Creative writing exercises are a staple of workshops and a beloved tool of many authors, but are they really an effective use of time and energy?
Writers are encouraged to keep writing journals where they spend at least fifteen minutes every day writing whatever pops to mind: story ideas, essays, stream-of-consciousness paragraphs, writing-prompt brain stretchers, etc.
My (Non-) Adventure With Writing Exercises
For a brief period in the early days of my writing, I dove into journaling as enthusiastically as anyone. I bought myself a big red notebook, a kit of writing prompts, and even a calligraphy pen and ink for inspiration’s sake. Every day, before sitting down to start my work-in-progress, I would flip open my notebook, run my finger down the list of writing prompts, dip my pen in the ink, and start scribbling.
You know what I gleaned from my labors?
Zip. Zilch. Zero.
Now before I begin my tirade, let me say that just because something wasn’t right for me doesn’t mean it isn’t right for everyone. Maybe journaling is a mine of creative gems for some people. Maybe it is conducive to that sometimes elusive dance with the muse. But maybe it’s also a waste of time.
4 Reasons I No Longer Use Writing Exercises
1. Time Is Precious
I write a novel every three years. If I keep that pace throughout my life and if I live to the ripe old age of eighty, I may be lucky enough to write a whopping total of twenty stories. Time’s a-wasting! So why would I want to spend that precious time scribbling in a journal, instead of working on those twenty stories?
2. Creative Energy Is Precious
Simple question: Would I rather spend my creative energy in a journal that probably will be worth reading to no one but myself—or working on a novel that will be read by many? I feel a deep need to use my creativity responsibly, and frittering it away in a journal isn’t going to get that next novel written and published.
3. Writers Don’t Practice Writing; They Write
You often hear journaling referred to as “practice writing.” But writers either write, or they don’t. “Practice” is what happens during the first (and second and third) drafts. My aunt, a horse trainer, coached me in equestrian maneuvers by saying, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” The same goes for writing: put your practice to work where perfection counts.
4. Procrastination Poses Under Many Guises
Writing is scary business. Those first few moments when I sit down to start my day’s work are inevitably panic-ridden. My brain starts scrambling for any excuse it can find to delay the moment a little longer. File my nails? Sort my highlighters? Deworm the cat? Writing exercises can easily fall into the same category. It’s much easier to scribble away on exercises that don’t matter, rather than buckling down and working on that tough scene opener. The dangerous thing about procrastination is that once you start down that slippery slope, it’s a hard habit to break.
I’m certainly not opposed to using journals to break through blocks and work out story problems. I do that every day when I scribble out scene ideas in a notebook before actually writing the scene. And writing prompts absolutely have their worth. Ideas are free for the taking everywhere we look, and writing prompts are often a handy source. But I argue that keeping a writing-exercise journal is an ineffective, inefficient, and occasionally even detrimental habit.
Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! Do you find writing exercises helpful–or not? Why? Tell me in the comments!
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