How to write creatively
Why do you want to be a writer?
Do you like talking to people? Do you like telling stories? This is not the world’s easiest profession, and it’s certainly not the most lucrative. It works only when done with a high degree of commitment and authentic desire.
Are you a bit of a control freak?
This is actually good. When you are reporting, you have to be humble, but when you write, you must take charge and say to your readers, “Sit down. I've got a great story to tell you.”
Are you curious?
You have to wonder about the world around you. Bring to your work the sense and excitement that kids have. Be in wonder about your writing.
Creative writing hints
1. Don’t be afraid to write the truth.
So many people don’t want to hear about corruption in the world or the bad things they’re doing. If something is wrong, write it. If you get feedback, it’s probably a good indication that you’re doing something right. Don’t be afraid of negative criticism from your readers: this can often lead to new ideas.
2. Break the (writing) law
Be free. Bend and break the rules. Go against the opinions of the masses on purpose. For example, if you write about a con artist, avoid the cliché and portray him as the good guy, as a hero.
3. Be able to laugh at yourself and the world around you.
Read a couple of P.J. O’Rourke’s columns and note his sarcasm and view of the world around him is the reason why he is such a popular columnist. If you're not having fun writing, then your readers probably won't be amused when they try to struggle through your writing.
4. Get a Life.
Not all of us can be world travelers or have amazing experiences all the time, but we can color the world a bit. Try doing things you normally would never do.
Ex. Things I would normally not do: Camp in the woods, not drink coffee or some caffeinated stimulant, walk to work…But these could make for some very interesting columns.
5. Have curiosity.
Curiosity is the beginning. It’s something that cannot be learned from any university; you indulge curiosity.
NOTE: Don’t make up names or characters, don’t take liberties with factual information, but get to know real-life characters through research, trust, and building relationships.
6. Write with respect.
In O’Rourke and Rick Bragg’s writings, you’ll find they are respectful of their subjects, whether they are in prison serving a life sentence for killing someone or a homeless man on the street. Don’t make allowances for someone’s sin, though, but slip the facts in without being harsh. Precise writing allows that; sloppy writing does not.
NOTE: In the world of sports, the loser’s locker room is always more interesting than the winner’s.
Personal Essays: Do you use “I”?
It’s okay if you use the word “I.” It really is. But, here’s the problem: Your readers don’t know “I.” You have to build yourself into a character.
What you write in your columns or essays is not the “I” you are to your friends or family usually. It’s what you want the world to see.
If you want the world to see the “I” that truly is you, that’s wonderful. People will laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, mourn with you.
To put that “I” out there is to offer yourself, naked, to the world to pick apart at their choosing.
However…most people want to see this “I.” They want to see YOU. Not because they can criticize you, but because they can emphasize with you and see parallels in their own lives.
Think about your quirks, your stubborn ticks, your anti-social mannerisms – What sets you apart from everybody else?
Many beginning columnists try so hard to be likable and nice and to fit in, but readers will get bored with that.
Restraining your expressiveness, smoothing your edges, or sparing everyone’s feelings will not work well in print. Literature is not a place for conformists.
When you are setting down to write, select a topic that’s not too ambitious nor too slight. If the topic is too small, the essay runs out of steam. Too large, and it drowns out the details.
A successful column will include both personal disclosure and analysis. Try to convey thought infused with feeling. Merge logic and emotion.
Remember – your audience knows nothing about you or your background, experiences, and education. In one column, you may talk about your education background while in another discuss your political views. This is good – it builds you into a character.
Do NOT not fall into self-hatred, though. Most people don’t like much of themselves in spite of being decent enough human beings. If you are unpleased with an action or a characteristic of yours, don’t delve into self-disgust in your essays. Now, don’t be smug, either – again, you have to be curious in your learning process.
A piece from Donna Britt, a Washington Post columnist:
“Writing a column is an intimate act – probably the most intimate one you can perform in a newspaper. It’s a conversation. People hunger for connection. Most of us are curious about the rest of the world, about other people and their stories.
“For a column to be an intimate conversation, you must reveal yourself. The revelation will happen whether or not you intend it, so you might as well do it purposefully. I reveal myself in all kinds of ways and on topics not usually seen in the newspaper. For some reason a lot of things, such as God and spirituality, aren’t considered valid newspaper copy. I refuse to follow subjective, unwritten rules about what can go into the newspaper. I write about my spiritual life, and I get tremendous response whenever I do. I’m not so inherently interesting, I’m just really honest. I’m honest about difficult things. Nothing is so sacred that I can’t tell the truth about it.
“I write about sexism, racism and violence – issues that many people would rather not deal with but have strong opinions about.
“I don’t believe there are boring people or boring stories. When someone climbs a building and shoots 17 people, neighbors will always say, ‘He was so quiet. He was almost boring.’ That’s not a boring person but an undiscovered person.”
Real people are characters, too
For a story to come alive, the people must come alive. They’ve got to be more than names on a page.
The special requirement of nonfiction is that we must learn what is inside people through what we can reasonably learn from the outside. Here are 15 ways to make your written characters come to life.
- Physical description, including characteristic mannerisms – Ex. Joe Jones is never seen around the ranch without his Bulldogs baseball cap, which he uses to swat flies.
- Names and nicknames – Ex. Maggie Smith, an excellent Tech Talk reporter, requests that people call her “Lois Lane.”
- The physical context of the character, including what he owns, his lifestyle, character props –Ex. Old Billy slept in a cardboard-and-roofing tin shack by the railroad and cooked his supper in a Folgers coffee can.
- Dialogue – What the person says and how, including favorite expressions repeated throughout the piece and the answers to your questions – “No, listen to this,” she likes to say.
- Any other artifacts created by and reflective of the character’s essential qualities (a painting she created, a model airplane he built, a nonprofit organization she established)
- Actions and gestures – what the person does: not just doing an interview, but at work, during daily life, reacting to what others say and do, especially during dramatic circumstances. Ex. While everybody else is watching the president, she watches the crowd.
- What the person doesn’t do or say that a reasonable person would expect him or her to do. Ex. It began to rain heavily, but Amaris continued to sit on the bench, studying, as if she didn’t notice.
- Background and personal history – Ex. By the age of 20, he had already been a dog musher on two polar expeditions.
- Illustrate character traits
- What everyone else says about the person – out loud or in writing
- What others say to the person – and how they say it Ex. “You’re a jerk,” she said, laughing, and gave him the check.
- How others react in the person’s presence
- Your reaction to the person. Ex. Smith was trying too hard to impress me with his knowledge of classical music.
- Putting two separate elements side by side Ex. John slashed the man’s tire with his Bowie knife. Later I saw him using the same blade to remove a porcupine quill from a stray dog’s paw.
- Metaphor and figurative language Ex. Jones drank whiskey like it was his job.
NOTE: Check out this website relating to creative nonfiction, this one on "The Literature of Reality", and see if any of these podcasts interest you.