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Who you, a Guru? After you read these 18 Creative Writing tips, you'll be one. But we're looking to recruit a Guru to blog, write a 101 tip Creative Writing book, and become a leader of this community.
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Writing ExercisesBelow are several archived tips from the former “Writing Exercises” category. Though the following tips have all been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus. Writing Prompt: The Telephone Call Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a brief story which begins "in medias res" with a telephone call. Have one of the callers inform the other of some event that has taken place. Begin writing after the call has begun and end it before the characters hang up. In other words, just focus on the dialogue and building tension within the scene. No more than 500 words. A Word on Creativity Exercises Tip edited by James Gapinski These exercises are designed to boost your creativity and show you that the possibilities for story ideas are endless. For exercise purposes, try to keep them to 500 words or less. You may choose to develop them into full stories later, but for now just focus on the task described. Non-Human Narrators Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a story from the point of view of a non-human. This can mean an alien, an animal, or a chest of drawers. The unconventional source of narration frees your creativity and allows you to have some fun with the story. It gives you an excuse to play with dialogue or try your hand at being funny. What are you most ashamed of? Tip edited by James Gapinski The superlatives in our lives--the most frightening, most hilarious, etc.--are the seeds for our stories. Try writing a story about something from your past that you are ashamed of. Don´t write about something that happened within the last year--it must be something you have gained perspective on. Beauty and the Beast: The Magic of Character Pairs Tip edited by James Gapinski Sometimes you can create fictional magic just by placing two opposing characters in the same room. Consider opposites or "incompatibles" from real life that might make sparks on the page. Personalities that breed conflict create increased readability. Characterization Tip edited by James Gapinski Take a few moments and answer the following questions about the protagonist in your story. This will help you generate ideas about where the story will go and how it will develop during revision. Keep in mind that there may and can be multiple answers for each. * What does my character want? * What does he or she fear? * How does he or she deal with his emotions? * What are his or her social and intimate relationships like? * What are his or her past experiences, and how does he or she regard them? * What does he or her view (or not view) as personal responsibilities? * What elements of the spiritual does he or she exhibit, and how does he or she deal with them? * What does he or she do for a living? * What does he or she do for leisure? * What failures does he or she secretly feel accountable for? * What biases or prejudices motivate his or her behavior? * Are there any "catch phrases" or verbal quips that are unique to him or her? * Does he or she dream at night? If so, of what? * Where does he or she go in daydreams? * What strikes him or her as humorous/non-humorous? * What does he or she take seriously or fail to take seriously? Other Resources: The University of Iowa Writing Center: "Writing Exercises for Creative Fiction Writers - Characertization." Point of View Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a story that employs more than one point of view. The exercise focuses your attention on point of narration, so that you are conscious of things like physical observations, language, and personal biases unique to each individual character. Other Resources: Writer's Digest: "Fiction: Point of View," by Steve Almond. Dialogue Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a story in which one character tries to "sell an idea" to another. Focus on the verbal exchange as one character attempts to persuade the other, and on heightening the tension throughout the scene. Begin in medias res, don´t worry about getting us in to the scene. Other Resources: Poe War Writer's Resource Center: "12 Exercises for Improving Dialogue," by J. C. Hewitt. Writer's Write: "Screenwriting Writing Exercises - Dialogue," by Stephen J. Cannell. Barnes & Noble: Write Great Fiction: Dialogue, by Gloria Kempton; 2004 (book). The Liar Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a story in which one character is clearly lying. This can be either the narrator or another character. You´ll want to focus on peeling away the layers of truth and untruth--the non-liar(s) will inwardly and outwardly wrestle this out. Writing Prompt: The Dinner Party Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a story centered entirely around a dinner party. One of the characters should be mysterious in some way, inspiring the other guests to ponder and discuss him or her. Character Driven Plot Tip edited by James Gapinski A good plot always traces back to character elements. Characters find themselves in situations and must act and react to those situations as best they can. Consider this as you construct the plot of your story. As a pre-writing exercise, make a list of situations your character might find him or herself in. Then, in a separate column, try and predict what might happen based on what you know about the character. Writing Prompt: Given First Line Tip edited by James Gapinski Write a story beginning with this line: "I didn´t hear you come in last night." Other Resources: Short Story Ideas: "First Lines" Word MagickBelow are several archived tips from the former “Word Magick” category. Though some tips have been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus.
