101 Creative Writing Exercises

Introduction

Writing is a way to communicate, but it is so much more than that. Through writing, we develop and share ideas and information. We express ourselves and make art.

Look around. The written word is everywhere. It’s in books, movies, speeches, advertisements, and song lyrics. Writing is found on product packaging, computer monitors, smart-phone screens, greeting cards, and signs. Writing is all around us.

Writers are responsible for some of the greatest contributions to society and culture. We educate, entertain, sell, share, and make emotional connections.

The best writers make it look easy, as if the words roll onto the page with ease, but writing well requires tremendous effort. Our work demands concentration, patience, practice, and a willingness to experiment and take risks. Writers toil at the craft for years, building up an arsenal of tools, techniques, and skills.

Each writer comes to the craft for his or her own reasons. Some of us fell in love with magical tales and wondrous poems when we were children. Some of us are compelled to express our thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Some want to make art out of words. Some write for money. Some write for love.

There are a million reasons to write, and all of them are equally valid.

What You’ll Find Inside This Book

The exercises in this book are designed to give you practical experience in writing across a range of forms and genres.

Some of these exercises provide tools and techniques that you can apply to your work. Other exercises inspire pragmatic writing projects that you may be able to submit for publication, such as stories, poetry, articles, and essays.

These exercises encourage you to explore the world of writing, help you build writing skills, and give you real-world experience and plenty of writing practice.

Exploring form, genre, style, and subject matter

Many writers are dedicated to one form or genre, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This book is not going to try to convince a copywriter to become a poet or tell a novelist to start writing how-to manuals. But dabbling outside your favorite form or genre will strengthen your skills and equip you with effective methods and techniques that can be applied across all types of writing.

If you enjoy writing in different forms and genres, or if you haven’t figured out what, exactly, you want to write, then these exercises will help you find your path.

Discovering tools and techniques (skill building)

You’ll learn a lot by simply reading the exercises in this book. Each one includes a short introduction that presents literary terms, storytelling devices, and writing techniques that you can use in your own writing projects.

You’ll learn about alliteration and assonance, the three-act story structure, and how to use metaphors and similes effectively. You’ll experiment with writing by formula and writing in form. You’ll also learn handy techniques that experienced and successful writers have been using for centuries, like discovery writing and outlining.

Creating fresh ideas and getting plenty of practice

Every exercise in this book is constructed so you’ll learn something new about writing. These exercises are also designed to inspire you with fresh ideas for future writing projects. Many of the exercises in this book will help you develop projects that you can eventually polish, submit, and publish.

Through his research for the book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell established the 10,000-hour rule, which states that it takes ten thousand hours of practice to master any skill, craft, or trade. Many successful writers say you should never publish your first poem, short story, or novel. Instead, you should practice before you publish.

The exercises in this book give you plentitude and variety in your writing practice.

How to use this book

The exercises in this book are grouped by form, technique, and subject matter. One chapter focuses on poetry, while another emphasizes article writing. There’s a chapter that looks closely at writing about people, both fictional and real, and another that promotes critical thinking.

You can work your way through the book from beginning to end, or you can choose exercises at random. You might select exercises that appeal to your mood, or you might choose chapters that address issues or problems you’re having with your own writing projects.

You are encouraged, however, to step outside of your comfort zone. If you primarily write essays, then try a poetry exercise. You’ll find that experimenting with one form of writing will reveal concepts and techniques that you can apply to another form. A blogger will learn a lot from doing storytelling exercises, and a fiction writer will learn how to better organize a story logically from the critical-thinking exercises.

Each exercise may include any or all of the following:

1.     introduction of a writing concept

2.     the steps or process for completing the exercise

3.     tips to make the exercise easier or clearer

4.     variations and alternatives to the exercise

5.    practical applications that the exercise offers, including its role in publishable projects

Some of the exercises are more challenging than others. You might spend several writing sessions on one exercise and finish another in just a few minutes.

Use this book and work through the exercises in whatever way feels most comfortable to you. Please make sure you also challenge yourself. If one exercise sounds hard, push yourself to work through it. If another seems dull, use it as an opportunity to develop discipline.

You’ll also find that you can do almost all of these exercises over and over again. Each time, they’ll come out different.

Have fun and keep writing!