A Creative Writing Exercise to Beat Writer’s Block

It’s been another busy work week, for which I am grateful. If you are reading this, I hope you are doing well. I hope you are keeping calm and carrying on, and finding time to do things you enjoy. The goal of this week’s post is to (hopefully) remind you, even when you’re stalled, that writing is supposed to be fun 🤩 


My editorial brain sees writing as a puzzle. Who doesn’t love a puzzle? This post offers you puzzle pieces for a future piece of writing, courtesy of — an online dictionary. 


A Wordy Person’s Prompting Tool


If you’re looking for a creative spark, here’s a helper you might not have considered: the top word lookups list you’ll find on the home page of m-w.com (the Merriam Webster dictionary online). As of this writing, the list refreshes every 25 seconds. If you’re a word person, the list is delightful. If you’re also a current events-focused person, the list provides minute-to-minute snapshots in time. If you’re also a people person, it’s fun and fascinating.


The lookup lists on m-w.com can ease you out of writer’s block, or just a case of the blahs. You can practice this exercise spur of the moment, or save a list for a time and place to write that works for you. 


Thoughts Before You Begin the Writing Exercise


Depending on how you want to approach the exercise, if you have a cat, you may want to wait  until your cat has left your office. If an interruption in focus occurs for any reason, don’t fret. You can work with the next list you see. You may prefer cat-refreshed word lists. Do what makes you happy.


Basic Steps For the Writing Exercise


  • Go to the Merriam-Webster home page
  • Commit to working with the first list of looked-up words you see. You’ll need to take a screenshot, given the refresh increments.
  • Write a sentence choosing one word from the list you captured.  
  • Repeat.
  • Continue writing one sentence for each word on the list — until you’ve used all of them. 


Exercise Modifications


  • Try writing one sentence using multiple words on the list.
  • Keep writing after you’ve gone through the list, using the same words in a different order. Let your mind run with it.
  • Refresh and capture word lists to work with as many times as you like. 


Closing Thoughts


If you’re not crazy about the words you see on a list, I challenge you to use them anyway. The point is to let your mind chew on what you offer it. Don’t constrain yourself. See where the exercise takes you. If the sentences you come up with are silly or weird, that’s okay. In fact, I strongly encourage you to go as silly or weird as possible — if that’s the direction your brain leans in. You can actually use this practice to write a poem, short story, or as inspiration for a novel. Have fun with it!


P.S. — I am in no way affiliated with Merriam-Webster, but I do use the Merriam-Webster website regularly as part of my editorial work. I have been known to get into dictionary debates. I have childhood memories of treating print dictionaries like Choose Your Own Adventure books. As an adult, I find myself doing the same with the Oxford Historical Thesaurus.


Happy writing!



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