Modifiers should only be used when the noun they describe can't stand alone. The object of good writing is to get sentences distilled to their simplest, most resonant forms. When you must use an adjective or an adverb, make it a sharp one that makes the noun stronger. Carefully edit your writing for modifiers that don't add anything. Connect with words, create better fiction Words are the electrons and protons of fiction. Therefore, it is important to connect with them, explore them, tap into their subtler meanings. The next time you edit a story, focus closely on each and every individual word. Are they as specific as you can get them? Do they roll around on the tongue, or evoke sensory responses? Do they contribute to the punch and flow of your writing? If the answer to any of these is no, begin making lists of "fatter" words that could replace the weaker ones. Thought, energy, and writing Words are thoughts in concrete form. And what are thoughts but energy rising in your mind to produce an idea and an accompanying emotion? Think about this when you choose words. You aren't just saying something. You're giving the energy of your unique thoughts a form and a shape that only you can give it. This is why spells and religious chants/songs have such meaning for their creators as well as their receivers, and why they are powerful. Writing is a sacred act, and therefore each word you put on paper must be the best, most descriptive, most concrete you can choose. If you're not careful, you might end up saying something you didn't mean or want to say! Keep Track of Interesting Words As a writer, you should develop a curiosity about the origins, meanings, and various connotations of a given word. Try devoting a page or two in the back of your journal to interesting words you run across in your reading. Writing them down will make it more likely that you incorporate them into your writing. Succinct, simple words Words should act as a switch, clicking on an image or idea. They should be specific and succinct. Phrases such as “he was her everything” are simply too vague, allowing the reader to insert his own interpretations of what you mean to say. Vocabulary Enrichment Resources Below is a list of books that will help you improve your writerly vocabulary. The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate, by Eugene Ehrlich. The Idea's the ThingBelow are several archived tips from the former “The Idea’s the Thing” category. Though some tips have been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus. Stories from life experience Tip edited by James Gapinski The Tip: Fiction doesn´t have to mean you make everything up. You can pull stories from your own life experience or borrow them from other people. Don´t be afraid to write your own life story. A Note from the Guru: The former Life Tips Guru that posted this tip suggested "Just be sure you have had sufficient time to gain perspective on your own trials and tribulations. Only in hindsight do we see the whole picture." While this is partially true, I'd also suggest that you can gain perspective through the writing process itself. Creative writing can be a mechanism for working through complex emotions and issues in your life, fleshing out your true thoughts on paper. Beauty and the Beast: The magic of character pairs Sometimes you can create fictional magic just by placing two opposing characters in the same room. Consider opposites or "incompatibles" from real life that might make sparks on the page: *Spunky waitress and self-absorbed tycoon Try making your own pairs--it doesn’t have to be about romance. It’s about personalities that breed conflict and thus readability. People watching Tip edited by James Gapinski If you´re looking for a fresh story element, try eavesdropping in the park or while riding the subway. Carry a notebook around with you. Jot down the wacky things people say and do. Describe an unusual looking person you see on the street, and try to imagine what his life might be like. Our best story ideas sometimes come from strangers we never get to meet. Situations The seeds for stories are often in situation. On a piece of paper, make a list of common situations in which conflict might arise. Let your imagination take over, and experiment with varying degrees of magnitude. My suggestions are: *Getting a root canal Now make your own list. Be creative! Small moments of time Stories often come out of small moments, in which there is only time enough to perform a brief task or action. Think of things that happen in your life that, while taking only a moment our of your day, can nonetheless become important. My examples: *Reading a letter addressed to someone else Any one of these could combine with character elements to create a readable story. Now make your own list. Be creative! Character´s struggle with himself Faulkner said that the only thing worth writing about was the struggle characters had with themselves. Generate story ideas along this line. ResourcesBelow are several archived tips from the old “Resources” category. Though some tips have been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus. Research companies in your area Create a list of companies in your area that would be likely to hire writers. Brainstorm!! Send job query letters to magazines, newspapers, online firms, university communications & development departments, etc. General Online Resources This site contains an exhaustive list of places you can go online to get advice, job leads, and support for your writing career. http://minerva.stkate.edu/offices/administrative/careerdev.nsf/pages/links4writing#gen Major style resources for today´s writer Writers trying to publish today should be familiar with the following style guides. Doubtless you know MLA from your college term paper days, but Chicago style is an equally important thing to know--many "non-literary" markets will prefer it. Modern Language Association (style guide) http://www.mla.org/ Chicago Manual of Style http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/ American Spoken English http://www.spokenamericanenglish.com/ Online Workshops Need a class but have no