Introduction to Creative Writing
So, what is creative writing? Chambers Dictionary defines creative as 'Having the power to create, that creates, showing, pertaining to, imagination, originality' and writing as 'The act of one who writes, that which is written, literary production or composition'. Therefore, the term 'creative writing' may be defined as:
Having the power to create an imaginative, original literary production or composition
and can be applied to a very broad spectrum of writing genres.
Giving Yourself Permission to Write
Due to a common misconception that unless you are a published novelist, you cannot be considered a 'real' writer, novice authors often find it difficult to convince either their nearest and dearest or, indeed, themselves that their desire to write should be taken seriously.
However, even the most famous authors had to start somewhere, so don't be put off by outside pressures. Be assured that your writing is more important than:
- mowing the lawn
- washing the dishes
- cleaning, dusting, gardening or any other similar activity that will keep you from your pen and paper.
One of the first rules a would-be writer learns is to 'write about what you know'. If, however, this rule is taken too literally, few writers would ever gain the requisite knowledge to write an historical romance, murder mystery or science fiction novel.
Far more practical is the advice from bestselling author Martina Cole to 'Write about what you know and if you don't know - find out'.
You don't need to have lived in a previous century, be a murderer or travel in space to write genre fiction. Thorough research into the background against which your story is set should provide you with the factual information you require.
Expert knowledge is invaluable, of course. Years spent in industry or in the legal, nursing or teaching profession; seeing active service in the armed forces; bringing up a family on a low fixed income; working long shifts on a factory assembly line; running and perhaps losing your own business - any one of these and similar experiences offers a wealth of information on which you can draw, but factual accuracy is only one aspect of writing. You also have to find a way to breathe life into the characters featured in your articles and stories and this comes from your experience of personal relationships, both good and bad.
From our earliest memories of childhood through our schooldays to adult friendships, romantic attachments, experiences at work and in our domestic lives, everything that went into forming our character has a part to play in our writing.
