Writing Exercises

Writing is a wonderful outlet for me. It lets my mind explore and dream of a world that, although is make believe, feels real when I'm writing it. I love my characters. I think about them all the time. What they are thinking? What they might be doing? Who they want to be doing it with?

Yeah, you can say my characters occupy my mind quite often especially when I'm in the middle of writing a book. I have to know my characters. I have to know them in order to write who they are. I hear them in my head talking to each other. I feel what they are feeling and what their hopes are for the future.

Sounds a little crazy I know, but believe me, if you talk to any author who really loves what they do they will tell you the same thing. The hardest part of the whole process is getting those thoughts, hopes, dreams, and feelings down on paper for other people to read and enjoy. It's much harder then I  thought it would be when I started writing and I often still struggle to find the correct words to express exactly what a character is feeling.

What can I do to get better? I read. I read and pay attention to how other author's express their characters. I learn how they use their voice to tell their story and then I practice. I start by trying to tell their story in my own words. It's an exercise I learned at a writers conference. Brandon Mull was the speaker. He took the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and turned it into a murder mystery in the voice of a well known mystery writer. It was awesome and has been very helpful.

If you are trying to find your own writing voice start by borrowing one. Find your favorite author and try and copy their writing style. Then as you start getting comfortable start throwing in some of your own words and feelings. Hopefully, you will start feeling more comfortable in your own voice.

Remember the art of writing is rewriting. The more you do it the better you will become. Oh, and I am by no means telling you to plagiarize another author's work. This is an exercise to find your writing voice and style not a way to steal one.