Creative Writing Ideas for Teenagers and Children

How do writers write?

How do you write?

Where do creative writing ideas come from? 

Creative kids are everywhere. I’m always astonished at the sophistication of some young people’s writing. You can find a lot of good writing by young writers on the social media sites like Instagram and Facebook.

Do you like to write?

Even if you think you don’t like writing, or that you don’t write, think about this: do you write emails? Text messages? School work? Do you post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest? Do you write a blog? Without even realising it, you are writing all the time.

We all write even if we think we don’t.

So how do writers write? and where do their ideas come from?

I’m going to show you rather than tell you. ‘Showing’ rather than ‘telling’ is also a technique in writing that you may have heard about. But more on that in another blog …

The example that follows shows just how important it is to READ and to use WORDS, in our writing and in our speaking. Although I’ve used this example in a previous blog, it’s worth repeating.

• In 1974, there were 475,000 words in common use in the English language
• In 1995, that had gone down to 215,000 commonly used words
• In 2006, it was believed to have reduced further to 90,000 words

What does this mean? The people who write dictionaries use the words that are in common use, i.e. the words that most people know and understand. That means that the less common words – words that actually make our language richer – are being left out. That means they might eventually be forgotten. How can we make a difference and help to reverse this trend? By reading a lot and using a richer vocabulary. By using the dictionary to look up words we don’t know. Everyone needs to use a dictionary throughout their life. I am a professional writer and editor, yet I use a dictionary every day, to check on spellings and the correct use of words.

And this might sound strange, but the OLDER the dictionary – especially a very good one like the Oxford dictionary – the better. Why do you think that might be? One reason is that the older the dictionary, the more of these ‘lost’ words you can find.

How
How do you write?

When
When do you write? What time of the day, and how often?

Where
Where do you write?

What
What do you write about? Do you write creative pieces, or emails and texts, and on Facebook?

If you enjoy writing, and want to practise creative writing, here are some ideas that might help you:

• It helps to have a QUIET place to write
• Keeping a JOURNAL or a DIARY is a really good way to write regularly. No one else needs to read this. It can be your private thoughts and feelings, a vivid dream you’ve had, a description of a beautiful sunset …
• You can enter writing COMPETITIONS. These are advertised on the internet and in writing magazines
• You can join a writing group. Many writing associations have specific groups for young writers.

But most of all, YOU WRITE BY WRITING!

Creativity

Writing is a CREATIVE PROCESS. I don’t believe there should be rules. For every writer there’s a different ‘how’ and ‘when’ and ‘where’. When you read about the writing habits of famous authors, every one of them has different suggestions to make.

As to why we write, most writers would agree that it’s something we need to do, almost as much as we need to eat and breathe, but on a soul level rather than on a physical level. I love this quote from Pearl S. Buck, which expresses so well the powerful drive behind a writer’s need to write.

The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them ... a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create – so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off ... They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating. (Pearl S. Buck)

To diverge briefly, Pearl S. Buck was an American writer and novelist (1892–1973). The daughter of missionaries, she spent most of her life before 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938 for her depictions of peasant life in China. She was an amazing woman and it is well worth Googling her name to find out more about her!

Writer’s block

Have you heard of ‘writer’s block’? Do you know what it means? When you're a writer and you want to write something but the ideas don't flow, it's called writer's block.  You can read these suggestions.

Here is another exercise to UNBLOCK. It might help not only to unblock your creativity, but also lead you to write a great story.

Creative ideas to overcome writer's block

Write ten short, easy sentences – write them one by one, using a KEY WORD or a KEY IDEA for each sentence. It’s best to use SIMPLE words, and to write just ONE SHORT SENTENCE for each key word.

Just write. Don’t think too much. Here are some examples. You can use these or make up your own.

