Write a novel

The SCIENCE of writing exercises (+ tips on show, not tell)

Have you ever wanted to know why not all writing exercises work? Are you interested in finding the best one for you?
There is a science behind EVERYTHING: being bored, having imagination, writing dialogues and inventing worlds. But of course, there is also behind writing exercises!
In this article, I'll show you why which writing exercises are best for you. Grab a notebook and let's get started!

#1: Pretend to be someone else

By pretending to be someone else, you're exercising your empathy and imagination.

It's important to be able to put yourself in your characters' shoes later on, so you can vividly portray their thoughts and feelings.

If you have trouble with empathy or your scenes seem kind of weird, this writing exercise would be for you.

#2: Take your situation and give it a twist

I'm sitting in my bed right now blogging. You could make a pretty boring story out of that.

Or: you add a plot twist to my situation. Maybe the fire alarm goes off or aliens land on the roof of the house.

This writing exercise serves as inspiration. It's effectively a prompt, only with the advantage that you're the main character yourself. So you know your way of speaking and acting, but also your fears.

And your fears are important, of course: you don't want to write a story without inner conflict, do you?

For example, if you are afraid of aliens, aliens should land. If you're afraid of mistakes, you should make a mistake. And if you're afraid of nature, the phone rings and you have to participate in a study that involves hiking through the rainforest for a month.

Also, don't forget that fear is only one third of the inner conflict. The character should also have a yearning and a Fatal Flaw / Misbelief. Without Misbelief, no Aha Moment; and the Aha Moment is the best scene in the exact story.

Also, if you want to make your characters more realistic, you should:
1. keep in mind that they should never be perfect
2. give them consequences for their actions
3. give them vulnerable moments
4. don't hesitate to let them lose something or someone.

If you have problems with character voice and inner conflict or your scenes seem unrealistic, you should try this exercise.

#3: Write a poem with the mood of your scene

Next, I write a Darkest Moment, for example. Now, before I write this, I can write a little poem that fits the mood.

This way you not only train your vocabulary, but also put yourself in the right mood.

#4: Journal before you write

You can use a prompt or just write down everything that comes to your mind.

This will help you clear your head and focus on the story later.

So if you have problems with stress, concentration or digression, you should try this exercise.

OTHER ARTICLES ON WRITING:
- "The life-changing writing tip (you‘ll find time every day)" 
- "Writing Tours" 
- "How to develop characters" 

#5: Think about sensory details that will pop up in your scene

"Show, not tell" is one of the most important and well-known rules for writers.
If you don't know how to apply it, you can find lots of articles and videos on the internet about this topic.

In every scene, every (or almost every) sense should be addressed. So you should have something on the theme of seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling (sensations or with your hands, preferably both) and tasting. Tasting is optional here, because not every scene requires your characters to eat something.

Now, before you write a scene, think about what you can write in it and to what sense. It's best to create a table.

For example, for hear you can write down the chirping of crickets, the barking of a dog or street noise, for smell a perfume or the smell of a garbage dump.

To practice "show, not tell," you can also:
1. Avoid adverbs
2. Puck a greater punch by personifying emotions
3. Use stronger & more specific verbs
4. Utilize the power of dialogue
5. Know that "show, don't tell" doesn't always apply

If you have trouble with "show, don't tell" or vividness, or want to breathe more life into your scenes, this writing exercise is for you.

#6: Write about someone or something that changed your life

This is similar to "Journal before you write" but has a second purpose.

This one is to write about something that pushed you out of your comfort zone.

If you follow the 3-act structure (which you definitely should!), then the character has to leave his comfort zone at the beginning of the novel.

Through this exercise, you practice writing this important part of a book. You are the main character again, so you don't have to think about character voice and the like.
Also, you don't have to make anything up here (although you're welcome to do that, of course!) and you can let your thoughts run free to focus on the writing afterwards.

If you found exercise 2 or 4 helpful, have trouble with internal conflict and imagination, or want to try a mix of truth and lies, this writing exercise is for you.


I hope the article has helped you find one to two writing exercises that suit you and understand what they help you with. I also shared a few tips on writing realistic characters and show not tell.

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Write on,
Evie