What's Creative Writing? Tips for New Writers

Creative writing starts with passion. Therefore, if you want to be a creative writer, the first thing to do is identify your passion. Then write out of your passion. But how? - is what you have to say best suited to poetry, short story, non-fiction article or novel? Your next step is to ask yourself what you love to read. Whatever it is - that's what you could start to write.

Let's say you want to start writing a novel. Think of a phrase that's the perfect title for a book. That could be your starting point. And so now you are on a new threshold.

We can learn a lot from our ancestors. For instance, if you visit the Museum of London's prehistoric galleries, you'll find that Bronze Age people would build their roundhouses with the entrance facing the midwinter solstice. They would then consult their ancestors before making an offering to the new threshold. Now, perhaps modern builders have a comparable ritual - I don't know. But if they don't - perhaps they should. And so should those embarking on a long-term building project like a novel. I love the idea of "making an offering to a new threshold." And what I have to say here is like an offering to the new threshold.

First, where do your ideas come from? From life itself, all around you, wherever you are. Ideas fly past, and you catch them. Listen to conversations in every situation. Observe people. Eavesdrop whilst sitting on the top deck of a bus. Have notebooks with you at all times - and keep notes. And if you have a notebook system, you have to build in time to review your notebooks and retrieve your ideas.

Then you have to apply the first secret of writing:

1. Avoid Not Writing - take your craft seriously; believe that what you're doing is of sufficient value that you are going to carve out time for it. Book time for it if necessary - put it in your diary. Get in there and do it. Don't be afraid of the blank screen or blank page.

2. Pay attention to structure - break down the book in your head into an Outline. You could do it on a piece of software like Scrivener, or you could do it through a wall of Post It Notes, or you could plot it on a storyboard; or you could write your novel as a short story first. But realise that you are unique and may have your own special way of working that is right for you. With a novel, sometimes writers find they can't plot too far ahead (though be aware you may have to go back and impose structure later). If that is the case for you -

3. Go on the journey and see what happens. If a character develops a life of his or her own it's a good sign. Some say the characters create the plot. Keep asking why, what, where, how, when.

4. Set yourself a goal of a thousand words per working day, if you respond well to deadlines and schedules. If not write anyway.

5. Don't talk your novel out of existence. Write that first draft. I believe it's not a good idea to discuss the details of your novel with anyone until you've written it. Then you can seek feedback, and redraft, and revise and revise and revise.

Finally, when your book is finished to the very best of your ability and beyond, send it off to literary agents. And be prepared for rejection. Remember - you write because you are compelled to, because you cannot "not write". Take note of these wise words from popular author Adrian Plass: "If things fall apart, pick up the pieces and carry on. Don't despair. There are strange things going on behind the scenes."

S.C. Skillman is the author of exciting new psychological thriller novel "Mystical Circles". The word "mystical" in the title is used ironically to mean "mysterious behaviour, events that keep you guessing, and people playing at cross purposes". Reviewers have enjoyed Skillman's "exploration of a community of complex characters who inhabit an eerie and atmospheric retreat" and have found it "a very entertaining read with plenty of action and sparky dialogue." If you are interested in people and their foibles you will enjoy this book. You can buy the novel on Amazon and through the Kindle Bookstore or visit the author's website to find out more. Click the secure payment gateway to buy a signed copy at http://www.scskillman.co.uk/.

Write What's Right for You

Writing can sound very easy on the surface. Fiction or non fiction, there are countless subjects in the world that everyone can give their two cents on. Once you sit down and start pounding away at those keys though, you will start to realize the words don't always cascade across the screen at an amazing speed.

Luckily, this can be rectified by writing about things you are familiar with. If you're experienced at building things for example, you will probably find it easier to write about building a project, and the tools involved, than building an entire book about the history of the paper industry. Not that you couldn't write about that if you wanted to. With enough research, you could certainly produce such a book with almost no prior knowledge.

Writing outside what you know can be very difficult though. As most people who have written a book can attest to, even completing writing about things you know can be arduous at times. If you're barely sticking your head into the world of writing, you are in for a wild ride. It's amazing how difficult writing a bunch of words about something can be. As the page count grows, the job itself becomes heavier. Sometimes you run out of steam, and don't know where else to go with it. Or you could meet up with the notorious writer's block. There are many road blocks that could show up between typing that first word, and the long trip to reach the ending phrase.

I've always loved fantasy books, and so I chose to write them too. I had boundless ideas as I started writing, but some days it was hard to even type out a single sentence. When I think of choosing to write something I wasn't familiar with instead, I shiver at how hard it would have been.

If you want to write about something you aren't very familiar with, the best piece of advice I could give you is to get familiar with it. Even if it delays you beginning, take some time and learn about it. See what other people who write about it have to say. Trying to write about something you know little about, and just learning as you go along, can have damaging effects on your writing. It can become fragmented, and the cohesiveness of the writing as a whole can suffer.

Writing is a great tool that allows us to share thoughts and ideas with the world. However, if you believe it to be an easy thing to do, you've got another thing coming. Just like many people drop out of college before completing their degrees, many people drop out of writing before reaching the end. Lessen the chances of that by starting with what you know. It will make this difficult task a little easier to manage, and build your confidence until you can write with the best of them.

I'm Benjamin C. Andrews, an author sharing my writing knowledge with others. Visit http://magicjarpublishing.blogspot.com/ for more writing tips and tricks, and other quality information.