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
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.
HowHow 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.
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