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6 Quick Writing Exercises to Wake Up Your Imagination

We all hit those blah writing days. Your fingers are ready, your doc is open... and your brain goes static. That’s where writing exercises come in — small creative boosts to shake off the dust and get back into your story flow. Here are six to try when your words feel stuck in traffic.

1. The 5-Minute Word Sprint

Pick a random word (use a generator or close your eyes and point at a book), set a 5-minute timer, and write anything involving that word. No stopping, no deleting.

2. Dialogue Without Context

Write a short convo between two people. No descriptions. No setting. Just back-and-forth lines.

3. Rewrite a Scene in Another Genre

Take a scene from your current story and flip the genre. Drama becomes comedy. Fantasy becomes sci-fi. Romance becomes horror.

4. Describe a Place Using the Five Senses — No Sight Allowed

Can’t mention what anything looks like. Only sound, touch, smell, taste, and intuition.

5. Character Swap POVs

Write a paragraph from the POV of a side character reacting to your main character. Bonus if the POV is brutally honest or completely wrong.

6. One Line Story Hooks

Write 3 one-sentence story starters that make you want to keep writing. (Example: “I woke up married to my enemy, and worse — he knew it before I did.”)

You don’t need to write a masterpiece every day. But showing up — even for a silly exercise — keeps the creative part of your brain warmed up. Try one of these before your next writing session, and see where it takes you. 🍒

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Reading!

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Summary:

The nightly transformations were certainly taking some getting used to, but Sonic persevered with his ever-present determination and relentless optimism as he focused on stitching their broken world back together. Of course, it wouldn't be quite so easy without the support from his friends. His world couldn't be entirely broken as long as he had them by his side. Likewise, Tails is adjusting to using more of his tech in the field, still trying his best to keep up with Sonic, and keep him safe as the dark energy Eggman unlocked threatens all they hold dear. --- A Sonic Unleashed retelling with my own spin on the story. Each chapter is a different location in Sonic Unleashed. Focused mostly on the bond between Sonic and Tails, and also Chip. He gets to be here, too, as a treat.

Chapter 7 - Arid Sands (Shamar)

They hadn't gotten more than two steps—or two flutters, in Chip's case—through the doorway of Professor Pickle's office before Amy Rose ushered them right back over the threshold. Even with her arms laden with a stack of books, she didn't miss a beat as she got both Sonic and Tails to pivot and fall into step with her.

"It's about time, you two! We're losing valuable daylight!"

"You don't gotta tell me twice," Sonic replied, tapping his wrist comm pointedly. "But what's got you in a rush?"

Amy peered around her stack of books, cheeks puffed up. "Didn't you get my messages?"

Tails was quick to hold up both hands defensively. "Don't look at me this time! I was flying the Tornado. It was Sonic's job to check the messages."

"Yeah, and I delegated that to Chip." Sonic waved it off with a flick of his wrist.

"I got the messages!" Chip chirped, raising his hand eagerly. "You said that you and the professor found the next temple in Shamar!"

"Woah! Wait, seriously?" Sonic perked up, instantly flipping from flippant with a quick grin.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tails asked.

"Well, you guys were in the middle of arguing about the right way to pronounce 'Holoska' again and then I forgot." Chip pointed at the Miles Electric. "But I did tell Amy we'd help pack up!"

"'Pack up?'" Tails canted his head to one side.

"Pack up what?" Sonic's head tilted in the same curious way.

Amy shoved her stack of books into Sonic's arms, nearly knocking him off his feet. "All of our research, of course! Professor Pickle has a car waiting for us at the school's entrance. You can take these there." 

As Sonic wobbled, Chip flew into his shoulder to help steady him, pushing against the bulk of his weight before he could fall over. "Wait, whaddya mean 'all of our research?'" Sonic asked, trying to peek around the books, but Amy was already skipping back into the office. "Hey! Amy!"

"That was the other part of the message," Chip piped up. "The professor and Amy are coming with us this time!"

[Continue at AO3]

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Summary:

The nightly transformations were certainly taking some getting used to, but Sonic persevered with his ever-present determination and relentless optimism as he focused on stitching their broken world back together. Of course, it wouldn't be quite so easy without the support from his friends. His world couldn't be entirely broken as long as he had them by his side. Likewise, Tails is adjusting to using more of his tech in the field, still trying his best to keep up with Sonic, and keep him safe as the dark energy Eggman unlocked threatens all they hold dear. --- A Sonic Unleashed retelling with my own spin on the story. Each chapter is a different location in Sonic Unleashed. Focused mostly on the bond between Sonic and Tails, and also Chip. He gets to be here, too, as a treat.

Chapter 7 - Arid Sands (Shamar)

They hadn't gotten more than two steps—or two flutters, in Chip's case—through the doorway of Professor Pickle's office before Amy Rose ushered them right back over the threshold. Even with her arms laden with a stack of books, she didn't miss a beat as she got both Sonic and Tails to pivot and fall into step with her.

"It's about time, you two! We're losing valuable daylight!"

"You don't gotta tell me twice," Sonic replied, tapping his wrist comm pointedly. "But what's got you in a rush?"

Amy peered around her stack of books, cheeks puffed up. "Didn't you get my messages?"

Tails was quick to hold up both hands defensively. "Don't look at me this time! I was flying the Tornado. It was Sonic's job to check the messages."

"Yeah, and I delegated that to Chip." Sonic waved it off with a flick of his wrist.

"I got the messages!" Chip chirped, raising his hand eagerly. "You said that you and the professor found the next temple in Shamar!"

"Woah! Wait, seriously?" Sonic perked up, instantly flipping from flippant with a quick grin.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tails asked.

"Well, you guys were in the middle of arguing about the right way to pronounce 'Holoska' again and then I forgot." Chip pointed at the Miles Electric. "But I did tell Amy we'd help pack up!"

"'Pack up?'" Tails canted his head to one side.

"Pack up what?" Sonic's head tilted in the same curious way.

Amy shoved her stack of books into Sonic's arms, nearly knocking him off his feet. "All of our research, of course! Professor Pickle has a car waiting for us at the school's entrance. You can take these there." 

As Sonic wobbled, Chip flew into his shoulder to help steady him, pushing against the bulk of his weight before he could fall over. "Wait, whaddya mean 'all of our research?'" Sonic asked, trying to peek around the books, but Amy was already skipping back into the office. "Hey! Amy!"

"That was the other part of the message," Chip piped up. "The professor and Amy are coming with us this time!"

[Continue at AO3]

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Pondering my orbs.

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Summary:

The nightly transformations were certainly taking some getting used to, but Sonic persevered with his ever-present determination and relentless optimism as he focused on stitching their broken world back together. Of course, it wouldn't be quite so easy without the support from his friends. His world couldn't be entirely broken as long as he had them by his side. Likewise, Tails is adjusting to using more of his tech in the field, still trying his best to keep up with Sonic, and keep him safe as the dark energy Eggman unlocked threatens all they hold dear. --- A Sonic Unleashed retelling with my own spin on the story. Each chapter is a different location in Sonic Unleashed. Focused mostly on the bond between Sonic and Tails, and also Chip. He gets to be here, too, as a treat.

Chapter 7 - Arid Sands (Shamar)

They hadn't gotten more than two steps—or two flutters, in Chip's case—through the doorway of Professor Pickle's office before Amy Rose ushered them right back over the threshold. Even with her arms laden with a stack of books, she didn't miss a beat as she got both Sonic and Tails to pivot and fall into step with her.

"It's about time, you two! We're losing valuable daylight!"

"You don't gotta tell me twice," Sonic replied, tapping his wrist comm pointedly. "But what's got you in a rush?"

Amy peered around her stack of books, cheeks puffed up. "Didn't you get my messages?"

Tails was quick to hold up both hands defensively. "Don't look at me this time! I was flying the Tornado. It was Sonic's job to check the messages."

"Yeah, and I delegated that to Chip." Sonic waved it off with a flick of his wrist.

"I got the messages!" Chip chirped, raising his hand eagerly. "You said that you and the professor found the next temple in Shamar!"

"Woah! Wait, seriously?" Sonic perked up, instantly flipping from flippant with a quick grin.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tails asked.

"Well, you guys were in the middle of arguing about the right way to pronounce 'Holoska' again and then I forgot." Chip pointed at the Miles Electric. "But I did tell Amy we'd help pack up!"

"'Pack up?'" Tails canted his head to one side.

"Pack up what?" Sonic's head tilted in the same curious way.

Amy shoved her stack of books into Sonic's arms, nearly knocking him off his feet. "All of our research, of course! Professor Pickle has a car waiting for us at the school's entrance. You can take these there." 

As Sonic wobbled, Chip flew into his shoulder to help steady him, pushing against the bulk of his weight before he could fall over. "Wait, whaddya mean 'all of our research?'" Sonic asked, trying to peek around the books, but Amy was already skipping back into the office. "Hey! Amy!"

"That was the other part of the message," Chip piped up. "The professor and Amy are coming with us this time!"

[Continue at AO3]

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I'm about two-thirds done with editing, but since it's no longer Sonic's birthday, I'm just gonna call it a night. Sorry, Sonic xD Made good progress with the edits though! I'm currently estimating an update somewhere between 4-6pm PST as long as work isn't too busy!

Thank you all for the support and excitement for this chapter! I know it's been a long time coming, and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with you!

But the next chapter of "When the World Breaks, Hold on Tight" has finally been written in its entirety! I've still got a fair bit of editing to do now that I've got the whole draft done, but we're in the final stretch now and posting is imminent.

I'm working at the office today, so won't be able to do the full editing read through for another hour still, and the chapter is over 20k words, so can't promise it'll be ready tonight, but heck if we're not gonna try!

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if I ever strike gold and end up writing a popular book series i'd love to keep an eye on the fandom to determine the smallest crackship and make that the only one that goes canon

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But the next chapter of "When the World Breaks, Hold on Tight" has finally been written in its entirety! I've still got a fair bit of editing to do now that I've got the whole draft done, but we're in the final stretch now and posting is imminent.

I'm working at the office today, so won't be able to do the full editing read through for another hour still, and the chapter is over 20k words, so can't promise it'll be ready tonight, but heck if we're not gonna try!

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Well, got ~1200 words done in the hour, but haven't quite closed out the chapter yet. Might be able to do it in another 1000 words. Not sure if it'll be tonight, but I really want it to be. I'm just so close. I can finally see the finish line.

But I'm also sleeby and I have to go into the office in the morning... sigh...

Personal challenge: I'm giving myself one hour to close out this chapter. I have a general idea of how much more I need until the end and I think it's *possible* to do it in about 2k words...

Let's find out!

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Personal challenge: I'm giving myself one hour to close out this chapter. I have a general idea of how much more I need until the end and I think it's *possible* to do it in about 2k words...

Let's find out!

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I genuinely wish I could weave together stories as intricately as you can. I just finished relative dissonance and I’ve been sitting here for 10 minutes because I have no idea what to do with myself now that the story is over. I felt like I knew the each of the main characters personally even though I’ve never watched aosth or sonic underground and the whole space warp thing is written as if you completely understand the entirety of the topic yourself. Please don’t ever stop writing, you’re absolutely fantastic

First of all, thank you so much! Character-focused writing is what I like to do the most, so I'm glad they all resonated with you and felt real while you were reading <3

I'm not the most science-minded person, but I did so much research to give the dimensional travel aspect enough of a foundation to stand on so that the suspension of disbelief could kick in where I needed it, haha. The research was probably the most time-consuming part of this fic xD

But thank you for the encouragement, and no need to worry. I won't ever stop writing. Even if I stop posting fanfiction (which I don't really see happening), I'll still be writing. It's my favorite thing to do and it's my career. Not my day job, unfortunately, but still the field I truly want to grow in.

I also just wanted to say, if you want to tell these kinds of stories, then you absolutely will ❤️ I've had over 20 years of near-constant practice at this point. I started writing regularly when I was around 11 or 12 and I'm in my mid-30s now. I've taken so many writing classes, been part of writing clubs and workshops, and written a ton of fanfics. Through all the successes I've had, I've also had plenty of failures. But the passion and perseverance have been what helped me to grow as a writer and tighten my storytelling skills, which still need a lot of work. I'm still learning so much about pacing and planting ideas and paying them off in a satisfying way. I'm always going to be getting better, and so will you! As long as you keep working at it and care about having a story come as close to what you envisioned it to be, you'll keep improving.

The thing is, as you keep getting better, your standards for yourself will keep getting higher, too. So sometimes it might not feel like you're improving or meeting your own expectations, but you are. Everything you write brings you closer to the kind of writer you want to be. I can guarantee you that you're already a better writer than you were six months ago! The progress can be hard to measure, but it's there.

Sorry, didn't mean to get preachy or anything, but I just wanted to give a little encouragement back to you, and to any other younger writers following me. The things I wrote in high school and college honestly look and feel like they were written by a completely different person, but they still helped me get to where I am today and where I'm still going in the future.

The fact that you're writing at all matters so much. Keep going ❤️

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Thank you so much! This is incredibly kind, especially coming from someone who also loves and appreciates Tails a lot :) Your art captures all the layers of his character so beautifully!

Anyway, just wanted to say I'm really glad you enjoyed it. This fic is special to me, but it was still a challenge. Writing it got me through a pretty difficult time, so I'll always be grateful this story came out of that and it means a lot to see any love for it 💖

Thank you for reading and taking the time to say such nice things!

I want to highlight probably one of the best Tails solo adventure fics I've ever read, one of what I expect a Tails game to look like. It genuinely made me feel every emotion ever and not many medias make me cry and feel a heart wrench so unexplainable like this fic did. Read it, pls.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56807623/chapters/144426502

I read a lot of fanfiction, but not many leave me intrigued or make me feel this much excitement and pain. This one had me hooked for the entire day and not once could I lay my eyes of it. If you author sees this. @skimmingthesurfaces Be proud of yourself, you've done an incredible job.

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hi!! the anon from an ask you answered the other day - the one that was supposed to have a link :'3 i did mean the au where tails goes to the future! big thanks for answering!!

Aww, no worries, anon! I've had plenty of trouble with links on tumblr, too. Of course they don't work when we want them, too :') Glad we still managed to be on the same page though and I was able to answer your ask! Have a lovely day/evening wherever you are!

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I'm so glad you like the animatic, thank you so much for your kind words <3

Funny story with the pacing, I was creating storyboard from memory and later when I was looking for dialogues I was like: "wait this scene actually happened later than that scene?" xD

And my brother was also happy about knux hahah About inspiration, althought it takes me a lot of time to make these animatics, when I get really inspired I have to do it! And well I fell in love at first sight with your fics <3

Oh, I LOVE the animatic!! It's so much more than I ever could've imagined <3 It means so much to see it come alive through all the scenes playing out to the music. You really made it feel as cinematic as I wanted it to come off on the page!

That's really impressive that you did the storyboarding all from memory! And even if it wasn't intentional, I think it did really work with the lyrics and the overall flow of the animatic. Like, having the Underground siblings getting Tails all made up for the concert and singing together on stage right after showing each individual moment with the three of them fit so well. It made sense to show how they'd all come together even though that's closer to the end.

Anyway, amazing work! I'm glad it's getting the recognition and love it deserves! And I'm just super honored that my fic inspired you so much. Thanks again for sharing your art and congratulations on finishing such an ambitious project! <3

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Considering it's my favourite Sonic game I feel like asking, any oneshots fics or small write ups centred around Sonic Heroes?

Bit of a long shot, as honestly I'm not entirely sure what substance could be used to write about it and it mostly speaks for itself, but I am a bit curious nonetheless. And since I'm curious now, what's your favourite Sonic game, or you just into it for all the silly little characters (which honestly fair lol)

Of course, obligatory keep up the great work and always excited to see what you write next!

I do have an idea for a Sonic Heroes fic, actually! I don't know if it will come together any time soon, but one of my plans when I first wrote "Sometimes the Picket Fence isn't Perfect" was to tie in Metal's behavior there to how he ends up in Sonic Heroes. I also have other scenes between Team Sonic, Team Dark, and Team Rose that I'd want to work in somehow (haven't really figured out what to do with Team Chaotix yet beyond them being there when facing off against Metal, sorry Team Chaotix lol).

So I hope I'll be able to piece together a proper story for all that someday! I love Sonic Heroes, too, and it's definitely one of the games I want to give some love back to!

And my favorite Sonic game... it's always really hard to choose! I feel like I have several that are favorites for different reasons, but the long-standing favorite is Sonic Adventure 2. I've played it the most out of all the games, it's the most nostalgic for me, and the levels and music are all in my top picks for the games that I've played. I love the Tails levels, I love the Sonic levels (except Crazy Gadget because I'm bad at video games xD), and while I'm not that good at the Knuckles levels, I'm pretty awesome with Rouge's xD Can't explain it, lol. Plus it's my favorite voice cast amongst any of the games. And I've spent countless hours in the Chao Garden on my original save, loved raising my little babies!

But Sonic Frontiers is also really special to me. It came out just as I was getting back into Sonic and my experience with that game still sticks with me. Running through the open world with its beautifully haunting soundtrack makes my heart hurt in a really good way xD It's so pretty and I have a lot of fun with it, so it's a very close favorite.

And then the original Sonic 2 is probably third, just because I grew up on classic Sega Genesis games and it's the one that started it all for me! I love the levels, music, and having Tails beside Sonic is the perfect gameplay to me.

Thanks for the ask! 💖