Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Creative Writing

I found a website that seems pretty handy!

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/creative-writing-101/

This is what I gleaned from it today:

What is Creative Writing? - Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information.

I know we talk about fiction writing a lot here on Scribble Chicks because, well, besides B.J., we all write fiction. (though B.J. writes fantastic non fiction and I can't WAIT for her book to release in April!!)

But this definition is really encouraging for those who maybe find more joy or productivity right now in writing short stories or essays or devotionals or poetry or articles or non fiction or fan fiction or whatever else floats your writing boat. Sort of like permission, huh? :)

Goes back to the whole "Just Write" thing we preach here a lot! There's really something to it.
This also felt worth sharing from the website I linked above. Hopefully it will help you :)

Tips and tricks for beginners


•Do some short exercises to stretch your writing muscles – if you’re short of ideas, read the Daily Writing Tips article on “Writing Bursts”. Many new creative writers find that doing the washing up or weeding the garden suddenly looks appealing, compared to the effort of sitting down and putting words onto the page. Force yourself to get through these early doubts, and it really will get easier. Try to get into the habit of writing every day, even if it’s just for ten minutes.

•If you’re stuck for ideas, carry a notebook everywhere and write down your observations. You’ll get some great lines of dialogue by keeping your ears open on the bus or in cafes, and an unusual phrase may be prompted by something you see or smell.

•Work out the time of day when you’re at your most creative. For many writers, this is first thing in the morning – before all the demands of the day jostle for attention. Others write well late at night, after the rest of the family have gone to bed. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

•Don’t agonize over getting it right. All writers have to revise and edit their work – it’s rare that a story, scene or even a sentence comes out perfectly the first time. Once you’ve completed the initial draft, leave the piece for a few days – then come back to it fresh, with a red pen in hand. If you know there are problems with your story but can’t pinpoint them, ask a fellow writer to read through it and give feedback.

•HAVE FUN! Sometimes, we writers can end up feeling that our writing is a chore, something that “must” be done, or something to procrastinate over for as long as possible. If your plot seems wildly far-fetched, your characters bore you to tears and you’re convinced that a five-year old with a crayon could write better prose … take a break. Start a completely new project, something which is purely for fun. Write a poem or a 60-word “mini saga”. Just completing a small finished piece can help if you’re bogged down in a longer story.

13 comments:

  1. Ah....I've missed Scribble Chicks! Welcome back and Happy New Year!
    Those are great tips - I'll have to check out the website later today.

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  2. I really liked them as well:-) Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Good post, Betsy! I've missed Scribble Chicks. :)

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  4. Thanks Cjoy :) Good to be back ;) I love me some routine!! hehe. Though I am sad the choc covered pretzels are almost gone. Sigh. I will console myself with a cupcake. Oh wait.....

    You're welcome Gina! Thanks for reading guys. Hope this helps :) And thanks Alicia!!

    Anyone have any questions for future post topics?

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  5. Can you talk about the rewrite/edit/proof/etc process?

    Also I have struggled with chapter division because I, um, tend write straight through - I've gone back and rammed "new chapter?" in places...any tips? Or should that be intuitive and I lost out?

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  6. Sure! We can handle that :)

    LOL! You didn't lose out on some natural award winning talent don't worry ;) Maybe a part of it is, but it can also be learned to be intuitive. If that makes sense. I started out having a bit of a knack for that but now it's only gotten easier. Basically, the thing to remember is to end on a hook. Something to make the reader turn the page. Ending with subtext is even better. If you have any of my books (shameless plug here) flip through and see. Or any author you admire! See how they do it and practice. You want your chapters to be relatively similiar in length if possible, but there's no rule there. I try to keep my chaps for Love Inspired around 2800-3400 words each. Still a wide range! So whereever the scene sort of naturally ends with a hook and emotion, I end it if it's in that word count frame. OR - if I've gotten to a great ending point but I'm short in my word count window, I go back and enhance the scene and add to it.

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  7. Excellent! That's easy enough to work with and I already have lots of good places to end chapters; I just need to make sure they are full enough prior to that point!
    I just read one of yours yesterday. ;) Every book I read now has become a "How did this author go about doing (fill in the blank)?" experience. LOL.

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  8. I really wish short stories were still popular. They can be such a beautiful art form. Lol. With a novel, you have hundreds of pages to get a point across, but with a short story, you have to be a little more conservative. Novels wear you down, while short stories tend to pack one good punch. :)

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    1. Have you ever considered compiling your short stories into one full-length novel? (Instead of chapters, you have a complete new story.) Louisa May Alcott and other classical authors did that. I love short stories myself and am seriously considering that option.

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  9. Oh yay! Which one? :)

    Yeah sometimes it's hard to turn off the editor/detective when reading now but its always worth it! hehe

    Ashley, I hear you girl. You can still go for it though!

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  10. Thanks for directing me to this site! I'm really interested in the article on "40 Yiddish Words You Should Know" ;)

    I am getting into the blog http://thewritepractice.com/. It's full of helpful prompts and tips, and today there was a post on just having fun with your writing. Loving it!

    -Abigail
    www.differenthomeschoolgirl.blogspot.com

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  11. Yesterday - A Valentine's Wish. Just started The Gingerbread Season. And sometime back I read Fireman Dad. Now I need to catch up on the ones I missed so I can go forward. LOL! ;D
    And I saw one on Amazaon that looked interesting, too...Midnight Angel.

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  12. Oh no. Midnight Angel. LOL That was my first ever novel with a small press, back in 2006/2007. A lot of my "fans" love it but I'm sort of embarassed by it. The whole "First book" thing that shows how far you've grown in the craft since then! lol! If you read it...be gentle. hehehehe

    Of all my Love Inspireds, I think my favorite is Rodeo Sweetheart.

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