing topics.
• They make you think.
• They let you use your subconscious.

A ten-minute freewrite from a random word prompt is a great warm-up exercise. It also reaches deep into the recesses of your mind as you type nonstop, no thinking, letting the words flow for the full ten minutes. You may end up with gibberish, but you could find something new to write about. Many Random Word freewrite exercises in my online critique group have been the basis for a fiction story or a personal essay or a short memoir piece. Open a book, let your finger land on a word and begin your ten minutes.

Practicing dialogue is a great writing exercise. Pick a situation and hold a conversation between two or more people. Pay attention to things like making the conversation sound normal, not stilted or too formal. Use tags without adding adverbs. Let your dialogue say it all. Practice writing dialogue for a short time now and then, so that it will become an easy task when you're writing a story.

Write about color without naming the color. This is a great exercise in using descriptive phrases. Try a paragraph for each of several colors. 

Write a paragraph filled with cliches. Then rewrite it changing the cliches to something original. It's so easy to use a cliche, but do it often and you become a lazy writer. This exercise can make you more aware of cliches so you're less likely to use them in your writing.

Write a paragraph with 5-word sentences. It's boring. Now rewrite it varying the sentence length. You'll have a far more interesting piece of writing.

Write about a childhood memory for ten or 15 minutes. Use all the writing skills you have perfected to make the memory interesting; add a sense of place, your feelings, and whatever else will make the memory come alive.

There are many more writing exercises. Use a search engine to find more. Start your writing each day with one short exercise. It's only ten minutes out of your writing time, and as time goes on, you'll reap the benefits.

I'm an advocate of toning your body, but I also urge writers to exercise their mind and writing skills.

A Photo Prompt Writing Exercise and Why We Do Them

Who is she? Where is she? What is she thinking? What kind of day is it? Where is she going? What does she have to do? Where has she been? What is her name? How old is she? 

All the questions will help you write a story or a few paragraphs about this photo prompt above. When doing this exercise you can/should also use or show the following:

• thoughts of the girl
• emotions
• weather
• sounds she hears
• the temperature and its effect
• smells---is that smoke?
• is there fog? 
• why she is sitting
• what about the leaves? color, touch, sound when walked on etc
•  contents of her backpack

I've heard writers say that they can never come up with a good story when doing a photo prompt exercise. It might be that they don't ask themselves questions like the above. You cannot merely look at the picture and expect a fantastic story to sail into your mind. You need a little help. Once you begin asking questions and considering place, emotions, and more, it becomes much easier to write.

And why should you bother with writing exercises like this? Why not concentrate on your present writing project instead of practicing writing? My answer is that the more you do these exercises, the easier writing becomes when you work on your present work in progress. The little extras that we learn to do through the exercises become habit when we write. 

I have some ideas about that young girl in the woods. Do you?

Four Writing Exercises Involving October

Twenty-six days ago, I used this poster to welcome the new month. Those days have slipped by quickly offering many changes. October offers numerous topics for us to write about. Think back to your growing-up days as well as the present time. 

Some of the topics October offers:

• crisp, cool mornings
• warm, sunny afternoons
• blustery days with leaves swirling
• an occasional rainy day
• pumpkins to harvest or purchase
• Fire Prevention Awareness month
• football games
• shorter days
• Halloween costumes, parades and celebrations
• Columbus Day
• fall decorations
• fall flowers--asters and mums
• Homecoming activities in high schools and universities
• colorful leaves on trees
• falling leaves
• raking leaves
• foods featuring apples, pumpkins or squash
• fall arts and crafts festivals
• state fairs in the warmer states
• furnaces instead of air-conditioners

Writing Exercises:

1.   Choose any of the topics above and do a ten-minute free-write. Fingers to the keys, type non-stop for the full time, then see what you produced. If you like what you've written, keep going. Or if you see the bones of a story or essay, spend more time fleshing it out.

2.  Choose one of the topics that deals with weather and write a paragraph or two using descriptive adjectives and sensory details to bring the reader into your rainy day, or crisp, cold mornings or a sunny afternoon. Consider October as you write

3.  Choose one of the October celebration days and write a few paragraphs using sensory details and descriptive adjectives.

