How to Write Creatively
Keep a small notebook, or use your phone, to constantly record ideas, lines, and characters., Try mixing and matching two ideas you've never seen before., Read and watch non-fiction books and documentaries to gain real-world inspiration., Consider...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Keep a small notebook
Inspiration comes in many places, but one of the places it never seems to come is when you sit down and tell yourself to "come up with an idea." Take the pressure off of your writing days by recording ideas all day, every day.
From lines you overhear that make you laugh to sudden stories that burst into your mind, keep track of ideas throughout the day, not just when you sit at the computer. -
Step 2: or use your phone
There are no completely original ideas in writing
-- everything builds off of other work, real life events, and new combinations of other art forms to form something "new" from the old.
But this is incredibly freeing, allowing you to experiment and play with crazy new ideas and combinations to make something no one has quite seen before.
House was a brilliant, but simple combination of medical dramas with one-off "murder mystery" type shows, swapping medical diagnosis for detective work.
Star Wars is a typical hero's quest, with the plot ripped straight from the oldest known Greek stories.
George Lucas's genius? Simply setting it in space.
The collected works of William Shakespeare are full of "artistic theft," as almost every one of his plays was a brilliant amalgamation of other plays, books, and historical records. , Pay attention to the news, read a biography that catches your eye, and watch documentaries and series.
What sorts of issues, stories, and ideas grab you? Are there perspectives that would be fun to write from, or that you've never heard from creatively? The world around you is filled with inspiration, so use it.
Try writing from the perspective of the people you see on the news.
You understand the facts of a war or struggle, but try to actually imagine living it.
Creative writing doesn't have to be fiction.
What stories from your life speak out to you as potentially exciting or compelling stories. , This isn't for every writer, but everyone should at least try group writing or brainstorming.
It usually works best when someone brings an initial idea in: "what if the Terracotta warriors were really alive," allowing everyone to pitch in ideas and build on the initial idea until it's built into a story worth telling.
Almost all writers enjoy having at least one person to bounce ideas off.
Frequently, just vocalizing your plots or ideas can make them much clearer and easier to write. , Just start typing, and don't let yourself stop for at least five minutes.
Write everything that comes to mind, following ideas and threads until you get distracted or bored, then write about something else.
This doesn't have to turn into anything
-- rather, free writing is the equivalent of stretching for athletes.
You get out of your head and onto the page-- the first step towards getting your writing groove going.
Look online at collections of "free writing prompts." There are thousands of ideas out there to spark your creative juices and get the writing flowing, even if only for a few minutes.
Rewrite passages from your favorite books
-- many famous authors, from Billy Collins to Cormac McCarthy, literally re-wrote favorite chapters to learn from the best. -
Step 3: to constantly record ideas
-
Step 4: and characters.
-
Step 5: Try mixing and matching two ideas you've never seen before.
-
Step 6: Read and watch non-fiction books and documentaries to gain real-world inspiration.
-
Step 7: Consider brainstorming with a close friend or group
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Step 8: tossing ideas around together.
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Step 9: Sit down at the computer and type something
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Step 10: anything
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Step 11: to get started.
Detailed Guide
Inspiration comes in many places, but one of the places it never seems to come is when you sit down and tell yourself to "come up with an idea." Take the pressure off of your writing days by recording ideas all day, every day.
From lines you overhear that make you laugh to sudden stories that burst into your mind, keep track of ideas throughout the day, not just when you sit at the computer.
There are no completely original ideas in writing
-- everything builds off of other work, real life events, and new combinations of other art forms to form something "new" from the old.
But this is incredibly freeing, allowing you to experiment and play with crazy new ideas and combinations to make something no one has quite seen before.
House was a brilliant, but simple combination of medical dramas with one-off "murder mystery" type shows, swapping medical diagnosis for detective work.
Star Wars is a typical hero's quest, with the plot ripped straight from the oldest known Greek stories.
George Lucas's genius? Simply setting it in space.
The collected works of William Shakespeare are full of "artistic theft," as almost every one of his plays was a brilliant amalgamation of other plays, books, and historical records. , Pay attention to the news, read a biography that catches your eye, and watch documentaries and series.
What sorts of issues, stories, and ideas grab you? Are there perspectives that would be fun to write from, or that you've never heard from creatively? The world around you is filled with inspiration, so use it.
Try writing from the perspective of the people you see on the news.
You understand the facts of a war or struggle, but try to actually imagine living it.
Creative writing doesn't have to be fiction.
What stories from your life speak out to you as potentially exciting or compelling stories. , This isn't for every writer, but everyone should at least try group writing or brainstorming.
It usually works best when someone brings an initial idea in: "what if the Terracotta warriors were really alive," allowing everyone to pitch in ideas and build on the initial idea until it's built into a story worth telling.
Almost all writers enjoy having at least one person to bounce ideas off.
Frequently, just vocalizing your plots or ideas can make them much clearer and easier to write. , Just start typing, and don't let yourself stop for at least five minutes.
Write everything that comes to mind, following ideas and threads until you get distracted or bored, then write about something else.
This doesn't have to turn into anything
-- rather, free writing is the equivalent of stretching for athletes.
You get out of your head and onto the page-- the first step towards getting your writing groove going.
Look online at collections of "free writing prompts." There are thousands of ideas out there to spark your creative juices and get the writing flowing, even if only for a few minutes.
Rewrite passages from your favorite books
-- many famous authors, from Billy Collins to Cormac McCarthy, literally re-wrote favorite chapters to learn from the best.
About the Author
Brian Castillo
Brings years of experience writing about hobbies and related subjects.
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