In a new post on Writer Unboxed, Barbara Linn Probst suggests three writing exercises, one each for different points in your writing process. “They address three crucial aspects of a story: what, who, and how,” she writes.
- Beginning stage. If you need help at the start of your writing process, this exercise can help you figure out what your story is about. Is your story about revenge, healing, freedom, or second chances? That’s a good place to start, but it’s also abstract. For this exercise, start with your abstract theme and add a unique detail that sets it apart. Probst suggests defining the setting, the societal backdrop, the narrator’s perspective, or framing structure. When you’re done, you have your elevator pitch and a story phrase that can help you focus.
- Middle stage. Once you have your story down, you might want to dive deeper into your protagonist to find hidden layers. “You sense that something remains invisible to you, but you don’t know where to look for it,” Probst explains. For this exercise, imagine a conversation with your character. Ask how your character feels about how she’s portrayed in your story and what you might be getting wrong. What does she want to do and what does she dread seeing on the page? Are you missing anything about the other characters? You might be surprised at the answers.
- End stage. By now, your novel is done, but you want to refine and polish it. For this exercise, print out your manuscript, or at least those chapters or scenes that you think are problematic. Get some highlighters and circle the following elements on each page: your protagonist’s thoughts or memories; observable actions; exposition; and dialogue. “I sort-of-knew that I had a habit of making my protagonist reflect on every single thing that happened, but seeing it on the page, in blue and green, really brought it home,” Probst says. “It made me stop to consider whether each bit of interiority was needed—or needed right then—since interiority interrupts the forward movement of the story.”