4.  Choose the fall foods and write a family story including those foods. 

Writing exercises are one of the tools writers can and should use on a regular basis. It's no different than a football player practicing tackles or a basketball player who shoots baskets from every angle on the court. Athlete or artist, we're all trying to improve our skill. 

A Winter Scene Photo Prompt

 

I have two photos for you today, both of winter scenes. I selected the winter theme because we had our first dose of it today. No snow but really cold. Time for heavy jackets, hats and gloves! 

One reason to use photos as writing prompts is to give us an opportunity to do two things:  create a story and write descriptively. 

It's up to you whether you want to write a full story or a slice of life or merely a descriptive paragraph. If you have the time, you might try one of each. 

Choose the photo that appeals to you the most. Study it and then begin writing. Freewrite--write without stopping--and see what comes from your inner self. 

These photo prompt exercises can turn into a full story or essay that you can submit somewhere after you've edited and revised it a time or two. Maybe three! 

Some writers turn up their nose at the thought of doing one of these writing exercises. Big mistake. They have lots of benefits if you let yourself get into the process. Go for it!

Eight Writing Exercises

My husband and I are going away for a few days so there will be no new post here until Monday, August 8th. I'm posting four photos below that you can use to do the photo prompt exercise. Below that, you'll find a list of words that you can use for a freewrite exercise. That should keep you busy until I can post a new topic next week. 

Photo Prompt Exercise

Study the photo, then write a paragraph, several paragraphs or more using the photo as a base.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Words For Freewrite Exercise

For each word, write 10 minutes without stopping. Write whatever comes into your mind.

• tasteful
• torrid
• bagpipes
• shy

Soar To New Heights With A Random Word Exercise

To start the week, let's try a Random Word exercise. I will list some words below, one for each day this work week. Start with number 1 today and see where it takes you. Then on to the second one tomorrow and so on. 

The Random Word Exercise is one my online critique group does on a weekly basis. To do the exercise properly, look at the word, then start typing as fast as you can. Write whatever comes into your mind, even if it seems like gibberish. It doesn't have to have any form, or be related, multiple thoughts can come from one word. Or it can take you along one path. There is no right or wrong. Don't hesitate or stop. Keep typing. Continue for a full ten minutes. Set a timer before you begin if it helps. 

You'll have many unrelated thoughts about real things. Or you may start writing the beginning of a fiction story. Or you might just begin with words that rhyme with the word given. Memories from years ago might emerge. Whatever you do, don't stop. Keep on writing no matter how silly it may seem at the time. 

There are days when you get nothing but gibberish, nothing that you can use for a future writing project. But wait! There are also days when a gem of an idea bursts forth, something you can use as the bones of a new story or essay, or even a poem. Several members of my writers group have used their Random Word exercise results to go on to write a full story. You can, too.

You might wonder how the words are selected. Different methods for different people. Some open a book, close their eyes and put a finger on the page. Whatever word that finger lands on is it. Others use a theme, as one person chooses the words for a full month. I did seasons once; another time I used words that all began with the letters fr. If you're doing it on your own, the finger in the book is a good method. This is a great warm-up exercise for any writer.

Here are the five words for this week: 

1. apple

2. elevator

3. silver

4. carnival

5. canine

Can You Write To A Theme?

Back in 2007, the Kansas Authors Convention theme was Pen Life As Art. The theme division in the state contest paid the largest prize amount in both the Prose and Poetry Divisions. It's definitely worth trying to write something that brings the theme to life. 

I wrote a poem and entered it in the theme division. Much to my surprise, it won third place. Tomorrow I'll post the poem here. 

But today, I'm going to suggest that you try writing a poem or a story or essay or article. It could be a memoir piece or pure fantasy but it must use Pen Life As Art for a theme. It doesn't have to be the title but it can if you want to use it that way. Your poem or prose piece should illustrate the theme in some way. 

Make it as short as you like or as long.  I would love to have some of you share your effort, although I'm not sure how much you can put in the comment box on the blog post itself. Some of you who read the blog via facebook pages can copy and paste in the comment box there.

What is so interesting about an exercise like this one is that the end result will be going down a variety of paths. 

