May | 14 | 2008

Creative Writing: How To Get Started

Posted by Jimmy as Blog Tutorial, Opinion, Tips, Writing

In my last post, I talked about the role of creative writing in blog writing. We have a comment from one of our readers, Nancy, which I think warrants mention in this follow up post. She emphasizes the importance of achieving a balance between creative writing and informative writing. So as you try your hand at creative writing, try to bear in mind that balance that you have to achieve.

So what do you need for creative writing? I would say your imagination and a conversational tone – nothing else. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and think about what would entice you to read further. Need something more practical? Here are a few things I learned from Seton Hill’s article on 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers. Though the article is aimed at short story writers, there are some points that we can use for blogs.

Write a catchy first paragraph is one of them. The illustration given in the article is as follows:

Instead of writing “I heard my neighbor through the wall” write something like “The neighbor behind us practiced scream therapy in his shower almost every day.” The rationale behind this? The first sentence is too dry while the second one creates an image that makes the reader wonder – why does he scream? – and entices him to read on.

Another idea is to make good use of setting and context. Build up your entry by including details. Exploit the different senses – sight, smell, hearing, touch – and describe the ambiance as best you can.

These are simple tricks and tips but I am sure that you will be able to make much use of them.

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