This time of year everyone is talking about exercise, you know, getting your body “bikini ready” whatever that means. Skimpy swimwear aside, exercise is important to keep your body healthy. But what about creative exercises? (And I’m not talking about weird yoga poses.)
I like to exercise my writing. It’s a good way to stretch my skills, warm-up before attacking a blank page, come up with new ideas, and keep perfectionism at bay. No one ever sees my writing exercises, but I have turned some of them into sold magazine stories, novel scenes, or used them to develop characters.
I have had so much fun with my Wreck This Journal. The tasks are sometimes crazy! But it’s been a sanity saver as I wait to hear from my editor or agent or just plain worry about stuff over which I have no control. Last night I listed all kinds of “sticky” situations before dripping honey all over the page as requested. So liberating! Even my non-artsy daughter has begged for her own copy–not wanting to miss out on the fun. Here are a couple of other pages:
The other book I’ve really enjoyed is called The Write-Brain Workbook.
The exercises are short, but unique, plus there’s a bonus refection exercise that asks you to think about your writing life in a unique way. Here’s a sample:
Even if you don’t consider yourself a “writer,” try doing some creative exercises–in a no pressure, just for fun kind of way. We all need to exercise our creativity in some way, right?
How do you show your creative side?