Dig Deep Into Your Memory Bank

  I usually write my posts after reading thenewspaper and eating breakfast. I bring a cup of coffee into my home office and start with email, then seeing what is going on at facebook. It's surprising how many times I've found a subject or inspiration for the post from something I've seen on that social media page. I originally joined facebook to promote my writing and Writer Granny's World but I've found lots of other pluses to my membership. After email and facebook, I write the blog post, still sipping my coffee. It's a rather nice way to begin the day; makes me feel like I've accomplished something.
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I gave you a few writing prompts a few days ago. If you missed it, check out this page. All the prompts here revolve around March and early spring. Today, I've got a list of more general prompts that will help writers who write memoir or family stories but also those who write fiction. By doing this exercise using your own experiences, you can find the basis for a character or plot in your fiction, too. Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee or tea or a glass of juice and let the writing juices emerge.

Begin with the prompt phrase and write as quickly as you can, don't stop to plan it carefully. Instead, freewrite. Let the thoughts come from the recesses of your mind. Once you've primed the pump, the memories will flow like water over a dam. You may become inspired to keep on writing, and if that doesn't happen, don't delete what you've written. Keep it in a file and go back to look at it now and then. Ready?

1.  My mother never....

2.  I always told my children....

3.  On the school playground....

4.  When a stranger looked at our town,.....

5.  My favorite teacher was....

6.  The teacher that annoyed me....

7.  My brother/sister asked me to....

8.  Our next door neighbor was....

9.  We had a dog that....

10. My favorite place to visit is...

11. I feel furious when....

12. Whenever I was mean, my mother...

13. I helped my father.....

14. The one thing I could never eat was...

15. When I picked the neighbor's flowers...

Two Things Necessary For A Picture Prompt Exercise

Why are picture prompts such a good exercise for writers? One of the best reasons I can think of is that they help to develop our imagination and creativity. If I were teaching a class filled with twenty writers of all stages--newbies, intermediate and top pros--and I assigned the picture above for a writing exercise, I would receive twenty different stories. There is no doubt of that. Two main things enter into what comes of an exercise like this.

Experience: Each writer who studies this picture will see something different. A lot of what we see is based on our own experiences, or our dreams perhaps. If the writer had lived in a place where snow in winter was the norm, the many experiences taking place on snowy days would spark their writing. But if the writer had lived in southern Florida, a snowy day like this one is only a dream. Maybe a nightmare as it doesn't appeal at all to many of these people to be cold. They can only imagine the crunch of snow under a pair of warm boots. They don't know what it feels like to have the snow land flake by flake on already-chilled cheeks. Nor do they know the joy of making a snowball or building a snowman. So, yes, experiences do play a part in what we see in a picture prompt.

Imagination:  Let's face it. Some people have more vivid imaginations than others. Walk through a museum of contemporary art with 5 people, stop before a colorful abstract painting and ask each one what they see in it. You'd get widely diverse interpretations depending on the imagination quotient of each person. Can you develop a higher degree of imeagination? Yes, I think it's quite possible. As stated above, doing these picture prompts is one good way to increase your imagination. We're all familiar with stories about small children who live with a pretend friend or pet. My youngest brother kept 5 baby fire dragons and a mama fire dragon with him for a long time, blamed many of his misdeeds on them, and cautioned the rest of the family not to step on them. He's not a writer today, but I have a feeling that he'd have a good result with a picture prompt as he had that imaginative spark from early on. Doing the picture prompt exercise on a regular basis should help develop your imagination to a higher degree. 

So how about it? Give this picture a good look. Take time to study it top to bottom, side to side. Then start writing. Ask yourself where it is, what time of day it might be, who is going to come down that path and leave footprints. Add sensory details to let the reader know what it feels like in this scene. I wish I really were teaching a class of twenty writers who would hand in this assignment to me. I'd love to see what they created. 

Time For A Writing Exercise, Maybe Two

My online critique group does a Random Word writing exercise every week. It's up to me to try them or not. Random Word exercises are meant to get your brain moving at a good speed, to let the thoughts lying deep in the recesses of your mind come to the surface. 

We look at the word, then write nonstop for a full ten minutes. Doesn't matter what is written. It could be pure drivel, nonsense rhyming words, or a rant on some subject. More often than you would imagine, enough coherent thoughts come through with the bones for a story or essay. Many in our group have gone on to write a full story from the words that flowed mindlessly (or so some thought) during a Random Word exercise.

