10 Writing Exercises to Hone Your Writing Skills

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10 Writing Exercises to Hone Your Writing Skills

Posted on September 29th, 2008 in Writing by Melody Arcamo Lagrimas

As a writer, you need to engage in various writing exercises to hone your writing skills, enhance your creativity, and acquire and develop the qualities of a good writer.

The three essential ways to hone your writing skills is to write, write more, and write endlessly. Some writers tend to believe in the so-called “writer’s block” wherein a writer would face a blank wall whenever he/she would try to open or explore a certain avenue of thought. Although from personal experience I could say that there’s a grain of truth in it, I’m still inclined to believe that “writer’s block” is not an absolute thing; and that it is neither impenetrable nor insurmountable.

Whereas writing when inspired provides a sure way of getting your mind to work and produce a literary piece, it also paves a way to mental idleness and writing hiatus. There is really no problem if you need to be inspired to be able to write, just make sure that you’re always inspired so you keep coming up with what you’re expected to do as a writer. Otherwise, you’re making yourself susceptible to the relative power of “writer’s block.”

A writer needs to write – inspired or not. Writing is your craft and your mind is your tool. To keep it sharp, useful, and productive, you need to use it as often as you can by engaging in regular writing exercises. Just as a daily physical workout can strengthen your body, regular writing exercises can also keep your mind healthy and prolific as your writing skills are enhanced. Here are a few effective exercises to give your writer’s mind a regular energizing boost.

Write whatever comes to mind

Write what’s popular

The challenge in this writing exercise lies in the need to be creative and unique. As the topic is quite popular, many writers would tend to write about it. So you have to tap on your creativity to come up with a piece that bears your distinct signature for it to shine and be noticed.

You may engage in this writing activity as a mere writing exercise, or for submission purposes. However, it would be best to do it with both objectives in mind as you would take extra effort in making it acceptable, unique, and impressive.

Present a certain topic from different viewpoints

Consider a topic then view it from a certain angle and write about it. Then look at it and write about it from another standpoint. Or you may view something from various people’s perspectives, i.e. marriage through the eyes of an old man or through those of a child.

This exercise aims to develop your unbiased perceptive skills to enable you to write objectively; and to help you develop an investigative mind that doesn’t rest on just one angle.

Create, describe, and/or animate a character

If you’re into storytelling, this exercise helps you enhance your skills of making your characters leap from the pages. But even if you’re not, this writing exercise will enable you to be extra attentive to details, develop your imagination, and hold your readers’ interest toward the end.

You may do this by describing in details someone close to you – a person or a pet. You could even describe a plant or an inanimate object which you want to enliven and characterize.

Make inferences

Consider an idea then infer something based on it and expound on it. You could either take a specific idea, then draw it out to be viewed in the light of the general idea you could create out of it (inductive inference); or derive a specific idea from the main one and write about it (deductive inference).

This exercise helps to develop your logical abilities in writing as well as your accuracy in analyzing and presenting a given idea.

Paraphrase a short paragraph two to three times

Write a short paragraph of about a hundred words then rewrite it two to three times. Rewriting should not just be a mere substitution of words using a thesaurus, but it should involve a complete restructuring of the paragraph without losing its idea.

This exercise is useful in honing your vocabulary skills as well as your ability to create well-constructed paragraphs.

Relive a certain experience

Think of any experience you wish to relive and write about it. It may be as simple as your regular work day, or as dramatic as a life-changing event.

This writing exercise helps you develop your objectivity and recollection skills; enhance your memory; and improve your ability to concentrate, pay attention to details, and describe your thoughts and emotions associated with that experience.

Write on an unknown or unpopular subject

Introduce a topic that’s either unknown to many or generally considered dull. Make it known, liven it up, make it interesting to those who are not in the least interested.

This exercise will hone your ability to apply colors to an otherwise dull portrait, and enliven a generally considered lifeless subject.

Review and analyze a literary piece or a work of art

Writing a review requires you to have an open mind, be objective, and express whatever biases you may have. It may allow you to be subjective at a certain level, but you need to be explicit whether a certain view you’re presenting is from your own standpoint only or from a general point of view.

This exercise will develop your objectivity as a writer, as well as your analytical skills. It will also enable you to hone your ability to express precisely what your take is on a certain piece.

Describe a specific scene or place

I do this often as it is very convenient to do. You could do it while waiting at a busy airport or a train station filled with people. Be observant, have a keen eye for details, and describe what you see in your mind. You need not write it down, just focus in making up a mental description of the scene around you and your reaction to it using picturesque words and interesting phrases.

This exercise helps to develop your concentration skills and attentiveness to details, enhance your mental construction ability and sharpen your memory as you need to remember what you have mentally created to be typed out or written at the soonest opportunity.

