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Five writing exercises to get the creative juices flowing

posted by ChickSpeak
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 2:52pm CDT

Looking for a way to kill time on your lunch break? Need something occupy your time on a long car, train or plane ride? Want to do something that will stimulate your mind and be fun at the same time? Tap into your creative side and try your hand at writing exercises.

Whether you’re trying to write your first novel or not, writing exercises can be a fun outlet for your imagination to run wild. According to an article on http://www.rousingyourmuse.com/, writing exercises help to loosen your creative muscles and build them up to make them stronger in the same way physical exercise loosens and strengthens your body’s muscles. Since creativity plays a role in almost every aspect of our lives, the more we put our creative muscles to use, the better we will be able to use them when solving a problem at work, developing dynamic topics for school papers, etc.

To help get you started, we’ve provided a list of some exercises created just for ChickSpeak for you to try. Grab your notebook and pen or fire up your computer, pick an exercise, and get to work. The best part? None of these exercises have right or wrong answers, so you can do them again and again.

Why I Love…

We all have our favorite fictional characters from books, movies and television. However, have you ever stopped to think about why you love these characters? Create a list of what characteristics draw you to these specific fictional people. (Yes, looks are fair game. Just don’t make physical appearance the only thing on your list.) Try to be as detailed as possible. Do you love that Gossip Girl’s Dan is sensitive romantic? Are you drawn to Spencer in Pretty Little Liars, because she’s intelligent yet makes some dumb choices? Look at what makes each character real for you.

Two Strangers Walk Into a Room

This one is pretty straightforward: pick two fictional characters and create a scene in which they must interact. The catch is the two characters cannot be from the same fictional work or series. How would Holden from Catcher in the Rye interact with Twilight’s Edward? Would Gossip Girl’s Serena be best friends with Hanna from Pretty Little Liars or would the absolutely hate each other? Will your two characters find love or heartache? Will they be partners-in-crime or always be at odds? It’s all up to you. Don’t be afraid to combine characters from different genres. The more creative you make a combination, the more fun the scene will be to write.

What Ever Happened To…?

We all know him. He’s that character who is not quite front-and-center, but his presence is vital to the overall story. He is fleshed out and intriguing enough that he is realistic and you can’t help but become invested in him and his saga. However, when you get to the end of the book or series, his story is left open. So, what happened to him? Here’s your chance to give his fate a complete ending. Does he end up falling in love, being shunned for his involvement in shady activities, or does he find closure for past deeds? If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can try to tell the entire story through his eyes. For example, you could rewrite some of the events of the Pretty Little Liars series in the perspective of the frequently featured Officer Darren Wilden. You can also create a whole new story around the character that takes place after the conclusion of the book.

Dream House Description

We all love dreaming about what our ideal home would look like in the future. Create a written description of each room in your ultimate fantasy residence. You break out copies of Elle Décor, Better Homes and Gardens or the Ikea catalogue for visual inspiration. However, you’re not allowed to use pictures as a substitute for written words. Try to get as detailed as possible, from the exact color and fabric of the living room sofa to the flowers in your vases if you have any. For writers working on fiction pieces, you can take this exercise one step further and create home descriptions for each of your characters.

Music Mixer

Sometimes, during a film or television show, it’s the soundtrack that really makes the scene come alive. Here’s your chance to play music supervisor. Grab your favorite book and come up with the playlist you think best underscores different scenes in the story. If your favorite book has been transformed into a movie or television series already, create your mix and then compare the two. Is there any overlap, or is your list completely original. Feeling extra creative? You can even create a playlist for one of your own stories. Hey, if it’s ever put on screen, you’ll be ready!

Shannon Kirk is a senior Communication major at DeSales University in Center Valley, Penna. She is focusing in creative writing and is currently working on her first novel. She just completed reading the “Pretty Little Liars” book series in two weeks and now counts Sara Shepard as one of her writing role models.