“I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still.” (Sylvia Plath)
Creative writing is the art of making things up in both
an original, self-expressive way. It is neither academic nor technical in
nature. The purpose of creative writing is to be imaginative, entertain, and
share human experiences (like love or loss).
Creative
writing (in the form of blogging) has become a welcomed obsession for me. It
provides with both a sense of accomplishment and purpose. When I am working on my writing I feel like I
am in a safe, happy, truthful place in my life. If I am not careful, I can
become so consumed with my creative writing that I want to only communicate through
my blog instead of connecting in-person with those family and friends in my
life.
My
blog members definitely give me a reason to need to write. Hopefully, I’ve been
able to clearly express the many opinions I have on a variety of topics. I am
satisfied that the blog community of ENCOURAGE ME is a place anyone in the
group can openly talk about one of my posts. You all make me smile because I
think we all realize how important ENCOURAGE me has become in our lives (as I endeavor
to make it a pleasurable, important part of your day). Creative writing can take
many forms. Below are eleven types of them:
Blogging-You
can think of blogging as a published electronic form of journaling, but could
be take the form of a personal diary, imparting encouraging spiritual insights,
or educating on various topics (important to the blogger). Good editing of
material can make post even better.
Essays-Writing
an essay requires creative thinking. This is especially true for personal or
descriptive essays. If you’re trying to create a persuasive argument for the
reader, then you’ll need to engage the creative centers of your mind to make
that happen.
Free
Writing-This might be the
most creative type of writing. Turn on your computer, open up a Microsoft Word
document and start to type (write). Don’t let anything stop you. Whatever comes
to mind gets put onto your Microsoft Word document. Nothing is off-limits. Set
a time limit of maybe fifteen minutes for yourself. When you’ve finished, you
may have several great ideas that can be turned into larger stories later on.
(Don’t forget to save your creation for access into it later.)
Journals-A
journal is not quite the same as a diary. Diaries help you keep track of the
events that happen to you during the day. A journal takes on more of a memoir
role. You can choose the types of memories that you write down by keeping
everything within a specific topic or heading. Dreams are a common journal, but
you could also focus on relationships, contentment, gratitude, or virtually any
other emotion.
Letters-Your
ability to communicate with one another is relying more and more on the written
word these days so writing letters to someone is a great creative writing skill
to develop. You can even have your characters write letters to each other
within the context of a story you’re creating.
Poetry-Poetry
might not be a form of creative writing that hits bestseller lists often, but
it shouldn’t be ignored by any writer. Poems can be written in any format. You
can also write them with specific form and prose if you prefer. If you really
want to stretch your creative energies, try to come up with a rhyming story –
kids love stories that rhyme. For fun, you could even create a horror rhyming
poem for adults to practice your creative skills.
Reporting-Journalists
tend to follow this type of creative writing most often especially when writing
a column or opinion piece. Some journalistic writing only reports facts,
events, and actions, but even then there is a certain creative element to the
writing that makes it compelling. If you’ve ever read a local article about a
city council meeting, then you’ve seen a reporter being creative with some very
dry content so it could be interesting.
Short
Stories-A short story has a
natural progression which allows you to tell a full tale that is meaningful to
the reader. These stories don’t have to be lengthy either. You can write a
solid short story in 1,000-2,000 words and still include character development
and plot details.
Songs-Some
might say that song lyrics are really just a poem set to music, but there is a
certain rhythm to song lyrics that is unique to the writing world. If you can
play an instrument or like to sing, then consider stretching your creative
writing skills into this type of writing to see what happens. If you don’t play
an instrument, maybe someone you know does and would be interested in coming up
with a collaboration.
Speeches-Speeches
are a lot like essays, but the goal of a speech tends to be more persuasive or
inspirational. The good news about this creative writing type is that virtually
any subject matter can be discussed. You do have limits on length in this
format – about 100 words can be spoken clearly per minute, so be precise with
your key points so a rambling speech isn’t the end result.
Vignettes-These are short
stories that can take on virtually any format that is offered here. Pretty much
anything goes from a creative standpoint if you’re writing a vignette – except
for the length. This type of creative writing is extremely short. It can even
just be a couple of sentences long if you wish as long as the descriptions used
are suggestive.
“The thing about writing is not to talk, but to do it. No
matter how bad or even mediocre it is; the process and production is the thing
not the sitting and theorizing about how one should write ideally, or how well
one could write if one really wanted to or had the time.” (Sylvia Plath)[i]
[i] Adapted from:
·
“11 Types of Creative Writing” by
Networlding Publishing
·
“What is Creative Writing? - Definition, Types & Examples” by
Study.com
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| Sylvia Plath |
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