LIPIKA SAHU

15 Writing Exercises To
Become A Better Writer
 Copyright © 2022 by Lipika Sahu

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 Contents

Foreword iv
The Story Time 1
Redecorating the Space 3
The Nitpicking Expert 7
Tweet Tweet Tweet 9
Honey, I Shrunk The Thing! 11
The Passive Aggressive 13
The Daily Bread Crumbs 15
Hit or Miss 17
Hear! Hear! 19
Open With a Bang! 21
Open The Flood Gates 23
Journaling 25
Headline Muscle 27
Questions Please 29
Text Designing 31
Final Thought 33
 Foreword

Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is a letter, notes, a title
list, a character sketch, or a journal entry. Writers are like dancers,
like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.
Jane Yolen

Writers need every bit of the exercise that a swimmer or a gymnast

needs. It is a practice that ensures the writing body remains in good
shape.

So, here are a set of 15 writing exercises that will keep the writing
flame burning within you. Before you embark on the journey, a little
about the exercises.

1. The exercises are specifically designed for non-fiction writing.

Although they can help writers of all sorts, creative writing requires
different exercises.
2. There is no rule or timeline to do the exercises. Some exercises
need a stretch of time, and some need to be practiced daily.
3. Each exercise targets a particular aspect of writing.
4. You must choose a pace that you are comfortable with. Remember,
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 it is not about how much you do them—it is about doing them properly.
5. Feel free to repeat the exercises that you find pertinent. Some may
even become part of your writing process. Embrace the changes.

Always remember that you are a magician—with words. And you need
some skills to do that magic effortlessly.

With little ado, let’s jump right into it!

***

v
 The Story Time

Write a flash story of 200-1000 words. Any genre.

The numbers are flexible depending on the comfort level of the writer.
200 for writers who are yet in the unclogging phase of their writing
and 1000 for the more seasoned ones.

What is a story?
Writing a story is giving closure to an idea.

Many times writers have great ideas, strong setups, and good pointers,
but when it comes to executing the same, they fall flat on their faces. To
amass everything and giving it a flow becomes a challenge.

A short story is an outlet to let that energy pass.

A story has a beginning, an issue, a heightened point, and finally, a resolution.

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

Making it a practice builds the habit of seeing things to the end.

Writing a story also polishes various other important attributes for
a writer—expression, imagination, persuasion, and creativity.

Short or long, true or fictional—end of the day, all that writers write
are stories.

***

2
 Redecorating the Space

Take a chunk of data/content from anywhere. Preferably dense

(ref pic.)

Now put on your apron, take out brushes & palettes, and get
to work.
Make this chunk of meat into a gourmet dish - appealing and
delicious.

Ref pic:

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

You will agree with me that reading something like this is tough, right?
Chances are you will either go away from the sight of it or leave it
midway.

And, precisely, maybe the reason your work is not getting views!

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 Redecorating the Space

As per research, in 2020, almost 70% of website visits came from

mobiles. So, the chances that your reader is reading your story/article
on mobile are very high. As a new-age writer, you cannot afford to
ignore this.

Otherwise, your work risks getting lost in the digital world’s constant
content swarm. Not a great prospect, you must agree.

Again, this swarm of content poses another danger—alternatives. The

reader is spoilt with choices today. The moment they break connection
with what they read, they go some place else.
So, holding the attention of your reader is your biggest chal-
lenge.

How do you do it?

By writing good solid writing. A big yes to that. But sadly, that is not
enough.

You have to write to keep the reader moving from one line to
another.

The question is how to boost the readability of your content and keep
your reader engaged.

That is where formatting comes in—writing the same thing in a manner

that looks readable and keeps the reader’s interest.

Here is a detailed story on formatting you may refer to. It’s easy and
simple.
Just to make my point, look at the same matter I have written above,
with no formatting.
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

Tough to maneuver, right? No one wants to tackle that tall wall of text.

This is a crucial thing that a writer has to master. Thankfully, it’s easy
and needs a little awareness & practice. That’s all.

N.B: Here are some easy formatting tips that will help you.

***

6
 The Nitpicking Expert

Okay, this one sounds fun, right?

Deny it in all the ways you want, but there is an inner peace you get
when you find faults in someone else. Right?

Well, let’s use that to our benefit, for once!

