There are days when the words flow effortlessly—and then there are days when just stringing together a sentence feels like pulling teeth. I’ve experienced both, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a writer, it’s this: creativity isn’t a constant, but it can be cultivated.
That’s where creative writing exercises come in.
When I first started writing seriously, I thought exercises were just for beginners or writing classes. But over time, I discovered they’re one of the best tools to sharpen my skills, break through writer’s block, and even spark ideas I never saw coming. Whether I’m warming up before a writing session or trying to get unstuck halfway through a project, a good prompt or activity can make all the difference.
In this post, I’m sharing some of my favorite creative writing exercises—the same ones that have helped me stretch my imagination, improve my craft, and most importantly, keep writing when it feels tough. Whether you’re a new writer or a seasoned storyteller, I think you’ll find something here to reignite your spark.
This guide to creative writing exercises will cover:
How to get better at writing
There are a few fundamental ways to get better at writing.
Reading
You’ve probably heard this a million times before, but if you aren’t a good reader, you aren’t a good writer. Reading is the most beneficial thing you can do for your writing style outside of actually writing.
Read tons of content in your genre, but make sure you aren’t pigeonholing yourself to it. Keep your style eclectic and interesting by reading a wide range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
When I have a student struggling with writing enticing language, I tell them to practice with poetry. If they struggle with narrative voice, I recommend reading autobiographies. The more you read, and the more varied the content you’re reading, the stronger your writing will become.
Critiquing
Reading other people’s writing with a critical eye helps you realize the issues in your own writing. Even if you don’t have a critique partner or group, you can read pieces by other author’s through a critical lens. What would you have done differently? What are the strengths and weaknesses you can find? Maybe even edit another person’s story for your own beneficial instruction!
Writing
And, of course, the best way to get better at writing is by writing yourself. Anything you write will make you better at it! If you’re a young writer, write whatever makes you happiest (fanfiction, movie reviews, short stories, rambling fantasy novels). If you’re learning the craft, you should write what you enjoy the most. Even professional writers should make time for writing things that they truly love to write just for the sake of writing.
Besides writing what you enjoy, you can try some creative writing exercises to intentionally better your skills and style.
Creative writing exercises are great to loosen up the writing muscles, as a warm-up, to practice specific writing skills, or just as a fun activity when your writing project has you feeling stale.
Here are thirteen creative writing exercises you can try to sharpen your writer reflexes!
13 creative writing exercises
Becoming a better writer can’t be done by just reading and learning. You have to put these things to practice in order to see your own weaknesses as well as where you can improve. The more you write, the better writer you’ll be.
Here is your list of 13 free creative writing exercises:
1. Write a scene or short story using no adverbs or adjectives
The first of our creative writing exercises trains you to focus on stronger verbs and nouns. I give this exercise to newer writers because they often default to unnecessary adverbs and adjectives as a crutch instead of refining their word choice in core parts of speech.
Here is an example of writing a basic scene using absolutely no adverbs and adjectives.
The door creaked. A man stepped inside. He shut the door and walked to the table. Another man sat there, hands folded.
“You came,” the seated man said.
“I had to.”
“Did they follow you?”
The man shook his head. “No.”
The seated man reached beneath the table. He placed a box on the surface. The other man stared at it.
“You know what’s in there?” the seated man asked.
“I do.”
“Then you know what must be done.”
The man nodded. He took the box. He turned and left.
Now it’s your turn to write your own compelling scene or short story using only strong nouns and verbs.
NOTE: There’s nothing wrong with using adverbs and adjectives effectively! But before you get a hold of your writer’s voice and personal style, they can weaken your writing.
2. Choose a random object from the room you’re in and write an image-only poem about it
The next of our creative writing exercises is a bit more poetic. This exercise will let you practice using imagery and specific description without relying on telling.
Here is an example:
Ode to Toothpaste
I twist the cap — a sharp click,
Cool mint escapes, bites air thick.
White ribbon swirls on bristle bed,
Like snow coiled from a winter thread.
It greets my tongue with icy sting,
A shiver, sudden, shimmering.
Bitter-sweet with chalk and chill,
A hint of herbs, a ghostly thrill.
The bristles scrape, a steady hum,
Like sand on stone, a whispered drum.
Sharp spearmint lifts, cuts through sleep,
A forest’s breath from caverns deep.
Foam blooms like ocean froth,
A tide that sweeps in cleansing cloth.
Each tooth now smooth, just right,
Like river stones washed clean by night.
Spit and rinse — the swirl is done.
A mouth reborn, a war well-won.
NOTE: Try using senses other than sight! What does the object feel like? Smell like? Maybe even taste like?
