No matter what stage you're at with your writing, it's always beneficial to work on craft and technique. These exercises target common problems and weaknesses.
Both first person and third person have their strengths and weaknesses; what works for one story may not work for another. This exercise will help you observe the effect of writing in the point of view that's less familiar to you.
While modifiers -- adjectives and adverbs -- can add to a story, too many, or the wrong ones, can bog down your prose and lead to weaker nouns and verbs. This writing exercise, by forcing you to hold off on modifiers altogether, will challenge you to choose your nouns and verbs with care.
Do your short stories tend to get bogged down in back story? Do certain scenes seem to drag, even to you? This writing exercise will help you think like a screenwriter to create forward-moving fiction, thinking of a scene visually and strictly adhering to the present moment.
Spend time thinking about
figurative language with this exercise, which helps add metaphors and similes to your writing toolbox.
Author
Alix Ohlin uses this creative writing exercise, set in a mattress store, to help her students find the drama in everyday life
Not everyone starts out with an ear for dialogue, but fortunately it can be developed, like any other skill. This exercise gets you out to listen to how people really talk.
