Every once in a while, a piece comes along that writes itself. I sit down to put an idea into words, and everything flows so naturally that it's practically effortless.
But those moments of instant creativity are exceedingly rare. And their source is impossible to pin down. No one can tell you precisely how to manufacture more magical verbal leaps.
Ask anyone who writes and is willing to give an honest answer, and you'll hear that 99% of writing is work. Time consuming work. The kind of work that gives rise to sayings like "keeping my nose to the grindstone." The kind of work that makes a person lie awake at night, mulling over disparate phrases that are related but refuse to play nicely. A piece of writing in the making is not necessarily an unpleasant labor, but it is a labor nonetheless, and until it is complete, it has a way of occupying more than its fair share of mental real estate.
On all those days when the Literary Aha Moment doesn't arrive on time, we could use other sources of inspiration. Sometimes this just requires focusing on new material for a while to give the mind a much-needed break.
With tongue loosely ensconced in cheek, I offer these writing exercises.
Practice writing sparsely.
Recall a recent incident, then try writing it effectively in the briefest form possible. Replace long technical terms with short common ones. Prune prepositional phrases that are not absolutely necessary. Toss out the adjectives altogether. Use only simple sentences if you use whole sentences at all.
At the end of this excercise, you may find yourself so starved for colorful phrasing that you're itching to tackle the problem writing with new purpose.
Observe.
Human behavior is a font of story-telling potential. While out in a crowd, observe a stranger for several minutes. What do his actions imply? What is the personality behind her speech? Do his posture and manner of dress reveal anything about his occupation or lifestyle? Turn your observations into a character sketch. Give the stranger a name and a backstory. Predict her future.
You may find a whole new writing project inspired by this exercise. If, that is, you manage not to be arrested for stalking first.
Play the part of the sage.
Do you know the secret to flaky pie crust? Can you program your way out of any computing conundrum? Have you found 101 uses for a broken TV remote? Are you the MacGyver of roadside breakdowns?
Whatever it is you do best, write a how-to piece about it. The more offbeat your talent is, the better. At best, this little exercise may evolve into a publishable niche-interest column. At worst, you'll end up with a wacky humor piece for your portfolio.
Now that you've taken some time to welcome your muse, best get back to work!
© 2008 by AnnaLisa Michalski