Sometimes I stare at blank screen and the words fail me. Or rather, I fail to find the words. I have learned that sometimes I feel lazy and simply don’t feel like writing.

Objective: To build mental muscles and increase endurance for more complex and time consuming writing projects.

Exercise

1. Turn off all distractions.
2. Set your kitchen timer for fifteen minutes.
3. Select one of the opening lines from the previous exercise and write for fifteen minutes.  Do not stop.  Do not check messages.  Write and only write for the duration of the fifteen minutes.

Review

I use this method whenever I feel stuck and it helps me fight writer’s block.  When I need to force myself to concentrate, I set the timer for fifteen minutes and then write.  It might not seem like a long time.  Once you are under the clock, fifteen minutes can seem to expand to infinity. Our minds are wired to respond to pressure in positive ways. We need to be challenged.  The ticking of the timer is like a metronome and the brain is programmed to respond to pressure.via evolution.

Did you enjoy this exercise?  Trying another one on the Creative Writing Exercises page.