Post by mdnoyon on Jan 15, 2024 0:59:37 GMT -4
There was a time when I published various articles on writing exercises on the blog, finding them useful for learning and improving writing. I had read many articles on how to practice writing - and who knows how many more have been published in the meantime - and I had also thought of various exercises that could be useful to those who want to write fiction: with new words found in books, for example, or by participating in literary competitions or trying so-called creative writing ideas . Finally I became convinced that writing exercises are completely useless. And now let's see why.
Famous writers have never done writing exercises Or at least I think. Obviously I can't be 100% certain, but I can be 99% sure. It wouldn't even make sense. Think of the Phone Number List authors of the past: can you imagine a Manzoni, a Dante, a Leopardi, a Calvino, a Pirandello, a Boccaccio wasting time - and at that time with paper, pen and inkwell a lot was wasted (even if two of them used typewriter) – bent over the desk doing exercises before churning out their immortal masterpieces? No, I just can't. And I don't suppose you either. Perhaps because the concept of "writing exercise" didn't even exist. In those days there were schools and books. The world was less noisy and crowded than today, there were fewer distractions.
All it took were ideas and the innate ability to transform them into piles of written paper. But, without going too far, we can stop at more recent times. Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Hemingway, Isabel Allende, John Steinbeck, Elmore Leonard, Jack London, Anton Chekhov, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, Ken Follett, Raymond Carver (just to name a few) are authors who have often provided writing advice , bounced everywhere in blogs. I've read several of these articles and… drum roll… I've never found any advice on writing exercises. Maybe they didn't even think about it. And if they haven't thought about it, it means they are not needed.
Famous writers have never done writing exercises Or at least I think. Obviously I can't be 100% certain, but I can be 99% sure. It wouldn't even make sense. Think of the Phone Number List authors of the past: can you imagine a Manzoni, a Dante, a Leopardi, a Calvino, a Pirandello, a Boccaccio wasting time - and at that time with paper, pen and inkwell a lot was wasted (even if two of them used typewriter) – bent over the desk doing exercises before churning out their immortal masterpieces? No, I just can't. And I don't suppose you either. Perhaps because the concept of "writing exercise" didn't even exist. In those days there were schools and books. The world was less noisy and crowded than today, there were fewer distractions.
All it took were ideas and the innate ability to transform them into piles of written paper. But, without going too far, we can stop at more recent times. Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Hemingway, Isabel Allende, John Steinbeck, Elmore Leonard, Jack London, Anton Chekhov, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, Ken Follett, Raymond Carver (just to name a few) are authors who have often provided writing advice , bounced everywhere in blogs. I've read several of these articles and… drum roll… I've never found any advice on writing exercises. Maybe they didn't even think about it. And if they haven't thought about it, it means they are not needed.