You’ve got an amazing story to tell. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur who’s built a business from scratch or a famous fashion designer who was born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You might be an author who’s already published several books or a celebrity chef who’s got millions of fans on social media. The possibilities are endless!
No matter what kind of writer you are, you’ve got something unique to share. But, if you want to be truly creative, you need to find ways to challenge yourself. The good news is, there are many different ways to achieve that. Some of them even involve leveraging your existing talents and resources.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the ways you can be creative when writing without losing your mind or your audience.
Start A Blog
Blogs are arguably the most popular and, at the same time, most creative form of online content today. They’re basically a combination of a website and a popular social media platform combined into one. Bloggers can write and publish blog posts on a regular basis and engage with their readers through thoughtful content and interactive elements, like polls and videos.
Blogs are a fantastic medium for creative writers because they give you the flexibility to write about anything you want. And because they’re so easy to manage, you can always find the creative juices flowing even if you’re not inspired by a particular subject or storyline. Plus, because they are informal in nature and don’t have to adhere to traditional journalistic standards, blogs are a great place for pure creativity.
Don’t Forget Social Media
You may think that Facebook and Twitter have died, but they’re still among the most popular social media platforms. In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs’ 2018 Year in Review, 68.2% of American Express survey respondents said they used social media to research or discover things about a product or service, while 64.7% said they used the platforms to learn about politics, news, or current events.
In addition to being a fantastic place for people to discover content, social media is also the perfect place to connect with existing and potential customers. If you want to engage with your audience and grow your blog’s community, you should consider leveraging the popularity of social media to do so. Use social media to follow and connect with experts and figures in your industry, who can help you build and grow your blog. Then, when you have content ripe for a blog post, use that content to draw attention to your social accounts and encourage people to visit your website.
Look For Inspiration
There are many different ways to be creative when writing. One of the best things you can do for your creative writing process is to look for inspiration. All you need to do is set your internal compass and find the areas of strength in yourself rather than focusing on your weaknesses. For example, if you’re not the best at expressing yourself through language, focus on the areas where you excel, like math or science. This will help you learn to appreciate and even enjoy the creative process.
If you want to be inspired, find the things that inspire you. Sometimes it’s a book, a graphic novel, or a piece of classical music. Other times it’s a particular person or place. Regardless, find what inspires you and allow it to propel your creative process forward. Then, when you return from your excursion, gather your notes and begin to craft a masterpiece that you and the world will enjoy and praise you for.
Join A Community
Writing is a solitary endeavour. No matter how skilled you are, it’s still solitary writing. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do it all by yourself. The best way to spark creativity and improve your storytelling abilities is by joining a community of authors, bloggers, and other content creators.
Many communities like this exist on the web. You can find them in your favourite social media platforms or through dedicated blog directories, like WordPress’s recommended list of top blogging platforms or any of the popular social media platforms’ own blogging platforms.
Joining a community can help you find collaborators who share your vision and passion for storytelling. Through these relationships, you can easily access an expert network of individuals who can help you improve your writing skills and, ultimately, become a better storyteller. In addition, you can use these resources to find the topics and issues that interest you the most and, in turn, inform your creative decisions and writing style. Finally, you can also use these communities to network and build a base of support for your writing career. If nothing else, forming meaningful connections with other creators is a great way to gain confidence and learn the value of a ‘team’ working approach.
Get Inspired By The Seasons
In most cases, your blog posts will revolve around a particular theme or topic, whether it’s fashion, food, science, or technology. That being the case, it’s important to remember that the seasons will have a significant impact on what you write about. For example, if you’re an avid cook, you might want to focus on food that grows and seasons change.
If you’re a fashion blogger, you could leverage the influence of the seasons to shed light on what was popular in the past and what’s trendy now. If you’re a science blogger, you could investigate ways technology has changed our world or how it’s being used to change our world for the better.
As a general rule, you should try to create consistent and reliable content so that your readers know what to expect. However, that doesn’t mean you always have to stick to the topics you’re most familiar with or what’s trending now. Instead, take a closer look at the seasons and see what’s popular then. That knowledge will help you develop engaging and relevant blog posts that draw in and retain your audience, no matter what season it is.
Take Advantage Of What You Know
Another great way to be creative when writing is to take advantage of what you know. If you’ve built a successful platform on social media, like a blog or a Twitter account, you can use that account to communicate and engage with your audience on your own terms. Additionally, you can use your knowledge of SEO and content strategy to help drive traffic to your content and grow your platform, even if you don’t yet have a substantial audience.
If you’re a blogger who wants to attract and retain more readers, you can use your platform to host interviews with industry experts, influencers, and other prominent figures.
These individuals may offer guidance and advice on a variety of topics related to your blog’s theme or topic area. Not only will this help you develop an engaged audience, but it also offers the opportunity to learn something new. Moreover, experienced interviewees can help you get the most out of your guest’s valuable time. As a result, you’ll be able to produce an engaging piece that provides value and builds trust with your audience.
Similarly, if you’re a journalist who wants to secure an audience, you can leverage your existing relationships to gain access to people who can provide you with relevant information or an engaging perspective. Building a media list and prioritizing content creation are also essential tools to have in your toolbox.
Creative writing can be a highly personal process for the writer. It often starts out as an exercise to see how you can express yourself differently. Then, over time, it evolves into a labour of love, where the ideas and stories you explore become more meaningful and personal to you as a writer. So, whether you’ve got a novel you want to write or a short story you want to polish, always remember to be creative, experiment with different styles and approaches, and have fun with it.