creative writing books

creative writing books

Creative Writing Books

1. Introduction to Creative Writing

Creative writing is writing that expresses the writer’s thoughts and feelings in an imaginative, often unique, and poetic way. Creative writing is guided more by the writer’s need to express feelings and ideas than by the restrictive demands of factual and informative writing. It is a way to let go of inhibitions and self-editing; it encourages the writer to be brave. Creative writing can be fiction or non-fiction and often uses real-world or historical settings. Many times we can identify with the characters or situations in creative writing. This is why it is an effective tool in dealing with certain issues. Because creative writing has no boundaries, it can be a positive and fulfilling outlet for people who are working through an illness, be it mental or physical. Overall, creative writing allows for a different set of rules and expectations compared to actual writing, which can be a good and bad thing.

2. Techniques for Developing Characters

Free writing – This strategy involves writing uncontrolled for a given period of time about the character. This is generally an effective method for gathering quick, background information which may not be immediately relevant to your story. An extension of this technique is to get someone else to ask questions about your character and immediately respond by writing this information.

Memory approach – This technique involves the character ‘remembering’ key life events, with you then writing these events. This method does run very close to the danger of an information dump but it can add depth to a character, particularly if you can show these important events rather than just writing about them.

Stimulus-response model – This method begins with a situation and elicits reasons for the behavior. The character might start off feeling lonely and turn on the television. You would then ask your character why he is doing this. His response might be that he hoped to hear a familiar voice. This will give you another ‘why’ question and the process will elucidate the character’s psychology (because he’s feeling isolated) and possibly begin revealing his history (perhaps he was always on the move as a child and never made any lasting friendships, which is why he’s feeling isolated now).

3. Plot Development and Story Structure

Plot is a series of events that happen in a story. A well-written plot keeps a reader engrossed and curious to know what will happen next. It is what makes them turn the page, knowing that if they stop, they will be left with a feeling of unease, not knowing what will come of the characters the reader has grown attached to. Step number one for a good plot is often a moment of inspiration that gives you an idea for a “what if ___ happened” question. For example, my two characters are in love, what if one were to suddenly disappear? This is the sort of idea that provokes curiosity. You’ll need to brainstorm these ideas until you find one that really interests you and which you feel has the potential to make a great story. An interesting plot should not be confused with writing purely to entertain yourself. Your plot should have an impact on your reader. Thus, one precept for great plot writing is to write about something that you find very emotional. An event in your own life may well be the inspiration for a good plot. As you will probably not want to write a story directly about yourself, you will find it useful to make the situation in the story different from real life by asking the “what if” question.

Central to any work of fiction is the story. In this section, we try to discover how to create a workable plot and a well-structured story. Novels are a traditional form of storytelling, and many of the principles of good novel writing are also good principles for short story writing. Whether you are writing a novel or a short story, the following advice can help you find your way through creating an interesting and viable plot.

4. Enhancing Descriptive Writing Skills

Right off the bat, so as to make a picture in the brain of the peruser you have to figure out how to paint with words. You should figure out how to utilize equivalent words. In the event that I referenced that a character roared with a voice so uproarious and ground-breaking that it could be heard from one side of the district to the next, would you get a picture in your mind? Presently on the off chance that I stated that a character yelled boisterous and you could hear it far away. The primary model utilizes unquestionably all the more engaging language and sends a lot more grounded picture to the cerebrum. This is the thing that portrays an alluring bit of composing, and it’s truly not all the more difficult to do. A decent method to rehearse this is to record five usual way of doing things and attempt and discover around ten unique words for everyone. Attempt and select express that have an all the more remarkable and engaging meaning. This ought to undoubtedly pick up you increasingly close to home stamp for your English composition too.

Imagining things and putting them into words are significantly extraordinary advantages that are hard to ace. It doesn’t make a difference how much the story is fascinating. Consistently it’s difficult to make the picture in the brain of the peruser you have as a main priority. Be that as it may, don’t stress there are a couple of things you can do to make progress. To gain proficiency with the intensity of the composed word and to drastically build the profundity and excellence of your composition.

5. Tips for Editing and Revising Your Work

It might seem like a time-consuming exercise, but the benefits are multiple. Reading the work aloud makes it easier to spot errors and awkward wording. It’s a great way to make sure the pace and timing of the story flow comfortably and that any necessary exposition isn’t bloated. If your work is dialogue heavy, then reading it aloud is the only way to make sure it sounds consistent and authentic to the character. Now see, didn’t that sound like solid advice?

Tip 3. Read the work aloud

It might seem an ink-wasting tactic of former, less green-friendly times, but as a visual medium, changing your story onto paper for editing is highly beneficial. It’s a fresh perspective for the very little effort involved – a different experience from annotating a document on the computer. It’ll also make the story feel more like a product and change your perception of it. You’ll be surprised how many typos and misplaced sentences you miss on the computer screen, yet spot easily when they’re in print in front of you.

Tip 2. Print out a hard copy

It’s advisable to allow some time to pass before you start editing, so that you can look at your work with a pair of fresh eyes. This is particularly helpful for spotting any glaring omissions or places where the narrative and character motivations don’t follow. Without pausing before you start editing, you may prefer to working together with the draft for all time, and so miss out on the opportunity to think differently about it. A day or two could be the best kind of distance to let your story go, depending on the length of the story.

Tip 1. Wait before revising