Creative writing refers to fictional writing or storytelling; with creative writing, you can use your imagination to make stuff up, while with a newspaper, for example, you must include facts about a situation. So, generally, the purpose of creative writing is to produce something which is entertaining, engaging and even personal.
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Here’s a list of 6 ways to improve your creative writing skills
- Have a broad understanding of the subject:
Let’s start with the obvious one! Read a lot! Read anything you find lying around your house from old storybooks to newspapers. While reading this stuff, pay attention to the words being used by the writer, use of metaphors, adjectives, characters, the plot, the conflict in the story etc. If you come across a word you don’t understand, use a dictionary to find its meaning and then practice using it in a sentence to gain a better understanding of that word.
Spend time researching and conducting informational interviews in order to gain this knowledge about the subject. The more knowledge that you have, the more that you are able to convey to the reader through your writing.
Descriptive Writing Techniques That Will Help You Write More Vividly
- Do something different/find inspiration in everyday things
Never be scared of doing something different or unique that will bring your writing to a whole new realm that may be unexpected or out of the ordinary. Oftentimes, this can evolve into something that is different yet amazing – something that readers will enjoy.
How can you achieve this? Think differently and put yourself in environments that are inspiring or relaxing. Sometimes, having no rules is the best way to reach your full potential when it comes to creative writing.
The world around you is full of interesting events. Go for a walk and ask yourself questions, such as what is that person doing? What is that dog looking at? Why are those people arguing? Write a summary of something that is happening on the TV or a video game you just finished playing. Write about everything and anything you see, hear, smell or feel! You’ll be surprised at what pops up in your head.
- Record your ideas
Keep a notebook with you at all times so that you can scribble down any ideas when they come to mind. Inspiration can strike at any hour. Think about your topic when you’re doing mundane tasks or when you are out and about. You’d be surprised at what you’ll think of when you’re out of your working mode. Even if you think your life is boring and nothing interesting ever happens in it. You can write about your goals and inspirations or what you did for lunch today. Anything is better than nothing! One day you’ll look back at these notes and they’ll inspire you to write an awesome story – you never know.
- Use other prompts to inspire you to write
Image prompts, such as photographs, paintings, or a picture in a magazine can be great. You can even take your own pictures when on a day out or on holiday. When you come home, for each picture you can write an interesting caption to describe it. You can even try creating a whole story from all your holiday photos! Bring your essay to life – literally. Using specific details about settings and locations, readers will be transported into your piece. Literature can be dry if focused only on the hard facts but can become increasingly interesting when adorned with details about a location or setting. Even the smallest details can prove to have a major impact on creative writing.
5 Image-Based Descriptive Writing Prompts
- “Criticise” the work of others
When reading a book, try to identify the flaws in that story and list a couple of improvements. Also, note down the best parts of that story, what did you enjoy while reading that book? This can help you to understand the elements of a great story and what to avoid when writing. You can aim to do weekly or monthly book reviews on the books you read.
- Connect writing with your interests
If you love football, why not write about your favourite footballer? How would you feel if you met them? What would you say to them? Why not write an imaginary letter to them? Whatever you enjoy doing, you can link any writing activity to it!
Descriptive Writing: Nightmare World (Writing Process, Example Plan + Written Extract)
Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in improving your writing even further, you can take a look at some of our courses on the links down below:
