Creative Writing Exercises
that help Inspire You

Get the creative juices flowing by using these free creative writing exercises.

If you’re like me, sometimes you just need to let go and have a little fun with your writing. Creative writing exercises are a great way to get inspired and get back to writing

It’s important to keep in mind when practicing these writing exercises, they are for fun. Do not proof your work, do not edit it, and do not cross anything out. There are no wrong answers. These exercises are to help you creatively.

I've listed the top 20 exercises that I use regularly.

Creative Writing Exercises:



1. Brainstorm. Write whatever comes into your head for the next five minutes. Do not stop. Do not think. Just write. Once you are done writing, try using all the words you have listed into a story.

2. Write fifteen writing prompts. Click here to view samples.

3. Pick your favourite song and write a story based on the song. Example – Singing in the Rain – a girl just won the lottery and is dancing and singing in the rain, a songwriter sees her and starts to write down lyrics…

4. Journal writing. This is an easy exercise. Write in your journal for fifteen minutes everyday. It’s important to understand that a journal is not a diary. You can write anything in your journal, from experiences, to ideas, to what you hate, to what you like. It’s important to write without stopping, or really thinking about what to write.

5. Write about someone who annoys you. Describe why they annoy you, and how you feel about it. Now how would you fix this problem?

6. Pick any photo from a magazine. Write a short story centered around the photo. Who are the characters in the story? What are they doing?

7. Write a short story based around your favourite memory. It has to be at least 3 to 5 pages long.

8. Imagine that you are a reporter. Write a mock interview you had with someone who’s been in the news in the last 30 days. You need at least ten solid questions.

9. Describe your perfect day. Where did you go, what did you do, who did you hang out with?

10. Describe your perfect dream vacation. Where did you go? What are you doing? Who went with you?

11. Pick any news article and base a story around it. The story needs to be at least 3 to 5 pages long.

12. Write a dialogue between a father and son. The background – The 14 year old son comes in two hours later than his curfew. The father is furious. What do they say to each other? What is the punishment? Why is the son so late?

13. Write about your neighbour or someone you don’t know well. Write about who you think they are, what they like, where they work, etc.

14. Write as many words as you can about fishing in five minutes. Use a timer. Now incorporate all those words into a short story that has nothing to do with fishing.

15. Pick your favourite book and rewrite the ending.

16. Take any story you have written and change the point of view. If it’s third person, make it first person. If it’s first person, make it third. See where it takes you.

17. Write about meeting someone famous. How do you feel? What do you do? What do you talk about? It should be at least 3 to 5 pages.

18. You’ve just won the lottery; write 500 words on what you’ll do with the money, and how it’ll change your life.

19. Describe a scene. Pick a photo from a magazine and be descriptive as possible. It should be at least 500 words.

20. You receive an important telephone call. Write the dialogue of what it’s about and why it’s important.

**Come back often as I may add more creative writing exercises to my list.**

If you're still not satisfied, I have included two references below which will further your creative writing experience.

This first link is to a book which contains 75 exercises for advanced and beginner writers. What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers.

The second link, is a digital product which has over 50 creative writing exercises. This list is a great start to practice creative writing exercises. Remember, it's important to write daily. ***Do you have a creative writing exercise that works for you? Please fill out the form below to share it with other readers. Thank you.***

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Do you have a writing exercise that you would like to share? Do you have an exercise that works for you? Please share it!