Editing and rewriting your work in progress is one way. But how do you flex your skills and challenge yourself to try new techniques? Here is a writing exercise to strengthen your writing skills to become a more well-rounded writer:

Take a scene you’ve written and rewrite it in different ways:  

• Write it from a different point of view. If your scene is written in the first person, consider rewriting it in the second or third person.
• Add a subgenre. If you are writing romance or a mystery, include science fiction elements.  
• Modify the setting. Set the character in a different location (e.g., a classroom to a kitchen), at a different time of day, or change the weather.
• Adapt it as a fairy tale. It could be a retelling of Little Red Ridinghood or simply changing your characters into fairies, elves, or other magical beings.
• Write it as a poem. Change the structure into a rhyming sonnet, a haiku, or a humorous limerick.

You never know, you may end up liking the experimental version better. It may turn out to be something you could submit as a short story to a magazine. Either way, it’s a fun way to practice different writing techniques and get the creative juices flowing.