There are a lot of writing exercise out there. However unlike physical exercise which I am addicted to, I have always struggled with using writing exercises on a daily basis. Or even a yearly basis.  Until recently when my good friend, Fawaz Al-Matrouk a very gifted screenwriter (and film maker) told me about an exercise he had started to do on a daily basis. One that he had found extremely helpful. It has quickly become a part of my daily routine, something I do even on the days where I do not really have time to write.

The exercise as I understand it, works as follows. You do some arm stretches. Then you write a title for your piece. Your title should work as a prompt. I usually write something fairly concrete, for example, Dark Island, West Coast Cabin, Light in the Storm. Nothing too original. You then set the timer for 3 minutes, press play, and type as quickly as you possibly can. The object of this very fast typing is quantity, not quality. So far the most words I have managed to type in three minutes is 166. But most days I manage to improve on my number. Although right now I seem to consistently miss reaching the hoped for 167. Most times the writing I have produced is not even worth reading over, but sometimes there are some good ideas contained within. However the way the exercise has helped me the most so far is thinking and writing quicker. It has allowed me to come up with ideas that otherwise would have never occurred to me.

I have done it now for three weeks. I seem to be improving my typing speed by an average of ten extra words every week.