When it comes to your future, what kind of job do you want?
Depending on your major, you may end up with more options than you can handle. After you graduate from college, you may find yourself with a much more concrete idea of what you want to pursue. But before you even begin your search for that wonderful career, you may wonder: What is creative writing?
What is creative writing?
If you’re wondering what creative writing is, you may be surprised to learn that it’s not as simple a question as you may think. While many careers can be categorized as creative writing, the job description can vary from professional to personal, so you may not always end up in the same place. So let’s explore what makes up creative writing, including some of the most in-demand jobs in the industry.
Traditional vs. Digital
Whether you’ve heard of it or not, creative writing has been around for a long time and was originally considered a part of literature. But as the world changed and became more digital, so did creative writing. Today, it can be found everywhere from traditional magazines like The New Yorker to blogs and online forums. This article will discuss both traditional and digital creative writing, so you can decide for yourself which type is better suited to your personal needs.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines creative writing as “writing that combines imagination with an attempt to be unique, innovative, or challenging.” So as you can see, the definition can vary from person to person, but the general idea is the same. When you write creatively, you are combining imagination with something new and different – in other words, you are stretching yourself beyond what you normally write. You are essentially doing research and experimentation to see what works best for you.
Some people prefer to write digitally, using a word processor or notebook computer. Others prefer to write on paper and then transfer their work to a computer for editing. There are pros and cons to both options, so it’s up to you where you want to do your creative writing. As long as you are happy with what you write, it doesn’t really matter how you produced it. As long as you can write a coherent sentence, you’re good to go.
The Types Of Creative Writing
Depending on your background, you may be familiar with certain types of creative writing or simply considered them to be part of literature. But, as we mentioned above, creative writing is a broad field, so it may come as a surprise to learn that there are many different kinds of creative writing out there.
Here are a few of the most common types of writing you may encounter:
Fiction
Whether you’ve heard of it or not, fiction is a common type of creative writing and has been around for quite some time. It can range from short stories to novellas and even entire novels. When you write fiction, your main goal is to entertain the reader. So instead of being intellectually stimulating, your writing should strive to be interesting, engaging, and easy to understand. Fiction is one of the more traditional types of creative writing, and it can be a really fun and creative process.
This is what makes fiction so special. It can be such a personal and subjective medium, and you can really push the boundaries of style, narrative, and character development. Plus, it can be both terrifying and exhilarating to dive into the mind of a creator and see what they can come up with.
Non-Fiction
Non-fiction is, in a word, non-fiction. It can range from historical recreations to journalism to even memoirs and auto biographies. When you write non-fiction, your goal is to inform the reader, so you must take an objective and factual approach to your research, eschewing the subjective and imaginative elements that tend to arise when writing fiction.
In non-fiction, you have a more defined role as an author. You have a duty to the reader, who expects you to provide accurate information regarding the topic at hand. The role of the author is to create an authoritative voice that can speak on the subject matter and add value to the conversation. This can be a really interesting process as you learn to juggle objectivity and creativity, adding another dimension to your creative expression.
Drama
Drama is, in a word, drama. It can range from short plays to full-length feature films and even TV series. When you write drama, you are playing with fire as you experiment with character development, plot twists, and scene-structure to create an immersive and engaging experience for the audience.
In drama, you are essentially playing with the same tools and concepts as you would in a cartoon or sitcom. But instead of focusing on jokes and laughs, you are crafting storylines that will keep the audience captivated from beginning to end. And to do that, you need to be willing to experiment and push the boundaries, both of yourself and your imagination.
Poetry
In poetry, you take on a different role than you do in other types of creative writing. Instead of using prose to create a narrative, you are using the poetic language of rhythm, rhyme, and meter to create artful works that can still be considered text. There are many different kinds of poetry, so finding your niche may be difficult. But if you have a good sense of rhythm and can string a few words together into a rhyming verse, you may find a niche that will allow you to express your creativity and contribute something new to the world of art and literature. So don’t be afraid to try out new things, even if they don’t fit the “official” definition of creative writing.
The Specialty Presses With High Demand
Now, we wouldn’t want you to become jaded towards all types of creative writing. After all, it’s not all bad. As we mentioned above, fiction can be really fun and creative, and it can also be a great way to explore a new topic or platform. Non-fiction can be a great way to provide needed historical context or an objective voice to an otherwise subjective topic. And who knows – maybe you’ll even stumble upon a story that will become popular and change the course of literature forever.
But if you are looking to make your creative writing career a prominent one, you may want to consider focusing on a specialty press. These are companies that typically print limited editions of poetry and prose, with each book typically being published only once or twice. But the beauty of a specialty press is that they typically only publish work that is exceptional. So if you have something exceptional to offer, they may be willing to give you a chance.
The Evolution Of Creative Writing
As the world changed and communication became easier, remote work, and then e-mail, Skype, and Facebook, the way we do and consume things shifted. Before, people would go to bookshelves to find the work they wanted to read. But now, we get recommendations for books from friends, family, and colleagues through social media. Blogs and online forums also rose in prominence, allowing for more conversation and collaboration than had previously been possible. In response, literary festivals were born, with all-night sessions, panel discussions, and book signings.
As the tools for creating and sharing content improved, so did the way we defined ourselves as writers. Before, if you wanted to be considered a writer, you would typically have to write a lot of prose. Now, with tools like Scrivener, it is possible to combine creative writing with other types of text – be that an article, a press release, or even an invitation for a speech. So if you can string a few words together, you can consider yourself a writer, whether you write in verse or prose.