I never really grasped the fact that writing is a gift until I failed severally in my attempts like a dog trying to scale a fence and each time painfully landing on all fours. It was then I realised that even talents have to be nurtured.
Creative writing refers to any form of writing that expresses feelings, thoughts or perceptions. It broadly covers fiction, poetry, non fiction and a few other areas.
You might decide you want to write a short story, a novel, or even a poem you can submit to a website in return for a fee. The first ingredient needed for this meal is passion. The greater your passion, the better the product will be. It’s like the way it is for an actor performing on stage, the audience will only enjoy his craft when he enjoys his own act instead of doing it out of necessity.
It’s true that as a budding writer you tend to get excited after your first attempt and assume you’ve unlocked the treasure but then when you peruse the crafts of others before you, you realise that, “Jack” truly is still very much a learner and needs to master the abc’s.
The rules I might say do equally apply to all forms of creative writing and here they are:
- Write On Familiar Subjects – It’s much like trying to look comfortable in suits when casual is actually your style. The people around will definitely sense your uneasiness just as any reader would sense your poor knowledge of the subject you’re writing on.
- Follow an Order or Sequence – There should be a line of progression to what you’re saying or trying to say it should be like climbing down a flight of stairs. Follow from a beginning to a conclusion. Each section of your work should give a message that properly correlates.
- Show and Don’t Tell – This is a very important rule in the actual act of writing. Be creative enough to give colour and details. Instead of simply stating, give descriptions like a person playing a game of charade but with figures of speech instead of hand gestures. Use similes and metaphors to paint a picture for your readers.
- Avoid Tedious Vocabularies – Your vast knowledge of the english language should not be paraded for your readers. Don’t make it so they have to constantly consult the dictionary before they can understand, it’s becomes exhausting for them.
It is easier to understand that rejection by editors is very much a part of the process, many writers today have gone through it, what they simply did was refuse to give up.
This article was written by Mercy Godwin; connect with her on IG here