Omit Needless Words!

As William Strunk, Jr. often said: "Omit needless words!" Take a page of your writing (or someone else's) and cut out any unnecessary words. Try to get as much meaning into as few words as you can.

Reading

Often characters are too busy in stories to have time to read, but their reading habits can tell us a lot about them. For five minutes, write about your character's reading habits and what his/her favorite book might be.

Sleep

Some people only need a few hours of sleep a night while others have to take daily naps. For five minutes, write about your (or your character's) sleeping habits.

Lies

Everyone lies; some people just do it more than others. For five minutes, write about a time when your character wanted to, or had to, lie.