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Tags: making inferences, paraphrasing, reliving experience, write, writer, writing exercises, writing skills

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25 Responses to “10 Writing Exercises to Hone Your Writing Skills”

Ancient Aspie
September 29th, 2008 at 7:49 am

Unusually good set of exercises. Not the same old, same old.
mdegenhardt
September 29th, 2008 at 10:44 am

Your words teach and offer the reader a sense of encouragement and menoring, offering us as writers the chance to grow, hone, become better not only as a writer but as an interpretor of our lives. Michael
Darla Smith
September 29th, 2008 at 10:45 am

This is a very informative and helpful article.
goodselfme
September 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Paraphrasing idea, written in your composition here, is just one of the many I use. I have learned a lot from these suggestions. Thank you.
JReese
September 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

Great read, thank you Melody!!

I would add one for your readers, collaborative storytelling (StoryMash.com is my favorite!)

You can find online writing communities that allow you to contribute to ongoing stories, one chapter at a time. Storymash.com is a good example. Anyone can publish new chapters to continue existing stories… It is a fun way to get involved in stories and interact with readers, almost instantly. Each chapter has it’s own discussion, so you also get useful critiques from other skilled storytellers. They also pay over half of revenue for each chapter.

It has to be the funnest ways to hone your writing skills; here is the url: http://storymash.com/
BC Doan
September 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pm

Great article, ideas, and advices..
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas
September 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

Thanks, Ancient Aspie…

Michael, thank you for your nice comments…indeed I’ve learned so much from your comments too.

Darla, thank you for saying that so.

Roberta, am glad you found my suggstions helpful too…

JReese, thanks for your comments and for your your feedback on my other article too…I’m not familiar with StoryMash.com yet, but I think you’re right, it’s worth checking out. Are you a Triond user too? Can’t seem to find you in the user list.

BC, your comment is highly appreciated, thank you so much.
Unofre Pili
September 29th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

A must-read for both seasoned and start-up writers. Well-written. Thanks.
Krislan
September 30th, 2008 at 4:02 am

Hi melody,

It is always good to have a pen and paper with you. Sometimes from out of nowhere, great ideas just pops up your mind.

But if you don’t mind me asking, is writing an inate talent or can be learned and developed??

Thanks for this post.

More Power…
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas
September 30th, 2008 at 4:28 am

Unofre, thank you for reading and for saying this to be a must-read.

Krislan,

Yes, I do that often, but when i’m on a bus, writing is just impossible so I have keep it to my mind, and write it right away when i get home before i forget (which is often ).

I believe that writing can be considered a talent too, and as such, can be passed on from parents to their kids. My mother, although not a freelance or a professional writer, writes well. She used to write my oratorical pieces when i was in high sschool, and she said she also dabbled in poetry when she was young.

But writing skills can be developed and improved if one is passionate and interested about it.

Thanks.
eddiego65
September 30th, 2008 at 5:42 am

Great article. I will keep all your tips in mind!
nobert soloria bermosa
September 30th, 2008 at 6:30 am

you’re doing great, keep on Melody,
MAG Villaflor
September 30th, 2008 at 8:05 am

132 LIKES!!!! This article is One BLOCKBUSTER

Congratulations for doing such as great job. Looking forward for more.
Speed Limit
September 30th, 2008 at 8:52 am

I am speechless – this is the best article about writing I have ever read. We should all be grateful to you, Melody.
valli
September 30th, 2008 at 11:22 am

Great ideas.
Jackie Stroud-Painter
September 30th, 2008 at 2:42 pm

I like that you put what you have experienced so that others like me know that we aren’t the only ones who suffer. I hate when I can’t write nothing and nothing that I am thinking about is coming out right. I love to write and wish that I could spend all the time in world writing.
Darlene McFarlane
September 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Very good advice, Melody and put into easy to understand terms.
ebazaar
September 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

I particularly like the idea of free writing. I think you’re right about building a writer’s integrity by doing so. You’ve provided real good and practical tips here that I’m sure going to be able to benefit from it. Thanks for sharing this, Melody!

Your friend,
fara a.k.a ebazaar
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas
October 1st, 2008 at 2:10 am

I highly appreciate every comment, thanks a lot. Am so glad that you find these exercises useful and helpful too. Would love to be able to share anything worthwhile.
Rana Sinha
October 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Good and important points. It always helps to get good tips. Thanks.
princessfionzy
October 1st, 2008 at 6:39 pm

HI Melody!

Thanks for sharing this article. I always loved writing and it seems that I always don’t have the time. Your tips encouraged me to write, write and write:)I make sure that I will have the time to do it.
poetic enigma
October 1st, 2008 at 9:27 pm

great article here, for writers, and those aspiring to write…great information, tips and everything else :]
MJPatrick
October 6th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

Hi Melody,

Yeah, you are right.I don’t really believe in “writer block” what I observed to myself my mood affect my output.

Thank you for adding me on.
Allison Jae
October 12th, 2008 at 8:45 pm

Another great article that I thoroughly enjoyed. I use a lot of different writing exercises as well, one I will discuss in my next article. Thanks for the great tips. Whether you have been a writer for a week or twenty years,all can benefit from this article. Good work.
Brian Daniel Stankich
October 31st, 2008 at 11:33 pm

Brilliant!!

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