Writing Exercises
Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash
1. The 2000-Word Drill
Goal: Build writing stamina and voice.
Exercise: Write 2,000 words of anything—a scene, a memory, a story fragment. Do it every day for 30 days. No editing. Just write.
Stephen Says: “The adverb is not your friend. Neither is your internal editor. Ignore both.”
2. The “What If?” Machine
Goal: Generate story ideas from mundane situations.
Exercise: Take a normal scenario and twist it.
Example prompts:
What if your neighbor never sleeps and starts burying things in the yard at night?
What if the town librarian refuses to let anyone leave?
Write a 500-word scene exploring the idea.
3. The Rewrite Challenge
Goal: Learn structure and pacing.
Exercise: Take a classic fairytale or public domain story (e.g., Little Red Riding Hood, The Monkey’s Paw) and rewrite it as a horror story.
Limit: 1500–2000 words.
Lean into suspense, dread, and slow-building unease.
4. Character Skeletons
Goal: Develop character depth quickly.
Exercise:
Write a one-page monologue from a character who:
Just murdered someone and is rationalizing it.
Is hiding a dark secret from their spouse.
Is writing a confession letter with a gun on the table.
Voice and psychology matter more than plot here.
5. Dialogue Duel
Goal: Practice subtext and tension.
Exercise: Write a 2-person conversation where:
One person knows a terrible secret.
The other is trying to get it out without saying it directly.
Rule: No internal thoughts. Only dialogue and physical description. Let the reader feel the tension.
6. The House Exercise
Goal: Practice setting and atmosphere.
Exercise:
Describe a house. First, make it feel inviting. Then rewrite the same house and make it feel terrifying.
Rule: No supernatural elements—just mood, detail, and suggestion.
7. Kill Your Darlings (Literally)
Goal: Learn to cut fluff and revise ruthlessly.
Exercise:
Take one of your previous 2000-word stories. Cut it down to 1000 words. Keep the emotion and plot intact.
Focus: Remove anything that doesn’t move the story forward.
8. The Obsession Scene
Goal: Explore internal monologue and compulsion.
Exercise: Write a 750-word piece from the POV of someone:
Obsessed with a specific person.
Obsessed with a memory.
Obsessed with an object (e.g., a typewriter, a wedding ring, a photograph).
Channel that dark, swirling intensity King is known for.
9. The 10-Minute Horror
Goal: Flash fiction + efficiency.
Exercise:
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write a complete horror story in 300–500 words.
Rule: No planning. Just pure instinct.
10. The Memory Trap
Goal: Use your own life to fuel fiction.
Exercise:
Write about something that truly scared you as a kid. Then rewrite it as fiction, adding a supernatural or sinister twist.
Bonus: Try both versions—memoir and fiction—and compare them.
If you want, I can turn these into a printable workbook or suggest a weekly plan using them. Would that help?
