Many students ask me, ‘how do I become a writer?’. Well, the short answer is, you don’t. You become a writer by writing.
A creative writing major is more about honing your skills and developing your imagination than it is about specializing in a certain genre. Thus, while it might teach you how to write creatively, it doesn’t necessarily require you to write in a specific way.
Why Study Creative Writing?
Inevitably, you’ll be asked this at some point during your studies: ‘what type of writing do you specialize in?’. While it’s always nice to have a specific niche, it can be tricky to narrow down your field of study without losing sight of the big picture. Studying creative writing gives you a chance to explore a variety of subjects while also taking an interest in something that you might use in the future.
Creative writing is a broad category. It could include anything from script writing to short stories to playwriting to novel writing. It depends on what you study and how you study it. However, the general idea is that you learn how to ‘write well’ whatever form that might be in the future. For example, if you go into journalism, you’ll have to be able to write effectively for magazines, newspapers, and blogs. If you go into advertising, you’ll have to be able to craft letters and pitches for ads.
Because it’s such a broad subject, it provides you with a wide range of opportunities. You can study it academically, professionally, or even personally, as a hobby. There are so many different ways to approach it.
The Basics Of Creative Writing
To really become a good writer, you need to approach it from all sides. Thus, you should study not only the academic side but also learn how to write creatively. Luckily, this can be done quite easily via various online workshops and coaching sessions. Even better, you can even get the training and assistance you need from experienced and talented writers, whose main role is to help you develop your craft.
The basics of creative writing are, quite simply, good writing. To put it more specifically, it’s about learning how to write in such a way that your reader feels that they’re interacting with the characters or engaging in the story. In essence, it’s about learning to write well.
In order to write well, you need to have a firm understanding of the following concepts:
- Characters
- Voice
- Plot
- Theme
- Tone
- Prose
- Style
- Diction
- Syntax
- Uses of English
If you’re looking to become a creative writer, these concepts are essential. While not every writer needs to be familiar with every one of these terms – especially the experts that you’ll work with in the future – a working knowledge of at least some of these terms will give you a much greater chance of writing successfully. It’s also important to note that some of these terms are more specific to certain styles of writing than they are to creative writing in general. For example, if you’re writing in the first person, you’ll need to be familiar with the term ‘voice’ and how to use it effectively. Similarly, ‘prose’ and ‘synonyms’ might be used more specifically in a creative nonfiction context.