When you complete a creative writing course, you usually have a piece of assigned work to complete. For most students, this assignment is to write a short story, but it can vary from writing a play to conducting an interview or holding a blog post. When you have finished your piece of work, you will usually be asked to present it to your tutor and possibly to an audience. This is where the character of your character comes in – you must take into account what your tutor and your group of readers think about your character and you must be able to back up your claims with appropriate motives and actions in your story. For example, if you are writing a fiction piece, your character must be a likeable person who the audience will be able to relate to. Your character must behave in ways that are consistent with what the audience knows, or thinks they know, about them. This makes them more realistic and easier to relate to. It is generally accepted that in order to write a successful story, you must have a motivated character who experiences a variety of moves and emotions as a result of these actions. This variety is referred to as chagrin,
When you are thinking about what character property means in a writing tutelage course, take into account that a good story usually has conflict. Conflict is defined as “the opposition of parties or nuclei within a work or play” or “a division or debate that develops in a work as it progresses” (OED).
Conflict is present to some extent in all human beings’ lives, whether they like it or not. The trick to good writing is to make the conflict relevant to the story. One method of doing this is to use the “Internal Conflict” card in your storytelling deck or “storytelling bag”. The “Internal Conflict” card is one of four cards that you can include in your storytelling deck – along with the “External Conflict” – the “Surface Conflict” – and the “Omnicomic Conflict”. The “Internal Conflict” card gives you a way of showing the variety of motives that your character is experiencing at any given moment. For example, let’s say that you are writing about a criminal who has robbed a bank. One of the motives for the crime might be to fund a drug habit. When you write about this character, you must show that they have developed a compulsion to keep taking the money, even after the initial excitement of the crime has worn off. It is sometimes hard to put into words exactly how a specific event or series of events has motivated you to commit a crime, so when you do happen to come up with a perfect motive, don’t be shy about using it!
The Importance Of Character Development
During your creative writing course, you will no doubt be exposed to many different writing styles. You will, for example, read the work of William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson, to name but a few. When you read a piece of creative writing that you consider to be of good quality, you should be able to tell what type of character is being developed and how this character will behave. Poorly developed characters can make a work difficult to read because they obscure the story rather than enhance it. In a piece of fiction, this is often simply a matter of poorly conceived plotlines that do not flow naturally from the characters’ actions. In a play, it can also lead to a lack of characterisations that are accurate and detailed enough for the audience to relate to. A character is only as good as the author conceives them to be, so it is vital that you take the time to develop a logical and consistent characterisation throughout the piece. When you do this, good writing will eventually follow.
The Importance Of Consistent Genre
When you enrol in a creative writing course, one of the first things your tutor will ask you is what genre you prefer to write in. This is an important question, as it will dictate the general tone and content of your work. When choosing a genre, bear in mind that there are various restrictions that come with it, as there is generally more than one way of writing in a particular genre. When you make the decision to write creatively, it is important that you decide on a genre and stick to it, especially if you want your work to be judged favourably.
Take Time To Read
Some of the best advice that you can ever receive is to take the time to read. This is even more important when writing creatively. When you do this, you will discover countless story ideas that you can use to enrich your writing. You can also decide that you would like to see how other writers have handled a particular story idea and use this as a guide to help you develop your own versions of these plots. Reading is essential when you are considering new creative writing opportunities, as it can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular story idea. When I say that reading is important, I don’t just mean that you should read stories by well-known authors – I mean that you should read all of them! Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a good reader, it is still beneficial to take the time to do so. Learning to read is a skill that will serve you well in your entire life, so make sure that you develop it now!
There are numerous benefits to reading and writing creatively. One of the most important is that it forces you to think outside of the box. When you do this, you will be able to develop new and interesting perspectives on life and the world around you. Just make sure that when you are brainstorming story ideas, you don’t just limit yourself to one genre – instead, make sure that you develop solutions for whatever story questions you are faced with in your course. When you do this, even if you do write in a particular genre at first, you will ultimately be able to write in a wide variety of genres, using the techniques that you have learnt along the way.
Some students prefer to brainstorm story ideas using a structure, such as the “20 Questions” technique. This involves asking yourself questions about the story, such as “who is the story about?”, “what is the story about?” and “where does the story take place?” Writing a story with “20 Questions” can be a good way to get started. Once you have an idea of where you are going with your story, it is easier to decide what type of character you will need to develop and how this character will behave. In order to write a relatable story, make sure that you ask yourself questions about the character – it can be fun to create a character that is slightly different to yourself, but it can be difficult to write about a character that is closer to you than yourself! Once you have created this character, it is easier to write about them and understand what they are thinking and feeling – this makes your story more authentic. Authentic stories are usually those that are based on real events or people, rather than those that are purely fictitious. Authentic stories are, therefore, those that are relatable to the reader – your tutor will certainly be able to relate to your work if it is based on a true story!
Creative Writing Is A Continual Process
When you enrol in a creative writing course, it is important that you remember that it is a continual process. This does not mean that you have to write every day – it just means that you should continue to develop your writing skills, whether you are feeling creative or not. Even when you have finished your assigned work, it is still important to continue developing your writing skills. Go back and read other literature that you have not yet mastered – this will help you identify areas where you can improve your craft. When you do this, you will start to see a pattern emerge – patterns can be helpful when writing creatively – they provide a narrative structure that you can use to guide your writing, as well as helping you determine the best ways of handling certain story elements. Regularly assess yourself on your writing skills and potentially take a class or seminar with a professional writer, if you feel that you need someone to give you a kick start.