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A 12-DAY PLAN OF SIMPLE WRITING EXERCISES

 - By Brian Klems

     

The first day of the month is always the perfect time to restart your engine and get back into writing. Here, I offer up a 12-day plan of simple writing exercises to help you keep your creative juices flowing without eating up too much of your time. Follow this plan and by halfway through the month, you’ll not only be impressed with what you've accomplished, but you may also have something worth publishing.

The 12-Day Plan of Simple Writing Exercises

Day 1:

Write 10 potential book titles of books you’d like to write.

Day 2:

Create a character with personality traits of someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don’t care for.

Day 3:

Write a setting based on the most beautiful place you've ever seen.

Day 4:

Write a letter to an agent telling her how wonderful you are.

Day 5:

Write a 20-line poem about a memorable moment in your life.

Day 6:

Select a book on your shelf and pick two chapters at random. Take the first line of one chapter and the last line of the other chapter and write a short story (no more than 1000 words) using those as bookends to your story.

Day 7:

Write a letter to yourself telling you what you need to improve in the coming 6 months.

Day 8:

Rewrite a fairy tale from the bad guy’s point of view.

Day 9:

Turn on your TV. Write down the first line that you hear and write a story based on it.

Day 10:

Go sit in a public place and eavesdrop on a conversation. Turn what you hear into a short love story (no matter how much you have to twist what they say).

Day 11:

Write the acknowledgments page that will be placed in your first (next?) published book, thanking all the people who have helped you along the way.

Day 12:

Gather everything you’ve written over the previous 11 days. Pick your favorite. Edit it, polish it and either try to get it published or post it on the Web to share with the world. Be proud of yourself and your work.