NaNoWriMo Blogging Two

Sorry, no excerpts from the novel to post just yet. Instead, why not take a page from one of the numerous writing course, classes, and how-to books I’ve read over the years? Because one of the things that always crops up in those sorts of things is the writing exercise. Just a silly goofy little thing to help people get writing. I use them a lot. Sometimes, when I’m feeling bored, I even come up with my own. But, then, I like games. And that’s all a writing exercise is: a game played by writing.

There are all kinds, of course. You can come up with an opening line and then just go from there. You can pick out an object, any object, and then write a story about it. Or you can just set an egg-timer or a stopwatch or whatever and write about anything and everything for a set period of time. That last one is called freewriting. Yep, these games all have names because they’ve been played a lot. It's fascist, like strike-outs. But it happens.

Now, you could try freewriting but you could also get a bit more advanced and try what’s called writing practice. It’s a lot like freewriting but more directed as you try not to just ramble on but to actually write deliberatively and effectively. Often, rather than being timed this practice is done by filling up a page or a notebook in one sitting.

The rules:

• Set a limit. Either by time or by volume.
• Write, continuously, until you hit your limit.
• The only thing you can’t write is that you can’t think of anything to write.
• Don’t edit. No erasing, no hitting the backspace, no looking backwards. You can only add to your writing not take away from it.
• Don’t plan ahead. Let things flow naturally.
• Think about what you’re doing. Meditate, if you will, on the choices and words and phrases you’re using and just why you’re using them.

And there you go. We’re on the honor system so feel free to cheat if you want. For an added challenge and to avoid the existential dread of staring at the blank page I like to go a step further. Pick a writer – could be anyone, just grab a book off your shelf or open up your newspaper to the editorials, even – and try to write like them. Try and match their style. Because you can’t go back and edit you won’t be able to get all that close. But, by concentrating on what you’re doing you’ll pick up some of the techniques and tricks that your chosen artist uses. As an added bonus it’s helped me to learn how to write in several different styles, formats, voices, and all other sorts of fun stuff.