If there is one thing that differentiates one piece of writing from another, it’s creativity! However, being creative with your writing and ‘creative writing’ are two separate things. Creative writing goes beyond regular forms of writing. It is different from writings such as journalistic, academic, technical, professional and others. Creative writing is more about the original composition—focused on elements of literature.
Creativity is neither a skill nor an attribute. You can be born with it, or you can also hone it over time. Previously, creativity was treated as an inborn talent and not every being in this world was considered to be born with it. Several poets and writers were applauded for their creative pieces of work.
However, today the wheels of time have turned. Nowadays, you can not only learn and inculcate creative writing. You can also pursue a whole degree in the subject. In this blog, we will comprehensively discuss creative writing and how you can get started with it.
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” – William Wordsworth
So, what exactly is creative writing?
Creative writing is a contemporary and process-oriented form of writing—traditionally referred to as ‘literature’ and its various genres. Here, creativity is at the forefront of the piece of writing and includes imagination and innovation to tell a story.
In academics, creative writing is distinguished into fiction and poetry classes, with a focus on writing in an original style, as opposed to imitating pre-existing genres such as crime or horror. Screenwriting and stage writing are also included under this form of writing, although taught they are taught separately.
What are the main elements of creative writing?
A well-structured and well-versed form of creative writing is composed of several elements. These elements determine the quality of the work and help readers understand the flow of a story.
There are several elements of creative writing. The important elements are as follows:
- Plot
- Point of view
- Scene
- Setting
- Style
- Suspense
- Theme and motif
- Tone
- Action
- Character
- Conflict
- Dialogue
- Genre
- Narration
- Pace
- Voice
What is the purpose of creative writing?
The main purpose of creative writing is to express thoughts and feelings. It includes more than just writing down your thoughts. It is more about how you can make a story compelling and memorable, putting your readers into a thought-provoking stage.
Its purpose is to entertain readers and share experiences like grief, loss, love, achievement, and many more. Often, writers attempt to get at a truth about humanity through poetics and storytelling.
How to start creative writing?
Persistence. Patience. Practice.
These are the three P’s you need to master before you begin the pursuit of creative writing. Creative writing is not a cakewalk, but it is not difficult to master either.
Here are 7 ways to start to get started with it:
- Re-read your favorite authors. Grab your favorite book and thoroughly read it. Mark your favorite sentences, check their way of narration and usage of words. This will help you get an idea of the use of metaphors, various narrative styles, synonyms and antonyms, and much more.
- Start with journaling. Journaling is the most underrated form of creative writing. Pick up your journal and start penning down your thoughts. After you’re done, you can re-read it and edit it by using different words, metaphors, quotations, and others. Even if you are new to journaling, you can start with writing how your day was or you can also express your thoughts on a particular incident, topic, or book.
- Get your basics cleared. Remember, every form of writing—be it creative or technical or academic—is based on having a strong foundation. Make sure you are grammatically proficient (on beginner/intermediate/advanced levels).
- Start with re-narrating a snippet of your favorite story/poem. You can pick any snippet from any book or poem or article and rephrase or rewrite it in your own words.
- Do not turn your back on random ideas that pop into your head. Even random and mundane ideas can trigger massive inspiration to a compelling form of writing. Note them down and see what story you can form with them later on.
- Writing Prompts. You can use and refer to various prompts available on the internet. Pick a prompt and start writing on it. After you have finished writing, refer to how other writers have covered it. This will help you gain different perspectives on writing and will come useful in the future.
- Take a master class or a writing workshop. Writing classes expose you to a community of writers. You can seek their help in the process. You can ask them for feedback and constructive criticism on a variety of elements in your writing, like the story, main characters, setting, and word choice. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, seeking suggestions always help!
If you are new to creative writing, you can use these basic ideas to get started with it. However, you want to learn more about its aspects and plan to pursue a career with it, you have the option to pursue a degree in creative writing!
Can I pursue a degree in creative writing?
Yes, you can. Today, creative writing is one of the most popular degrees. Several renowned colleges and universities around the world are offering comprehensive and the latest degrees with a promising career in the future. You can apply and get a degree in this subject.
To help ease your search, we have curated a list of the top 10 colleges and universities that are offering degrees in creative writing:
1. Northwestern University:
Northwestern University’s course is one of the renowned courses on creative writing. Several acclaimed authors like Veronica Roth have undertaken its course and have drafted their best-selling novels while they were students.
