The Value of Warming Up

The first piece of writing of the day is often like the first pancake - undercooked and pale in comparison to the ones that follow. This piece of writing, like the first pancake, often gets thrown away. I know my first blog post, forum comment, or email in the morning isn't always my best work, and I often have to go back and rewrite the first piece of the day. A good writing warm-up never hurt anyone.

Warming up helps you get into your writing groove. It wakes up your creative brain cells, gets the blood flowing to your fingertips, and focuses your awareness on the task at hand. A few good ways to warm up before setting down to more serious writing include:

• Writing an email to that friend who already knows you're a great writer - you don't have to prove anything to this person, so you're free to make mistakes
• Writing down the ideas you had while you were hitting the snooze button, taking a shower, or walking the dog
• Working on a short piece of fiction that still needs a lot of fundamental work (extremely early drafts)
• Recording an event in a journal
• Chatting with an eloquent buddy online

Warming up before you start writing can seem like a waste of time, but it isn't. You'll have to do a lot less backspacing, proofreading, and revision when you do sit down to really write.

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