How can you do this one on your own? Open a book--any book, even the dictionary--close your eyes and point your finger on the page. Whatever word your finger lands on is it. Then, set a timer and take off. Don't just do one. Try several, even if you don't do them all at one time. Do one in the morning, another in the afternoon and again in the evening. Not all will come to fruition in the form of a full story or essay, but a good many can and will. 

For another writing exercise, try the one in the poster photo at the top of today's post. Sounds easy but you may have more difficulty with this one than you think. Even so, I think it would be a worthwhile effort to give this one a try. Send your results to me via the comments section below. I'd love to see what you do with this one. 

Great athletes practice all the time. Writers should, too.

Regular or Decaf?

Coffee drinkers can be separated into two distinct groups--those who want full-bodied regular and the ones who choose decaf. I think writers can be classified in similar groups--those regular writers who spend a part of every day writing and the others (decaf!) who write only occasionally. 

Which one are you? Do you write only when inspiration hits? Or do you try to write something every day? Which group do you think is going to have more work published? 

Most writing books recommend the everyday method. You don't need to write a full story or article each day. But do some kind each day--even a simple exercise. Try the color exercise where you name a color, then find as many words as possible to describe the color without actually naming it. You could choose a different color for days. You might work on characterizations if you're a fiction writer. Or you could set a goal of a certain number of words per day if you are working on a novel. 

For me, this blog serves as my daily writing. It forces me to write something each day from Monday through Friday. It keeps the creative juices flowing, it serves as a writing exercise of sorts, and, best of all, I thoroughly enjoy it.

If you're in the group that writes only occasionally, it might take more time than you'd like to get those words to come out the way you'd like. You have to search a little harder for that creativity than the regular writer. And maybe your writing world is not as satisfying as for those who write on a regular basis. If you do more thinking about writing than actual writing, it's gets easier and easier to 'put it off' another day--or two or three or...

There's a brand new year only days away. You can make a choice now. Are you going for regular or decaf in your writing world. Could be that choosing regular over decaf will give you a more satisfying result. 

Writing Exercise Number Two

Writing Exercise Number Two This exercise gives you free rein. I'll give you the starting place and you can take off in any direction that comes to mind. The Exercise:    Write details for the images the following phrases bring to mind. 1.  a purple chair 2.  laundry in a wicker basket 3.  an open back door 4.  five camels 5.  an international airport 6.  a broken cup 7.  six ducklings 8.  grandmother's silver locket 9.  a wilted rose 10.  a sink filled with soapy water

Hone Your Writing Skills With Exercise

We read constantly that we need to exercise our bodies. Keep moving! That's the mantra in this 21st century. And a good one one it is.Seniors are also advised to exercise their minds. Makes sense. If the boedy needs to keep moving, so does the mind.

Writers can take it one step farther. They need to do exercises to sharpen their writing skills. Is that muttering I hear coming form dissenters? Do I hear snippets of things like "I don't want to practice, I'm ready to write." Or "I'm not a newbie, there's no reason for me to do writing exercises."  Or "I don't have time to devote to writing exercises. I need to work on publishable pieces."

Well, think again! Writing exercises benefit the newbie writer, the intermediate and the advanced, as well. Concert pianists who perform would never give up practice time. Star athletes still put in practice time.

My husband and I saw the Yamoto Japanese Drummers a few weeks ago. They were so in tune with another that their show was sheer perfection. I read in the program notes that they spent hours and hours each week practicing. They were skilled musicians, who were not satisfied to continue without keeping those skills razor sharp.

As writers, we need to take that same attitude. So, for the next few days, I'm going to post some writing exercises. Try them and see which ones appeal to you, which ones are easy and those that are difficult. Can you guess which ones are going to improve your writing skills the most?

Use Color in Your Writing

We've talked a number of times about the importance of using sensory details in our writing. Color isn't a sense like touch, smell or taste, but it's still a detail that can add some great visual images to your stories.

Our lives are filled with color, so why not incorporate that into your writing, as well. When I first began going to movie theaters, the films were mostly black and white. Only the musicals were done in full, blazing color. And what a glorious thing it was, too

Look at the following two passages that might come from a piece of fiction:

1.  Paul pinned the flowers onto her lapel. She grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. Paul's heart beat faster, and .....

