Exercises for writers
How often have you heard someone say that the brain is a muscle, and that muscle must be exercised regularly? There’s a lot of truth to that. And for writers, the part of the brain that handles writing must be exercised too. If you don’t, you’ll lose some of your edge and your work will become a tad flat and workmanlike.
I outlined a few ways in which writers can stay sharp in a previous post. This time around, though, I’m going to discuss a few of my favourite exercises that will help you exercise your writing.
Cut, and cut again
This isn’t an original idea. I lifted it from A River Runs Through It. I use this one a lot, and a high school writing teacher I know has also used it with great success.
Write 1,000 words. They, of course, have to be coherent and flow. Don’t just go stream of consciousness. Put that aside for a while – anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Then, rewrite it. But make sure that you cut 500 words out of the piece while retaining it’s meaning, flow, and punch. Again, set the piece aside and then come back to it later. Then, rewrite it again. This time, trim it to 250 words.
It’s not easy. And don’t get frustrated if you can’t do all of the trimming at first. It takes a while to master that skill, and even then there are times when you can’t do it.
Describe a scene
I touched on this in a previous post. As I wrote in that post, you can practice describing a scene by walking to the library or store and back, and then writing down what you saw. Or sit in a public place and watch — not just the people but the entire scene — and focus on something interesting or out of place.
Don’t just make notes. Try to write a short narrative around what you saw and heard. There will be more than a few blanks in the narrative, mainly because you won’t know all the details of what may have been going on. Since this is an exercise, take a bit of artistic license and fill in those blanks yourself.
But keep it plausible; it’s far too easy to succumb to the urge to use silly humour or absurdity.
Transcribing a conversation
Can you think of a conversation that you had, or that you heard, which intrigued you? If so, try writing it down. Again, feel free to fill in any blanks using your imagination — keep it within the bounds of reality, though.
Next, build a narrative around the conversation. Think about the setting. Where did the conversation take place? What was going on around you? Were there any interesting sights or sounds — a busker doing his or her thing, a piece of experimental music playing, a couple enjoying each other’s company in rapt silence — that you noticed?
Weave all of that ambience into the narrative, but ensure that the narrative flows. Focus on something — emotions, tone, aural texture — while keeping your writing tight.
Do it regularly
The key to exercising your mental writing muscles is to do it regularly. It can be tough, especially if you’re busy with work and with family and everyday life. But it’s worth doing. Try to find time to do the exercises I described (or ones that you have). Block out an hour on the weekend or sometime during the week. Your brain and your writing will love you for it.
Do you have any writing exercises that you use to stay sharp? Feel free to share them by leaving a comment.
Photo from http://www.sxc.hu
