As with any artform, in writing there’s always more to learn, new techniques to try, new strategies to tackle. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been writing or how many books you’ve written—you can always find ways to improve. For all of the writers I know, writing is a continuing adventure in “leveling up” their […]
writing exercises
Fire Up Your Writing Energy – Bar Scene
Writing can go through seasons—some seasons are hot and fast, filled with fireworks, while others are cold and sluggish, like a Sunday morning in December. After one of those cold, unproductive seasons, getting back to our computers to do some fiction writing can feel like a sun-kissed reward for having survived all those lost gloves […]
Repurposing Those Writing Fragments – On the RMFW Blog
If you’re like me (and every other writer), you’ve got a folder (or 12) of scraps of writing you’ve never done anything with. Writing exercises, ideas for scenes you never used, character sketches for characters you deleted after the second chapter. Those writing fragments can be mined and repurposed, turned into something new, or maybe […]
Why Does Writing Look Effortless?
Of all the arts, why is writing the only one that looks effortless? Why is the struggle of learning to write so invisible to the outside world? Can they not see the blood, sweat, late nights, and myriad revisions? No one wakes up in the morning and decides to be a concert pianist by lunchtime. […]
New Year’s Resolutions: How to Douse a Dumpster Fire
The phrase “dumpster fire” seems to have been invented purely for the year 2020. With the year’s passing, most of us are looking with sad puppy-dog eyes at 2021, hoping for a smidgeon of mercy. A modicum of normalcy. An ounce of civility. And a big ol’ dollop of hope. But, of course, we all […]
Buff Up Your Writing with Exercises
by Kelley Lindberg Writing exercises are the bane of every student’s existence. But they are the favorite playground for many, many professional writers. Why? Because writing exercises do for your writing skills what physical exercises do for your body. A muscular build isn’t a “talent” you’re born with. It’s the result of dedication to a […]