Creative writing is an art of expressing ideas and imagination in words. Examples include: stories, biographies, poems, etc.
How can you write creatively? Some say creative writing comes naturally, but just like any other skill, creative writing can be learnt and mastered if you are determined to get it right.
The first thing to watch for as you venture into creative writing is to understand the difference between good and bad writing:
‘Bad writing’ does not just mean that your writing is full of grammatical, punctuation, or formatting errors. It includes using tones that are inconsistent with your form of writing.
For example, if you are writing a story, your tone, choice of words and the way you style your sentences should be lively and intriguing.
A flat tone like those used for research papers would make your readers bored in minutes.
So, the trick is to make your writing interesting and captivating. This is very important in getting and holding the attention of your readers.
The second thing about creative writing is to be unique.
While it is true that every idea you have has already been had by someone else, the uniqueness lies in the voice you give to it. You and I might talk about the same thing, in two different ways that the reader can associate with.
There’s a way you can present your story that no one else can. Find your voice, own your style and stand out.
The third important thing is to brainstorm.
To brainstorm literally is to raise a storm in the brain and that way you know how the storm began to brew.
Turn your brain inside out for ideas. These ideas are there, sleeping somewhere.
Take a pen and paper and put them down.
The fourth is to practice, practice, practice.
The person that gets better at his craft, is the one who practices more.
Daily practice polishes your skills and teaches you new techniques of writing.
To learn how to become a more creative writer, you must learn to practice.
Number five, is to let your mind wander.
You can achieve this by keep a physical or an online journal, and write consistently. You could write about your day, the thoughts in your mind, or anything at all. This lets the mind wander, remain active, and cook up new, great ideas.
For some, creativity happens at night, for others, early in the day. So, instead of staring at the walls late at night, or gazing at the ceiling early in the day, get up, write and write again.
Sixth and finally, be open to criticism; don’t be afraid to hear critical comments about your work.
Every creative writer is bound to be critiqued so be prepared for the backlash.
Criticism can put a damper on your feelings, but at the same time, it helps you grow.
If no one criticizes your writings, then they don’t care about it. Criticism helps to fine-tune your skills as a writer, while you grow and improve your writing skills.
Welcome to the creative writing world, simply try your best!