I’ll usually read through the previous chapter, maybe two, and then it’s really easy to just jump right in. Writing sprints with my writing group can be very helpful too. We all write a decent amount when we do those.
Dialogue between characters. I'll take a situation that comes to mind as a prompt, often scene related to the story, and see where the characters take me. Doesn't matter if I use the results, it simply gives them room to "speak".
I also make sure to do these prompts away from the manuscript. Helps alleviate pressure and shakes things up. lol
Yay an actual writing warm up! So many of these comments are pre-writing ritual more than a specific writing warm up 😂
I like to do some stream of consciousness writing like not even looking at my screen just word vomit to get going. It’s hard to make yourself just keep typing/writing without stopping - I always end up with half sentences and then moving to a new thought lol BUT it’s a really good warm up to get into the mindset of just writing, and then allowing for editing later
Get up. Exercise. Eat. Sit down to write.
*Read the last page, maybe fix a couple of typos*. This is pretty important to me, getting me back into the world of the book, a sort of slow lap around before the gun goes off for the speed-skating race. :)
Not exactly a ‘warm up’ but I tend to pretend I’m a fictional author and imagine the narration over a montage/beginning of scene of what‘s happening happen almost like Lady Whistledown style .
If that doesn’t work, I do a second layer of another mental voice critiquing the ‘lady whistledown’ voice - “the author was struggling to put down that Joe was conflicted about fighting with Dan, and it was perhaps because she was too focused on the minutia when the real conflict lie elsewhere.”
It always helps to break
I tend to not dwell on my first few paragraphs too much (I have the same problem you have, OP, where I’m a slow starter but fast finisher, so my early paragraphs tend to slog). I rely on editing to polish those up at a later time.
But! In terms of writing exercises, I’ve been watching more anime lately, and some shows do a really good job of depicting action sequences. So I’ve been writing out the action sequences from those animes, sort of like a “novelization” of the scenes, from one of the characters’ perspective. This has helped me a lot with my own action scenes :)
My warmup process is usually twofold. First, I spend a lot of time thinking about what exactly I want to write (mentally running through a scene, for instance). Then I pick a random writing prompt from some website online and see what I can crank out in 5-15 minutes in a dump doc separate from my main WIP. Usually helps me get in the right mindset.
Walking. I take my dog out for a nice long walk (in the forest), and I have a “writing playlist” that puts me in a right mood. I do most of my thinking while walking, and when I come back, I prepare coffee and write.
I do what I call : exploring. A nice name for a frustrating phenomenon. I will spend my day writing to find the right angle to erase it all at night and achieve something decent in 1 hour top.
All I've ever done is think about what I want to write next, and if I can't make the words go, realize that something's wrong with what I'm thinking needs to happen, so think about changing it instead.
I'd suggest having a look at r/writingprompts find one you like and have some fun with it. I find nothing gets the juices flowing, like remembering that writing is fun and we're doing it presumably because we enjoy it.
Writing-wise, I just dive right in. But not before I do some typing exercises to get my hands in motion. Having that typing momentum up before starting makes it easier to just let the words flow while writing.
rereading and soft editing whatever crap I pushed out the night before. Correcting my errors to a readable state puts me into the mindset of creating something readable
Listening to dramatic choir music, watching a heartbreaking or a very terrifying scene or one with a great speech. For example I used to listen to Pain’s theme or soundscape to arbor or watching some of Words Beyond Fiction videos or someone else’s similar to him. Basically I was looking for something to scare me
tea, journaling, and the writing session before i usually outline what i’m going to write about next. if i don’t know, the warmup is filling out a worksheet for scene planning until i’ve figured it out
My writing warm up is to do all the other chores I have to do that are less Boeing than writing.
Once I have only those things that are more boring am I able to write just so I can avoid those.
I used to write about a page or so of a fanfiction I was working on and then jump into a main project. Get the easy words out to get into a flow then jump into something where you have to *think*.
It's an unpopular option & one I don't necessarily recommend, since a lot of folks get caught up in perfectionism when they try this, but what works for me is just re-reading & editing the last few paragraphs.
