Whether you’re a student or an adult looking to take your first creative writing class, choosing the right project for your needs can be difficult. There are many aspects to consider, like genre, word count, and the like. But there is also the more important question of what you as a writer should be doing. Are you looking for a specific project to improve your skills or are you looking for something to fit around your retirement? Perhaps you simply want to try out a new hobby? Your answers to these questions will guide you in the right direction to find the right creative writing project for you.
Know What You Are Looking For
Before you begin your creative writing journey, it’s imperative that you determine exactly what you’re looking for. Are you looking for a hobby? Are you hoping to improve your writing skills? Are you hoping to create a piece for an upcoming class or assignment? Once you know what you’re looking for, the rest becomes much easier. You won’t waste your time with a creative writing project that isn’t right for you.
Understand How The Media You are Inshorted Into One Article
When writing for the web, it’s important to keep the media you are writing for in mind. Just because you’re writing an article for an academic journal doesn’t mean you have to use only academic language. After all, journalists write for journalists and they tend to stick to topics relevant to them. For example, a financial journalist might write about investing for beginners, while a science journalist might write about genetic modification for scientists.
Being relevant to your audience is important, but you should never forget that your main readers will be people who are interested in your subject matter. In case you aren’t sure what your main subject matter is, take some time to think about what you are passionate about. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to write about environmental issues, but you don’t have any experience in the field. How will you know what specific language to use and if you’re using the wrong words, how will your readers know what you’re trying to describe?
Know Your Source Of Inspiration
Another thing to consider is your source of inspiration. Are you drawing on your own experiences or are you looking to something or someone else for inspiration? If you’re trying to write something realistic, you’ll need to find your own material. The problem comes when you’re aiming for more of a creative writing project and you want to use somebody else’s material. The best way to do this is to find the absolute essence of what you’re looking for and then find a way to express it in your own words. This usually means either rewriting the material or combining bits and pieces from different sources to create something new.
Create A Plan For The Project
After you’ve determined what you’re looking for, you can begin to create a plan for how you are going to go about writing the project. This doesn’t mean that you need to write an entire novel, but it does mean that you need to establish a storyline and then flesh it out with details. When establishing this plan, it’s important to leave room for unexpected twists and turns. This is what makes a good story teller great, they can keep your attention through the twists and turns and surprise you with a plot twist that you didn’t see coming. Leave some room for surprises!
Decide On A Platform
Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for and have begun to write your plan, you need to decide on a platform. This is something you need to consider before you begin writing, otherwise, you might find yourself stuck writing for a platform that you don’t enjoy using or don’t feel comfortable promoting. If you’re looking for a creative writing project and you don’t want to write for an academic platform, what will you write for? Will you write for a digital magazine? A blog? A book?
Understand How To Promote What You’ve Written
Writing is a solitary activity; however, once you’ve finished your creative writing project, you will have something to promote. Depending on what kind of creative writing project you’ve undertaken, you will have an idea of what to include in your promotional plan. For instance, if you’ve written a short story, you might want to consider posting it on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. You might also want to think about getting it into a digital magazine or publication. If you’ve written a novel, you might want to consider getting it reviewed by an academic journal or submitting it for consideration to a literary competition.
Your choice of platform will depend on your own target audience and what you are confident readers will respond to. If you are unsure, try a few out and see which one you enjoyed using the most. Once you’ve found your favourite, you can begin to build your audience and develop a following.
Choosing the right writing project for you can be difficult, but it’s essential that you put in the time to find the right one. Once you’ve begun to write, take the time to plan out your project and consider all the relevant aspects. Make sure you leave enough time to promote what you’ve written and develop an audience before you begin your PhD. Otherwise, your efforts may go unrewarded. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what’s most important?