by Doreen Martel

Created on: October 07, 2010   Last Updated: January 27, 2012

For those who write all the time, it is easy to fall into a pattern of writing in the same tone and style, and using the same language. Those who are attempting to not only keep up their writing skills but improve them often have methods they use that can help.  Developing skills means that a writer is committed to improving their writing skills as well as maintaining those skills. Here are some simple exercises to keep up your writing skills.

Other work

Identify a piece of work that you have written or that someone else has written that you feel could use some improvement. Search for words that are not descriptive, do not tell a full story or are simply not as accurate as they could be.  Write the piece of work over again to make it more powerful for a potential audience.

Pick a word

Pick out any word that comes to mind and put it down on a sheet of paper. Using that word as a base, write as many words as you can think of that describe or are related to that word. This exercise can be very helpful if you are a niche writer, as it may allow you to venture into other types of writing that you had not previously considered.

Pick a photograph

Find a photograph in your favorite photo album or magazine and write as much as you can about it. Make the write-up descriptive enough so that someone who is not looking at it is allowed a virtual glimpse at what you are seeing. This simple exercise can help you when you are suffering from writer's block as well, and it can allow you to explore your creative writing talents.

Make a list

Make a list of the first 10 words that come to mind and then create a second list of words that are complimentary to the first list. Then write a short article or story that uses all of the words. This exercise can help you explore a number of talents that you may not even be aware that you have.

Summary

Each person has a skill set that they need to practice. Writers who are not using some type of exercises to keep their writing skills up may find that they are writing by rote. Try some of these simple exercises to keep your writing skills fresh and you may be surprised at how much they will help you learn more about your writing.

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