“I wish I could write…” Writing Exercise

A Twitter friend posted this 250-word-goal writing prompt, and it hit a chord with me. So I pulled up Word and started writing. Here’s what I came up with.

I wish I could write funny, witty blog posts like Creative Junkie. She makes me laugh out loud, shake my head, and feel like I know just what she means. I want to write things that relate to people’s lives, make them chuckle and think a little deeper sometimes. I wish I could write imaginative fantasy stories and create fresh new magical systems and mythology for my worlds. More importantly, I wish I could come up with a sparkling plot and multidimensional characters, ones that no one has ever read before in another incarnation. Sometimes I wish I could get all the stories I’ve ever read out of my head so I could actually think of something new and different instead of all these used ideas crowding my brain. But come to think of it, “repurposed” items are pretty hot nowadays, and maybe I can turn some of those “used” ideas into jumping-off points, or recombine elements in a fresh way. Should I use the same adjective twice in one paragraph (“fresh”)? Perhaps I analyze my writing too much—even before it leaves my fingers I’m analyzing the words. Funny enough? Too cliché? Trying too hard? I question my every word and phrase, and when I get that far, I question the paragraphs and pages too. This tendency makes for a good editor, but not always a good writer. Which is why I enjoy the freedom of these writing exercises—freedom from inventing an original idea of my own and psychoanalyzing the life out of it. And looky there, I’ve written 250-plus words!

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to see what you wish you could write!

Michelle Huegel