\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
BY ONLINE AUTHORS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/2267-.html
Drama: March 12, 2008 Issue [#2267]

Newsletter Header
Drama


 This week:
  Edited by: NanoWriMo2018 Into the Earth Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Hey everyone! I'm Robin and I'll be your guest editor this week for the Drama Newsletter.


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B083RZ37SZ
Product Type:
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
Not currently available.


Letter from the editor

Ask any athlete and he’ll tell you he warms up his body and stretches his muscles prior to performance. Ballet dancers run through quick versions of their routines, spinning and leaping in modified form, tennis players take a few practice serves before the first point of a match is played and basketball players dribble and pass the ball with team mates. Other professionals go through prep work…doctors review procedures and prepare their instruments, lawyers research cases, but what do authors do ahead of time to prepare for the big novel, or the winning story? Can a writer benefit from a warm-up?

For me, the answer is yes –absolutely. Warm-up writing exercises give me direction, ideas, inspiration, and help me get through what I like to call impulse writing. Impulse writing is necessary to the writing process, it leads us to deeper more meaningful writing; but, it's not the type of writing I want displayed in my finished product.

Here are a few simple ‘warm-up’ drills you can add to your writing routine. Pick one activity per writing session and spend spend five to fifteen minutes running through before you begin your real project writing.

Before you begin, create a space for your warm-up drills. A real live notebook, blog, or journal are great places to start. This way, when writer’s block or lack of inspiration hits you, all you have to do is grab your notebook or open up your online journal and presto…you have instant ideas.

The Word Hound – See how many words you can string together into sentences in your allotted time. Throw transition and clarity out the window. The goal is simply to string together random sentences. No one but you will read these words, so let go. Record your results and try to beat your personal best every time you play The Word Hound.

Noun Sketching. Quickly pick three specific nouns, a person, place and thing. Then, take two – three minutes on each to describe in detail the visual appearance, the aroma or stench, etc.. Go overboard here, providing more detail then you’d use in your actual scenes gives you a nice supply of descriptions when you need them.

Opposites Attract - Pick one noun, a person place or thing. Then, spend half your time writing a paragraph describing all the negative ugly things you can about your noun. Once you’re finished, then use the same object, person, or place and describe it in a pleasant light.

Emotional Roller Coaster- Pick an emotion then describe a facial expression, body movement, a sentence or two of dialogue that describes the emotion.

These are a few of my favorite writing warm-ups. With a few extra minutes tacked onto your writing schedule, you can generate an assortment of ideas and inspirations all at your fingertips, and doing it all while you prepare and sharpen your writing skills.

Have fun and keep writing!
Robin


Editor's Picks

Here is another fun way to do some exercise writing.
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1395163 by Not Available.


Try this for warming up!
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1389815 by Not Available.


Looking for places to submit your drama creations?
 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1382917 by Not Available.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1225015 by Not Available.


The Not So Calm Before the Storm Open in new Window. (13+)
An odd group of birdwatchers take shelter and trouble brews.
#1347549 by Ẃeβ࿚ẂỉԎḈĥ Author IconMail Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1396521 by Not Available.


 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B083RZ37SZ
Product Type:
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
Not currently available.


Ask & Answer

Since I'm the guest editor, I'll leave you with a challenge: Try these simple warm-ups for one week, and see if they don't help you get into your story when the real writing starts!


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B07YJZZGW4
Product Type:
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
Not currently available.

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/2267-.html