Twitter is the latest Web 2.0 social networking service.  No, you don't have web pages or blogs or pictures of your friends or the party someone had last night or videos of upside down faces acting like upright faces.  All you have is 140 characters to make an announcement, update your "followers" on your day or point them to some other interesting place on the web.

Good writers know the importance of being concise, but since we are in love with words, that's hard. This is where Twitter can help. With only 140 characters, you have to be very concise. So, here are a few creative exercises using Twitter:

Twitter Poetry. It's like Haiku without counting syllables. I had a poetry teacher who defined poetry as compressed language. Well, I can't think of anything more compressed than Twitter.

Twitter Pitch.  We've all heard of those pitch sessions at writers conferences where you have only fifteen minutes to pitch your idea to an editor. Imagine instead that the editor has to leave early, but on his way out, he says, "Twitter me your pitch." Try to express the essence of your work in progress in just 140 characters. I know. I know. This is your epic novel. The first in a series of epic novels. However, the great stories usually have simple concepts. For instance, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy has this basic premise: "A humble hobbit must destroy a ring of power to save the world." Tolkien spends nearly 1500 pages telling that simple story. What is the core of your work in progress?

Twitter Stories. Here's a challenge. Try to tell a story in just 140 characters.  If that is too hard, why not a twitter serial. Every hour add a new tweet.  Build up the suspense throughout the day.

Twitter Character Sketches. Introduce each of your characters in 140 characters or less.  Touch on their essential characteristics, but don't simply do a police ID - "Suspect is Caucasian male 240 pounds 6'2". Try to give the reader a real sense of what this person was like.

Tweet in Character. Twitter asks you to answer the question: What are you doing right now? Why not answer that question for your main character. Periodically write a fictional tweet (whether you post it or not is up to you) in character.

I have to admit I didn't understand the concept of Twitter when I started, but used correctly, it can teach us to be economical with words.  By the way if you want to, you can follow me at http://www.twitter.com/creativeworkout .

If you enjoyed these exercises, you can find others like them in Creative Calisthenics: A Workout for the Writer's Imagination. Click here to learn more about the book. Act now, and get the ebook today for as low as $3.50.