Improving Your Creative Writing Skill

Improving Your Creative Writing Skills

By JAWorley

One – A Learned Talent

Some might say that a good writer is just born with this mysterious talent, and that it cannot be taught.  In truth, while there are people with a certain knack for some things, every writer has to start somewhere, and every writer must learn from mistakes and from other writers in order to improve their own natural skill.  You too can become a wonderfully creative writer if you learn how to take constructive criticism and learn how to use your eyes to spot the things you like and learn to emulate those things.  Along with this also comes learning what you do not like however, and avoiding these things.

Two – Your Writing Style

Somewhere in those fingers of yours is your own unique writing style.  How do you know what it is?  Well, you might not know what your style is yet, and that’s perfectly fine.  It’s time to find who you are as a writer and this is done with a combination of two things: reading and practice.

1) Reading

I truly believe that the good writers never stop being readers.  If you’re a sci-fi writer, read all the sci-fi you can get your hands on, and if you find an author you really like, read all of their works.  If you’re a fantasy writer, read fantasy.  If there’s a series you like, try finding some fan-fiction online.

Reading will help you do numerous things, such as build your vocabulary, see how other writers make certain situations work, give you a feel for the flow of words, and let you see the proper structure of sentences and paragraphs, as well as chapters and the entire book.  If you can pick up on these things through reading then you have an innate talent and a keen eye and things will become much easier for you as you practice your own writing skills.

When I began writing I picked an author I liked and tried to emulate her writing in my first story.  It was a six month endeavor writing my first full length work (600 pages typed in Word), but in emulating that author’s writing, I began to deviate from that style at points and my own began to emerge.  It gave me a starting place and I was able to jump off and on when I needed or wanted to.

Reading fan-fiction has many advantages when it comes to improving your writing skill.  First, you will be able to read about the same characters in different ways by many different writers.  This will help you to spot the many varied writing styles as opposed to reading all of the works by one author.

You will also be able to begin seeing some of the styles you like, as opposed to the ones you don’t.  Reading fan-fiction will also give you an idea of the things that just irritate the fire out of you, and therefore which things to stay away from.

While reading fan-fiction you may even become inspired to write some, which leads into our second point of finding your own style: practice.

2) Practice

Your writing style will grow and change multiple times as you practice writing a variety of different things.  It’s a good idea to keep all of your work so that you can look back on it at a later date to see how you’ve grown as a writer.  You may even want to date all your writing to help in this endeavor.

As I mentioned before you may want to pick a writer, or several writers to emulate.  Try writing different short or long stories emulating different writers.  Feel free during these endeavors to allow your own writing style to shine through when you feel it wants to jump out and do what it wants.

When you practice (as all writing is in reality, just practice) then feel free to experiment with different stylistic things (which we’ll cover later).  Experimentation will help you find who you are as a writer.  The important thing is, you will never know if you don’t try.

Three – Editing

It’s a good idea as you practice to edit your work as you go, and when you’re finished with each piece of it.  No reader enjoys reading a story with bad grammar or punctuation, strange sentence structures or words repeated twice.

A key to good editing is to read it out loud.  You can catch a lot while reading silently to yourself, but when you read something out loud certain things will just jump out at you when you hear it, that you might not catch in your head.

Please do not count on spell checker and the grammar checker on your word processing software, because the computer can be wrong… a lot.  A good rule of thumb is to look a the things the computer has marked wrong, but keep in mind that it can be wrong.  If you believe its wrong than ignore it.  You can always check grammar rules on line if you don’t know what the grammar checker is talking about.  But for instance, if you have a very short sentence it will pop up and tell you that it’s a fragment and you should fix it.  You may have wanted a short sentence for some sort of dramatic effect however, so this would be a good time to ignore the computer, which knows nothing at all about style.

If you know little to nothing about punctuation (periods, commas, semi-colons, dashes, etc) then please look online for the rules about punctuation.  The first step to becoming a good writer is knowing how to use punctuation.  Nobody wants to read a paragraph with no periods or commas used in all the wrong places.

You may also want to consider having someone you trust who is good at writing go over your work and edit it for you.  It is of course necessary to learn to take constructive criticism and use it to your advantage to become a better writer.  In the online world an editor is called a ‘beta’ especially in the realm of fan-fiction, and can be an invaluable resource.  Also in the world of fan-fiction you will have the chance to receive reviews.  You can take them with a grain of salt if you feel the reviewer or beta doesn’t know what they’re talking about, but it’s always good to at least consider what advice has been given to you.

Four – Stylistic Devices

Variety

As they say: variety is the spice of life… and as I say, variety is the life of a story, at least in sentence structure.  Pick a novel off the shelf and flip through the pages to where there is a lot of dialog.  Pay attention to how speakers are introduced and differentiated and you will see some variety (hopefully).  Both in and between paragraphs there needs to be some variety in words. Take a look at the two examples below to get a feel for what I mean.

