Creative Writing Exercises - Why They're More Valuable to Your Writing Than You Think
Many of us who write will turn our noses up at the thought of writing exercises. We feel either that we're already a creative writer, so why would we need to do any exercises to learn how to be one. Or we associate exercises with bad memories of our school years, and being forced to do things we know we're not good at, the pressure of sitting exams, and so on.
If you have either of these trains of thought, it's completely understandable why you're not jumping around with eager excitement at the thought of trying some new writing exercises.
But the fact is, you're missing out. You're depriving yourself of the chance to enrich and expand your writing repertoire into new areas you may not even know exist.
Another concern that's often voiced is that by using the guidelines of someone else's exercise or prompt, the writing will not be your own. Why would you want to spend your precious creative time writing something that you don't feel you can claim as your own words at the end of it?
When you use a writing exercise, you're simply giving yourself a starting point.
It's like taking your car out on the road, pointing in a certain direction and saying: "I'm going to head for California (or Calgary, or Canberra or anywhere else specifically named) and I'm going to enjoy the Tales from the Crypt along the way."
As opposed to sitting in your car on your front drive thinking about all the wonderful places you COULD drive to, but not even starting the engine.
Creative writing exercises give you the starting point and the direction. Beyond that, the writing is all yours.
Where you go, and how you get there is entirely up to you. The exciting thing is, you don't know where you'll end up, and you don't know how you'll get there.
After all, isn't that what writing is all about? Unfurling the adventures within you, that you didn't even know you had within you?
Right now the possibilities of what you could write about are so limitless they're overwhelming. But give yourself a little scenario or outline and notice how your creativity roars into life.
Imagine writing a letter to a male relative who left under emotional circumstances and you haven't seen for 5 years. Why did they leave? What do you feel about seeing them again?
Just this few lines of premise will trigger your creative mind into thinking about the possibilities. It's what it does best, you can't switch it off!
There's a girl in a red dress stood at the side of the road, clutching a doll with one arm and an tattered envelope. Why's she there? Where are her parents? What's in the envelope?
Notice again how your creative mind fills in the gaps and your curiosity kicks into action? Again, you're engine started!
Now get out on the road and have a wonderful creative writing adventure!
And to get started with some creative writing exercises and ideas right away, get your FREE 5 part creative writing ecourse at http://www.YouAreACreativeWriter.Com
From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin
