Writing Exercises

I used to write writing prompts and writing exercises daily and weekly for my site, Word Grrls. These are my posts from that site. I will add fresh writing inspiration now and then.

There are 1,788 posts filed in Writing Exercises (this is page 7 of 179).

Create a Compelling Title for a Christmas Story

The contest deadline is today (as I’m writing this) so by the time I post it the deadline will be past. Still, good to try coming up with a great title. Exercise your writing brain.

To win any of the great prizes, simply review the Christmas story summary below and then create a compelling title that would make any potential reader sit up and take notice.

Linzie is 13 years old and lost her parents in a car accident  a few months previously. She was taken in by family members- the estranged sister of her mother but life feels empty. As Christmas approaches, it takes a very special event to make Linzie appreciate that Christmas can still be a very special time of year.

via Create a Compelling Title – The Writer.

The Most Odious Woman Alive

Gloria – Gilmore Girls Wiki.

Are you a Gilmore Girls fan? Do you remember when Richard took Rory to golf at the country club and they met "The Most Odious Woman Alive"?

We never found out what was so awful about her. So, put it to your imagination… how would an ordinary looking woman who doesn’t seem to be anything especially bad or good become known as "The Most Odious Woman Alive"?

Trust Your Wings

From Twitter:

@jenniegarth: A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust is not on the branch but on her own wings.

I don’t follow Jennie Garth (the US actress) so it was just chance that I read her Twitter post after watching Holidaze (an Xmas romance) on TV last night. I love the quote. I haven’t looked for it to see where it originated.

Why Does Someone Inspire you to Write?

When you need some writing inspiration think about someone who inspires you. Why do they inspire you? How do they inspire you? What do you have in common with them? Give yourself a list of the accomplishments which you could add to your own list of goals. Pick things you really do want and can possibly achieve.

How to Stop Typing the Blue Alt Characters on your Keyboard

Now and then my fingers stray around on the computer keyboard and I end up clicking a few wrong buttons in a row. Most often this just gives me typos – but, now and then I get my keyboard messed up. It types the wrong characters. I can’t type things like @ or ? and other stuff comes up instead. I’m typing the characters which show up in blue on my keyboard, alternate characters, instead.

This is not something which needs to drive you crazy. The fix is simple!

press hold left ctrl+shift and tap right shift key

via How do I turn off the alternate BLUE keys on my HP keyboard – HP Support Forum – 1426059.

This works! I don’t remember how I fixed the blue character keyboard problem the last two times I’ve had it happen. But, it was something simple like this. It did not involve changing the keyboard language – but that is the tech support advice which comes up most when you search for help.

I am adding this here hoping it will help someone else. Maybe even me the next time it happens.

Zine Making

Have you ever put together a zine? Do you even know what a zine is?

A zine should be creative with art too. Maybe some fiction or cartoon drawings. Personal essays and rants and artistic commentary all belong in a wide variety of zines I have seen and admired.

If you were going to take on the experiment of publishing your own zine, what would you make it? Once you pull together a plan think of a great name for the zine.

You may never actually put together a zine but you could take an hour to imagine yourself as a trendy, arty, underground or indie publisher of a zine.

Postcard People

Where would you like to be today? Imagine yourself picking out a postcard to send to family or friends. What would you be writing about your adventures? How much can you fit on the back of a postcard?

Postcrossing – A project that allows anyone to receive postcards (real ones, not electronic) from random places in the world.

A Facts and Arguments Essay

This comes from the Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail. These are the points they make for anyone to submit an essay to the newspaper. Good points to keep in mind for any writing you are working on. Consider writing an essay for your own local newspaper(s) – get paid for it!

So what makes a good Facts Essay?

A few things we look for are: an original voice; an unexpected view; an unfamiliar perspective; humour; vivid details that show us rather than tell us; anecdotes that illuminate a wider theme.

A successful Essay may be funny, surprising, touching or enlightening – or all of these. It may present a slice of life or a powerful experience that changed you in some way. It may be a meditation on something that matters to you. It goes beyond a rant, and it is deft in moving from the particular to the universal.

Above all, an Essay should be personal rather than political. It must be true, not fictional.

via Submit a Facts and Arguments Essay – The Globe and Mail.