Wriging

I'm not a writer either, I only write. Nonetheless, I'd say the first idea sucks — forcing yourself to write can't possibly do much good. A better exercise (this is still only my opinion) would be just writing, and not forcing yourself into any length or topic. Just writing about whatever comes to mind. It's helpful creatively, good for getting over a block, and still gives you good practice.

I agree with Rich, this sounds like a colossal waste of time. You get plenty of writing exercise over the numerous blogs you have / had out there, and you didn't get 10 gajillion 9rules points for playing tiddlywinks.

I need to get in shape, but before I go to the gym, I need to find the perfect workout routine book.

I want to start my own business, but before I find a product and go hit the streets selling it, I need to sit down an read countless business success books by corporate titans.

I want to be a great soccer player, but before I go and buy a ball and find a field, I need to sign up for cable tv so I can watch ESPN260: Soccer all day.

C'mon man.

I agree with Rich and fuscom. The best writing exercise you can do is to just write. If you're wanting to write your book, skip all of the stuff you listed and sit down and write your book. Skip the prepared exercises. If you want to avoid writing your book and just talk about writing your book, continue on with writing notes here about how to write.

I disagree :)

Well, in a way at least. I suppose for fiction writing, exercises can be useful. Learning how to write in different voices, styles, and with different constraints may help you discover new techniques.

There used to be an entire literary movement doing just that.

I suppose Gnorb and the likes will know more about that.

As for more business-like writing (journalism, how-to books, guides, blogging) I suppose you get the most out of just writing and reading - a lot. And, as I mentioned in the spelling note, read usage guides and books that offer serious writing tips (not the sort that are called: Write A Best-Seller In 10 Days And Make A Million).

But I doubt you'd have to care about that for the book: plenty of editors will cover that and annoy you with their incessant nagging and suggestions for changes :)

Just tell your story best you can.

part of it involves me doing writing exercises to expand how I put things to paper.

As in "part of the book involves doing writing exercises" or as in "I'm trying to write a book and so to get into the writing mood I'm doing some writing exercises"?

If the first, then I'd love to hear more.

If the second, then I'm in the "it's probably a waste of time" camp. I say "probably" because there are instances, like Nils pointed out, in which you want to write using a certain technique, so you do a few practice runs in that technique, then get writing.

Of course, I wouldn't do that.

Personally, I'd just write it then go back and re-write if I had to, in the better style. And you don't have to write all the way through. Entering text like "EXPLAIN TECHNICAL STUFF HERE" or "EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT CHARACTER X" is perfectly viable during the draft stages. That's one of the wonders of using a Word Processor, rewrites are a snap. (On the other hand, if you're using a type writer then may I suggest practice exercises with a pen and paper?)

The problem with writing exercises is that they're generally not all that useful unless you have someone to help critique them (example: a classroom setting). There's a saying that goes "Practice makes perfect," which is one of the greatest lies ever told. PERFECT practice makes perfect. Practicing something badly over and over again will simply ingrain the bad. But then, even a little is better than nothing, and if you write enough, even without guidance, you'll pick up a few good habits, provided you're also reading a lot in the genre in which you intend to write. The danger here is picking up more bad habits than good, something which can be alleviated by reading (and, ironically, working through) writing books.

If you're at the point where you're writing a book, your time would be better spent writing than exercising. It's like being on stage with the orchestra and deciding that getting in a few scales between movements so you improve is useful. It isn't. When you're not working on a book, or if you wish to put the book on hold, then yeah, start playing around with some exercises for a few months, then pick the book back up.

My advice:
1) Work on outlines and structure for the book, but not the content itself. (If it's fiction, then also work on character development and plot. If it's non-fiction, then work on how ideas will flow. Jot down all the notes you want, even blurbs of text.)

2) Read and Write -- A LOT -- in whatever genre(s) and style(s) you'll be working on in the book. (I find short stories to be a great way to do this, but that's a personal opinion not shared by many.) For example, if it's fiction, is it 1st person? Multi-1st person? Locked 3rd person? Read and write a lot in those styles. Non-fiction? Pick up a few non-fiction books, especially those in the areas in which you're writing, but certainly not exclusively.

3) When you feel you're ready to write, start writing, and make it a point to pound out at least 2,000 words a day. Sometimes I can do this in an hour and a half. Sometimes it takes me half a day. But the key here is to KEEP WRITING. Remember: you'll write a lot of bad stuff in order to find the good. Don't censor yourself.

4) Write first, edit later. It doesn't help you in the least to edit and re-write the first chapter of your book 25 times before moving on to the next. Write it once, move on, take notes on changes later.

P.S.
Sorry I didn't have time to make this shorter.

Sorry I didn't have time to make this shorter.

LOL, that's usually the other way round. Think: 1-page school paper, 10-line proposal for boss ... :)

I've got friends who are editors and being in the media for a while having editors at my backs for what I write, I can say one thing.

"Being able to write doesn't make you a writer."

If you want to write a book, just go ahead and start it off. No one said it has to be perfect to the letter, that's what editors are for. Of course, you need to plan the structure of your book as well before setting off. You're going to have to read books in the same category or genre to get a better idea of how you might go about writing your book.

Most importantly though, you need to set your own pace or schedule to prevent yourself from burning out.

