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Writing Exercise 7: Draft a Short Story

This is part of my writing exercises workbook, available to members. This is a longer exercise, depending on your writing style.  However, it is not intended that you try to write a full, polished, ready to publish tale in a single setting.  It’s about getting your creative juice…

Writing Exercise 6: Plot Outlines

This is part of my writing exercises workbook, available to members. Outlining a story involves breaking down its main components into manageable parts. First, start with an introduction or hook that captures readers' attention and sets the stage for what is to come. Then move on…

Writing Exercise 5: Conflict Sketches

This is part of my writing exercises workbook, available to members. Conflict drives the story forward by challenging characters, testing their values, and pushing them to make difficult decisions. Without conflict, stories can feel flat or predictable. By skillfully weaving conf…

Writing Exercise 4: Bringing Objects to Life

This is part of my writing exercises workbook, available to members. This exercise is intended to focus on the details that bring important objects within a story to life and make the reader care.  Making it come alive to the reader is important because it forces writers to focus…

Writing Exercise 3: Describe an unfamiliar place you've never been to

This is part of my writing exercises workbook, available to members. In this exercise, we'll focus on attention to detail and crafting a scene that draws the mind's eye into your own. Additionally, we want to use language that creates a sense of feeling for the reader. Maybe it's…

Writing Exercise 2: Character Traits & Quirks

This is part of my writing exercises workbook, available to subscribers. As writers, we often spend countless hours crafting our characters - their personalities, backstories, and unique traits. But what if you could jumpstart this process by focusing on specific aspects of your …

Writing Exercises Workbook

This is my workbook of writing exercises free for download and use by all members. It is published under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 License. writing-prompts-and-exercises-for-inspiration (MS .docx) writing-prompts-and-exercises-for-inspiration (pdf) Membership has its perk…

Writing Exercise 1: Character Development

As writers, we often find ourselves staring at blank pages or screens, searching for inspiration to bring our characters to life. One effective way to spark creativity and develop unique characters is through creative [writing exercises] (/page/writing-resources#writing-exercises…

Writing Exercises for Inspiration: Unlocking Creativity

As writers, we often find ourselves at a loss for inspiration. The blank page stares back at us, taunting our creativity. However, there are ways to spark new ideas and breathe life into our stories. Writing prompts and exercises can provide the necessary tools to unlock your ima…

The Power of Persistence: Stories of Writers Who Refused to Give Up

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel after receiving yet another rejection letter, or seeing slow sales for those of us self-publishing? Believe it or not, some of the most successful writers in history faced rejection countless times before finally achieving their dream…

Free Writing

I've been struggling to get back in my writing groove. Hence my las post about writers block. One technique that is often suggested when you're feeling blocked is Free Writing. Here's a little more on this helpful technique. Free writing is an excellent technique for breaking thr…

Unlocking the Keys to Overcoming Writer's Block

Writer's block can be a daunting obstacle, but it doesn't have to derail your creativity. In this article, I’ll share some tried-and-true techniques that will help you break through those mental roadblocks and get your writing flowing again. 1. Take a break: Sometimes, the best w…

World Building (pt 10) - Another Example

Let's perform the same exercise again, using a different scene to illustrate how world building can be inserted into an opening for a story to quickly establish a foundation for a new world. Putting it in Practice: Opening Scene : Trading Technology The skyline of New York City s…

World Building (pt 9) - Pulling it Together

I've written a lot about building a world and probably scared a few readers off. It doesn't have to be that difficult. The fun thing about building an imaginary world is that you get to decide how much detail is enough and share it through the narrative of the story. Let's take a…

World Building (pt 8) - Brick by Brick

Incorporating technology and infrastructure into your world building is essential for creating a rich, immersive, and believable fantasy setting. By examining how these elements function within a society, you can add depth, complexity, and intrigue to your story. Establishing the…

World Building (pt 7) - It's Magic!

In this post, we'll explore strategies for crafting magical systems and fantastical elements that captivate readers and elevate your world building in the realm of fantasy writing. Defining the Rules of Magic: A well-defined magical system establishes clear guidelines for how mag…

World Building (pt 6) - Landscapes & Geography

Landscapes and geography are essential building blocks in the creation of a believable and captivating fictional world. In this post, we will explore strategies for crafting diverse, intriguing, and immersive landscapes and geographical features that form the backdrop for your st…

Challenge and Response

In my last post, I challenged you to complete an exercise focused just on the economic aspects that may not even have direct impact on a story. I asked you to: Pick a favorite story or novel. List how one group of people in the story make a living. Use the five why's to explore w…