WRITING EXERCISES AND PROMPTS WORK!
Here’s why.
Remember back to your school days.
The teacher would give you a subject to write about and you would pick up your pencil and just do it.
You probably don’t remember being blocked or short of ideas back then.
That’s because your teacher gave you parameters.
In other words, your imagination was limited.
So why is limiting the imagination like this a good thing?
We like to think of the imagination as limitless and it probably is but for writers, that’s where the problem arises.
The mind is brimming with thoughts, memories and experiences yet when you sit down to write nothing in your mind seems to take the shape of a story.
What you’re suffering from is too much possibility.
This is why the limits, boundaries and parameters presented in writing exercises and prompts get you writing faster.
Limiting the imagination actually triggers the imagination.
Consider this sentence:
It was a small deserted building with one upstairs window left wide open and swinging in the wind.
First, visualise the little building in your mind.
Notice how you naturally start to ask yourself questions. For starters:
- Who lives there?
- Where is it?
- Why is the window open?
As you consider these questions you begin to get the kernel of a story.
- Did someone leave in a hurry and forget to shut the window?
- Why did they leave in a hurry?
- Why was the building deserted?
- Did something or somebody force the occupant to escape?
As you continue asking yourself these questions you will begin to find the answers and here is where your story will begin to evolve.
If you are interested in science fiction you might decide that the person who lived there was taken to outer space by an alien.
Someone who loves romance may decide that a young couple stayed there and that something happened to one or both of them.
A crime writer might decide that the building was the scene of a horrific murder and the open window means the murderer has returned to the scene.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WRITING EXERCISES AND PROMPTS
The world of possibility has opened up from just one sentence and this same little building has triggered a host of stories.
Just by questioning and answering you can begin to plan and write a short story or a book and it all started with one sentence.
Some sentences work better than others. The more visual the sentence the more useful it is as an exercise or prompt.
I wrote my book Practical Creative Writing Exercises because I fully believe that with the right visual exercises and prompts anyone can write a story.
As a writer myself, I know how daunting the blank page can be but don’t worry because these writing exercises ensure that you never have to sit in front of your laptop scratching your head again.
I designed the exercises in the book specifically to trigger the imagination through visualisation.
I used these exercises throughout my years of teaching creative writing and scriptwriting and I have never met a student who failed to write using one of my exercises.
We’re all different and that’s why Practical Creative Writing Exercises is packed with a wide selection of exercises so there is always something new for you to try.
Followers of this site already know that I advocate writing regularly.
Using your writing muscles as much as you can is the best way to build up your writing skills and using Practical Creative Writing Exercises makes it easy.
The best time to start as always is right now.
Best of Luck
Grace
P.S. All the information and tips on this site are free for you. All I ask is that you like, share or leave a comment and help spread the word.
PRACTICAL CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISES
Visual and inspiring exercises to kick-start your writing career today.
You won’t be able to stop writing.
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