5 Daily Writing Exercises To Improve Your Craft

"How do you know if what you have written is good or not?"

This is a question I was asked during one of my free writing masterclass webinars this week (sign up here if you would like to join one.)

The answer, of course, is that you don’t know. Not really. It doesn’t help that writing is a subjective art – what might resonate with one reader, might not with another.

What you can do though is to remember these wise words from author Mark Billingham: “Writing is a craft therefore you can get better at it.”

So rather than focusing on whether your writing is good or not, focus on improving your craft. To help with this, here are 5 of my favourite daily writing exercises for you try.

1. Write a letter to your younger self

Whether it’s advice, a special message, or just a little reassurance around a major life event, imagine that you’re a separate person from your younger self and pen those thoughts on paper.

2. Use writing prompts

Writing prompts are a fantastic way to start your working day. There are so many to choose from, all of which can help stretch your writing muscles. Click here to get free access to the 10 creative writing prompts I use in the Kick Start Your Book programme.

3. Rewrite a scene from a book using a different character perspective

Imagine if the story of Cinderella was told from one of the ugly sisters’ perspective? How would the story be different? For this exercise, choose your favourite book and re-write a scene or a chapter from a different character's perspective. This is a fantastic way to learn more about characterization.

4. Take your main character to dinner

One of the best ways to help you develop your main character is to imagine he or she is taking you to dinner. What restaurant would your character choose? What would he/she eat? What topics of conversation would they raise? By the end of this exercise, you will know your character better or at the very least, it will highlight elements of your character that need to be developed.

5. Write about an object

Look around you and pick a simple object such as a picture, a chair, or a book. Imagine a character comes into the room and sees that same object and starts to cry. Write the scene about the object and its relevance to the character.

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