Awhile back, I wrote an article titled “How to Get Better at Creative Writing” and published it on this website. Since then, I’ve gotten a lot of requests for creative writing advice, so I figured it was time for an update.
Find Your Voice
I think one of the main reasons people struggle with creative writing is because they don’t know what voice to use. When I started out, I wrote in first person plural, as if the events of the story were happening to “us,” the audience. I didn’t like using the “I” in stories, mainly because I felt like it robbed the story of some of its intimacy. But as I explored different styles and found the one that worked best for me, I started to see my writing improve.
The first step to finding your voice is to identify what you want to say. The next step is to find an outlet for that voice. For example, if you feel like you’re not doing justice to a particular topic in first person singular, experiment with writing in the third person. That will help you find the right balance between you and the character you’re writing about – it will take some of the pressure off.
Here’s another example. Most of my stories start with an action sequence. But sometimes, I feel like the action is a little weak, so I’ll sprinkle in some dialogue. If I go back and edit those action sequences, I often find that they’re quite clumsy and lack sparkle. So, by writing a few scenes in third person, I was able to polish them and give them more life.
Writing Is Rewarding
As I mentioned in the original article, creative writing can be quite rewarding, even though it’s a solitary job. I always find that when I sit down to write, a small part of me immediately clicks to life, and before I know it, the morning has passed, and I’m feeling refreshed and accomplished. Then there’s the added bonus of getting to take my mind off things for a while.
Sometimes we need that little break from reality, and what better way to take a break than by writing something that’s creative and rewarding? It not only feels good, it can also make you better at writing in general, which in turn can lead to more opportunities, as well as better paydays.
Put Yourself In The Right Mindset
Even though creative writing can be a very rewarding experience, it’s still a job, and as such, it needs to be done right. When you’re first starting out, it can be easy to get lost in the moment and forget about the bigger picture. You have a brief to write something that’ll make your client/supervisor/manager/etc happy, so you write, write, write, until the story gets told. But that’s all it’ll ever be, a story. You can’t let yourself get too caught up in the process and expect your writing to stand out among the crowd.
To put yourself in the right mindset, take a step back. Look at what you’ve written so far, and ask yourself, does this work as a unit? Can this be better than the sum of its parts? Does this tell a clear and concise story? Are there any spelling or stylistic errors? Does it flow well?
If you can answer “yes” to all of those questions, then congratulations, you’ve just written a successful piece of creative ad writing. The next step is to take a little more time to polish it, making sure everything is to the client’s liking. Otherwise, you could end up with an unpleasant client–not exactly the type of person you want to upset, right?
Find Your Audience
An important thing to keep in mind when writing creative ads is that you’re not writing for yourself. You’re writing for the audience. The only way you’ll succeed is if you can find an audience and convince them to buy your product. If that means writing persuasive articles for marketing purposes, then so be it. But when you write something creative, you have complete freedom to play around with the language and style, so long as you stay true to the brand.
When I first started out, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a creative writing course at my university. One of the things the instructor stressed was finding my audience. He advised us to write something that we knew would appeal to a certain group of people, and that we should continue writing until we found a group of our own. He also stressed the importance of revising and editing, as well as the value of feedback.
So, in the same way I would recommend finding your voice to help you find the right style for your writing, I’d also recommend finding your audience. Try out different styles and see which ones appeal to a wide audience. And don’t be afraid to ask for feedback –either from family, friends or strangers –so that you know what elements of your work resonate with the people you’re writing for.