Post by .::Sith::Bitch::. on Jun 12, 2006 14:34:44 GMT -5
There are a LOT of exercises to keep your creative juices flowing. For instance, group writing is good. Get in a group, whether it be 3 people, 4 people or 4 people. Come up with a topic to write on and each person write a paragraph or two. When writing in a group, it's known to keep your mind moving and working, espeically when writing. Another group exercise would be the Round Robin we have here on the board! A list of good writing exercises are below. Also below is an exert from a site that I've found with good writing tips and exercises. Make sure you take a look!
What is writing practice?
Writing practice is what you do when you sit down in front of blank paper and just start writing, without intending to do anything with the result. It's an enjoyable pastime for me, especially when I do it with friends and compare notes. There are a few rules for writing practice:
Keep the pen moving. Try not to think and plan too much once you start writing.
Don't edit. Don't stop and cross things out. Don't worry about spelling or grammar and especially don't edit ideas.
Keep your writing. Write in a book consistently until you fill it up. There are reasons for these rules. Keeping the pen moving helps you avoid the editor. It gets something out on paper, which is encouraging. It doesn't matter if you start writing "I don't know what to write about next, maybe I'll write about my mother, no I would rather write about ice cream..." as long as you keep the pen moving.
Editing stifles creativity. Save editing for later. The editor in each of us causes us to reject the truly creative ideas because they are seen as "different, wrong". You can always go over something later and fix the spelling or grammar -- don't do it during practice.
The book is excellent because it makes you keep your old writing around. Regardless of how you feel about the quality of your old writing, keep it. A horrible rambling self-pitying rant may have a couple gems in it: seeds of good ideas, a balanced sentence, or a certain tone which you'd like to bring back later. You can also use your old writing when you do more exercises later: for example, you can start a character in one exercise, then weeks later go back and start figuring out a plot around that interesting character. Finally, the book gives you a sense of accomplishment. I felt so proud when I filled my first book of writing. I'm betting I'll feel even prouder when I line up a shelf full of completed writing books.
Writing in Groups
I recommend writing in groups now and then. I should be self-motivated and write on my own, but honestly, many weeks I wouldn't write if it wasn't for that 1 1/2 hour block scheduled with my friends. They count on me to show up, so I show up. Another benefit is being able to inspire each other. I've used my friend's ideas and vice versa. Finally, after writing for 10 or 20 minutes, you can stop and go around the table and read some or all of the compositions aloud.
After a composition has been read aloud we sometimes comment on them. Usually the comment is something positive like "I really liked that detail about the tin bucket." The writer may not have noticed something good that they did, so it's good to point those out sometimes. Less often, the comment will be some kind of constructive advice, such as "That might sound really good if you did it in the third-person voice." The important thing is never to criticize grammar or structure or planning because the writer wasn't supposed to be worrying about those in the first place.
Okay, now to the exercises: how to fill those pages.
If you'd like to read more, visit the following link... Lisa Lippert's page on Creative Writing Exercises
Creative Writing Exercises
What is writing practice?
Writing practice is what you do when you sit down in front of blank paper and just start writing, without intending to do anything with the result. It's an enjoyable pastime for me, especially when I do it with friends and compare notes. There are a few rules for writing practice:
Keep the pen moving. Try not to think and plan too much once you start writing.
Don't edit. Don't stop and cross things out. Don't worry about spelling or grammar and especially don't edit ideas.
Keep your writing. Write in a book consistently until you fill it up. There are reasons for these rules. Keeping the pen moving helps you avoid the editor. It gets something out on paper, which is encouraging. It doesn't matter if you start writing "I don't know what to write about next, maybe I'll write about my mother, no I would rather write about ice cream..." as long as you keep the pen moving.
Editing stifles creativity. Save editing for later. The editor in each of us causes us to reject the truly creative ideas because they are seen as "different, wrong". You can always go over something later and fix the spelling or grammar -- don't do it during practice.
The book is excellent because it makes you keep your old writing around. Regardless of how you feel about the quality of your old writing, keep it. A horrible rambling self-pitying rant may have a couple gems in it: seeds of good ideas, a balanced sentence, or a certain tone which you'd like to bring back later. You can also use your old writing when you do more exercises later: for example, you can start a character in one exercise, then weeks later go back and start figuring out a plot around that interesting character. Finally, the book gives you a sense of accomplishment. I felt so proud when I filled my first book of writing. I'm betting I'll feel even prouder when I line up a shelf full of completed writing books.
Writing in Groups
I recommend writing in groups now and then. I should be self-motivated and write on my own, but honestly, many weeks I wouldn't write if it wasn't for that 1 1/2 hour block scheduled with my friends. They count on me to show up, so I show up. Another benefit is being able to inspire each other. I've used my friend's ideas and vice versa. Finally, after writing for 10 or 20 minutes, you can stop and go around the table and read some or all of the compositions aloud.
After a composition has been read aloud we sometimes comment on them. Usually the comment is something positive like "I really liked that detail about the tin bucket." The writer may not have noticed something good that they did, so it's good to point those out sometimes. Less often, the comment will be some kind of constructive advice, such as "That might sound really good if you did it in the third-person voice." The important thing is never to criticize grammar or structure or planning because the writer wasn't supposed to be worrying about those in the first place.
Okay, now to the exercises: how to fill those pages.
If you'd like to read more, visit the following link... Lisa Lippert's page on Creative Writing Exercises
