Creative writing is a broad term that can apply to a variety of genres, including creative non-fiction, flash fiction, and screenwriting. While there is no strict definition of what constitutes creative writing, there are some commonalities that apply to most areas of the field. As a beginner, it’s important to understand the basics of creative writing—what does and does not constitute “good” creative writing—so that you can begin to develop your own creative voice and work toward becoming a better writer. In this blog post, we’ll explore the basic principles of creative writing and how to go about becoming the best writer you can be!
The Basics Of Creative Writing
To start off, let’s establish a few things about creative writing. First, it is a broad term that can apply to a variety of genres. Some examples of creative non-fiction include historical novels, love stories, and biographies. Creative fiction can cover anything from science fiction to historical epics. Comedies and plays may also fall under this umbrella. Most notably, screenplays and short stories for films and novels fall into this category. Finally, “micro-fiction”—short stories, flash fiction, and even some song lyrics—also falls into this category.
With that out of the way, it’s time to move into the nitty-gritty of what constitutes good creative writing. Without further ado, here are the 6 things you need to get right in order to write a good script.
1. Structure
Structure refers to how you’ve laid out your story—the order in which you’ll present the events that make up your narrative. There are two main types of structure: chronological and dramatic. With a chronological structure, you’ll start at the beginning and work your way to the end. With a dramatic structure, you’ll start at the end and work your way to the beginning. Both have their advantages, but if you’re just getting started, you might want to go with a chronological structure as it’s the most straightforward approach. For instance, if you’re writing a novel, you can start at the beginning of the second chapter and work your way to the end. This is also the case for a play or movie that you’re writing based on real events. Start at the beginning of the events that make up the story and work your way forward to the present. This will help you to maintain a coherent narrative that keeps your reader or audience interested. It also helps you identify the story’s turning points and triggers, which are often times the most interesting moments in a script or novel.
2. Genre
Aside from the basic structure, you’ll also want to make sure that you use the appropriate genre. With screenwriting, it’s best to choose an “action-adventure” genre if you want your story to be exciting. Thrillers, Horror (especially if it’s psychological horror), and Comedy have also been known to do well at the box-office, meaning that audiences want to see these types of films or reads. Make sure that the genre you select is one that your script or novel is suited for. Otherwise, you might end up with a story that isn’t as accessible to your audience. Even if you think that your intended audience isn’t familiar with the specific genres that you’ve chosen, there will always be someone out there who is. You don’t want to risk alienating your audience by using the wrong genre.
3. Authentic Voice
This is where you show the reader that you’re an expert in your chosen field. You do this by using the correct jargon, mixing first-person and third-person as appropriate, and infusing your work with as much detail as possible. This will make your writing sound like it was directly spoken by the character in the story. It can also help establish your character’s credibility with the audience. In the same way you would with a written work, you want to make sure that your spoken dialogue is consistent and flows naturally.
4. Resolve Unresolved Conflict
Every script or novel needs to end somewhere. This is where you resolve the conflict that has arisen during the course of the story. Sometimes, you’ll end up concluding that your story is a stalemate and nothing much happens at the end. In these cases, you might want to consider switching gears and writing a tragedy. Tragedies typically end with some sort of cathartic scene or speech where the protagonist(s) express their remorseful feelings about their fate. Whether you write a tragedy or a comedy, this is an important step that will help establish a consistent voice and make your writing more authentic.
5. Simultaneous Parallel Action
This is where you show two or more characters who are interacting with one another, either simultaneously or within a brief time period. In most cases, this will involve some form of conflict between the characters as they struggle to achieve their goals. Usually a race against time occurs as one character—the protagonist—must try to solve a problem before another character—the antagonist—acts to stop them.
A common mistake that beginning writers make is that they try to force every bit of drama into a triangle of “good guy,” “bad guy,” and “love interest.” While it’s important to have a clear idea of who the main character is and what their journey is going to be like, you don’t always need to shoehorn the love interest into the equation. Stories that feature two or more protagonists who are pitted against one another will often prove to be the most compelling and interesting type. Each character’s story can be told in parallel as the action unfolds.
6. Imaginative Language
Nowadays, we live in a world where digital editing tools make it easy for anyone to write a novel, screenplay, or short story and the like. While this might seem like a blessing, it also means that everyone can now write. If you want to write something that will stand out, you need to make sure that the language you use is imaginative and evocative. Avoid using slang, unusual words, or overlong sentences; these factors alone make your writing difficult to read. Instead, select your words carefully and avoid using the same ones over and over again. The more original and creative your language, the more it will stick out. In the same way, the more you show rather than tell, the more interesting your story will seem. Varying the way you write will help establish your authentic voice and give your story a level of originality that prevents it from being a carbon copy of something that has already been done. Inventive language can also help make your story more accessible to a broader audience. After all, nobody likes to read the same old boring story over and over again. It gets increasingly difficult to keep interested as the storyline becomes more familiar. Creative language will add an extra layer of meaning and understanding for your story’s characters and the audience.
As you can see, there are six key things that you need to get right if you want to write good creative fiction. It’s not necessarily easy, especially if you’re not used to writing in this genre. Even if you’re confident that you have the skills to pull this off, it can still be challenging to find the time to sit down and put these skills to use. If you’re serious about writing, a good place to start is by trying out a free trial of professional writing software like FOCUSwriter. With this software, you can easily create and format your documents, manage your projects, and track your work. Best of all, you won’t need to hire a ghostwriter to help you with your manuscript. Instead, you can do all the work yourself with minimal assistance from the software. If you want to take your writing to the next level, look into collaborating with a seasoned writer or penning a novella with another individual. This will help you to polish your writing skills and grow as a team.