Activities to do to help you writeI’m a writer, and I love creating worlds with my words, but every writer (new and old) faces writer’s block at some point. When coming off a finished story, I often struggle starting the next one. Here’s a list of fun writing activities to do in your free time to help with writer’s block, or even just for fun!
Writing Timed Game - in this activity, find a prompt (you can use our very own prompt list) and set a timer for anywhere between 5 - 20 minutes. Within that time period, try and write as much as you can about the prompt. This might even give you the start to a new story, or could inspire you. Once, my prompt was hope, and I wrote about 2 pages. Over a while, those two pages turned into 100! Who knows how far you will take this!
Keep a journal - Every night before bed or at a time in the day when you are free, take five minutes to jot down the occurrences of your day. I did this all throughout second grade, and then looking back on it in middle school, I got a very unique perspective into the daily thoughts of an eight year old. This could help you get perspective for one of your characters of a certain age, or your locations and daily events could inspire you to write something incredible years later!
Travel and journal while doing so! - Though this may not seem like a writing activity, it’s actually very helpful. One of my stories was set in India, but having never been there, I didn’t know how to describe the locations. Everywhere you travel, keep notes of the location and it’s sensory details. This will help you in the future when describing the setting for a story.
Sit outside for a short period of time doing nothing. - Going outside at least brings ME peace, and in today’s technological society can be really beneficial. When I sit outside for even five minutes, it feels like all the radiation that I absorb every day from my phone is gone. It’s very rejuvenating!
Listen to music - Sometimes, if I’m really losing inspiration, I like to just put on either my favorite song or a song I haven’t heard in a while. Songs can hold lots of memories, and listening to music can sometimes inspire me. For example, when I want to write a sad scene in my story, I drown myself in sad music. I find that music can help set the tone and really inspire what you are about to write. (I’m listening to music as I’m writing this)
Read, read, read. - Growing up, I used to be the most avid reader you could ever meet. I read a different book each day, reading was my passion before I ever started writing. Reading actually is what makes me the writer I am today! You can learn new vocabulary, see examples for different writing techniques, and can get inspiration from the story. (Make sure not to steal others’ work, though)
Write random sentences on a page - This might sound stupid, but it works. Open a blank document and just write random sentences. (Sally ate a giraffe, Leah moved to Germany with only a passport to her name, etc.) Who knows, maybe one of these sentences will spark a story!
Look at old photos and videos - The best inspiration is something you know a lot about, and that includes the past! Looking at old photos can actually be really helpful when writing a story and building a character, because it gives you a clear image of what you want to write about.
Action and because - a fun game I love to play with myself is the “action and because” game (for lack of a better name). In this exercise, you start by getting a set of notecards. Divide them in half. On one half, write one sentence per notecard with an action on it. (I went to the supermarket, etc). On the other stack of notecards, write one because statement (because a giraffe ate my homework, etc.) Make them as imaginative as you can. Shuffle both decks and then keep them on the side. Whenever you need inspiration, take one from the action pile and one from the because pile and connect them. It may make for an interesting story!
Read your old work - reading my old work always helps. I found a story I wrote at ten a couple days ago and it gave me inspiration for a new character! It also shows how much you’ve grown.
These are my suggestions for fun exercises to get inspiration and improve your writing! If you have any more for me to add to the list, please reach out to me at selvi.typewrite@gmail.com