3. Take a story you’ve already written and write it from the point of view of a different character
Writing the same story from a different point of view can give you an understanding of character motivation and perspective. So next in our creative writing exercises, you can take one of your favorite stories and write it from the point of view of a supporting character – or maybe even an antagonist.
A story can completely change based on who’s telling it! What would The Lion King be like from the point of view of Scar? How would Hermione retell Harry Potter stories? You can have a lot of fun with this one.
4. Take one of your favorite short stories, either one you’ve written or one you’ve read, and write it in a different genre
The next of our creative writing exercises has a twist. You are going to completely change the genre of one of your favorite short stories.
For example, you could take a romance and write it as horror. Or take a horror and rewrite it as a comedy!
This is a super fun exercise, and it lets you practice using tone and perspective. The tone of a story can completely change the meaning.
5. Speed-write a story using a writing prompt
Speed-writing helps to release judgment you might put on your stories, allowing for a more natural process. I like to speed-write when I’m stuck on a short story or a particular scene.
REMEMBER: You can always edit and delete anything you write! Don’t be afraid to write with your gut without judging it.
A few writing prompts:
- Pull a book from your shelf, open to a random page, pick a random sentence, and use that sentence as the first line of a short story.
- Write a story based on the last dream you can remember having.
- Write in public (a coffee shop, a library), and eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation. Snatch a line you hear and write a story around it.
- Take a memory of something that confused you in your childhood–write an explanation for it.
- Listen to a song, imagine a music video, and write the story of the music video.
6. Write a stream of consciousness
A stream of consciousness is a direct transcript of every thought you have. It’s a bit like speed-writing in that you just dump thoughts onto paper without judging them.
Giving yourself the freedom to write without second-guessing it helps to unkink writing blocks.
7. Write your dialogue like it’s a script
This one comes from Gloria Russell, critique professional.
This is one of the creative writing exercises that is more of a writing strategy, but a lot of successful writers, like Jenna Moreci, suggest outlining your dialogue-heavy scenes this way before you flesh them out fully.
Oftentimes, we’ll get so caught up writing descriptions, dialogue tags, and body language cues that it distracts from the important conversation we’re writing. If you can focus on the dialogue itself on the first go, it’s easier to get a natural back-and-forth exchange, then you can write the rest of the scene around it.
8. Free-write for ten minutes before you begin your writing day
Before athletes train, they warm up. Writing is the same!
Loosen and stretch your writer muscles with a ten minute free-write session. It can be a daily journal, a writing exercise, a stream of consciousness, or anything you’d enjoy! Just write about anything for 10 minutes and it will get you in the right headspace to continue working on your bigger project.
9. Write a story starting from the resolution and working your way backward
This is one of the creative writing exercises from Micah Klassen, author of Those Three Words.
Writing a story out of order is another way to get a fresh perspective. This exercise can also give you insight on things like story structure, progression, climaxes, conclusions, and countless other story elements.
It’s a way to dissect a story and see how its built.
10. Edit someone else’s writing
Thinking critically about another writer’s work helps you think critically of your own. It is good practice for problem-solving, critical observation, and revision and is one of the best creative writing exercises.
You might even glean some inspiration!
If you don’t know other people who are writing, it’s high time to form a community. You can easily find other authors and writers in free Facebook groups and reach out to them to see if they would like an editor for their work!
11. Revise the oldest story of yours you can find
Maybe it’s from college, maybe high school, maybe it’s a story you wrote when you were seven – rewrite it with your current skill and life outlook.
This is one of the more helpful and fun creative writing exercises. It’s good practice, it’s inspiring to see how far you’ve come as a writer, and you might end up salvaging something into a quality story!
12. Practice a skill with a short story
Choose a specific writing skill you’re struggling with, or just want more practice in, and write a short story focusing on that skill.
Can’t nail your dialogue? Write a dialogue-heavy short story and edit it until you’re happy with it.
Bad at showing instead of telling? Write a scenic short story and focus on writing with compelling imagery and specific details.
Nailing a skill with a short story is quicker and easier than struggling with the same problem throughout longer projects.
13. Write your main character in a different world/setting
What would your contemporary character do if flung into a science fiction scenario? What would their profession be in a different era of time? What if their socioeconomic status was completely reversed?
This is one of the best creative writing exercises for understanding your character at a more complex level. If you’re struggling to connect with your main character, definitely try out this exercise.
Just get writing
Anytime you feel stuck on a story, it’s great to do a little free-write session changing something up, like in exercises 3, 4, and 11. Sometimes you just need a perspective switch to knock the story loose.
The best way to sharpen specific writing skills is to identify the weakness and write short stories, really digging into that skill. I find it’s helpful to share those stories with other writers so they can give you feedback and let you know if you’re getting better with it.
I hope you found these creative writing exercises helpful!
