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6 Great Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers

6 Great Writing Exercises For Fiction Writers

Fiction Writing Exercises

Even the best writers can find themselves in a creative slump. Writer’s block can be devastating and strike at virtually any time. Writing exercises for fiction writers can help you to stay creative, which can then help eliminate that writer’s block or get you out of a creative slump. It only takes a few minutes to go through each exercise and the creative results you receive may very well surprise you.

The first thing you must do is step away from your primary working space. Changing your environment prepares your mind for the writing exercises you’re about to complete so a fresh perspective can be obtained. You can go down to the local coffee shop, sit outside on your back porch, or move to a different room. Once you’re in a new space, you can try one of these writing exercises to keep your creativity fresh.

#1. Do something creative other than writing.

Many writers have creative hobbies that they enjoy doing. This is because creativity is a fuel that can energize the mind in numerous ways. If you’re struggling with a document, then be creative in some other way. Try writing poetry instead. Pick up a canvas and begin to paint something. Grab a camera and start taking some pictures. Sit at a piano and work out a melody. By being creative while taking your mind off of the issue at hand, you may discover the solution you need pops into your head while you’re doing something else.

#2. Create your own world.

Creating your own world requires you to develop the atmosphere, characters, and descriptions that are required for the images in your imagination to be conveyed to others. Come up with character names, create a community that is brand new for them to live within, and then focus on your adjectives to describe these places. By practicing in your own world, you’re creating the foundation needed to offer an accurate description of real-world scenarios you may be writing about in your fictional story.

#3. Write your most perfect paragraph ever.

This is another writing exercise that helps you to be able to use tone and descriptions to accurately convey a single picture into the mind of a reader. You’ll need to describe your character, their surroundings, their thoughts, and do so in a linear fashion. Include the past, present, and future within this single paragraph. Sure – it’s tough to do when all you’ve got are 3-5 sentences to get the job done, but it can be done. Once completed, this paragraph can be used as a reference for every time you get stuck somewhere within your fictional manuscript.

#4. 7x7x7

Sometimes the only thing you need to inspire your creativity is some structure. That’s why this writing exercise for fiction writers is so effective. You might have even been taught this exercise in school. Here’s how the 7x7x7 writing exercise works. Go to your bookshelf and pick the seventh book from the right. Now open it up to a random page and look for the seventh sentence. Now begin a paragraph or poem that begins with that sentence and make it be 7 sentences or lines long.

#5. Tell your stories.

Writers must write what they know in order to be authentic. As John Grisham once noted about Stephen King, we may not understand how some writers can produce the works that they do. Instead of forcing something out that you don’t really understand, tell your stories. Discuss the first kiss. Talk about the first day of school you can remember. Tell a favorite story from your wedding, from prom, or from an encounter with a stranger at the grocery store. Your stories are often the best stories for inspiring even more creativity.

#6. Let your memories become your muse.

How you perceive events can be very different from how others see things. This means your perspectives are unique and shareable. Your memories can be just as much a muse for your writing as your stories or other creative outlets that you have. The benefit of using your memories as fuel for a writing exercise is that they will dictate what you write. Now add some additional descriptors, change a few details, and you’ll have an authentic story to share with others that really is fiction, but based on real events experienced by you.

A writing exercise for fiction writers often involves trying to inspire more creativity. Sometimes that can come from within, but often it comes from without. Try these options to see if your fiction can become better than it ever has before.

“Your stories are often the best stories for inspiring even more creativity. #amwriting #writetip”

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