How to Jump Start Your Writing
by Suzie Eller
One way to chip away at writers’ block is to engage in a writing exercise. There are hundreds of writing exercises, but in today’s Tuesday Tip, we’ll share three to help jump start your writing.
Exercise #1: Memories
Describe a faith experience or tradition from your childhood. Write it as if you are experiencing it in the present. Use vivid imagery (smell, taste, touch). Then go back and rewrite the piece using past tense from an adult perspective.
Exercise #2: Word Association
Take one word from your present work-in-progress and free write for five minutes on that word or phrase. Do not edit. Just write. Let it take you any direction it wants.
Exercise #3: How-to
Choose one key point from a current work-in-progress and create a how-to.
A key point in your article or chapter might be “make dinner time fun” or “lead others well.” Write a one-page how-to on that key point. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn’t know the first thing about how to do it. Take them through it step-by-step.
Your Turn
Writing exercises frees the right side of your brain and may even take you down a surprising path. Leave a comment on the blog and describe something fun or surprising that came out of your writing exercise! Also take a moment to share a writing exercise that you love and helps you unleash your God-given creativity.
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Hi all! I chose Free Writing for Five Minutes because that is one of my favorite Brain Busters. I also several books on writing prompts that are helpful. Years ago, I had a small software program (what would be referred to as an app, today), that gave you different kinds of writing prompts each time you clicked a button. You could write as long as you wanted and save your writing for later use. I’ll be darned if I can think of the name of the program at the moment, but I bet I still have it loaded for use on a stick somewhere. I’ll have to dig it out. I chose the word “typewriter” from something I’d done the other day and I was tickled at how easily the word broke into memories that made me write freely, if not precisely use my laptop keyboard. I’m really rusty on my typing speed. I guess I need to work on that!