Writing Course Exercises to Stimulate Your Brain
Writing stimulates the brain but sometimes it is difficult to think of something to write. This article offers a list of exercises in the form of a one week course. Each exercise has a different idea and challenge. Writing courses are expensive, this one is free.
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The way to improve your writing is to write. How often should you write? The answer is everyday, this does not mean long essay style articles or even ones to be published. The brain needs to be stimulated and then it will retain knowledge. Sometimes it is not easy to think of what to write and this is where the stimulus exercise comes in handy. Writing courses are expensive but this one is free for you to enjoy.
Each one of the exercises are for every day for one week.
- Write 100 words about an animal. Use as many descriptive words as you can without naming the animal within the article. This is quite a challenge. You have to get over to your reader what it is but must not tell.
- Write 50 words describing 3 trees, plus another 50 words describing 1 bird.
- Imagine you are in a changing room of a large department store. You overhear 2 people talking about you. Describe the conversation you overhear. Describe the surroundings and activities of the staff and other customers. This is a 500 word challenge.
- Find a fiction novel and go to page 100 and rewrite it. This is a two hour challenge you must write it as if you are a child writing it or as if you are the opposite sex of the original author. Is there any difference in the wording?
- Imagine you have a blind friend, you must write a story about the beach for them. They can be of any age or sex.
- Using the 10 words below, write a vampire story of 1,000 words.
- Lips
- Arms
- Dismiss
- Hypnotic
- Captive
- Emulate
- Tantalise
- Lantern
- Torment
- Value
- Write an article for a newsletter that is to be distributed around the local pet stores, the author is a cat.
Try the exercises, use them as if you are on a writing course. Set time aside and stimulate that brain. Enjoy the challenge.
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Tags: Arts, brain, exercise, Writers Resources, Writing
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December 6th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Great stuff, Glynis! I use such exercises regularly, which help keep the black dog at bay.
December 6th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Sounds like a great way to stimulate the mind.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Good advice.
December 7th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Very interesting… Thank you for sharing!
December 7th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Those are really good ideas. I might try them. Well done.
Christine
December 7th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Good ideas although I don’t know when I might fit them in! These would be good for breaking out of writer’s block too.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Great ideas, Glynis! The 10 words list is so interesting..
December 7th, 2009 at 10:51 am
This is a good idea for writer’s block, another way is to go to popular topics. However I like this constructive method as you can sometimes incorporate some of the items you mentioned into your story.
Thanks for the share Glynis
Tim
December 7th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Dear Pet Store Customer:
Quit buying pets from stores while shelters are forced to euthanize millions yearly in the USA alone. In buying animals from stores you support unethical and often cruel practices of breeding for no other reason than to produce more animals and make profit.
Signed: Cat on deathrow.
December 7th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Great ideas G. I try to write everyday for practice.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Great suggestions. Thank you.
December 9th, 2009 at 2:56 am
These are good tips. I’ll bookmark it. Thanks.
December 13th, 2009 at 2:29 am
Thanks Glynis. Love the ten words one, my writing group does something similar with five words.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:39 am
Very good, Glynis. I remember these from studying for my degree in English. I once had to write a story and somehow use a list of ten words. It really made me think. It was called, ” Wants, Dreams and Choices” and I am very proud of it.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:01 am
I am glad you all find it useful, thanks for your comments.