Do you have a thick skin and a warm heart? Do you like to put yourself in vulnerable situations? Do you like seeing the funny side of things? If so, you may be the type of person to whom the following article will appeal.
This article will teach you how to place your name on a creative writing composition. Even if you’re not necessarily looking to do so, it might be fun to write a story with your name in it. You may also learn something about yourself along the way.
Choose A Genre
Deciding on the genre of your creative writing is essential, as it will strongly dictate the style in which you should write. Before you start, it is advised that you read as much as possible in the chosen genre to become familiar with the typical devices and plots used by authors in the area. You don’t necessarily need to specialize in the chosen genre to write in it, but it will certainly help.
Choosing a genre is relatively simple. You will need to identify the type of story you are trying to tell. Is it humorous? Drama-like? Romantic? Sci-fi/fantasy? Animalistic? Choose one that you feel comfortable with and that appeals to your existing skills.
Plot Outline And Characters
The plot of your novel or short story is what connects the various scenes. It is a road map that the reader follows from the very first to the last scene.
When creating the plot, you should keep in mind that your readers will have a limited amount of time in which to follow your story. You should therefore try to create a plot that is as smooth as possible. Bear in mind that this is an outline, and you should not begin writing until you have fully fleshed out the plot.
It is important to develop memorable characters. Your characters should be unique and should elicit within your reader, at least, an emotional response. They should also be three-dimensional, which means that the reader should be able to perceive them as humans and should not be limited to one or two dimensions. This will make it easier for the reader to become attached to your characters and will help them to appear more human. Finally, give each character a name. This will help you refer to them later and will make developing your characters simpler. As you go along, you may find that some characters require more attention than others. For example, perhaps you have a main character who you want to develop more fully than the others. To do this, you will need to spend more time with them and get to know them better. In these situations, it is often helpful to write down what is known about the character. This can be in the form of a character biography or in the form of an essay that gives the reader a better understanding of the character. In most cases, a bit of both will suffice.
Research
Now that you have your genre and plot, you need to do your research. There are numerous subjects and issues that you could write about. However, as with most areas of writing, the most common topics within the Creative Writing genre include:
- Love: Is it fair to love someone who doesn’t love you back? Can a love triangle ever work? Can a love square? Write a story about your own struggles with love.
- Friendship: Can friends really trust each other? How does one define an ‘adult’ friendship? Is there such a thing as an ‘adult’ friendship? Is it even possible to be friends with your exes?
- Family: What is it like being part of a family? Are there benefits to being part of a family? Does the bond between siblings mean something different today?
- Responsibility: Can you be trusted to do what you say you will do? Are you capable of being a reliable person? What qualities should you possess to be considered ‘responsible’?
- Identity: Who you are and what you believe in is inherently personal. However, it can also be a source of great frustration. What is your identity? Is there a possibility that you can evolve as a person? If so, how?
- Place: Does the city you are in have an identity all its own? Is there something unique about the town you were born in? Is there a particular area of the city that you find particularly inspiring?
- Food: Does anything look better than it tastes? Do you have a particular type of cuisine that you prefer? What are your favorite foods? What is the difference between ‘food’ and ‘diet’?
- Skincare: Does the makeup you wear affect your skin? Does wearing certain types of makeup damage your skin? What products have you found to be the most effective and why?
- Hobbies: What does your free time and what do you do with your friends consist of? Does anything inspire you? Does anything frustrate you? What do you enjoy doing and what would you like to try?
The list above contains many potential story ideas, but it is only a small fraction of the topics you could write about. Do not get bogged down with details. Instead, use the above list to get an idea of the kind of story you want to write. From there, you can expand your search to include other possibilities.
Style
The style in which you write is largely governed by your chosen genre and is determined by numerous factors, such as:
- The form: Do you prefer written, oral or visual forms?
- The pace: Do you prefer a fast pace, in which case you may want to write short stories rather than novels, or a slow pace, in which case you may prefer writing a novel?
- The intention: Do you want to write for fun or for profit?
- The target audience: Who will your story be aimed at?
- The setting: Is there a specific location or time period that you prefer?
You should now have an idea of the kind of story you want to write. From there, you can choose the style that best suits your story. It is often helpful to think of a writer you admire and model your style on theirs.
Research Again
As with most areas of writing, research is essential. Unlike most areas of writing, however, research for creative writing does not end once you have your final draft. Instead, there is a whole lot more to it. Once you have gone through the process of writing, you can take your story to the next level by:
- Editing: Does your story need any major editing? Do you have any suggestions for improving it?
- Revising: Can you revise your story and make it even better?
- Formatting: Does your story need any specific formatting?
- Publishing: Do you want to publish your story? How and where do you want to publish it?
Once you are done with all of this, you can sit back and enjoy your creation. Of course, if you want to be professionally published, you need to take this a step further by:
- Submitting: Does your story fall within the guidelines of the current publisher? If so, great! Otherwise, you may need to reconsider submitting to this specific publisher or seek out alternative markets.
- Promoting: Can you promote your story? If so, how and where?
- Analysing: What is your story about? What do you want it to say about the world?
It is not easy to place one’s name on a piece of writing, particularly a creative one. However, as it is your own piece of work, it is also the reflection of you as a writer. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. So, don’t be afraid to try. What you put out there may not be perfect, but it is you and it is something you will be able to grow from.