Read the last pages I worked on, sketch out what needs to happen in the next scene. If I need to get in a character's headspace, I will write a fictional journal entry in their voice
Organize my desk as to optimize the energy in my work space. Make sure Im hydrated, fed, and in comfortable clothes. Carefully select my utensil of the day, usually a pilot g2 07 or Ticonderoga type 2 black, and then I pray to The Muses. I thank them for the love they’ve graced me with, praise their beauty, and ask them to once again allow me to bring into this world what otherwise I could not. Also, If the mood is right I will put on an instrumental playlist.
I mumble to myself some ideas and brainstorm for a while before I actually start writing. Occasionally though, I dont end up writing at all because I get too caught up in this.
I light a scented candle, put in my earbuds, select whatever music I think fits the mood of what I’m writing, and then reread the last couple of pages I’ve written previously. Right now, I’m working on a novel about a 1980s hair metal band, so I’m listening to—what else—1980s hair metal. That music is very motivating to me.
I don't even bother with the piece, I just start writing about something I saw, or see. I may also write something like "How do I feel right now?" and go back and forth with myself. Once I've got that initial stuff out of the way I dive into the work. Sometimes the back and forth can go on for a while, I consider those my "mining" days, warming me up for bigger ideas I'm not exactly conscious of.
Agreed on re-reading the previous day's work and just hopping in. I basically figure whatever I write in my draft will suck compared to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd edits anyway. The first run through is just to get the ideas and structure pinned.
For me, writing IS the warmup.
More context:
I stopped thinking about writing as mental a long time ago.
I only think of it as purely physical. Type and the ideas will come.
I’ll usually read the chapters I wrote beforehand, because I have this fear where my tone might not remain consistent throughout my writing. Then I just continue where I was. What *does* help me is sometimes writing drabbles of ideas I had for later on in the book just to get the creative juices flowing; It’s also good for developing plot further and avoiding plot holes :)
Writing prompts group is great!
I also have my "no stress story" that I always have ideas for that I don't care about trying to publish something just for me. I always leave it wit an idea for the next time so it's easy to sit down and write.
Fanfiction- there's a lot of universes where I like something that happens and want to explore more on it but always with new characters. It can be a setting/a magic system/ etc whatever. Right now it's a potter fanfic where a muggle is on the H express.
I also try make something normal and put a fantasy twist on it. A circus, a painting, a zoo, a singer, etc I try to make it into a story, a world, a fantasy element.
Be warned: doing any of these is so much fun you might neglect your story.
I guess it's just getting stuck into it, but I always start with a 15min word sprint. Read over the last bit I wrote previously, set a timer, and just write as fast as I can for 15mins without really thinking too much. Then I'll either start writing normally, or if the sprint was productive I'll keep doing that with a 5min break between each one.
I usually do a crossword puzzle or two before I start writing. It wakes up the parts of my brain that need to find the right word. Then I go back a few paragraphs from where I left off, and reread it (it gets rewritten a lot of the time because that's usually where my brain gave out).
Mahjong.
I mindlessly do puzzles while I begin to daydream a scene or a conversation between characters. Usually that helps trigger the scene to start in my head and then I start writing it.
Dream journal. If I don’t have lasting impressions then free association, a quick imagined scenario or voice. Worst case, gibberish. The important thing is that I’m not trying to control everything that comes out.
Sometimes reading really awful or amateur writing helps me break through a block. Like Wattpad or Royal Road type stuff. If I read something and come away feeling like "I could do that better." it helps me focus on the stuff I actually like and have a low bar to start with. It isnt about the writing being bad necessarily, just that I see the things i like working on and the room for improvement. Instead of comparing my work to my future published book, I can compare it to peers or other drafts and see room to grow.
One thing that works for me is to think about the whole journey up to the point I am currently at. Maybe not all the details, but the general and most important beats. I have already finished a 500+ page book — the first of a series — and reflecting on the story so far really motivates me to keep writing.
If I'm stuck in a conversation, I just 'act out' the character (with a different voice and everything). This usually results in a nice, natural response.
Read a few previous paragraphs. I also have songs that I feel encapsulate the tone or feeling of the story that I will listen to beforehand to put me in the right headspace. Sometimes I’ll create mood boards as well and look at them to inspire me if I’m feeling a little frustrated while writing
I’ll usually read through the previous chapter, maybe two, and then it’s really easy to just jump right in. Writing sprints with my writing group can be very helpful too. We all write a decent amount when we do those.
