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mind to ignore that little voice that tells you, "You're not good enough." Or, "Why bother?" Soon you'll be able to trust yourself, discover your own voice, and you'll be a stronger writer as a whole. A ballet dancer practices daily the exercises which defy gravity and natural body structure, but eventually, the basic techniques become second nature. Writing elements and structure will eventually come naturally to you. Writing that blasted memo or research paper will get easier. You'll find surprises each time you write.

You may not immediately find a place to use your writing exercises. It might sound like garbage or only a part of it sounds usable. Sometimes your writing might even be boring. That's a natural part of the writing process. Don't throw it out. Keep a notebook for your writing exercises. Later you might want to return to a passage and develop it further. Maybe months later an idea will come to you. Or you may never use anything from your notebooks. If nothing else, you can look back through your notebooks and track your progress, your increased discipline, your deepening creativity.

Another benefit of writing exercises is discovering your unique voice. We all have our own writing voices, but sometimes we have to uncover it. With practice, it'll be easier to slip into that voice. It'll come naturally.

Natalie Goldberg wrote in Writing Down the Bones, "Think of writing practice as loving arms you come to illogically and incoherently. It's our wild forest where we gather energy before going to prune our garden, write our fine books and novels. It's a continual practice."

Learn more about this author, R. M. Ziegler.
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