Having taught composition in both high school and at the university level, I thought I would share some writing tips and exercises for those of you who do not want to write novels, necessarily, but would like to do an autobiography, family history, short stories, essays, or articles on topics that use fiction-style as part of the article.

I do not do critiques, however, and will not have the time to read your work or comment, but I would suggest that you do these exercises, working on them until you feel you’ve perfected that step, then find a friend or family member who will read them with honesty and tell you what they liked and didn’t like about the paragraphs you’ve written.

The more you write the better you’ll write. Writing has to do with perseverance and patience. Writers must hone their craft. A dancer doesn’t learn to dance by reading a book or watching someone else do it. A dancer studies his craft. He practices. He exercises. He accepts criticism and suggestions. He puts many hours into learning the right way to move and to place his body. I’ve heard many people say they want to write a book some day. I always nod, because I don’t think anyone knows how much time and effort goes into writing. Someone said to me one day, could I imagine someone walking up to a brain surgeon and saying, I think I’ll operate on someone one of these days. It’s the same thing. To write, you must plan, prepare, practice, persevere and be patient.

Below are some exercises to help you think like a writer. Every story or autobiography needs a setting. To keep the setting vital and interesting, the writer must bring the scene to life. How do you do this? First you get the picture of the setting in your head. You feel yourself in the setting. You listen to your senses—see, hear, taste, smell, and touch.

Exercises 1: Find a photograph of a landscape scene. You’ll find them in some magazines or especially on calendars. You might even have a scenic painting in your home. Study the picture. And make a list.

1. What do you see?

2. What would you hear in this setting?

3. Are there smells? Does standing on a hot, sunny beach at the ocean smell differently than a walk through the woods?

4. Can you taste anything? Smell and taste are often linked. What might you taste in the scene? Pick a weed and put it between your teeth. Can you taste the grass? Pick a peach off the tree? Describe the juices as they roll across your tongue.

5. Touch the things in the picture using your imagination. On the beach, how do your feet feel sinking into the hot sand? What do your arms feeling being brushed by weeds and bushes as you wander through a woods?

These are the five senses - but motion is another type of sense that brings the scene alive.

6. Is the wind blowing? Are the trees tossing against the sky? Are the waves lapping to shore or dashing against the rocks, flinging a cold spray across everything?

Exercise 2: Now pretend you are in this picture. Begin at a spot in your scene and take a walk. Describe what you see, using all your senses. Write this as if it’s a scene from a novel. Give the walking character purpose—a morning stroll to see the sunrise, search for lost car keys, search for his lost pet, meeting someone at the final destination, etc.

Picture a barn with a hay mound nearby, towering trees, a worn path heading into the meadow. My example - One morning when I awoke something drew me outside. I left all thoughts of breakfast aside, sensing the day called to me. The first view from my back porch is a red barn. The roof sags in the middle as if it has carried the weight of the world on its shoulders. Etc.

Now find your photograph and write.

Exercise 3: Take this same scene, but this time create a mood. As you stand on the beach or walk out your back door one morning, you are grieving, angry, disappointed, ecstatic, lonely. Pick a mood and recreate this scene, using words that reflect how you feel. Notice that anger words have hard sounds like p, k, t, d, q. Peaceful words might begin with l, m, n or a vowel. Use these sounds to help create the mood. Stalking, tromping, dashing are stronger ways of walking than gliding, floating, ambling, meandering. Words help convey the mood.

Exercise 4: Sit on your front porch or in your backyard. Focus on one item, one area and bring that spot to life. Watch a bird hopping, raw nerves evident, or a leaf skittering across the grass. Bring it to life with all of the senses you can use to describe this scene.

Exercise 5: Find a photograph of an interesting face from a magazine or newspaper. Write a physical description using as many senses as possible and also using comparison and contrast. Her skin glowed like silk, her cheeks as rosy as a fresh peach. Unlike leather, the tough skin held deep dry crevices.

Look into the individual’s eyes. This person is having what thoughts? Get into the head of this person. Put this character in a scene and relay the thoughts going on in the characters head.

Exercise 6:

Emotions are vital. Looking into your own thoughts, select an emotion and bring it to life by reflecting your internal thoughts and struggles regarding this emotion. Describe a scene when this emotion overwhelmed you. Give the scene all the senses you used in the second exercise.

Keep writing. The more you write the better you become.