1.   Key word - weather

2.   Key word - an inanimate object. Example: a rock

3.   Key word - an article of clothing. Example: a pair of shoes

4.   Key word - what is the weather doing now? Example: raining

5.   Key word - a sound. Example: a continuous background sound, like a bell ringing

6.   Key word - a mood or feeling.  Connect the mood or feeling to the inanimate object. Even if it’s the rock, just go with it! Keep your creative mind open

7.   Key word - an outstanding character trait. Example: blackened and missing teeth. This is the first glimpse of one of your characters

8.   Key word - a sound. The same as before; make it happen again. In the example above, the bell ringing

9.   Key word - another article of clothing. Example: a woollen jacket. Link it to a physical action; a character may put it on or take it off

10. Key word - first piece of dialogue. Make it unexpected. Simple. A question or a statement.

A premise or story idea

Now, start with a PREMISE – an IDEA for your story. Choose one of the following premises – just one – or make up your own:

1.   On a dark night you’re returning home from violin practice when you’re stopped by …

2.   Your best friend calls to tell you she’s watching a scary movie …

3.   A black cat crosses your path and …

4.   Mary Poppins turns up at your door and says …

5.   You go for a walk in the mountains and can’t find the path back …

6.   You win $10,000,000 in the Lotto

7.   Write about a picture you like.

Putting it all together

Now start writing, using your PREMISE and the KEY WORDS and KEY IDEAS you came up with earlier.

Write no more than two pages.

If you find your idea expanding, write some more tomorrow, and the next day, and the next …

Before you know it, you might even find yourself writing a novel!

Have fun with your creative writing.

Send me an email to tell me what you’re writing about, and how you’re going with your writing.

Book Editors: four things writers need to know about book editors

The relationship between a writer and their editor is crucial to the success of every book. Ideally, writers and editors should work collaboratively, sharing the same ideas and goals. But of course, partnerships are only successful if both partners understand each other’s roles.

The professional book editor’s role is to understand what it takes to be a writer, and how writers work – the editor’s reputation depends on it after all! Writers who have never worked with an editor before often don’t understand exactly what editors do, and what they can expect.

Here are four of the most common misconceptions that writers have about working with an editor.

1. ‘Good writers don’t need book editors’

Even Mark Twain, who had an ambiguous relationship with proofreaders and book editors, realised that his work was not perfect and that he needed the input of a professional book editor. The best, most well-known authors always have their work professionally edited. Their publishers insist.

Here’s what Stephen King had to say in his book, On Writing (2000): “… I go back to Elmore Leonard, who explained it so perfectly by saying he just left out the boring parts. This suggests cutting to speed the pace, and that’s what most of us end up having to do (‘kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings’)… I got a scribbled comment that changed the way I rewrote my fiction once and forever. Jotted below the machine-generated signature of the editor was this mot: ‘Not bad, but PUFFY. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck.’” (By the way, a ‘mot’ is a pithy or witty remark.)

Books take a long time to write, and the longer authors work on them, the more deeply invested they naturally become in their manuscripts. This is especially true of first novels. It is easy to think that by the time the manuscript is finished, it’s perfect and ready for publication. This is never the case; manuscripts can always be improved. It can be a serious mistake to submit a draft manuscript to a publisher without having had it professionally edited. If the publisher rejects the manuscript, it’s going to be difficult, if not impossible, to submit it to the same publisher again saying, ‘Ah, sorry, but I didn’t have it edited the first time and …’

A trap for new writers is that they become so close to their stories that they no longer have the distance required to see the work as a whole. Creating a complex narrative and then spending countless hours revising means that a writer will be intimately familiar with all elements of their work (concepts, arguments, plots, themes, and characters) but might not realise that their ideas are not translating seamlessly into words. Book editors have the perspective necessary to help writers ensure that the words they write are what they mean and what they want to convey to the reader. It is the book editor’s role to tie the story ideas together with the words so that the whole book ‘works’.

2. ‘My friends and family have read my manuscript, and they all say it’s great!’

Asking your partner/parent/neighbour/English teacher to read your manuscript can be beneficial. Their feedback may provide you with a fresh perspective on your story, or help develop your confidence in your story, even if your writing still needs work. They may offer useful suggestions. But there is a reason why these people offer their services free, and professional editors charge for their services. Qualifications and expertise aside, the focus of anyone you have a close relationship with is going to be on you, while the focus of a professional editor is going to be on the manuscript. Friends and family are great for support, but they won’t be able to critically deconstruct your book in the way that a professional book editor can. This is what authors really need in order to improve their work.