What you can apply for: Majors as well as Minors in Creative Writing
2. Columbia University
Columbia University’s creative writing course allows you to join a distinguished group of writers throughout the course. You need only get exposure but also get to interact with writers from all corners of the world. It involves intensive writing workshops with seminars that study literature from a writer’s perspective. The university endorses participation of proclaimed writers like J.D.Salinger.
What you can apply for: Undergraduate in Creative Writing
3. University of Iowa
The University of Iowa’s big attraction is the infrastructure of its graduate Writers’ Workshop—often considered the best MFA program in the country. Here, you can take classes from young writers and established professors, along with access to the university’s massive literary community, frequent readings, awards, scholarships and others.
What you can apply for: Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing
4. Emory University
Emory University is popular for its dedicated undergrad program, which attracts some of the best visiting scholars and writers worldwide. Students here have the chance to attend intimate question-and-answer sessions with award-winning authors, study a range of genres, compete for writing awards and scholarships, and work closely with an adviser to complete an honors project.
What you can apply for: Undergraduate Creative Writing
5. Oberlin College
The Oberlin College offers several unique advantages over the other schools. Here, you can receive quality learning and experience quality teaching from the teachers. The college endorses impressive alumni, including the popular actress and writer Lena Dunham.
What can you apply for: Creative Writing Major and Creative Writing Minor
6. Hamilton College
Hamilton College is known for giving students the freedom to pursue their interests and the support to help them explore topics in real depth, both inside and outside the classroom. Its creative writing program takes full advantage of small classes and lots of opportunities to intern and publish.
What you can apply for: Major in Literature and Creative Writing
7. Brown University
Brown University’s Literary Arts program offers one of the top MFAs in the US as well as an undergraduate major. Under the major, you can take four creative writing workshops and six reading-intensive courses.
What you can apply for: Undergraduate Program in Creative Writing
8. Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University has an excellent creative writing MFA program with numerous super-specific class options, and scholarships specifically earmarked for creative writing students. Its undergraduate English program also offers a concentration in creative writing that allows students to specialize in a specific genre: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction.
What you can apply for: Major in English and Minor in Writing
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Despite being a tech-oriented school, MIT has an excellent program that offers courses in digital media and science writing, as well as creative writing. It provides plenty of guidance on how graduates can navigate the tricky job market.
What you can apply for: Writing Majors, Minor, Concentration
10. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is one of the best universities to pursue a degree in creative writing. Its applications give students crucial practice in both building a writing portfolio and articulating their interest in creative writing to an audience who will evaluate their work.
What you can apply for: Creative Writing Sub-Concentration and Minor
What career opportunities can you earn with creative writing?
Besides being a professional writer, a degree in creative writing also enables you to explore several fields. If you fancy yourself as a wordsmith, you can pursue a full-time career with a degree in creative writing. However, you can also explore various career prospects such as:
- Copywriter
- Journalist
- Web Content Editor/Writer
- Proofreader
- Editor
- Ghost Writer
- Content marketing specialist
- Email marketer
- Public Relations
Now that you have mastered the fundamentals of creative writing, we have some tips for you that can help you thrive in this field.
Hone your skills with these Creative Writing Tips
Following are a few points that you can keep in mind to hone your writing skills:
- Follow the 3 P’s. Remember that creativity can only be mastered through practice, patience and persistence.
- Read books and annotate them. Annotating will help you foster your thoughts and analyze them. You can also use them in your writing.
- Embrace re-writing. Collect some of your previous works and edit them. You can tally the copies and check your improvements. Find synonyms, alternative words, or metaphors to narrate your story better. This can work as a writing exercise as well.
- Read works of various authors and explore various genres. This will allow you to gain exposure to different types of narration, story-formats, plotting, tones, voices and many more.
- Experimenting with literary devices gives you a whole new perspective on writing. Metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech create impactful images that can boost creativity and paint powerful pictures. Alliterations, consonance, and assonance can enhance the sound and rhythm of your words.
- Write as much as you can. The way people say “dance like no one is watching” can also be applied to writing. Write as if nobody is watching.
- Be consistent with your personal brand. People are drawn towards uniqueness and exclusivity. Create your unique voice and work on it.
There is a writer inside all of us. All we need to do is use the correct tactics to let it out into the world. We hope the above tips and fundamentals help you embrace your inner writer!
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