the creative writing

the creative writing

Exploring the Art and Craft of Creative Writing

1. Introduction to Creative Writing

The great and comforting truth about reading and writing is that no one is ever ‘good enough, at all. There is no end, no mastery, no final statement or definitive text. Layer upon layer of understanding can always be peeled away from the greatest works of literature, and from the least workmanlike. Words remain imperfect things to define. They are tools that are manipulated by potentially anyone to achieve almost any end. There is no absolute answer to what is good literature, or even good writing, though there are almost as many flawed or just plain lazy examples as there are good, or even great, works. If someone offers an absolutely specific definition of good literature, smile at their excessive confidence, and put this down to overreach. There are fashions, and fads, and schools, and movements, and all have some degree of value, and are worth a look or two. But what really interests us about writing creatively isn’t looking at it, pleasure comes from doing it ourselves.

This course is about the art and craft of creative writing. It’s about being serious about good writing. It’s about line-editing your work with both a trenchant eye and a tender heart. It’s about the precision and passion of language, and the challenging skill of storytelling. Creative writing takes a simple essential premise that there is a story made up by somebody who is not you, which is then written down on a page by you, and it transforms this into a discipline. But the rewards of being creative, and writing well, are profound. They are born of the twin satisfactions in writing. The first is of satisfaction in technical precision. The second is the satisfaction that comes from truly close engagement with others. This is, after all, part of the essence of what it is to be human, or to write creatively.

2. The Elements of Fiction: Character, Plot, and Setting

Fine, but what exactly is fiction? Kardos takes a generous view, defining it as any work that explains, invents, or critically describes imaginary characters, actions, plots, situations, moods, incidents, or locations in such a way that readers are exhilarated or moved because of the literary and imaginative qualities, whether there are invented or not, involving whatever ingenious or deft handling of form the issuer uses. That is a twenty-one word definition of fiction, one that you’re very welcome to quote back to me whenever you hear me talking about any of the myriad other things that fiction can accomplish – and that, by accomplishing them, can justify its being read. At this point, I’d better warn you: there will be a great deal more babbling.

In The Art and Craft of Fiction, Michael Kardos defines fiction as an artifice that truthfully portrays characters, or fictitious people who find their purposes in the highest aims of which we’re capable – complications of the heart, mind, and soul. Through the handling of complex ideas – the themes of storytelling – we can give depth and breadth to fictional people, while considering plot and structure – the mechanics of storytelling – enrich the drama and meaning of a story by making its points with the contrast and nuance that a more literal delivery couldn’t provide. Then we can transform characters and ideas into literal form by conveying through lively language, which – words. This is the triplet that will guide us throughout our study of fiction writing. Our goal is to pursue these narrative elements in their highest expressions, and our path, the thing we’ll craft and shape and experiment with, is the written story.

3. Crafting Compelling Narratives: Point of View and Voice

Think of point of view as a physical location, a vantage point from which the action will be seen. Where we are when we witness the events of the story being told shapes much of the information we will encounter. Whose eyes are we seeing through and what position are they in? Then think of voice as the lighting, sound, and mood created. It’s the author’s emotive and stylistic choices that bring their point of view to life and make it the only way the story could be told. Storytelling is all about vesting readers in the lives of characters and one of the first ways to accomplish this is by giving us someone to root for. We need the readers to have a “what happens next?” attitude towards the literary events spiraling out in front of them. That’s where a strong, compelling point of view comes in. It establishes the protagonist and makes readers care enough to stick around for the whole show.

Most successful narratives feel like an invisible hand has reached out to pull us into the story, either carrying us far away from where we are or drawing the story uncomfortably close until fiction and reality collide—often producing emotional fireworks. This creates the illusion that the story must have been told in only one way. Yet the best narratives always appear like the ultimate paper rock scissors: the means by which the narrative unfolds are inextricable from the story, truly fused together to become one entity. Point of view and voice are the lenses through which a narrative will be seen.

4. Exploring Different Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction

Fiction: The art of storytelling, the substance of imagination. Creating stories, bringing characters to life. Exploring the nature of our existence. Speculative, science fiction, fantasy, horror, thrillers, utopian, and dystopian. Intrigue, mystery, plot and counterplot. The more we think, the less certain we are about what comes next. But while reading fiction and making up stories (daydreaming) are both ancient and natural activities, the creation of meaningful fiction can also be challenging. We might face this challenge in several ways: as readers, as reviewers, as students, and as writers.

Creative writing: Build your confidence and competence. Understand the art and craft of creative writing. Explore different genres. Master the basic elements of creative writing. Read, learn, and practice – an online writing studio that is free to use. Master the techniques required to write great fiction or poetry. Participate in an interactive online class. Posts and feedback offered by Saturday Writers. Learn to write with both flair and control; good writing depends on both.

5. Editing and Revising: Polishing Your Work for Publication

For most individuals, writing is a precursor to editing and revising. Remember, a quick first draft will likely leave you feeling that your project has taken over your life and gotten the best of you. The truth is that when you write a paper, you should closely examine your thoughts, conduct a self-appraisal by scrutinizing your thoughts and ideas, and clarify your position to an audience – hopefully, you captured problems/issues, important insights, and solid conclusions.

This chapter presents information specific and relevant to the creative writer, focusing on how to edit and revise your work, how to critically appraise what you have written, and how to polish your work for professional publication. This chapter presents methods, procedures, tactics, and techniques to crystallize your writing. Editing a manuscript means to correct its grammar and to maximize its clarity, refine its ideas, and provide coherence. Revising a manuscript refers to elaborating and refining its ideas, and strengthening the work’s structural foundation, objectives, and substance. Publishing a work is precisely that – successfully delivering expertise to your readers and audience so that they willingly pay for and read your work.