You have a classroom full of students when you enter the profession of teaching. There are some basics that you need to know and then some advanced stuff that you need to know. One of the most important things that you need to know is how to apply what you’ve learned in a creative writing class. It might be easy to teach creative writing, but it’s entirely different when you try to apply it in real life. The following paragraphs will go through the steps that you need to take in order to apply what you’ve learned in a creative writing class:
Start A Journal
One of the first things that you need to do is start a creative writing journal. This can be a bit of a challenge, as it is easy enough to get distracted by shiny things. However, that is all the more reason to keep focused on what is important to you. You will need a place where you can write down your thoughts and ideas as they come to you. The following are some suggestions for what you might put in your creative writing journal:
- Short story – This is the basic unit of a creative writing class. If you have not done so already, find a collection of short stories that you love and that inspire you. Write down the stories that you remember best and feel that you could improve upon. You can also add your own original stories to the collection. Remember to put your own unique spin on these stories and make them your own. If you get inspired, so much the better!
- Personal narrative – If you are writing a novel, you can use your journal to help you organize your thoughts and ideas. Write down the events and scenes that you remember most from your own life. Use these and add them to your story. Remember to put your own spin on these events and make them your own. If you get inspired, so much the better!
- Analyze The Rejection Letters – These are the dreaded letters that you get in response to your creative writing submissions. If you write for publication, you will get a good number of these letters. It is important that you not only learn from them, but that you actually analyze them. Look at what the letters say that you could improve upon. What do you notice about them that you could change? The more that you write, the more that you will get accustomed to analyzing the letters and taking notes. One tip is to write down what you notice about each letter and use that to help you improve your writing. You can also use this as a way to get inspired by the letters that you receive.
- The Final Draft – This is a free writing program that is used for students who have finished their creative writing assignments. If you have typed your essays and sent them in, you will receive a draft of the same back from the grader. This is a good thing, as it means that you can go back and edit your work and make it better. The editing will help you become a better writer, which is what you are aiming for. In addition to the draft, you will also receive a link to a spelling and grammar checker. Use these tools to help you edit and format your work. If you get stuck, you can also ask questions about the grammar and spelling of the language that you are using.
- Put It All Down On Paper – Once you have finished your creative writing journal, it is important to put all of your work down on paper. This can be a challenging thing, as it is easy to lose focus and lose interest in your work. If you do not write anything down, you will most likely forget what you have learned. Taking notes in class is helpful in this case, as it helps you keep focus on what you have learned. If you find that you have forgotten something after taking notes during class, it is sometimes helpful to go back and review what you have learned.
Review The Materials
After you have started your creative writing journal, it is important to go back and review the materials that you have learned. In order to properly apply what you’ve learned, you need to make sure that you understand everything that there is to understand about creative writing. This means going back and reading chapters in your textbook and reviewing the notes that you have taken during class. If there is a concept that you do not understand, ask the professor or someone who knows more about it than you do. Going back and reviewing what you’ve learned is an important step in order to make the most out of the classroom experience. Without it, you might learn a whole lot, but you will not be able to apply it all in the real world.
Get Inspired
Now, this is the fun part! As you are sitting down in your creative writing journal, get inspired by what you have written. If you get stuck, you can ask questions about the material or you can use the materials that you have reviewed to help you get back on track. Make sure to use proper grammar and spelling and edit as you go along. If you get stuck again, you can ask questions about the material or you can use the tools that you have available to help you find the right word.
Practice
Once you have gotten everything that you needed out of your creative writing journal, the next step is to practice. This means that you should go back and read what you have written in order to make sure that you did not forget anything. As you get more confident, you can start expanding your practice by writing out complete stories or articles. The more that you practice, the better you will get, and the more that you get, the better you will become.
Hopefully, this article will help you understand how to apply what you’ve learned in a creative writing journal. Remember to take your time and do your best work. The more that you put into it, the more that you will get out of it. And, last but not least, have fun! Enjoy writing and be creative!