Whether you’re new to fantasy writing or you’re an old hat, you’ve probably come across advice to use writing warmup exercises to get the creative juices flowing. I never used to use exercises before I started a writing session, but more recently I’ve found them really useful to not only try out new ideas, but expand aspects of my world which I wanted to explore outside of my main storyline.
Here are my top three reasons why you should use writing warm ups as part of your creative process:
1 – Warm Ups help the flow
If you’re like me, creativity doesn’t always turn up on demand, especially when you’re tight for writing time in a particular session. Warm up exercises, even for 5 minutes at the start of the session, can spark off your creativity so when you want to attack your main project, you’re already in the right frame of mind to make the most of your writing time.
2 – You can generate new ideas
Writing warm ups are a great opportunity to create new ideas. If you’re looking for a new project idea or just want to try something different, using 5 minutes to write whatever comes to mind can be a great opportunity to create a scene or characters that you might want to explore further later on.
3 – Create without pressure
Writing warm ups are a great way to create without putting pressure on yourself. If you’re in the middle of a large project, or trying to break the back of a new one, there is a high chance you’ll be putting yourself under lots of pressure to try and write and create even if you’re not feeling it. Writing Warmups can be a lovely way to re-ignite the love you have for your writing that you might have lost in the middle of a large or busy project.
What is your favourite writing warmup that you use? If you’re looking for prompts, don’t forget that I have a monthly prompt as part of my newsletter that you can use for your writing warm ups!
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Alex.J.Cobalt 