If you're going to write things for the purpose of exercise, I guarantee that you will burn out before you get to the juicy bits of your book. A muse can sometimes be a hard person to chase after so don't overtax it.

If you do insist on doing exercises to improve your writing. The only effective one I know revolves around creative prose. What I was taught to do is describe a situation without using a direct adjective. For instance, tell the reader you're cold in a couple of paragraphs without using the word cold. It helps work on your vocabulary and creativity.

But yeah, just focus on what you want to write and write it. You may go through several drafts, rewrites and rearrangements before you find something you like, but you're still going to go through an editor before you think about publishing.

If we wish to use the "getting in shape" example then let's look at it like this. You say I want to get in shape so you go running. But what if you wish to improve your both your short distance and long distance running times, you do not go out and do the same training everyday hoping you get better at both. I agree that I should just write and the writing exercises aren't used to finish a book. To finish a book you simply go on ahead and finish a book, I know that.

I was talking more about growing as a writer and to me exercises challenge the way I write and what I have to write about. Simply saying go ahead and write does no good to me because many times that means I would just write about what I am comfortable with and that seems like it wouldn't help growth at all.

"Just go run" you tell me and guess what? I would run at the pace I am comfortable with. Writing for a certain amount of time (if you have never done it) works for me because it pushes me to think beyond the point of being done. When my mind is empty what else can I put to paper with pen? That's when the crazy stuff usually comes out that I would never have even gotten to before.

So if I was confusing people by making them think I need writing exercises to finish a book then I apologize, but that isn't the case. This is long term growth and if you don't want to call them "exercises" then that is fine and thanks for the advice given so far.

Here's my point. When you get to the point that this book is a reality, the people who will buy it are the same ones who've already gotten to know you...through your writing.

Read your response here, and then go back and read over some of your more passionate posts and responses. Then compare that to your Perez post.

Bottom line, you already got the skills when you're "feeling it". Anything else, like the Perez post feels exactly like it is - an exercise.

Don't know about anyone else, but I'd want any book about Scrivs written by Scrivs to sound and read like the Scrivs I've come to know through his previous writings, with just a little more attention spent on the technique.

That doesn't need exercise, just a good editor who "feels ya".

Yeah I understand and totally dig that. Again though, this isn't for a book, but for my own growth. I'm no where at this level, but the artists that I appreciate the most are the ones that take chances and expand their abilities and go outside what I know them for. Sure they still might only be good at that one thing that made them famous, but some take the chances and go beyond that.

The Scrivs writing you like isn't going anywhere, but maybe it sits side-by-side with another type of writing style and another voice. Maybe a year or two from now you like a different style that I have taken on that still incorporated my own pizazz (how often do you get to use that word?) than you do the current one. Only way to know is if I go out and do it and I can't learn or try by just saying "okay I'm going to write about the next hot programming language" over and over again.

Scrivs, if this is going to be your first book, then let it be the yardstick in which all future works be scaled upon for better or for worse. Improving yourself with exercises is like trying to prepare for a full on iron man triathlon by just running on a treadmill. It certainly wets your feet, but you won't know the full impact until you really go through with it.

So where does that leave you? Talk to writers. Immerse yourself in the world. Talk to editors. Find out what's important. Emulate (but not copy) styles in which are different to yours. The purpose here is improving right? Well, you can't improve by just being Scrivs. Sometimes you might be a King, a Gaiman, an Asimov, an Archer or even a Twain. Every writer has a style unique to them. What you need to do is find a style that's unique to yours, but you can't do that until you understand what makes their prose their own.

How bout even writing on a medium that's different to the one you're used to. Like the computer? Then write on paper. Love the paper? Then use a typewriter. You'd be amazed how much that changes the way you think and write.

To grow as a writer, you need to do more than just write down words. You need to put down an entire perspective into art form and have that in people's heads. I don't know. I've never called myself a writer and I suspect I will never do that, ever. But that doesn't mean I don't love to turn words into a source of inspiration or just to tell a story. What ever happens next is your choice Scrivs. A true source of a writer's constant uphill climb is their unlimited capacity to imagine and then put it down on paper.

What comes next should just be common sense. At least, I see it as that.

The two things I did that helped me grow as a writer are

(1) I took several creative writing classes through the University of California extension. I learned an enormous amount and only wish I'd done this sooner. Some of these classes did indeed encourage writing exercises. Nothing wrong with that. Often the exercises taught a certain writing skill -- one I was happy to work on. Or they encouraged you to reach pretty deep, where the unexpected and good material lives. The thing that struck me most about your question is that the subjects you've set yourself to write about all sound very interesting. Why not write about all of them? As you push yourself into these subjects, you will surely learn new things about writing and about yourself.

(2) Every week, I got together with a couple of people I really admire as writers to read and critique our writing. The critiquing followed a certain kind of formula that made it more likely you would get helpful feedback and less likely that the conversation would devolve into bickering about personal preferences in writing. I finished an entire novel with this group, partly because I felt obligated to have something to read to them every week. I think you should consider getting your stuff out there for feedback -- that pushes you in new directions too.

Crap, thanks Bloglily. I completely forgot about the constant critique. Every writer needs that to improve. You can't do that when people give you kudos everytime.