When people think about creative writing, they often think about coming up with story ideas and then crafting the perfect story to fit the assignment. While that is certainly part of it, there is so much more you can do in a creative writing class. Hopefully, this post will help to dispel some of those myths and give you some ideas about how to make the most of your time in creative writing class.
Take Advantage Of The Technology
One of the biggest problems that people encounter when they first start taking creative writing classes is that they don’t feel like they produce enough. The truth is that you should never feel like that – writing is a lifetime process that never ends. Every day, you are discovering new things about yourself and your voice as a writer. This is why it is so important to take advantage of the technology that is available to you in your class. Even if you don’t end up going down the technological route, even if you decide to go the traditional route and just write your stories longhand, you will still benefit from the tips and tricks that these resources offer. So, take advantage of them and learn as much as you can.
Get Inspired
Another big problem that people have when they first start taking creative writing classes is that they don’t know where to look for inspiration. While it is certainly true that you will not be able to come up with incredibly original ideas every day, there are ways that you can ensure that your writing is as original and creative as possible. One of the most important things that you can do is to get as much inspiration as you can from all over the place. There are so many different types of stories out there, so you will have your work cut out for you, but the good thing is that you’re bound to come up with something amazing.
Improve Your Skills
If you’ve been writing for a while and feel like you’ve gotten really good at it, take advantage of your skills and work on improving them. There are plenty of writing exercises and projects that you can work on, from short stories to novel concepts. Even if you decide that you don’t want to write a novel, you can take a short story and develop it into a full-length script or vice versa. So, work on improving your skills and seeing how much you can get done in less time. In the end, that will make you feel like you’ve truly done your best and allowed you to produce more in less time.
Play With Different Themes
If you’re looking for inspiration, you can also try exploring different themes. There are so many different types of themes that you can work with, from horror to science fiction, so you’re sure to find something that will spark your imagination. If you decide that you don’t want to write about zombies or vampires, it’s completely normal, but you will still be able to find inspiration in other areas. You just have to open your mind and take note of all the different possibilities that exist out there.
Plan Your Outline
Planners help a lot with keeping track of everything that you need to do. They also help with productivity and coming up with a list of everything you need to do and when you need to do it. So, if you decide to take advantage of this function, write down all of the important information that you need to keep track of, from character development to setting. This will help you plan everything perfectly and ensure that you don’t forget anything major. You can also leave room for what might turn out to be major events, so that you don’t have to rush and write the plot without enough details. So, plan your outline and try to leave plenty of time to work on your story. This will help you make the most out of your writing time and ensure that everything falls into place seamlessly.
Take Notes
Taking detailed notes is another great way to ensure that you don’t forget anything important. Even if you do end up forgetting something, like a character’s name or a location, you can always go back and find it in your notes. This way, you will never end up with information that you need but cannot piece together at the moment. Taking notes will also help you develop ideas that you might not have thought of individually. If you make a note of a certain scene or event, you might very well come up with a different twist to it. You just have to open your mind and take note of everything that goes on around you.
Hopefully, this post gave you some good ideas about what to do in a creative writing class. There is a lot more that you can do, from making podcasts to taking part in a reading challenge, so make sure to explore all of the resources that are available to you. Good luck out there.