3. ‘All editors are the same’

There are as many different types of editors as there are different types of people. It is also true that the term ‘editor’ can be used loosely; pretty much anyone can call themselves an editor, regardless of whether or not they have any qualifications or even experience.

The formal accreditation available to professional editors since 2008 through IPEd – Accredited Editor (AE), has greatly improved the editing profession. It is beneficial to authors – who now have a benchmark to guide them, and for the editors involved – whose professional credibility is justifiably enhanced.

Editors all have different styles, practices, work ethics, strengths, and weaknesses. To ensure a quality experience with an editor, it is important to find one who is best suited to working with you and your manuscript. Here are some of the basic questions you can ask an editor before deciding to work with them:

• What qualifications do you have? Are you an Accredited Editor?

• Do you have an English degree?

• How many years’ experience do you have as a professional book editor?

• How long will the edit take?

• Can you give me a quotation? (Beware of an editor who is not prepared to give you a quotation.)

• Do you offer a sample edit? If so, is there a charge for this?

Look at the editor’s website and read what writers who have workedwith them have to say about them. Ask how they will work with you and what you can expect from them.

Just as there are different kinds of editors, there are different kinds of editing. Copy editing corrects basic errors such as typographical errors, spelling and punctuation. It aims to improve the style, flow and clarity of the book without making big changes.

With structural editing, the editor works closely with the author to make significant changes and improve the overall manuscript. Changes may include moving passages of text around for better flow, introducing dialogue where narrative is too dense, and generally improving the flow, readability and appeal of the manuscript.

Proofreading is the final step after the edit is complete. The editor proofreads the manuscript line by line and checks spelling, grammar and punctuation to pick up any remaining errors.

The editor is best qualified to decide what type of edit your book needs; this is why a sample edit is a good idea before proceeding. Any editor worth their salt will give you their professional opinion about the type of edit best suited to your writing.

Consider asking for a manuscript appraisal if you don’t have a clear idea of what your story needs.

Building a relationship with a book editor will result in a coherent manuscript with one voice – yours. If the editor you are working with offers several different kinds of editing services, it can be a good idea to work with them for all of your editing needs.

4. ‘My manuscript is covered in red – my story must be terrible!’

Having your book edited for the first time can be daunting, and when your draft is given back covered in corrections it is easy to become discouraged. But it is very important to remember that your editor is not your high school English teacher. Red lines don’t mean you have done something wrong, and comments in the margins don’t mean that the book is bad. One of the most common concerns amongst writers is that their editors will change everything about their stories that make them unique and ‘theirs’. This truly is the opposite of what a good book editor would do. The role of the editor is to correct errors and help develop the story, not change the author’s voice or do anything that the author does not feel comfortable about. The editor and the writer have a collaborative relationship. It is not an editor’s role to change the basic ideas of a story, or to rewrite it ‘the way they would have written it’. Look for an editor who is a professional in all ways.

Not every change that your editor makes is about ‘fixing a problem’; most changes are simple corrections that improve clarity of expression. The reason there are so many is because the editor is making sure that your style is consistent throughout the book. Aside from this, many of the editing notes or comments are simply queries. An author needs to consider that their editor is their readership; if the editor cannot follow, your readers will not be able to follow either. Editors who are good at their jobs don’t make changes without a valid reason. This means that if they are unsure about something, they will query you first rather than make an unnecessary change. Remember what was said at the beginning of this post about the ideas in writer’s heads not always matching the words on the page? An editor’s queries will help to draw your attention towards the sections of your manuscript where what you are trying to say isn’t clear enough for the reader to fully understand.

We hope that by clarifying these common misconceptions about the role of book editors you can better understand your editor and build a great professional relationship.

If you looking for an editor right now, why not explore the rest of our site and ask us for a sample edit.

This post is a collaboration between editors4you.com and Rhiannon Raphael, a student from Bond University currently undertaking an internship with editors4you.com