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With New Year’s not too far gone in the rear-view mirror, we’re talking
fitness! Writing fitness, that is. Just like any muscle, we've got to work our
writing muscles to keep them in shape. Test them in different ways, strengthen
them, make them lean and mean.
Here are some sample “workouts” to try next time you get some quality Butt-in-Chair
time!
Speed: Word sprints
Want to write faster? Try this one. Give yourself a set time-frame and a
set word count, then get ready to dash. Start with a goal of 500 words in 30
minutes, or whatever matches your baseline writing speed. You can even do mini-sprints, where you aim for 100 words in 5-10
minutes. Teamwork helps too - find a few friends to sprint with you! It forces you to get your ideas on paper and move the story forward
with the understanding you’ll edit later.
Tighten: Reducing word counts
I like to use excerpts from familiar published novels for this
exercise. Take a paragraph as is, grab its word count so you know your
starting point, then try to whittle it down at different levels. 250 words.
100. 75. See how bare bones you can get it, and how the scene changes (sometimes for good, sometimes bad) as more words are cut. You’ll start to see similar cutting
opportunities in your own work, and you’ll develop instincts about when to cut,
and when you’re in danger of cutting too much.
I did a full example from The Hunger Games here.
Strengthen: Circle the verbs
& be precise
Take a page in your current MS and highlight the verbs. Now brainstorm
how you could make each one stronger. Is there a more compelling word choice?
Punch it up! You might also find places to improve the pace using verbs with
fewer syllables, but the same meaning.
Once you've action-packed your verbs, try doing the same thing with
your descriptions or nouns. Use specifics and precision to make your world and
characters come alive. Here’s a quick example of what to look for:
- I heard a sound from the abandoned second level.
- I heard running water from the abandoned second level.
There’s nothing wrong with the first version, but the second paints a
stronger picture in readers’ minds because it’s more specific.
Go Deeper: Push your characters
Find places to push your characters to their limits – physically and
emotionally. What would they never do? Make them do it, and give them a
compelling reason why. What is the opposite of their natural personality? Write
a scene that forces them to act that way. What’s the line you’re afraid to
cross for them? Cross it.
Donald Maass has excellent exercises related to this in his “Writing
the Breakout Novel” workbook. Even if
you don’t use these scenes in your final MS, going through them will strengthen
your characters AND your understanding of how they’ll react to different situations.
Reps
And, we’ve come full circle to Butt-in-Chair. Like all good exercises,
practice makes perfect. So, keep at it and write, write, write!
Tips from Last Week's #4Writers
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