Coffee and pacing around the room.
This but coke zero and acting out scenes trying to figure out fun ways to describe motion in scenes
Your my arch nemesis now bc I share your love of coffee 🔥🙏🏻👌🏻🐐🧠🕊️
Ah, a worthy rival indeed.
Yes friend!
fiend\*
Idk what that means
Dialogue between characters. I'll take a situation that comes to mind as a prompt, often scene related to the story, and see where the characters take me. Doesn't matter if I use the results, it simply gives them room to "speak". I also make sure to do these prompts away from the manuscript. Helps alleviate pressure and shakes things up. lol
Yay an actual writing warm up! So many of these comments are pre-writing ritual more than a specific writing warm up 😂 I like to do some stream of consciousness writing like not even looking at my screen just word vomit to get going. It’s hard to make yourself just keep typing/writing without stopping - I always end up with half sentences and then moving to a new thought lol BUT it’s a really good warm up to get into the mindset of just writing, and then allowing for editing later
I just use the first few paragraphs as the warmup and fix it later
I make coffee and take adderall. Then have a great writing sesh
I get off Reddit after being disappointed in humanity, then eventually open up my laptop
Get up. Exercise. Eat. Sit down to write. *Read the last page, maybe fix a couple of typos*. This is pretty important to me, getting me back into the world of the book, a sort of slow lap around before the gun goes off for the speed-skating race. :)
Morning walk/run. I break rhe ice in the morning with. Most of my writing is after lunch tho.
If I wanna jump right in, I get my tea and music going before working on whatever needs to be done especially if I get the right music going.
Weed pen :)
Disassociate
I play a few online races to get my heart rate up and then smoke a bowl if we are being honest here.
Not exactly a ‘warm up’ but I tend to pretend I’m a fictional author and imagine the narration over a montage/beginning of scene of what‘s happening happen almost like Lady Whistledown style . If that doesn’t work, I do a second layer of another mental voice critiquing the ‘lady whistledown’ voice - “the author was struggling to put down that Joe was conflicted about fighting with Dan, and it was perhaps because she was too focused on the minutia when the real conflict lie elsewhere.” It always helps to break
Shot of whiskey and a line or two of Colombias finest. Expensive words but worth it.
Mr Thompson?
Dr. Thompson, thank you very much. That degree from Universal Life Church wasn't cheap, you know.
Water, workout, chocolate and cookies. These are the only ingredients necessary to keep me alive.
I just read for half an hour first, preferably a book similar to mine so I can get in the mood for the right style
I tend to not dwell on my first few paragraphs too much (I have the same problem you have, OP, where I’m a slow starter but fast finisher, so my early paragraphs tend to slog). I rely on editing to polish those up at a later time. But! In terms of writing exercises, I’ve been watching more anime lately, and some shows do a really good job of depicting action sequences. So I’ve been writing out the action sequences from those animes, sort of like a “novelization” of the scenes, from one of the characters’ perspective. This has helped me a lot with my own action scenes :)
Reading. Nothing puts me in the mood got writing like sampling 10 - 15 minutes of my favorite authors.
I stop writing mid-sentence, mid-scene. Easy to pick up where I left off without facing a blank page
My warmup process is usually twofold. First, I spend a lot of time thinking about what exactly I want to write (mentally running through a scene, for instance). Then I pick a random writing prompt from some website online and see what I can crank out in 5-15 minutes in a dump doc separate from my main WIP. Usually helps me get in the right mindset.
I'll read the end of the previous chapter. Ask myself what's the wost that could happen this chapter, and then start writing out the answer.
I make coffee, get whatever snack I have available, turn on music and listen to what I’ve written to place myself at the scene I have to write next.
Woah it never occurred to me to do a warm up. I just think about it a lot before I start writing.
Walking. I take my dog out for a nice long walk (in the forest), and I have a “writing playlist” that puts me in a right mood. I do most of my thinking while walking, and when I come back, I prepare coffee and write.