Take up any story, preferably from a contemporary writer, and

copy it somewhere.

Then pick up your knife, scissors, or scalpel, and start

doing a post-mortem. Dissect the story and start doing what
every human loves the most-pointing out mistakes.

The grammar.
The flow of the story.
The formatting of the text.
Excessive use of some words.
Redundant phrases here & there.
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

Anything you don’t like.

And then rewrite the same, considering the changes that you
have noted.

Yes, and you thought it was just doing the fun part. Sorry, you need to
do some work too.

How is this exercise helpful?

When we write a story, we get emotionally invested in it. Finding

a mistake is tough. But, it is a lot easier to see others’ mistakes.

This exercise helps writers what they need to avoid when they write
their stories.

So, go on. Don the critic’s cloak and be judgmental.

***

8
 Tweet Tweet Tweet

No. I am not trying to sound like a bird. I meant the social handle
Twitter.

Tweet daily. Take 3 topics and make 3 tweets to encapsulate

the essence.

A tweet is a perfect example of writing concisely.

When the writing is precise, it is effective, making it easier for the reader
to follow without confusion.

Otherwise, it is like going round and round like a dog trying to catch
its tail, only to end with lengthy sentences and a confused reader at the
other end, trying hard to guess what you want to tell them.
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

Got my point? See the difference between the above two sentences. You
can clearly see the effect of a lengthy paragraph and how confusing it
becomes to understand.

Brevity with clarity is the new mantra.

Twitter is a great platform to hone that skill. It forces the writer to pack all
the content neatly—in 140 characters.

The more you tweet, the more you unconsciously realize the amount of
fluff you generate in your writing. I like to call it the trimming exercise
— like shedding extra fat. So:
tweet tweet tweet you go!
.

***

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 Honey, I Shrunk The Thing!

Don’t start thinking naughty, now.

In this exercise, take any of your old stories/articles and

target to reduce the story to 75% of its length. Say the
original story had 1500 words; make it to a 1000-1200 words
story.

What will this do?

Teach you to talk in fewer words. It is an opportunity to revise the work

and imbibe the importance of writing with clarity.

It is not about writing more. It is about adding more value to the

words.
An exercise like this makes the conscious writer talk heavy, not
mammoth. Slowly you realize you can say a lot more in fewer words!

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

People/ readers are not impressed by how much you can talk. In fact, it
puts them off.

Let me try to put it this way. Say you are looking for an answer and
choose to search on YouTube. Which video would you click—a 2-
minute one or a 12-minute one?

People are more interested in how much they can get—quickly and effortlessly.
Selfish readers? Yes, and it’s the most predominant variant out there.
And it is this impatient reader you need to satisfy.
Hence, focusing on brevity is the call of the day.

This exercise will be a gentle reminder of this.

***

12
 The Passive Aggressive

You must have heard of this like a million times—Speak in an active

voice.

Yet we are designed to deviate. Oops, I did it again.

We subconsciously use a lot of passive voice in our writing.

It is time to take a measure of it. And act on it.

Select some of your past works. Note the times you have hit
the passive buzzer. Change them to active voice.

It is like building muscle memory. Keeping it into the consciousness to

write in an active voice.

But why is active voice better than passive voice?

Try holding the nose with your hand from the front. Now try holding
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

it from behind your head. It’s just easier to do it directly, right?

It’s the same way with using active voice.

• The sentence is clearer

• The meaning is not clouded
• Less confusion for the reader
• And fewer mistakes for the writer

Yes, sometimes the active voice doesn’t make sense when you are unsure
of the subject. You may discount those lines.

So yes, go for it. And this is a gained skill. Needs some practice, that’s
all.

***

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 The Daily Bread Crumbs

This one is a keeper exercise.

This one is a habit that you need to keep forever. I do it even today.

Collect

One word. One phrase. One one-liner.

Every single day.

Pick words from a story, book, article, video, movie, post, or newspa-
per—anywhere.

As writers, we come up with great lines ourselves too. These are nothing
but genius moments. Collect them. Use them generously. They are all
yours. Boost them.

Become a hoarder of good words. You never know when you will need
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

it. And many times, in my case, my stories start with a one-liner. They
are that powerful.

Just cherry-pick things you like and put them in one place

I call these bread crumbs because ideas come from picking on these
wisdom nuggets.

