Quick, Playful Writing Exercises for When You’re Feeling Stuck

A student recently asked, looking at the bookshelf in my office, “How did all these people get from here to there? From words on a screen to bound on the shelf?” I started to give her practical advice about staying in the chair and reading the right novels, but that is only a small part of how a piece of art grows up.

We are not ever just writers—we are also sons and da...