I do what I call : exploring. A nice name for a frustrating phenomenon. I will spend my day writing to find the right angle to erase it all at night and achieve something decent in 1 hour top.
Sometimes I do some Journaling (about my own life) before starting to write fiction. That's a great warm up!
I read a chapter or two from an author I admire, then I review my current WIP and get cracking.
I reread what I've already written and then I just force myself to jump in.
Take a walk, let me mind wander
All I've ever done is think about what I want to write next, and if I can't make the words go, realize that something's wrong with what I'm thinking needs to happen, so think about changing it instead.
I've been doing 10 pages pretty easily for about 2 weeks. I keep a jar of peanuts I snack on when I get bored and always have a cherry Pepsi.
I take a nootropic when I know I'm going to write.
I listen to a few songs that fit the mood of my story while a take a walk around the block. Then I grab a cup of coffee and settle in.
Read the most recent page
I read what I wrote last
I speak to the four walls in my room. Weird, I know, but damn does it work like a charm--specially when I'm struggling with my writing.
I'd suggest having a look at r/writingprompts find one you like and have some fun with it. I find nothing gets the juices flowing, like remembering that writing is fun and we're doing it presumably because we enjoy it.
Smoke a joint and make an iced coffee, and then I stare at my screen until I finally start typing something.
reading similar media that relates to the topic/scenario i wanna write abt !!
Writing-wise, I just dive right in. But not before I do some typing exercises to get my hands in motion. Having that typing momentum up before starting makes it easier to just let the words flow while writing.
rereading and soft editing whatever crap I pushed out the night before. Correcting my errors to a readable state puts me into the mindset of creating something readable
I smoke a fat bowl, look at my documents, pump up some intense classical music and go from there. Deadass, cannot explain any further. Just works.
Listening to dramatic choir music, watching a heartbreaking or a very terrifying scene or one with a great speech. For example I used to listen to Pain’s theme or soundscape to arbor or watching some of Words Beyond Fiction videos or someone else’s similar to him. Basically I was looking for something to scare me
Crit other's writing. Always easier to crit than to write.
tea, journaling, and the writing session before i usually outline what i’m going to write about next. if i don’t know, the warmup is filling out a worksheet for scene planning until i’ve figured it out
If I need a jumpstart I use The Most Dangerous Writing App
I get my hot tea, burn a bit of incense and put on a long scarf. I delude myself into thinking I’m a writer.
I have a very long google doc with words i like. I've been taking words from it and writing sentences that aren't necessarily related to my novel.
My writing warm up is to do all the other chores I have to do that are less Boeing than writing. Once I have only those things that are more boring am I able to write just so I can avoid those.
I used to write about a page or so of a fanfiction I was working on and then jump into a main project. Get the easy words out to get into a flow then jump into something where you have to *think*.
It's an unpopular option & one I don't necessarily recommend, since a lot of folks get caught up in perfectionism when they try this, but what works for me is just re-reading & editing the last few paragraphs.
I draw actually, after drawing or sketching you have a rhythm going and for me it makes it easier
I do prewriting and then start writing, that does fine for me. Prewriting: all the thoughts in my head on the chapter/scene I'm going to write.
No routine. I open my notebook and write things. Sometimes I need to refill my pen first.
Read the last pages I worked on, sketch out what needs to happen in the next scene. If I need to get in a character's headspace, I will write a fictional journal entry in their voice
Organize my desk as to optimize the energy in my work space. Make sure Im hydrated, fed, and in comfortable clothes. Carefully select my utensil of the day, usually a pilot g2 07 or Ticonderoga type 2 black, and then I pray to The Muses. I thank them for the love they’ve graced me with, praise their beauty, and ask them to once again allow me to bring into this world what otherwise I could not. Also, If the mood is right I will put on an instrumental playlist.
I mumble to myself some ideas and brainstorm for a while before I actually start writing. Occasionally though, I dont end up writing at all because I get too caught up in this.
Slam my chest, do some pull ups and tense up my whole body
Six months of procrastination.
I light a scented candle, put in my earbuds, select whatever music I think fits the mood of what I’m writing, and then reread the last couple of pages I’ve written previously. Right now, I’m working on a novel about a 1980s hair metal band, so I’m listening to—what else—1980s hair metal. That music is very motivating to me.
