Back!

I had a busy semester shooting my thesis film and while I have been writing every day I seem to be in that “drawer full of outlines” position many writers complain on.

I’m working on finishing my spec feature and a spec pilot for a high concept dramatic comedy. Oh, and about fifty other “ideas” that I can’t seem to pin down. I’ll start writing about where I am so we can all see where I’m going wrong here.

Writing Exercises: Do They Work?

I think at some point everyone in high school had that English instructor that gave them the “creative writing” exercises that come in big books of student activities that teaches like to turn to when they run out of ideas. I probably have a little more experience than some with these as I was always a member of a creative writing club in middle school and high school. The question always remains: Do these actually do anything?

As usual, the answer isn’t simple. For me, the exercises are too cheesy to call for any progress in writing on a thematic or even structural level. You write them too quickly and play to a gimmick: “You’re late for class and need to come up with a ridiculous excuse” or “Write about the last person that made you laugh.” Of course, some of them can be more profound (a mentor of mine gave our afterschool writing shindig the assignment to write about a second-hand item we own and discuss what we think the owner may have been like), but even these tend to lead the writer too much and teach them that being clever is the only thing necessary for good writing.

On the other hand, these exercises do serve the purpose that the teacher giving them to you usually intends: they get you writing and they get you thinking creatively. While some kids have notebooks of limericks from five years old on, most young students would never even think of creating an imaginitive text and thus need prompting. It allows children (and yes, even adults) to understand that the written word is not simply for informational purposes but can serve to reimagine and reexamine reality.

My verdict? Basically, I see writing exercises as something that should be used only for very targeted purposes. When tackling a new genre (say… screenwriting!) you may want to try some to get the hang of the format and other pecularities of that genre, but overall a “creative writing exercise” will probably do little or nothing to inspire ideas or improve you as a writer.

Of course, that’s not to say you shouldn’t exercise your writing. Write something original everyday and – more importantly – rewrite something everyday.