time? Consider an online class. Do some digging on the internet. Choose a course that is run by people with M.A. or M.F.A writing degrees or at least a solid list of publications. Your college Career Services office You may have forgotten all about those perky people in Career Services because you graduated ages ago. But did you know that as an alum you are still entitled to their help? Give them a call. Successful graduates often list open positions exclusively with their alma mater’s Career office. They looooooove filling positions in their companies with people from their old school--even years down the road. Searching for a job online Set up search agents on sites like JournalismJobs.com & MediaBistro.com. The writing resource site Sunoasis.com keeps lists and features detailed articles about searching online. Be proactive with the listings you find--thousands of other people are also pulling them up on their computers, so you’ll want to act quickly. Online writing communities For Writers.com http://www.forwriters.com/ The Online Writery http://www.missouri.edu/~writery/fun.html Writing.com Online Community (I have an account with them, it’s a great community.) http://www.writing.com/?rfrc=stories.com&rfrt=www Zuzu’s Petals Literary Resources http://www.zuzu.com/index.htm Writer Groups Research writing groups in your area by internet search. I found several in my city by searching under "state/city & writer group". Also check out this list, organized by genre/audience/subject matter. http://www.writerswrite.com/groups.htm Adult Education & Distance Learning This site on Yahoo will help you find a writing course in your area that you can attend after work or in your spare time. Check your local yellow pages for Adult Education institutes in your area. http://dir.yahoo.com/Education/Distance_Learning/Adult_and_Continuing_Education/ Network It gets said a lot, but it’s true. The best jobs are had because you take the time to make a contact in your desired industry. Call HR reps at companies you think might have room for writers and get their input on your chances. Chances are, they’ll be willing to have you come in for a chat. HR reps are skilled at sizing people up to see if they would fit a job or a company--so have your portfolio ready and be able to say in detail what you’re looking for in a position and why you’re interested in that company. Seminars Check the Events page on websites of local colleges and universities for seminars, weekend workshops, etc., that may be free or very economical. Promoting Your Site Have your site blasted to loads of search engines to ensure plenty of hits. Click the button below for a quick, easy submission. Add Me! Publications that will help you find homes for your work 1. THE WRITER’S MARKET (published each year) A book that lists markets for journals, magazines, etc. This is available in the bookstore, but since it is an annual publication, I recommend consulting one in a library. 2. POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE--www.pw.org/index.html A good general resource. Lists contests, deadlines, etc., as well as articles useful to writers who want to publish. 3. WEBSITES of individual journals--will have a page for submissions guidelines. 4. YOUR HUMBLE GURU I keep lists of journals & their stats on hand & would be happy to suggest one for you. Or if you would like an exhaustive list, give a yell for that too. University Writing Programs More and more schools are offering instruction and degrees in creative writing. These are good if you want to immerse yourself in an intensive writers community, and thus will require considerable investments of time and finances. Research programs on this list to find one that’s right for you. http://www.gradschools.com/listings/menus/creative_write_menu.html Find Resources in CraigsList From finding a local writer's group where you can get your work read and critiqued, to finding writing jobs, CraigList is a great resource to help you with all your creative writing endeavors. Just be careful of scams- don't send money over the internet and meet writing groups in public places! http://www.craigslist.org General Links The Writers Market http://www.writersmarket.com Sunoasis www.sunoasis.com Careers in Writing http://minerva.stkate.edu/offices/administrative/careerdev.nsf/pages/links4writing#gen PubList www.publist.com Bookwire http://www.bookwire.com/bookwire/ BookTalk http://www.booktalk.com/ Writers Digest http://www.writersdigest.com/101sites/2002_index.asp Literary Marketplace http://www.literarymarketplace.com/lmp/us/index_us.asp Basic Web Design for Writers If you want a writing career these days, it doesn´t hurt to be literate in either HTML or Java. Fortunately, neither is difficult to learn, and you can easily pick them up from the slew of online tutorials available. EchoEcho.com has tons of web design resources to get you started. http://www.echoecho.com/ Create a Free Writing Website In order to get your writing out there, you can build a free website at several different websites, including http://www.freewebs.com and http://www.wordpress.com. Additionally, there are many free resources out there that can help you create the website that you want. http://www.bravenet.com is one of my favorites. Reading ListsBelow are several archived tips from the former “Reading Lists” category. Though some tips have been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus. Fiction Reading List--Novels Caramelo--Sandra Cisneros Winter Range--Claire Davis Love Medicine--Louise Erdrich Plainsong--Kent Haruf Beloved--Toni Morrison Sweet Hearts--Melanie Rae Thon Books on Writing Reading List What If: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers--Anne Bernays & Pamela Painter Fiction Reading List--Short Stories Trash--Dorothy Allison A Relative Stranger--Charles Baxter Among the Missing--Dan Chaon Woman Hollering Creek--Sandra Cisneros The Cage Keeper--Andre Dubus III The Stories of Breece DJ Pancake--Breece DJ Pancake Out of the Girls Room, Into the Night--Thisbe Nissen PoetryBelow are several archived tips from the “Poetry” category. Though some tips have been edited by the current