Share your exercises, outline or draft!

Wherever you are in the process, share your work! Whether you're examining a favorite sentence or crafting sentences of your own, use the project space to connect with other writers. We can’t wait to see what you write!

As a reminder, here are the exercises Rumaan walks through in the class.

Exercise I: Rewrite five sentences, examining the mechanics of each.
- Start by examining five sentences you love. What do they share in common?
- Now repeat the exercise with five sentences you hate. What did you learn that you can take into your own writing?

Exercise II: Write to an arbitrary limit, like 444 words in ten minutes.
- What did you write about? Any surprises?
- How did it feel to focus on the process, rather than the outcome?

Exercise III: Outline the beats of a story, either your own or one you know well.
- Rumaan suggests using email, sticky notes, Google Docs, or your notebook. Which system works best for you?
- How did creating an outline impact the experience of writing your piece?

Exercise IV: Revise a piece of work by reading it aloud.
- What was your intention when you started the piece. Did you accomplish what you set out to achieve?
- Would you like a fresh set of eyes? Find a friend or share your draft here for your classmates’ feedback.

Resources

Connect with Rumaan on his website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
Read Rumaan’s novels: Rich and Pretty and That Kind of Mother

Explore More Classes on Skillshare

Writing The Truth: How to Start Writing Your Memoir – Mary Karr
Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact — Roxane Gay
Creative Personal Writing: Write the Real You — Ashley Ford
How to Get Published: A Step-by-Step Guide to Submitting Your Writing — Rachel Mindell
Writing Suspense: How to Write Stories That Thrill in Any Genre — Benjamin Percy

Tia Hanke-Hills

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