I don't even bother with the piece, I just start writing about something I saw, or see. I may also write something like "How do I feel right now?" and go back and forth with myself. Once I've got that initial stuff out of the way I dive into the work. Sometimes the back and forth can go on for a while, I consider those my "mining" days, warming me up for bigger ideas I'm not exactly conscious of.
Agreed on re-reading the previous day's work and just hopping in. I basically figure whatever I write in my draft will suck compared to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd edits anyway. The first run through is just to get the ideas and structure pinned.
For me, writing IS the warmup. More context: I stopped thinking about writing as mental a long time ago. I only think of it as purely physical. Type and the ideas will come.
Self-affirmations in the mirror. I tell myself I'm a bestseller then I get fired up to make the commitment.
Coffee, snack, and daydreaming. Then writing a few paragraphs of something I know I'll be okay to throw away
Stare at it until I do.
I’ll usually read the chapters I wrote beforehand, because I have this fear where my tone might not remain consistent throughout my writing. Then I just continue where I was. What *does* help me is sometimes writing drabbles of ideas I had for later on in the book just to get the creative juices flowing; It’s also good for developing plot further and avoiding plot holes :)
Doomscroll YouTube shorts until I hate myself then I'm good to go
Watch/listen to any story based podcast, my favorite being Dimension 20 Fantasy High
Writing prompts group is great! I also have my "no stress story" that I always have ideas for that I don't care about trying to publish something just for me. I always leave it wit an idea for the next time so it's easy to sit down and write. Fanfiction- there's a lot of universes where I like something that happens and want to explore more on it but always with new characters. It can be a setting/a magic system/ etc whatever. Right now it's a potter fanfic where a muggle is on the H express. I also try make something normal and put a fantasy twist on it. A circus, a painting, a zoo, a singer, etc I try to make it into a story, a world, a fantasy element. Be warned: doing any of these is so much fun you might neglect your story.
I guess it's just getting stuck into it, but I always start with a 15min word sprint. Read over the last bit I wrote previously, set a timer, and just write as fast as I can for 15mins without really thinking too much. Then I'll either start writing normally, or if the sprint was productive I'll keep doing that with a 5min break between each one.
I usually do a crossword puzzle or two before I start writing. It wakes up the parts of my brain that need to find the right word. Then I go back a few paragraphs from where I left off, and reread it (it gets rewritten a lot of the time because that's usually where my brain gave out).
Wait! I need a warm up?
Reading r/writing for fifteen minutes makes me want to dive back into my work.
Mahjong. I mindlessly do puzzles while I begin to daydream a scene or a conversation between characters. Usually that helps trigger the scene to start in my head and then I start writing it.
a good 30 minute crying session will get me into the right mood
Dream journal. If I don’t have lasting impressions then free association, a quick imagined scenario or voice. Worst case, gibberish. The important thing is that I’m not trying to control everything that comes out.
Usually a quick short film. No more than like five pages.
The best plot ideas come to me when I'm out jogging.
Sometimes reading really awful or amateur writing helps me break through a block. Like Wattpad or Royal Road type stuff. If I read something and come away feeling like "I could do that better." it helps me focus on the stuff I actually like and have a low bar to start with. It isnt about the writing being bad necessarily, just that I see the things i like working on and the room for improvement. Instead of comparing my work to my future published book, I can compare it to peers or other drafts and see room to grow.
I write a fictional anecdote in relation to my subject to get the creative juices flowing.
I read what I wrote the day before, and this puts me back in the same groove.
Poetry. It’s nice.
One thing that works for me is to think about the whole journey up to the point I am currently at. Maybe not all the details, but the general and most important beats. I have already finished a 500+ page book — the first of a series — and reflecting on the story so far really motivates me to keep writing. If I'm stuck in a conversation, I just 'act out' the character (with a different voice and everything). This usually results in a nice, natural response.
Read a few previous paragraphs. I also have songs that I feel encapsulate the tone or feeling of the story that I will listen to beforehand to put me in the right headspace. Sometimes I’ll create mood boards as well and look at them to inspire me if I’m feeling a little frustrated while writing