Face the Page

“Writing practice is showing up at the page. It’s running the scales, executing the moves. It’s writing for the experience of it, forming the words, capturing the images, filling the pages. Like an artist’s sketchbook, a writer’s notebook is filled with perspectives, character sketches, shadings, and tones. A writing workout is trying out phrases and auditioning words, letting the imagination have free rein while the editor in your head takes a coffee break. One of the best things about writing practice is that it is practice. It’s not supposed to be perfect. You’re free to make mistakes, fool around, take risks.”—Judy Reeves

I have always been a fan of writing prompts and freewriting. Even when I’m working on a particular story, I take time for writing prompts. Of course, my characters may insist on getting involved, but that just makes it more interesting and often times I learn something new about the characters or the story.

One time, after sharing a random writing prompt, one of the writers in my writing group asked “what’s the take away from this? What’s the point? Although I personally understood the value of freewriting on any random prompt, I hadn’t ever put it into words before. Writing practice, freewriting on a random prompt, is the sandbox you can play in. Build a sand castle, knock it down, build another. It’s play. It’s discovery. It keeps the ideas flowing freely from your imagination through your fingers to the page. No matter what prompt you start out with, if you write long enough, you’ll discover what you really want to say.

“When you show up at the page and put in the time day after day, you learn to trust your pen and the voice that emerges as your own. You name yourself Writer. “—Judy Reeves


p.s. If you haven't yet experiences A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves, take a stroll through her website: http://judyreeveswriter.com/