Bank on them. Use them.

***

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 Hit or Miss

As writers, we encounter hundreds and thousands of topics. That’s part

of the job description. You, too, must have.
Some we admire, some we don’t. There are some elements in writing
that, when brought together, make a beautiful story. It then flows like a
gentle river.

It is this art of bringing together everything that we need to master.

Borrow a topic and write.

Now write an article on the topic.
One rule: you cannot open/refer to the story you have chosen.

Once you are done with the writing, take a look back at the story. And
ask these questions.

• Have you covered all the points?

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

• Is anything additional that you came up with?

• How has the author addressed the points vis-à-vis you?
• What about the flow of the story? Which one do you like?
• How has the author formatted the story?
• What do you want to change in your/author’s story?

Go a step forward and pick a couple more such stories on that topic
and ask the same questions.

Comparison is not always bad, as long as you grow by doing it.

It brings about a lot of insights about how you deal with a story and
what are the other options with which they can be dealt with. There
is no perfect method, but it is always better to have clarity over all the
types available.

***

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 Hear! Hear!

Make an advertisement (about anything under the sun).

We all enjoy long talks over the phone. No time bound, no money
bound, no words bound. Perfect.
Now, what if I tell you, say the same message in 15 seconds &
maximum of 50 words? Now you are in a tight situation. You weigh
in every word before you talk. You also must ensure that the whole
message gets delivered without confusion.

That’s what advertisements do—convey a message effectively in a

short time.
And that’s why making an advertisement is a challenging job.

How is this going to help you as a writer?

When you attempt to make an advertisement, you pick your words in

caution and pay attention to every single pause. That’s the precision
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

we need when writing too.

See that quilt on the bed? Or that vase? Now make an advertisement
on it.

***

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 Open With a Bang!

Hey! I am Lipika.
Rewind.
Hello! Lipika here.
Rewind.
Hi everyone! Remember me? Lipika?

Sounding crazy? Well, I am practicing my introductions! We all know

that headlines are the most crucial part of the success of a story. But
what after that? Does it end with the headline? Sadly no.

The next line of defence is the introduction. The introduction is where

you hook the reader for good. It sets the tone of the adventure ahead.
A trailer to an interesting movie. Like you decide whether you would
watch a movie depending on the trailer, an introduction also is crucial.

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

Rewrite the introduction of your story multiple times.

Rewriting an introduction is one exercise I practice in every story. Be-

fore deciding what makes the final cut, I have a set of 4-5 introductions
I need to choose from. I have some pointers that help me decide on the
best one.

• gripping first line

• not too long or too short
• no giving away the whole story
• should flow seamlessly to the body

A lot depends on the headline and introduction of an article. Every

writer must devote a wise amount of time to ensuring that they
complement the body in the best way possible. Only then can they
put down the pen.
Not before that.

***

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 Open The Flood Gates

Mindless writing for 10 minutes. No pause. No sense. No

rhyme. No rhythm.

When you race your mind to write, it flows unclogged. Do not worry
about the writing not making sense. Just write. Ditch the spelling,
grammar, or logic.

We writers sometimes block our writing channel. We become our

biggest hindrance.

Self resentment, fear of failure, deadlines are few to name.

Think of this exercise as bathroom writing, I say. Writing with no

inhibitions, judgments, and worries. Like when we are in a washroom,
we are 100% ourselves. because no one is seeing.

Similarly, when we write with no barriers, we open the gates to our real
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

voice.
Advised by many renowned writers like Natalie Goldberg, this is a
great cleansing exercise.

And not just that, these exercises are great idea generators, build the
draft writing process and reduce writing anxiety.

***

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 Journaling

A writing therapy. Writing pranayam, I say.

Write in a journal.

We writers have a demanding job—constantly coming up with some-

thing new and interesting. Creating things can be daunting at times.
But we must also understand that not every writing activity needs to
have an agenda—a post, a social media post, a book, a submission.

Journaling is also writing but with no constraints. It is free-mind writ-

ing. A calming practice that soothes your writing muscles. Journaling
is that breathing space where you write for yourself. It is the break that
you need from ‘writing’. Funny but true.

It is also a great place to encounter writing prompts, preventing writer’s

block.

