21 Apr Inspiring Writing Exercises to free up your flow!

If you’re wanting to write, but feeling stuck, then these writing exercises might help. Loosening up, getting curious, playing around with words, characters and ideas is what we’re aiming for here. Less is more – smaller pieces of writing that don’t matter. We’re not aiming for perfection, or brilliance. Writing exercises like these are about limbering up, and the benefits are numerous.

Free Writing Brain Dump

There are different ways to ‘free write’, but I think this method is the freest of all. Find a pen and paper. Set a timer for ten minutes, and start writing whatever comes into your head, without censoring or editing. This kind of free-writing is essentially stream of consciousness. You don’t worry whether you’re writing beautiful words; it is a brain-dump. You keep your hand moving across the page; there can be no pausing. If your mind is blank, then simply write my mind is blank (or any other sentence, or even just a string of nonsensical / random words), until you find you are writing something again. I suggest using loose paper, or a notepad from which you can easily tear sheets, so that your free-writing can be thrown away. This ensures you feel truly free to write whatever comes into your mind – things you might not want your spouse, your children, your mother to read. 

Free Writing on a Theme

You can use free-writing in a more structured way, too. Follow the same process of setting a timer, but write on a theme, or use a photograph or word or object as inspiration. Perhaps rummage around in the back of your cupboards, or in those dusty old boxes in the attic; what objects are there that provoke memories of the past, or that raise questions for you? You could collect together a number of objects that are significant to you in some way, and use them as inspiration over a period of time. 

Free Writing for a Current Project

You can also use free-writing to help with a short story, novel, memoir or play. If you’re feeling stuck with a particular part of the storyline, scene, or a particular character, then try a free-writing exercise to get ideas and thoughts flowing. It’s amazing what you might discover. Just as before, grab a piece of paper and a pen. Set a timer, and just go for it. Let your mind scurry in all directions – no matter how daft. Especially I like to ask myself – what’s absolutely not possible here? What definitely won’t happen? What would this character most certainly not say? What am I least expecting to happen? I like to play with counter-intuitive ideas, to shake up my writing. It’s like tiptoeing round to the backdoor of your project and peeking in through a murky window. I’m always intrigued by what I might see.

Get out in the world

Obviously, this isn’t easy during a global pandemic and recurrent lockdowns. But, when the world opens up for us all again, take a notebook with you, and go to a café. Spend a couple of hours people-watching and listening to conversations. Keep your mobile phone in your bag, or leave it at home. Make up stories about the people you see. Make notes. Let your mind drift. Do the same in a pub. Do the same in a fancy restaurant if you can afford it. Take a bus / train ride. 

Go to places that interest you in some way. Museum? Building site? Abandoned warehouse? The beach? Art gallery? Market? Library? What are the places that you feel drawn to? What excites you? What entices you? Follow where your interest takes you; if you’re interested in a location then this spark of interest / excitement will come across in your writing. Describe the scene / setting / atmosphere.

Journaling

Writing a daily journal can be a great way to start writing. Buy yourself a lovely notebook, and a pen that feels enjoyable to write with. Don’t worry about making mistakes, or having to cross things out – that’s totally fine. Just start with writing whatever you feel you want to write; this journal is just for you. It’s an opportunity to express your inner thoughts. Explore how you’re feeling. Muse on the weather. Meander over memories. Play around with words. Sketch a character in pencil. Draw the sky. Scribble down a quote you heard that touched you in some way. Be gentle with yourself – encourage your inner writer out onto the page. 

Create an Abecedarium 

Choose a tone: solemn, joyful, sarcastic, sinister, enthusiastic, violent, disapproving, indifferent, affectionate, amusing. Choose a word for every letter, and also a short sentence. So, for example, I might choose sinister for the tone and I might begin: A is for ascending the steps to the derelict church. B is for blood, the tiniest smear on the soft part of his wrist etc. This isn’t a quick writing exercise, but something to spend a little time over. You could use it for inspiration if you’re planning a novel or short story (or would like to). Think of the genre, tone / atmosphere of your idea, and go from there. 

Writing Prompts

Look through and choose the writing prompt that most appeals, or simply pick one randomly. Write for 30 minutes (less if that’s all you have). 

• Something you lost
• Describe yourself in the third person (physical and personality) as if you are a character
• The secret that would ruin everything
• Write a letter from the point of view of a bigamist
• Write a letter to a reader of the novel you have yet to write
• The first time you swam in the ocean
• What broke your heart?
• The last argument
• My neighbour’s garden
• The worst holiday
• My darkest teacher
• The relative I never knew
• School dinners
• Your perfect (imaginary) friend
• Write a letter to your 80-year-old self
• Interview your mother; ask all the questions you would never dare to ask in real life
• You’re on a dinner date with God
• The beach after the worst storm in history
• She was the last person you thought capable of….
• The burglar regretted entering….
• It was the first time you tasted that….
• The most afraid you’ve ever been
• The most elated you’ve ever been
• The stranger who rescued you