Energize Your Mind With Inspirational Writing Exercises

Feeling uninspired? Like you're stuck in a rut with your writing?

Free your inner creativity by trying some exercises to invigorate your writing.

As I said in my article Stimulate Your Writing With Some Creative Exercises at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art289.asp

The benefit of attempting any of the following activities is that you can complete the exercises from the comfort of your home, at your own pace, in solitude (hopefully) without outside distractions or the pressures of working with a group.

Song Interpretation ExerciseSongs are a form of creative writing put to music. They are an excellent resource for aspiring writers to study because, unlike a book, songs must tell a story in about three minutes or less.

They are created to get directly to the point and deliver a meaningful message in an effective, expeditious and expressive manner.

By examining the construction of a song, you can develop your own writing skills.

Here's the exercise to help you get your creativity flowing.

Think of a song that has inspired you.
Get the lyrics to the song and read them aloud.

Go over them several times and think about what the words are saying both on and below the surface.
Think of how they make you feel.

Then write a short story or scene using the song in some way.

Have a character hear it and be somehow inspired to action.

Make it a part of the scene, using it to set a tone or mood.

You can even use the song as an outline to write its story all over again in prose form.

Star Gazing ExerciseThis is a very easy, but truly genuine way to inspire yourself to write.

It one basic method to teach you how to use your imagination and concentration to find inspiration from almost any source.

This exercise will allow you to see everything with a different attitude. If you truly commit yourself to completing the process, you can learn how to focus effectively, which is a fundamental element of writing.

Grab pen and paper (and perhaps a flashlight).

Go outside on a clear night, lay down on your favorite lounge chair (or the grass) - make sure you're comfortable before your begin.

Close your eyes and try to free your mind of other thoughts.

When you feel you're ready, open your eyes and look up at the stars.

Focus on them for a good 5 to 10 minutes.

When this time has passed, start writing immediately.

Write for about 15 minutes.

Use the inspiration in the stars as your guide.

What do they make you think about?
Where do they lead your mind to?

Do they start a story for you?
Does a poem result based upon the stars alone?

Do they give you a new direction?

Do they develop a picture in your head that you can describe in words?
If you feel that you have nothing to write about after a few minutes, try to start the activity all over again. This time focusing on clearing your head before you begin!

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp