Halfway through The Wayward Writer
Back in January of this year, I decided to start working through the exercises in Ariel Gore’s The Wayward Writer. The book contains 78 exercises, which is enough to fill a year and a half if you do them weekly. Because of planned trips in 2023, I took a handful of weeks off from doing exercises, but I’ve gotten halfway through the book since then.
Now that I’m at the halfway point, I’m taking a look back to see what I’ve accomplished with these exercises. I’ve written a novelette, 7 short stories, 16 flash fiction pieces (some microfiction and drabbles included), and 7 poems. There are also a handful of the exercises that are about doing something that only you will see, and I’ve got all of those completed as well, though they are unlikely to turn into publishable pieces. I’ve also got several other stories and a novella started, based on the exercises. And I’ve sold two of the drabbles that I wrote because of this book!
The pieces the exercises suggest have been some of the more personal pieces I’ve written, drawing from memories and wishes and all sorts of similar things. I have generally put a speculative twist on every exercise, personal or not. But the pieces coming out of my completion of the exercises are examining new topics and old topics from different perspectives. It’s been a lot of fun thus far, and I’m looking forward to completing the rest of the exercises in 2024!
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