Example #1

Peter jumped down from the rocky ledge and startled as he heard a wild cry from somewhere above him.  He looked up and shaded his eyes against the sun.  He began to run when he saw the enormous winged beast swooping down to attack him.  He ran quickly towards the tree line and hoped he would make it in time.  He finally made it, although he was out of breath.

Example #2

Peter jumped down from the rocky ledge and startled as he heard a wild cry from somewhere above him.  Looking up, he shaded his eyes against the sun.  Panic making his heart race, Peter took off at a run when he saw the enormous winged beast swooping down to attack him.  He ran quickly towards the tree line and hoped he would make it in time.  Out of breath, Peter finally made it, although he counted it a miracle as he heard the beast utter its terrible cry again from above the thick trees.

Do you notice a difference between the first and second example?  Go through example one and count the number of times ‘he’ is written, and then do the same for the second example.  Example one has the word ‘he’ eight times, while example two has the word ‘he’ five times, but if you’ll notice the word is used in different ways.  In example one ‘He’ is used to start the sentence most often and then becomes a prominent word, as opposed to in example two it’s used in the middle of sentences most of the time, and the sentences are structured in a way that they often start out differently, making the five uses of the word ‘he’ seem less redundant than in example one.

Variety in sentence structure is very important.  Nobody wants to read the same word over and over.  Not only does it make the sentence feel ‘odd’ but the words just don’t feel as if they flow right.  A good writer stops to consider how each sentence is structured and how it affects the way the paragraph feels and how it flows with the next paragraphs.  Let’s look at an example with dialog which spans several paragraphs.

Example #1

“What do you think?  Do you think I’ll get into trouble?” Peter said.

“I don’t know,” Jenna said.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Peter said.

“I just don’t know,” Jenna said.

Example #2

Peter sighed as he stared down at the broken plate.  “What do you think?  Do you think I’ll get into trouble?”

“I don’t know,” Jenna said with a shrug.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I just don’t know.”  Jenna noted the irritation in Peter’s voice and wondered if there was anything she could do to stop the oncoming tantrum she was sure he’d throw.

If you’ll notice, example one feels very flat and redundant.  Each piece of dialog ends with… somebody said.  It doesn’t flow very nicely at all and your reader probably won’t like it.

In example two we can see that sometimes the person speaking is introduced before the speech, sometimes after, and sometimes not at all (“What do you mean you don’t know?”)  This gives us some variety to the way the conversation flows.

We also see that you can add thoughts, movements, and emotions to the speech by noting how the characters are feeling, what they’re thinking, and what they’re doing before, during, or after the speech.  This is also important variety that will make the conversation feel diverse and make the reader feel as though it flows well.  Please keep variety in mind for the sake of your story, and your reader.  You will often have to stop and think about how something needs to be re-worded in order to give it some variety, but reading what you’ve written out loud will help with this, and you will be able to hear what is redundant.

Italics

Italics can be used to denote a change in the story.  Some writers use it to note a change in someone’s voice as they speak to let a reader know that special emphasis needs to be placed on that word.  Example: “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Italics can also be used for showing a memory as opposed to something happening in the present, or for showing something that is in writing, or even something that somebody is thinking.  Be careful with your use of italics however.  I have seen some writers get carried away, and before you know it everything is italicized and none of the words have special emphasis anymore.

Sentence Structure

One of the main rules of writing is that you don’t start a sentence with the words ‘and’ or ‘but’, however you can make exceptions to this rule if you think the situation really calls for it.  Be careful about doing this too often however, as it is meant to be an exception, not the new rule.

You should also be careful with writing fragments instead of complete sentences, although you can sometimes use a fragment to push across a certain point.

Example:

Peter scuffed his shoes on the dirt road as he walked away from the house.  Who were they to think they could yell at him?  It was just a plate.  One stupid plate.  How would his parents like it if he yelled at them for all the stupid mistakes he thought they made?  Not very much he’d bet, and he wished he could tell them what he was thinking.

In general you should know what you need each sentence to accomplish, and use that sentence to do it.  Sentences do move a story along in the sense that without them there would be no story, but don’t just write a bunch of empty, meaningless sentences that have nothing to do with what you need to get done or you will leave readers feeling lost, and confused with no idea what’s going on in the story, and no desire to continue reading.

Use your sentences wisely to get your reader to feel what your character is feeling, see what your character is seeing, and know what you need the reader to know.

Point of View

Generally stories are written in third person (he did this, they did that, she wanted this, he thought that, etc).  However some stories are written in first person, which means it is written as if the reader is seeing through the eyes of the main character.  (I did this, I did that, I want this, I think that, etc).  This is one of the style devices that writers use and it is all up to preference.  Personally I don’t enjoy reading or writing stories very often that use first person, but sometimes if it’s done well then I enjoy it.

