Writers: Exercises and Warm-Ups

Sometimes it's hard to get started in the morning. It's like that with any job, not just writing. How do you make yourself get started? How do you get the words and ideas flowing? One way is to use some kind of exercise or warm-up. These aren't meant to provoke publishable work; they're meant to get your fingers moving, your brain warmed up, and your ideas flowing. So don't let prompts and exercises take over your writing life. Put time limits on them if you have trouble stopping. When the time is up, dive straight into your "real" writing no matter where you are, even if you're in the middle of a sentence.

Most of the exercises below are generalized, with variations provided, so that you can use them over and over in different ways. If you want regular, specific exercises, we provide almost-daily exercises in the Epiphanies.

• The Review
• The Character Questionnaire--more than a single exercise, an entire list of questions you can ask about a character
• Tarot--ways to use a tarot deck to prompt writing exercises
• How to Use Writing Exercises... And How Not to Use Them

Downloads

365 Character Questions for Writers and Roleplayers--pdf format, 5.5 M. This is a free download available for your use. However, yes, a fair amount of work did go into this project. If you enjoy and use this document, please consider donating a few dollars through PayPal, telling others where you found it, or purchasing a hard copy through CafePress.com.

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