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

Imagine yourself at a formal dinner party, all decked up and behaving in

the best of manners. And then you come home. You change into your
pajamas. That’s what journaling is—being you, with no judgments.

I have a 30-day journal designed with care and research that will
introduce you to a new writer in you. Equipped with:

• daily prompts,
• writing targets,
• headline practice,
• writing plans & ideas
• motivational writing quotes,

It is a wholesome writing exercise in itself. I hope you find a good use

for it.

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 Headline Muscle

104 times—that is the number of times that marketing legend David

Ogilvy tested his headlines for his world-famous Rolls Royce ad.
Why one might ask.

Because he knew the importance of a great headline, and you should

too.

Write 5-10 headlines daily.

In the sea of content, 90% of the content never shows up for consump-
tion. They are lost. What would be the point of great content if no one
reads it.

It’s a simple thing—a reader can only read a story if he/she clicks on it
and clicks on it only if the headline convinces them to. So, everything
rests on the shoulder of the headline.

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

And in order to make the reader read your content, the headline must
be engaging enough.
This is the reason one must hone this skill.

I started practicing headlines quite early in my writing career. Initially,

I had my doubts about doing it, but it has paid off, I will say. I did one
other thing along with that.

Collect and collate good headlines that I came across.

When I did this on a daily basis, I got a sense of what worked and what
didn’t. It was like slowly building/toning a muscle with exercise. You,
too, can do the same and feel the difference.

It might sound irrelevant, but I vouch for it. I have witnessed the
profound effect it has on the headline skills.

N.B: Here is my free Headline Template Series that will give you a
head start.

***

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 Questions Please

I am talking about Quora—a wonderful watering hole of ideas and

conversations. Though I have walked into the circle only recently, I
find it quite enriching.

Answer 1-2 questions on Quora. Daily.

Won’t take up much of your time, but worth the effort. It has various
advantages. I will list them for you.

• Quora is a cornucopia of ideas, I promise. Every story/article starts

with a question/ problem. That’s the idea. Trust me, you will have
more ideas than the time to write about them. And as a writer, what
more can you ask for.
• It is where people come looking for answers, allowing writers to
build credibility and develop a readership for themselves.
• Look at it as a slow-moving investment—for your future endeavors.
A ready audience for your upcoming books/courses. The ROI of
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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

time-to-return is very high.

• Statistics of successful writers have shown that a lot of website
traffic comes from Quora. All the more reason you should invest
here.
• Many writers also claim that they have got their career breaks in
Quora!

I think I have made my point extensively. So, do not shy away from this
exercise thinking about the burden of managing another platform. As I
said, the ROI is huge, buddy.

***

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 Text Designing

And you thought you can design stuff like clothes, shoes, and rooms?
Nah. As a writer, your job description also includes designing your text.
Sounds weird? Well, you are in for a treat. I will tell you how. That’s
why I am here, right? Duh.

We read a variety of content day in and day out. But have you ever
thought about why reading some are easy while some can sap your
enthusiasm in a matter of seconds? Well, the reason might be the layout
of the text.

You will not disagree with me if I say our mind behaves predictably
most of the time. Science also backs this. That’s the reason, red alerts
us, and blue soothes us.

Similarly, an article. A heavy and tall block of text can be a drag for
the reader’s mind and can make them disinterested. At the same time,
a lightly distributed and formatted text structure can make the same
content much more engaging for the reader.

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 15 Writing Exercises To Become A Better Writer

While one is free to make their own designs, I will show an interesting
way to do it—
The Triangulation method

For example:

This is a wonderful exercise.

This trains your mind to
hunt for that word, &
design the format,
to fit in the best
orientation.
See that?
Great!

Can you see the effect? It immediately attracts your reader to what you
have to say. Isn’t this a great feat to achieve as a writer?
I have used this a lot in this ebook.

You can pick some great designs from other write-ups or make
your new ones. But, this is a great exercise that can do
wonders for your articles.

Try it!

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 Final Thought

So, my friend, this is where we say goodbye for now.

I hope you will use this set of 15 exercises and tone up your writing
muscles and chisel your way into the literary world.

I would love to hear a word or two from you. So, write me

@lipikasahu194@gmail.com.
We can connect on LinkedIn too. Or does Medium work for you?

Hoping to hear from you soon,

I remain,

Lipika.

***

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