Very, very rarely writers use second person, which is really a mix between first and third person.  (Peter stands in a corner thinking about the plate he broke) as opposed to (Peter stood in a corner thinking about the plate he broke) or (I stood in the corner thinking about the plate I broke).

I have read few stories that used the second person point of view and I did not enjoy any of them because I was so distracted with the way the story felt as I read it that I did not want to continue.

Keep these three points of view in mind and choose which one you feel will best suit the story you are currently working on.  You do not have to pick one and stick with it for every story, although generally third person is what most writers stick with for most stories.

Past and Present Tense

It’s very important to stick with one tense and not switch back and forth in a sentence or paragraph (dialog being the exception).  Let me show you what nobody wants to see:

Peter stood in the corner and thinks about what he’s done wrong.

It should read: Peter stood in the corner and thought about what he’d done wrong.  Or, Peter stands in the corner thinking about what he’s done wrong.  But don’t mix the two types together.

Above I mentioned an exception to the rule, and that’s in dialog.  You will probably be writing your story in the ‘past’ tense most of the time, but when somebody I speaking they can speak in past or present tense and switch back and forth during different pieces of dialog.  Example:

Peter stood in the corner thinking about what he’d done wrong. His parents were mad at him for the broken plate.  He had thrown it to the ground after all because of the bad news he’d received from his sister.

“Hi Peter.”  Jenna’s voice was quiet.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Will you throw any more plates down?”

“I want to throw one right now.”

Notice Peter didn’t say, “I wanted to throw one,” which would have been past tense, but instead “I want to throw one,” being present tense.  Of course he could have said, “I wanted to throw one a few minutes ago,” and it could have still been past tense.

Description

As with most of our stylistic devices we have to be careful with description.  Description is part of what helps us add that spice we talked about to our story, however, if you get too descriptive you can loose your reader and lose the point of the story.

Perhaps you want to describe how beautiful a lake is that your character has just come across, so you might stop to describe it for a few sentences.  The description should stop there however, and not continue on for many paragraphs unless this is the entire point of your story to describe how beautiful this one lake is.  If you only want to convey that the sight of the lake took the character’s breath away, then describe just enough to let the reader know what it is about it that took the character’s breath away.  Too often I’ve seen writers get carried away with description, and not just in one spot in a story, but throughout.  I severely dislike reading stories that are unnecessarily descriptive.  See the three example’s below.

Example #1: Too Descriptive

The grass was tall and green as Peter hiked up the hill.  It held as sweet scent and he noticed a butterfly perched on a blade of grass that reached just past his hips.  Reaching out for the butterfly he felt that the grass was prickly and the tip of the blade was sharp like a knife.  As the cool  breeze floated gently through his short blond hair, Peter heard some birds singing in the distance and he turned to look at the line of trees that were all exactly the same height about a hundred feet away.  He could not see the birds but his gaze was drawn immediately to a pristine looking mountain lake, nestled in a meandering valley between two steep mountains peaked with silver white snow not yet melted from the winter.  The lake glistened as the blue waters moved to and fro and he was transfixed, his breath caught in his chest as he saw an eagle swoop low over the distant waters and scoop up a silver fish in it’s golden claws.

Example #2: Just Right

As Peter crested the hill, he spied a glistening lake in the distance, nestled in the valley between two steep mountains, and stopped for a moment to appreciate the beauty of it.  It was a breathtaking sight, and he wanted to savor this moment as the cool breeze whipped through his hair and birds sung a love song nearby.  This was surely paradise.

Example #3: Not Descriptive Enough

Peter crested the hill and spied a lake.  It took his breath away.  He continued on his hike.

In example one the reader has to take in a lot of description in one small space.  If the character is going to be spending a lot of time at this lake, then perhaps it is warranted, but the writer may want to try giving the reader the description in smaller doses, such as a small descriptive piece when he sees the lake for the first time, another small description with new details as he gets closer to the lake, more little descriptions as he’s walking around the lake, etc.  If however Peter will just be passing by the lake and the lake holds no real importance in the story, than a brief description will be good enough, although it is important not to be too brief.

If you’ll notice in example three, it says that Peter’s breath was taken away, but there is nothing in the writing other than that to suggest that it was, or to tell the reader why.  Example number three is unbelievable then and the reader will then feel as though it is flat and not worth having on the page at all.  As a writer you are not in the business of taking up space on a page.  Make the words meaningful or don’t write them at all.

 

Five – Character Growth: Round vs. Flat

Most often one or more characters are the heart and soul of a story.  When you are writing characters you will have a number of different things to think about, but one of the most important thing is character growth.

