Lesson 1

Go Back to A Guide To Creative Writing

The Clue is in the title CREATIVE writing. As many of you will already be aware being creative is is a tiring process. I call it a process because you make a start, which is a draft version. Then you develop that idea and it becomes a sort of first edition. Then you develop the idea some more and new creative thoughts come into your mind. If you think about life ‘we never get something right the first time.’ Things get developed over a period of time. It’s a process. Interesting though, with writing, you can start at the end, the middle, or the beginning and work forwards, or backwards in time as you like. Modern authors do THIS a lot of this “time hopping” and I am not a fan. In ‘LIAR’ recently on the TV, the ‘date rape drug’ employing Andrew was killed, and then resurrected about 13 times during the story. I found this laborious, tedious and totally unnecessary. SO BARE IN MIND these exercises are just the start of something much bigger and complex.

All you need to make a start, is a single thought, a single idea, that’s all, just one little spark, and then off you WRITE. This initial idea/thought is called a prompt and this page will get you started by supplying a single prompting idea. Let your pen. fly and do not overthink anything just dash stuff down on the page. We already decided its not fit for purpose straight off and so get used to the notion that this is JUST the start of something much greater and better. AND ALWAYS “A Writer Writes!” (they read a lot to, but more of that later). We also observe and that is where we are going to START! SO, see your first exercise below.

 

TASK: – Write 150 words on the above writing prompt after having watched the movie image above it.

Next Up!

Look at an animal that has ‘real character’ and think what the world thinks about these creatures. We give animals personalities whereas in reality their really just reflect our own. I have a dog that “talks to me”. The dog will make a low growling noise and I try to emulate the sound as well as I can. The dog has picked up on this and will make a different growl and I emulate that and so we talk. Sometimes this goes on for 5 minutes or so and observers find it quite uncanny. The dog and I had no clue what we are saying to each other. Weird. Anyway here are some pictures of an animal that has loadsa character. Remember Red Riding Hood…

TASK: – Look at the 3 Wolf pictures and write 200 words about what comes into your thoughts (hopefully a story of some sort).

Things are NOT always what they seem to be.

When you write, it is a great idea to ‘hook’ your reader. You may think this a deception and you would be right. People like to read things and form a conclusion or a guess at what is going to come next. Hence the eternal popularity of the ‘WHO DONE IT’ type story. In the trade it’s said that “a story has a twist to it.” – something ‘out of the blue & totally unexpected. The movie 6th sense is the best example that I can think of where we do not get told until right at the end that the good doctor is DEAD and we have been watching his ghost help a small boy who has ‘the 6th sense’ – the ability to see,hear and interact with the spirit world.

People refer to the ‘Twists and turns’ of a story. For example: –

Judy was very physically attractive and knew it. When she entered a room there was a buzz of masculine excitement. She could sense it. She could walk to the food, and others would get out of her way. Often others would allow her to take the best food items, even ones they had been eyeing up for themselves. Yes, Judy was a stunner, and she knew it. Wonderful gait and deportment. Perfect figure. Bright beautiful eyes. ‘Yes” she thought. “It’s no wonder that I have won best in breed at Crufts two years in a row.” – “must be nearly time for walkies, well I hope!”

TASK: – Write 150 words on any subject that you like and try to incorporate at least one twist or turn.

Words are all we have, so we might just as well use as many different ones as we can. 

No reader likes a “lazy writer” and it’s just plain old fashioned hard work maintaining someones interest in the story that you are telling them.

It involves using…

• a great plot
• authenticity – you MUST appear a creditable witness to what you are reporting. The first sniff of phony and your reader will switch off entirely.
• tricks – better word is TIPS
• techniques
• things you just “know” work
• ideas
• creativity
• believable characters

We can practice all these things by doing exercises, and then, as a group, talking about our results.

YOU WILL GET MORE FROM THE GROUP DISCUSSION THAN YOU WILL FROM CARRYING OUT THE EXERCISE .

HOWEVER THE GROUP has to have strict rules, if the group is going  to be useful and productive!

======SEE THE GROUP =====>

The Group

1. 1. Constructive Criticism Only – if you feel you have to make a negative comment then see the group member privately and offer your thoughts, not judgements, your  thoughts. Our  own work is no better, no worse than any other group member – it is just different.
   2. ALL Group Members are Equal – no bullying or power struggles
   3. At all times consider if something is Factual, Needs to be said, will not offend
   4. You need NOT read your work if you do not want to – some writing we do is VERY personal, something that needs to come out. IT IS SELDOM suitable for public broadcast. It may be okay to share in a small trusted group like ours, BUT tread carefully, if you have any doubt about sharing, then don’t.
   5. Everyone has their opinion which is ‘the right one for them’ – do not evngelise it
   6. Any disputes between members is dealt with OUTSIDE of the group meetings
   7. We ARE here because we want to be. – If you don’t want to be, then that is fine. Just leave as no one will be offended if you do.
   8. Sometimes people forget the rules. Occassional. As a very caring group we forgive the occassional … everything!

ALL the images below offer pointers or tips about starting to write right. There is no right way unless you are entering a competition, they have entry rules. Standard font, size, word count, double spacing, wide margins, verboten subjects, page layout YAWN!! but when judges are reading 500 entries some sort of commonality helps decide which story is actually better than a similar one. So someone does not win because their font is more attractive for example.