To help you get started writing now and to keep you going later, open this grab bag of warm-ups. What’s a warm-up? It’s an idea starter, a mind jogger, something to help you write when your brain power is slowing down or you just can’t get started. Warm-ups will help you get going, and they may even give you ideas for later use. They include practice in many things a writer needs to know – how to create dialogue, sketch a character, choose and use words effectively. Warm-ups also suggest places to find ideas: newspapers, paintings and drawings, quotations, photos. Use these warm-ups whenever you’re in need of an idea. And stockpile them in your journal, even though they may not seem useful at this time, you can always come back to them again and again.

CHARACTER SKETCH. Write a few paragraphs about a character you want to use in a short story or novel. Who is this person? Describe her – what does she look like? What are her hobbies? Her job? Her likes/dislikes? What does she want from life? Who or what is keeping her from obtaining her goals/desires? Keep writing about this person until you feel you have known her for years.

DIALOGUE. Eavesdrop on a conversation at the office, in the grocery store, at the health club, or at a social event, and then recreate that conversation as dialogue for your story. Write it until it reads like people actually talk to each other.

JOURNAL ENTRIES. Look through the entries you have written in your journal. Do any of them explore philosophical issues, a miraculous happening, an unexplainable incident, an unsolved mystery, a turning point, a moment of truth, the gifts of grace and love? Dig deep, reflect and stretch your ability to translate your thoughts into words.

LETTER. Write a letter to someone out-of-town or just write the letter to an imaginary person, describing something or someone this person has never seen. It could be your garden, neighborhood, a refurnished room in your house, your new car, pet, or a newborn child. Write as complete a description as you can.

SCENE. Pick a scene from a book that you thought was just okay and rewrite it. Change it every way possible until you are pleased with your improved version as long as it still fits the story’s overall purpose.

MORE WARM-UPS TO TRY:

Newspapers and magazines are often good sources for ideas. When you’re stuck, they’re a good place to turn and write a reaction to the article.

Sometimes you can get ideas for stories or poems by looking at pictures or drawings. Study the picture or drawing and then response to what you see. There are many ways to interpret what you see. If there are people in the picture, describe them so that the reader can “see” their faces, their attitude, and their relationship. If it’s a drawing of a scene, write a story or a poem about it. How does the scene make you feel? Is there a tone of sadness, happiness, or peace surrounding the drawing? Describe the different objects in the drawing, and what are their relationships to each other and to time.

Start collecting pictures that catch your eye – keep them in your journal for future reference. Old family photo albums and scrapbooks make great warm-up exercises. Do you remember the people in the photos, the places, and the occasions?

List your favorite books, songs, recipes, special friends, places, events – how have they shaped your life? These are valuable bits and pieces no one knows but you.

Make a doodle chart of yourself. Sketch some basic things in your life and label them. From your doodle chart, others should be able to get a general idea of what you’re like. Then go ahead and sketch doodle charts of people you know.

Write about clothes, about food, about happenings, the list goes on and on. By now you should be pretty well warmed-up if not roasted!

RECAP

1. Start writing by using warm-up activities.
2. Keep your warm-ups in your journal for future reference.
3. React to newspapers and magazine articles.
4. Collect pictures, photos, drawings and use these to help get you started with story ideas.
5. Be observant and train yourself to write about everything and everyone around you.

Comments, questions, suggestions: neeliepubl@aol.com