Writing is weird. It’s not like other art forms. And every writer at some point has found it difficult or uninspiring to write.
Over the years, I have tried all sorts of writing strategies, exercises and techniques. Sometimes out of frustration, and sometimes out of a desire to embrace all … Read more
You’re one person, but you have many sides. Maybe you have some sense for these different sides of yourself.
It’s likely that they are largely determined by what kind of action is required from you or based on a certain setting that you find yourself in. Maybe you have a … Read more
This exercise is an opportunity to explore a different side of yourself by experiencing yourself through the eyes of another.
Much of the time, we are stuck in our own limited perspectives — we have our habitual way of seeing ourselves and that’s it. On occasion, we are open to … Read more
You are so weird!
Thank God for that.
Here is an opportunity to sing the praises of a quirky facet of your individuality.
We are all made up of a mishmash of habits, beliefs, traits and preferences. Plus a given quantity of ineffable something.
How does this unique aspect … Read more
For this exercise, you get to retell a story that at some point has been told to you by someone else.
We all have stories we carry around. Some of these stories come from our own experience and others are those that have been shared to us by someone else. … Read more
This writing exercise takes you from a very general idea to a more fleshed-out draft or outline.
This exercise gets you to write from direct observation, presencing your immediate surroundings.
The result of delving into this kind of writing is that it gets you to deeply and vividly spread your awareness into the space around you. It’s an awesome workout for your descriptive ability and can also … Read more
This exercise will only take about fifteen minutes but it’s guaranteed to make your day.
It involves spending a few minutes now to write a letter that will get delivered to yourself in the future.
Think of it as an electronic time capsule. A secret message you can send into … Read more
There is a lot of value when artists are magpies, collecting, listening, mimicking. Trying their hand at different things.
This exercise is about remixing, collecting, gathering, playing with existing stories. Doing your version of something just as an experiment.
The opportunities here are endless.
I find the mimicking and copying … Read more
Freewriting has been around for some time. Brenda Ueland wrote about it back in 1938 in her book If You Want to Write. Peter Elbow showed how freewriting makes writing accessible to everyone in Writing Without Teachers and other books.
Generally speaking, freewriting is simple: You write without stopping. … Read more