TUNING EXERCISES
Tuning exercises are designed to clarify what is important to you today. They open space to mark the subtle or not subtle changes over time in your temperament, commitments, and sense of self as a writer.
here's a tuning exercise dialed up at random:

Let it Ask Questions
If you are in the middle of writing something, or even in the hazy beginnings when something of its form or stuff has surfaced in your mind, ask yourself what questions this project might ask of you, if you will let it. Take ten minutes or two full pages to write in a slow but steady freewrite. If you get stuck or find yourself at the end of the thought, as a further question based on whatever you have uncovered so far.
If you are not in the middle of writing something, perhaps do this exercise for something you have just read, imaginatively taking on the role of the author. What questions do you think this story or essay asked of its author? If those questions were put to you, not relinquishing the author role and returning to answer on your own behalf, what kind of project could you envision that would allow you to answer—or at least ponder—those questions? Take ten minutes or two pages in a slow but steady freewrite to answer first as the other author and then as yourself.
here's the full tuning exercise archive:

human observations
Set a timer for five minutes and write into what you’ve observed or come to understand lately about how humans act or feel. This could

arrival
Instead of writing, today do you your tuning physically. Take a walk, lie down and breathe for two minutes, or just sit in your chair

caption meditations
Set a timer for 6 minutes and cull images or scenes from your last few days. Give each one a simple descriptive identifier (i.e. letting

tuning your monster
Somewhere once, I came across the phrase “he gave birth to a monster of his imagination,” I think in reference to a philosopher. As a

walking inventory
Take a walk. It can be around the room, your apartment, your house, your neighborhood. Find at least ten details you’ve never noticed before. Make

self-interview with borrowed voice
Do a self-interview—an exercise wherein you fully perform the role of both questioner and answerer. Start by asking yourself what’s been surfacing in your writing.

letter of questions
Read over what you’ve written so far, and then write yourself a letter full of questions. Ask about the things that haven’t been included. Ask

week reflection
Reflect on your week of writing. What has surfaced that surprised you? What approaches to the practice (time of day, duration of session, writing implements,

sounding line
Imagine your writing can work like a sounding line, going from a surface to a depth and back up again. You can think of that

the social yesterday
Set a timer for 5 minutes and try to record all the thoughts you had yesterday about your own experience while navigating any social, communal

contents of your mind
Set a timer and write for 4 minutes trying to articulate the contents of your mind as you are today—the recurrent questions, habits of understanding,

soft edge of present mind
Write one or two full pages that try to braid together your own running mental monologue with an account of what’s happening at this moment

rest and energy interleave
Do a timed writing (suggested 7 minutes) reflecting on things that give you energy and things that bring you to rest. Interleave the two directions,

Retrospection–Prospection
This is a timed writing for arrival into your day’s writing mind. Set a timer (duration up to you: 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes).