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A Creative Exercise

Posted by Deborah on Thursday, August 14th, 2008

Do you think that you write clearly and concisely? Perhaps you do, but I would wager that we all could use a refresher course in that particular area. I have two fun writing exercises that will help you to write more clearly; or, at the very least, show you that you may need improvement in the area of clarity.

For the first exercise, I want you to write instructions on how to walk. I already hear you laughing, but I bet it will not be as easy as you think it is. Get out that paper and start writing.

Are you done? Hah! Okay, so you haven’t started yet, and that is okay. You need to think about who your audience is. Are you writing for adults or for children? Is your audience already seated or are they standing?

Once you have completed this exercise, don’t think that you are done. The fun is really just beginning. When you have finished writing, you must give your instructions to someone else and have her follow them to the letter. Your subject is not allowed to ask you any questions. She must attempt to do as you have written. If your subject cannot complete your instructions, then you can discuss which ways your instructions could be improved.

Another great exercise similar to this one is to create directions for making a paper airplane. This one is a little more difficult than the first one, because you may not know how to make a paper airplane yourself and will need to make one for yourself first. The same rules apply, though, and you must give your instructions to someone else to see whether or not they can follow your writing.

I find that writing clearly involves creating an outline first. Trust me, I hate spending time on outlines, but they definitely help to keep you on track - and we all know how easy it is to go off on tangents. You don’t have to go crazy with the outline either. A few bullet points of what you would like to communicate can suffice. Arrange the points you would like to make in a logical order. You’ll then have a clear idea of what you want to say and you’ll even know how in-depth you will get.

It doesn’t really matter what type of writing you specialize in. Even creative writers should strive for clarity, so these exercises are perfect for any writer. Let me know how they work out!