Think about real life.  If somebody were to write a story about your life starting at age two and ending at age 25, what would it look like?  Imagine if an author wrote about you between those ages and you never changed as a person?  Not only would you not be able to do more things physically than you could do at the age of two, but you would have the emotional maturity of a two year old as well.  In real life you have gone through trials and ordeals and learned from mistakes, grown and matured as a person, both mentally and emotionally.  Characters in a story need to grow and mature in the same way.

A flat character is a character that never grows.  This character never learns anything, never learns from mistakes, never changes, and never matures.

A round character is a character that grows.  This character learns new things, learns from mistakes, changes and matures emotionally, mentally, and spiritually (if the story calls for it).

Sometimes authors intentionally write flat characters such as an antagonist that just never learns his or her lesson.  But generally the main character is a character that is always grown and maturing at least a little from start to finish.

Flat characters are not only unrealistic but they’re boring to read.  Who wants to read a story where a character goes through an ordeal but never changes?  Of course different people can go through the same thing and grow in different ways, so there are endless possibilities for the writer to use.

Six - Knowing When To Quit

Just as knowing when to quit when writing descriptive features of a story, it’s important to know when to finish up a chapter, or the story as a whole. This is different for each writer and each story, but there are some things to take into consideration.

Generally I have a goal for each chapter and each story.  When the goal has been bet for a chapter, I finish it up, and the same goes for a story.  Some authors press forward and just as with over describing something, they turn the story from a masterpiece into overkill.

It will take some practice to figure out just where things should end, but remember that so long as the story feels finished, and feels right, you can leave it in a little bit of a cliff hanger.  Let’s say for example your character has dealt with all of the emotional issues he or she has been dealing with in the story, and that was the main goal of the story.  The reader knows things will turn out well for the character and knows the character is on their way to a happy life.  You as a writer do not have to go into detail then and describe how the rest of the character’s life went.  Sometimes you can take the story too far and ruin the perfect mood you could be leaving the reader with.

This is of course one of those stylistic things that is up to author preference and is one of those things you will have to discover as you practice.

Seven – Inspiration

If you're running low on story ideas, plot bunnies, or just need a muse altogether, then it's time to get inspired.

Here are the things I do to get inspired:

1) Listen to music.  Just sit and really listen to the words of your favorite songs, or go on YouTube and listen to songs that are the genre of music you like but perhaps not necessarily the normal bands you listen to.  Pandora.com is a great way to do this because it helps you discover new music you didn't know you liked!  Jot down lyrics or feelings or images that come to mind when you are listening to music.  Don't be afraid to listen to music turned down low while you're writing too.  Sometimes just the melody is inspiring.

2) If you're in the middle of writing a fan-fic and get stuck, don't be afraid to ask readers for help.  Ask them what they think, what they want to see happening in the story, or any ideas they have.  Even if they don't give you ideas you are going to use, they might get you thinking along a different track and get you out of your writer's block.

3) Find a friend or a good Beta on or offline that you can really sit down and talk the story over with.  Explain what you want from the story and get their feedback.  Sometimes just talking about the story helps you think it through a little better.

4) Write out a general summary of each chapter, even the ones you haven't written yet.  This helps keep the story moving because if you get stuck at least you know the general direction you're going in.

5) Use challenges on sites like Potions and Snitches to get inspired.  Sometimes readers have a story all thought up for you that they want to read, or other writers have a story they want to see but don't have the time to write themselves.  You can take these challenges and run with it, changing it how you see fit.

6) Get inspired by real life.  Watch TV shows and movies to get ideas, and watch what's going on around you.  You don't have to write your life story or the story of someone you know, but watch people's reactions to life events and see how they deal with them.  Apply real life to your stories to make them realistic.

7) Look at pictures occasionally of the characters you are going to be writing about.  Believe it or not this can inspire you just by seeing a look or feeling one portrays in a picture.

8) Ask yourself questions.  What have you wondered about certain moments in the movies or books that were never covered fully?  Can you write about that?  What would happen if you threw two unlikely characters together in a humorous or serious situation?  What would they do?  These are all plot bunnies waiting to happen.

9) Don't be afraid to throw out what you have already.  If you're part way through a chapter or story and things just aren't working out, toss it out and start again.  It's ok, really.  Sometimes it comes out  better.

10) Take a break.  Sometimes I hit a bad patch of writers block or apathy for a story I'm working on and need a break from it.  I work on other stories, read other fan-fics, or do nothing at all during these breaks.  A break might be a couple of days, or a few months or more.  Usually, when I come back to my story, something new has happened to inspire new writing.  When you've had a long break from a story, read what you have from the beginning of chapter one up to where you left off, and start working again.  Yes, a break from your stories can work wonders.