Creative writing is defined as: “The use of literary techniques such as metaphor, personification, and free verse to describe ideas, events, or feelings.” The purpose of creative writing is to allow the reader to enter into the mind of the story’s main character, and imagine what they are feeling or thinking. Creative writing can be used for fun or for school. Since school will probably be doing more readings and presentations, it is a great way to improve your public speaking skills.
The Benefits Of Creative Writing
Creative writing has many benefits, listed below:
1. Improves Language Skills
Through creative writing, you get the opportunity to use your writer’s dictionary, and expand your vocabulary. By using words not usually found in your everyday vocabulary, you will certainly improve your writing. In fact, some might even say that you become a better writer through this process.
2. Develops Critical Thinking Skills
Creative writing allows you to put your thoughts into words, and exercise your critical thinking skills. Rewriting the same story over and over again, considering each version from a different perspective, will help develop your critical thinking skills. This also helps you become a better writer, as you will be able to see how each phrasing slows down, or changes the meaning of your work. For example, if you are writing about an historical figure, you can use various antonyms to show how your character’s personality differs from the historical one.
3. Can Be As Fun As You Want
Since creative writing can be as fun or as serious as you want it to be, it is a great way to improve your skills, while having some fun at the same time. If you want to enjoy yourself, do some light creative writing for fun, or even make up some stories about your friends and family. If you are interested in improving your skills, do some serious creative writing, rewriting existing stories, or even creating new stories from scratch.
4. Improves Your Vocabulary
Creative writing improves your vocabulary, simply by allowing you to use different words and phrases. The more you do it, the more you will accumulate a large vocabulary that will make your writing much easier, and smoother. There are many tools online that can help you find the exact word you are looking for, so you do not have to keep searching in a thesaurus.
5. Provides A More Realistic Perspective
If you want to write something that reflects reality, do some creative writing. By taking the perspective of a character, you will certainly understand what they are feeling and thinking, even if the story is inspired by real events. Going back to the example above, if you want to write about Mussolini, you can take the point of view of one of his victims, or even an Italian police officer, and describe what they saw and how they felt. This will provide you with a more realistic perspective, and add more value to your work.
How Do I Start Creative Writing?
If you want to start creative writing, the first thing you should do is pick a topic. Whether it is a hobby that you want to turn into a hobby, or an event that you want to write about, there will always be someone or something that you can use as inspiration.
After you have picked your topic, you can start by brainstorming ideas, or even writing a short story. If you are looking for an easy way to get started, try out some of the many online creative writing prompts, or even create your own. You can use these short stories to get your creative juices flowing, and eventually, you will have a full story to show your parents, your friends, or even the class you are teaching. In fact, many schools nowadays are encouraging their students to publish their work online, and have short story contests, which can be a great way to show off your talents, and even earn you some extra credit. Not only will this allow you to practice your English, but also to learn about a new culture and its values, and even expose you to new ideas and opinions.
Since writing is a great way to both express yourself, and learn, you should do it every day, whether it is for fun, or for school. In the long run, this will certainly help you become a better writer.