3.  Paul pinned the violets onto her lapel. The deep purple of the flowers were a perfect match for her eyes. She grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. Paul's heart beat faster, and .....

The second example gives us a little more in our visual image than the first one does. It also tells us something we may not have known about the woman--the color of her eyes. (Wasn't Elizabeth Taylor known for her violet eyes, among other things!)

You can paint a spectacular word picture with color when describing things like a sunset, a mountain, a lake.

Saying that Johnny picked up a ball. is OK, but saying Johnny picked up the blue and yellow striped ball.gives us an even better mental picture of what the boy is doing.  You don't have to describe everything with colors but adding it here and there will perk up your writing, let the reader see more.

When you proofread your work, check for those important sensory details, but also look to see if you have color mentioned in any way. Find the spots where it might add something for the reader.

Fitness For Writers

We're always reading articles in magazines and newspapers about making America fit. Exercise is being pushed for each and every one of us. We're urged to run, to walk long distances, to lift weights, use machines at workout centers and make sure we take 10,000 steps every day. All to our benefit. I won't dispute that one bit.

Writers need to exercise, too. And I don't mean the physical kind state above. We can benefit from doing writing exercises on a regular basis. Call it practice..Call it motivation. Call it anything you like. It's still hard work, just like physical exercise. The one good thing is that your muscles don't ache the next day!

Writing exercises can be found in many books on the craft of writing. They can be found online by googling keywords like writing exercises or exercises for writers.

Sometimes, critique groups offer a monthly (or weekly) exercise for their members. It might be a writing prompt using a picture or setting a situation for you. It might be a challenge to use certain kinds of adjectives and adverbs in writing a paragraph about spring. It can be myriad things, but each is designed to set your writer's mind in high gear and to give you practice.

Besides the practice and thought process, writing exercises bring another benefit. They are great motivation. Once you write that initial paragraph or two to fulfill the exercise, you may very well want to expand it into a full story or article.

My friend, Molly, and I are doing a team exercise for a few weeks. We have each pledged to do a writing exercise of our own choice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then we send it to one another. Sometimes, when you know someone else is waiting to see it, you're more apt to stick to the schedule. We did this a year or so ago, and we both found it beneficial. It helps set a pattern and keeps the writing part of our minds active. Try this with a writer friend.

As for me, it's Wednesday and Molly has already sent me her exercise, so I'd better go get started on mine.

A Writing Exercise

Basketball players  practice a lot. The ones who practice hard are the ones who excell in the games they play against opponents and in front of the fans. The guy who slacks off in practice usually ends up warming the bench a lot because he doesn't give much to his team on game night.

Writers are no different. They need to practice, too. And the best way to do that is to do writing exercises. Google 'writing exercises' and you'll come up with a long list to choose from. Or purchase a book of writing exercises. Beginning writers sometimes think they're boring and so they skip them entirely. They want to get on to the real writing. The kind an editor will purchase and publish. To get to that kind of writing, it takes practice. Skipping the exercise step won't be to your advantage.

I've found that doing a writing exercise often triggers thoughts about something I would like to write, or it shows me a place where I've fallen down in my writing. A short, simple exercise reveals much more than you would think. One I partcularly enjoyed doing was on color. The direction given was to write a paragraph or several paragraphs in which a color is described but never actually named. A challenge! My effort is below. Give it a try and then find some other exercises to do. Make it a regular part of your writing routine.

Color Exercise:  Color Exercise #2

Silver: (trying to give a picture of the color without mentioning the word silver. Did I?)

The sun’s rays hit the giant metal symbol and bounced back, almost as if a bullet had ricocheted. I shaded my eyes from the gleam, then tilted my head to get a better look at the newly erected artwork at the entrance to the raceway. It resembled a charger plate meant for a giant’s dinner, a wealthy giant perhaps, for the raised carvings on it spoke of riches. I thought it might fit better in a pharaoh’s tomb than here where men soared around the oval track in souped-up cars, hellbent on nothing but winning the race and downing as many beers as possible afterward.

Every person who approached the new symbol paused to drink in its splendor. Some appeared mesmerized by the opulence, others smiled and moved on, while a few stood transfixed. The lustrous artwork looked richer than gold might have. Hands reached out to touch but stopped short as if in fear of leaving marks on the resplendent, round plate.