Creative Writing Techniques

Creative writing techniques are what are required when writing a children's book. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to write a children's book. If you look through a few pages of some children's books you may laugh and think, "I can do that." then maybe you can get inspired with ideas to start your own project.

There are generally only three age groups for children's books, the 3-7 year olds listener/readers the intermediate readers 8-12, and the teenage readers 13-18. Spend time looking at children's books and looking at their titles and book covers at your local library to give you ideas.

A really simple story can keep young readers quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next. Provide your readers with plenty of action to keep them enthralled. Try to learn different writing styles for children it can be a real eye-opener. Experiment with this until you find your comfort level.

It is important to use different creative writing techniques in all your formats. There are many different kinds of writing from newspaper and magazine articles right through the spectrum to writing novels and books on a multitude of different subjects. It's imperative that you study to keep improving your writing.

You must make yourself comfortable and be where you will not be disturbed so you can focus properly on improving your writing skills. I would recommend to you that you should set aside at least 30 minutes a day for your writing. You should allow nothing to get in the way and prevent you from writing every single day, by practising every day you will improve your writing skills.

The realism is that the only way to really improve your skills is to write. Reading will help to improve your vocabulary and also the understanding of the written word. Within the written language there are phrases and structures that don't appear anywhere else and understanding these will improve the body of your writing.

Structuring your creative writing techniques is a must at all times. When you begin to write start to share what you've written. It's possible that you may receive some criticism, but some of it may well be constructive or maybe not but that's life.

Write down bullet points to give you a thought for the next few lines or paragraph basically you are setting up topics for the next few hundred words. You need to select a structure this is the order that you will get your points across to create compelling stories.

You always need a good headline or subject line that is relevant to what your subject project is to make it interesting for your readers to carry on reading. Now that you have got their attention you can deliver the bones and meat of the message you are trying to get across.

As you get the inspiration to get your writing done you will then feel more creatively satisfied as a result. Try to identify the really important issues to you about your writing and prioritise your writing time. Try to split the information throughout your document to make it easier for the reader to mentally absorb. Writing a book involves an important balancing act between the vision that you have and want and the words that you put onto the pages that you write.

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Creative Writing - Writing Fiction

Creative Writing can be overwhelming, especially if you are a novice attempting to come up with the perfect idea for your first novel. There are so many great writers, so many stories have already been told, and new ones are being published every day. You may feel intimidated and think that there may not be any stories left to tell.
How will yours differ? Can you write something that will be praised or will it just be a pale lookalike in the eyes of your peers? Where will you end up in the never ending stream of wannabe storytellers?

Every idea that comes to mind is criticized, cut down and thrown out with the trash.

Space and Time:

Your mind wanders off through the universe, in search of new planets or aliens, ideas begin to take form, moons, stars, spaceships, you've seen it too many times, give up, and warp back to reality, wondering if there ever lived a worm in a wormhole.

Underwater:

Now that's an idea! Underwater cities - taken, man-eating sharks - taken, mutating fish, mermaids, submarines, you're drowning, and decide that you really didn't want to get your feet wet anyway, as a giant squid hangs you up to dry off.

Fantasy:

That's got to be easy, it's just make believe, imagination... You can have mad beasts, winged horses, fairies, even talking animals, a few wizards maybe...oh no, you forgot the magic words, and you spilled the potion on your draft.

Romance:

Tears come to your eyes as you think up the scenes to the best love-story ever, who could write a romance novel if not you. You live and breathe it every day. Waiting for prince charming to knock on your door, ready to throw yourself into his arms and hide your tear stained face at his muscular chest. You take his hand and ride off into the horizon and as the sun sets you become one.

Creative Writing gives you power! You have the entire known and unknown universe at your fingertips. You have the power to manipulate, to build and create, to do anything.

Anything and everything - do you feel that power?

You and only you can tell the story!

Create alternate universes, non existing planets, beings never imagined before. Cities, rivers, forests and mountains unknown to man, uncharted lands lie before and beyond you. People or aliens, different races and species, with fiction there are no boundaries or limits. You are the creator!

