July 2, 2010

I can’t believe I never thought of this before! I feel ditzy even admitting this, but maybe it will help you like it’s helped me.

Aha! Moment

I have dozens of great writing books, and many of them contain terrific writing exercises to help us improve our craft. Some will improve the quality of your description, some will develop character emotions, some will pep up your dialogue, etc.

When I buy a book like this, I start out with great enthusiasm, using a clean notebook to do the writing prompts and exercises. Less than a week later, I’ve put the book on the shelf. Why?

Doing the writing exercises takes time. And I have so little writing time that I don’t feel I can spend it doing writing exercises.

What’s the Answer?

I never thought–until today–to combine the two things! I can’t believe this never occurred to me. I’m reading The Writer’s  Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life.  At first, I groaned when I read this: “Basic productivity underlies everything else. Take the chapters one by one. Actually do the exercises!“

I sighed and almost quit reading. But the author, Priscilla Long, added this instruction that created the AHA! for me: “But–and this is crucial–do every exercise in relation to some peice you are working on. Don’t just make up sentences on the fly, out of your head. Instead, in your writer’s notebook, write out a paragraph from the piece you are working on as it currently exists. This is your ‘before’ paragraph. Then work the paragraph, using whatever craft technique you are currently deepening… When you get an ‘after’ paragraph you like, type it back into the piece.”

Paradigm Shift

Actually doing the exercises in the craft books (or your lesson manual) is what improves your writing craft. So put your study/craft book right beside the manuscript you’re working on and use portions of your current work to do the exercises. You’ll be growing as a writer AND revising your manuscript at the same time.

I’m going to go back and systematically use the writing exercises in all the books on my shelf–while applying the exercises to my current revison. This technique will revolutionize my studying from now on!

I realize that many of you have probably been doing this for years! But it’s news to me–and I’m excited to see how this is going to change the way I write. If you try this, let me know how it works for you.

7 Comments »

1. 

   Grin. I have a handy-dandy book of writing prompts (The Creative Writer’s Kit) and it’s amazing how many of them have either generated story ideas or just the right scene for the longer book.

   Enjoy, Kristi.

   Comment by Vijaya — July 2, 2010 @ 10:38 am

2. 

   Sounds great! Haven’t necessarily tried it yet, though I think I may have half thought of it, kind of… My problem is that I don’t have enough revision and/or craft books to delve into. But at least I have a couple. And you always give great recommendations for books to buy. Thanks for the tip!

   Comment by Christie Wild — July 2, 2010 @ 11:08 am

3. 

   Sounds familiar. I have a tough time making it through all the exercises, but they’re always helpful. I like the idea of applying them to what you’re actually working on. That works for me, too.

   Comment by Beth Mac — July 2, 2010 @ 12:57 pm

4. 

   I’m going to try this for the scene book I have! I’ve been doing it in my head and marking pages as I go, so I’ll join with you in slapping my own forehead! I’m so busy thinking about my story I’ve lost the ability to think logically…is this a side-effect of writing?!?!

   Comment by Yvette — July 2, 2010 @ 9:51 pm

5. 

   Yes, this is a great idea! I often tell students to do this – because they think the exercise will be a waste of time. Then when they realise they can apply it to their work in progress, aha!
   I’m free writing again, interviewing my characters for a novel I need to get a better grip on. Funnily enough, “free” writing helps “the grip”.

   Comment by Sherryl — July 5, 2010 @ 2:01 am

6. 

   Thanks for all the comments, ladies! Anytime we can find ways to actually apply what we’re reading is good. Otherwise we lose all the stuff we read. Yes, it makes working through those craft books slower, but when we’re done, the tips and tricks and lessons we learned will really be OURS to use. I look forward to starting through my 300+ writing books and actually USING the information there!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 6, 2010 @ 6:05 am

7. [...] I read Kristi Holl’s “A Practical Combination.”   Work on your WIP and use that to work through the writing [...]

   Pingback by Working in Time for Writing Exercises « One Writer’s Journey — July 6, 2010 @ 6:56 pm

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