Happy Tuesday everyone! For today’s blog post I want to touch on something that I have gained a lot of experience from with Communications Media, and that is creative writing!
With creative writing, there is no right or wrong way to go about it. Simply think of a topic and go from there. You need to be conscious of who your audience though, as with any type of production in this field. Obviously you would write differently to first graders than you would to your boss. This is a such a cool skill to attain because everything you say is coming from you, allowing you to express yourself in a way that no other person can!
Typically you have a rubric of guidelines to follow with your writing, however sometimes you are in control of the story and the possibilities of what you write are endless. Remember than planning is a key part of any task. With no planning, you may find yourself stuck and leave you with writer’s block. It is key to know your message before you start writing. For example you wouldn’t start with “Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a girl who ______” because you did not plan ahead the plot of your story.
The biggest issue with creative writing in my opinion is writer’s block. What’s going to happen next? Where should I take this story? What are the messages I want to convey? How will I end the story? Are there any common tropes with my story? These are some of the questions you may ask yourself when writing. Nobody wants to read something that has been read a thousand times. What would make your story unique and fun to read? Could it potentially involve the reader escaping to a fictional world? Could it involve the reader defeating a villain and saving the day? The only way for you to figure this out is to plan.
When I plan, I like to make web diagrams because they help me build multiple story lines. You should start with your title in the center and build off of there. Who are your characters? What is the setting? What is the problem? How will you solve it? etc. You don’t want to leave any details out because you will leave your reader guessing. Sometimes leaving small answers out is okay, and can be used as a way to leave them hooked and wanting more, but you have to know where is too much guessing.
Your story should be fun and unique to you! You can write about whatever your heart desires, but don’t copy someone else’s work and twist minuscule details to make it “yours”. You may find yourself asking, “would I want to read this if I weren’t the author”? That is a key question in your writing. You want to keep it interesting, but not too extreme to the point of confusion. Making diagrams to answer your own questions and potentially the readers’ questions is very helpful with creative writing. You’re the only one who knows the answers to your writing, so prepare yourself by creating character backgrounds that could help your story make sense. Understand the one goal of your writing and figure out the best way to incorporate it into your work. What message do you want the reader to get from this writing and how are you going to get it to them along with keeping them intrigued in your work?
Creative writing is a fun outlet and allows you to escape from daily life and travel wherever your mind may take you. I never used to like writing, but I love creative writing now because essentially it is a break from the real world, which we all need every once in a while. I leave you with this question because I think it is a fun one to answer about what else you may be looking for in real life, but cannot achieve so you make it fictional: If you were to be a character within a story you’re writing, who would you make yourself be and why?
That’s the cup o’ Joe for today, write on, friends, and use all of your creativity!
-Joe