Mad, evil, loving, dumb, they are putty in your mind's eye, add or take away. Make them all suffer for eternity or let them live happily ever after. Give them the breath of life or send them to their death. They laugh, they cry, you are in control. Life and death are in your hands!

Did you ever think that creative writing could be so empowering?

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Should You Attend an MFA Program in Creative Writing?

You have always wanted to become a writer and have considered getting a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing but aren't sure if you want to invest the time and money.

The question: Should I apply for a Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing?

The answer: It depends.

Instead of leaving it there, let's examine this in detail and see if we can work through a process for making a good decision about whether or not an MFA program is right for you.

Creative writing (both fiction and creative non-fiction) is something that many of us want to do well, and if we can get paid for it, so much the better. While an MFA in creative writing is not required for success as a writer, focused study of the art and craft of writing will help most people. Of course, as I write this, there is a minority of writers - some with MFAs - who will say that an MFA program will hurt certain writers and detrimentally alter their specific style or creative uniqueness. While that may be true in a few cases, as a rule, most of us would benefit from focused training and awareness of writing that will come as part of an MFA program. An MFA program is a big investment in time (2-5 years depending on full or part-time attendance, and whether it is a traditional or low-residence program), and in money (from $15,000 - $35,000 for most programs).

In order to figure out if an MFA program is right for you, you have to seriously consider what your ultimate goal as a writer is. For example, an MFA in creative writing will benefit almost any writer in five ways:

1. It will make you feel like a writer and identify yourself as a writer. (This may actually be the most important thing an MFA program can do for a writer.)

2. You will have time to write, and you will in fact have external and internal deadlines imposed on you - you will have to produce material.

3. You will learn to give and receive well thought out criticism of a piece of poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction (depending on your program orientation).

4. Your writing will improve - if you work at it - because you will focus on improving your skill as a writer and will receive continuous, close feedback on how you are crafting specific work.

5. You will likely make some contacts through the program that may help you in submitting polished work, and, if this is your objective, finding employment in teaching or publishing.

Thus, most MFA programs will improve your writing and will give you a "terminal degree" that will allow you to either teach creative writing or work in publishing. A terminal degree means that the MFA is the accepted top-degree in the field of "creative writing", and is the degree you need to teach at the college and university level. While there are a number of programs offering Ph.Ds in creative writing, the MFA is the mainstay and you don't need a doctorate to teach or find employment.

All of the above are good things, and I would not want to talk anyone out of going down the MFA route if that is what they want, but if your goal in not academia or publishing work, then an MFA may not be the right route for you. There are as many (or more) successful writers without MFAs as there are with MFAs. Now, let's examine some other routes to improving your writing that do not result in MFA degrees.

First, you have to examine critically, and as objectively as possible, where your specific level of writing is at, and what your weaknesses are. This critical self-assessment will allow you to work to find training and mentorship outside of an MFA program to improve your skills. Options to improve your writing are many, but a few are:

- Reading books on craft.

- Attending short workshops and classes (either online or in person).

- Attending a course in writing (this can be at a local college, community center, or a writing center.)

- Finding a mentor who is a more experienced writer or an editor.

- Joining or forming a critique group (this can be online or in person).

- Write a lot and try and improve with each piece you write.

Let's face it, MFA programs are expensive and they take time. But for some, they offer the structure and the time needed to improve your writing and reach your goals. However, if you have a modicum of self-discipline and the internal fortitude to critically assess your weaknesses, you can design a program of seminars, conferences, and classes to make similar improvements that you would in an MFA program.

Graduation from an MFA program does not guarantee success, but no creative endeavors does. An MFA program (and I caveat this with saying, a "good MFA program") will offer a pre-travelled path to improve your writing and gain the confidence and contacts to get you started as a writer. That said, in the end, you still have to sit down and write. An MFA program won't do this for you. You have to get your butt in the chair and put words down on paper or up on your computer screen.

In the end, the decision on attending an MFA program or working on your own to improve your writing is a very individual one. Every writers situation will be different. However, with some focused thought and self-analysis, you can make the decision that is right for you.

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