guru, James Gapinski, most are the original creations of past Life Tips gurus. Simple words say the most The rule of thumb for writing clean, precise verse is this: the simplest word that still conveys your meaning is best. Anything fluffier is just getting in the way. Don´t write like you´ve got all the answers A good poem will avoid being a vehicle for the author’s foregone conclusions about life. Writing is about the discovery process, not about beating readers over the head with your own divine wisdom. Likewise, avoid hifalutin, bombastic-sounding talk that is more words than meaning. To rhyme or not to rhyme? Rhyming is a personal choice best made in light of the piece’s needs. Some people simply detest poetry that rhymes, while others don’t recognize free verse. Most of us probably reside somewhere in the middle, respecting verse that is simply good. For myself, a poem is good if its images are evocative, its language strong, and its meaning clear. Whether or not it rhymes is rather a minor consideration. If you choose to rhyme, keep it light and use it only where you don’t have to force words into rhyme. If you have to sacrifice clean lines of verse to make it rhyme, better to stick with free verse. Tight, clean verse Since a poem is a *highly compressed* form of writing, ALL words must be relevant, well-chosen, and evocative. Working words, in other words. Edit your verse for words which, standing alone, say or add nothing. Scan for cliche’s and trite-sounding language. Verbs should be active, adjectives descriptive, and adverbs nearly always absent. The rule of thumb for editing your verse is this: the simplest word that still conveys your meaning is best. Anything fluffier is just getting in the way. Poetry resources online The Poetry Page (Cornell Univ.) http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/lit/poetry.html Journal Writing as an Aid Journal-writing can be a help to isolating your voice. Take note of the issues you find yourself gravitating toward. The ways in which you close off trains of thought. What kind of sensory information you include in your descriptions. Work at exaggerating these things. Pretend that you are a character speaking in the first person about his or her experiences. You will find the pages of your journal filling up. And you might get a new poem out of it. Isolate and Target Problem Areas Periodically take stock of areas in your writing that are giving you trouble. Images? Building enough tension in the piece? Language fresh enough? Do exercises that target these areas and help you improve. This "spot training" will do wonders for your writing. Build on Concrete Detail Good writing, whatever the form or genre, depends on its use of concrete details and images. A poem will only resonate with the reader if it exists in the realm of the five senses. Bring your poem down from the abstract. When speaking of love, offer details and images from the senses that indicate why your take on the subject is unique. Emulate, but don´t Imitate It’s fine to be influenced by the style of writers you admire. But be careful that you are not simply imitating what they do. You must write in your own voice, with your own diction, and about the things that matter to you. Finding your style Don’t worry about making your mark, or finding your individual "flair" just yet. Certainly experiment with types of writing, but in the beginning, just focus on the emotion and language involved in producing solid verse. Your individual flair--already in you, I promise--will develop when you have mastered certain basics. Glossary of Poetic Terms This glossary is a good refresher and a great resource if you’re just starting out and want to know which techniques and devices are available to you. http://www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html Communities & Organizations Academy of American Poets http://www.poets.org/ Keep a Goals Log It helps to put goals in writing. Before you go to bed at night, jot down what you hope to accomplish in the next day´s work session. Note whether or not you are meeting these goals. This is helpful, especially if you are working on multiple projects. Writing to rewrite When you´re working on a first draft of something, just WRITE. Get the emotions, the character motivations, etc., on paper. Save time-consuming edits for later. We write to rewrite! A Notebook of the Senses Carry a small notebook around with you, in which you can write things you observe in the world around you. A kicky line of dialogue on the subway, an unusual animal, a smell in a coffee shop, a dispute between two lovers. The notebook can be your database for sensory material. You can thumb through it when you’re blocked and jump-start your creative juices. A Writer´s Routine If you’re going to fully tap your creativity, you need to write within a predictable routine each session. Go with what works and feels natural for YOU. Your friend might work well at 6am, but that’s not true of everybody. *Try to write at the same time every day *Minimize distractions--take the phone off the hook, don’t work in site of the fridge or TV. *Take meal and stretch breaks at pre-set times, if possible. Language How is your language? Is it fresh and snappy? Do you make good use of sensory material? Are there any sentences which contain vague, unclear, or unhelpful wording? Are there any inappropriately abstract phrases? Are there any word packages which convey unearned emotion or lack freshness? (Ex., "Something broke inside me," "one thing led to another," "once upon a time," etc.) Be an observer Good poetry resides in its author´s observations. Always remember when trying to get an idea across that you are the reader´s eyes and ears on the subject you´re writing about. Characterization in poetry Poetry doesn’t always mean you just vent your own pain and suffering on the page. Think also in terms of characterization. Like in fiction, you can write from any point of view you want, and about situations you haven’t experienced. That’s the beauty of writing, you can go where life itself doesn’t even take you. |
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