A lot of people think that writing creative-writing is an easy way to make money online. While this may be true for certain types of writing, like short stories, it is not necessarily true for non-fiction writing, or fiction writing for that matter.
If you’re looking to make serious money as a writer, you may want to reconsider the path you’ve chosen. But, if you’re looking to write for fun or for the love of writing, then the creative-writing path might be a worthwhile one to take.
In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of writing fiction – what it is, why it’s worth doing, and the steps to starting your creative writing journey.
What Is Creative Writing?
Creative writing is simply the use of words to convey thoughts and ideas, in a way that presents something new. You may be familiar with the quote “a work of fiction is a story told by an author, which might or might not be true” – this is sometimes referred to as the “Fictionalization of History”. Creative writing can range from short stories to novellas, novels, and even non-fiction – but it always includes some level of fiction.
The most basic form of creative writing is just using language to tell a story – this could be something as simple as a short story about a dog, or it could be a completely original piece that brings to life characters from Indian mythology or medieval fantasy worlds.
If you enjoy writing, and have a good command of the English language, then creative writing is a perfect opportunity to put your talents to work. Whether you’re aiming for literary fame or just want to produce something that entertains, you may want to consider giving creative writing a try.
Why Is Creative Writing Important?
You may wonder why writing fiction is important. After all, what’s the difference between writing a novel and writing a short story?
While both have their particular strengths, writing fiction allows for more opportunities to experiment with language and style than does non-fiction writing. This can lead to great opportunities for growth as a writer.
Additionally, creative writing gives you the opportunity to explore different topics. If you’ve always wanted to write about space travel or dinosaurs, but never thought a piece of non-fiction would be acceptable, then maybe consider trying your hand at fiction. Chances are there’s a market for almost any type of fiction, so long as it’s original and well-written. Even if you decide to write a horror story about aliens and zombies, you can be sure there will still be people out there who want to read your work.
Fiction can also be used to great effect when teaching. If you’re looking to hone your skills or just want to entertain your students, you can present a short story for English literature students, or you may choose to write a novel for your creative writing classes. The sky’s the limit!
The fact is, there are limitless possibilities for what you can write, whether you decide to write in English or in another language – so long as you have the talent and the drive to write, you may find your perfect fit in creative writing.
The Steps To Starting A Creative Writing Journey
If you’re ready to start your creative writing journey, simply follow these six steps:
Find Your Niche
As we mentioned above, the most basic form of creative writing is using words to convey thoughts and ideas. This can be applied to anything from short stories to novels and even non-fiction – so long as there’s some level of fiction involved, you’re qualified to write it.
Before you begin your journey, it’s important to find your niche. What do you enjoy most about writing? Is there a story you’ve always wanted to tell, but haven’t found the right outlet for? There are endless possibilities, so long as you find something that you enjoy doing, you’re sure to be able to write something that entertains or inspires you.
Developing A Routine
A writer’s schedule can be extremely hectic, due to the amount of time that actually goes into creating a polished piece of work. Between writing, editing, rewriting, and trying to fit in some social life, a lot of writers’ time is consumed, leaving very little room for the unexpected. However, this also leads to a lot of creativity, as there’s always the potential for something to come up that wasn’t planned. When you have a very busy schedule, it’s important to make sure that you can find a way to fit in some time for yourself, so that you can actually produce something of value.
To this end, try to develop a routine. Set aside a certain time every week to write, whether this is early in the morning or in the evening, so long as you can find the time – regardless of what time zone you’re in, there will always be hours in the day somewhere in the world, so you can find the time to write. This will help establish consistent writing sessions, which will in turn lead to more effective writing.
Along with this, try to work on a novel or short story every month. This should be a piece of fiction, and should be of a high enough quality that you’ll be able to sell it to a publisher or indie film producer. The reason behind this is that it’s always nice to have something to show for your efforts, and getting something published or produced is a great way to achieve this. Plus, the more you can get published, the more opportunities you have to showcase your work, and potentially, make some actual money off of your writing.
Find A Place To Write
Depending on your chosen discipline, you might need to look into different areas for your writing. If you decide to write fiction, then the obvious place to do this is in a room or area with a large amount of space, and preferably, some natural light. This will help with the creative process, and make it easier to develop your characters and story, as well as keep track of all the details involved. If you decide that you want to write non-fiction, then look for a place with a lot of natural light, as well as a table or desk that’s large enough to accommodate all of your reference materials. Additionally, if you have a home office, make sure that it’s set up in a way that helps you stay focused while still having some privacy, and maybe even an overlooking view of nature, or a cityscape.
Get Inspired
As a writer, one of the most important things that you can do is get inspired. What do you enjoy most about writing? What kinds of stories can you tell? What issues are most important to you, and why?
These questions should all be applied to your writing, so that you can identify and use the appropriate sources of inspiration. If you decide to write about dinosaurs, then you might want to read the work of Michael Crichton or Erich von Daniken. If you decide to write about alien abduction, then you might want to read the works of Stephen King or Whitley Strieber.
This is important, because if you want to write fiction, then you have to be able to answer these questions in a way that makes sense for your story. If you can’t answer them yourself, then you may want to take a step back and find someone who can, or at least, offer some helpful suggestions. If you have specific, detailed questions about grammar and style, then you may want to hire a professional proofreader to take a look at your work and offer some tips for improvement. Good luck out there.
Start From Scratch
If you’re really determined to write something, and don’t mind investing the time and effort, then you may want to start from scratch. Do you have an idea for a novel, but don’t have the time to write it now? Or, maybe you’ve started writing, but don’t know where to go from here?
If you answered yes to either of these questions, then it may be a good idea to start over again from square one. Whether you decide to do this and abandon what you’ve written so far, or write from the beginning and polish what you’ve already produced, it’s always good to have a second chance at things.
Writing fiction is not an easy road to travel. Not only do you have to find a way to generate revenue off of your work, but you also have to find the time to write, as well as find the place to do it, which can be difficult. However, if you’re passionate about the idea of being a writer, and enjoy exploring different topics, then this may be a worthwhile journey to take, as long as you don’t rush it.