Creative Writing

As a writing instructor, creative writing is the most popular form of writing. What is creative writing, it is using your imagination to create a story. Painting a picture with words is how I describe it to my students.

There are various forms of creative writing, poetry, short stories, novels, and creative non fiction is on the rise. Everybody has a story, the problem is transporting this creative idea onto paper. That is where study, discipline, patience, reading and reading comes into play. Developing your creative ideas into exciting, thought provoking, attention grabber - writing.

What are the keys to creativity:

• Curiosity
• Passion
• Determination
• Awareness
• Stick-to-it-iveness
• listening Ear
• Observant Eye
• Openness

Out of the ten years, that I have mentored creative writers, I have had the pleasure of assisting many talented writers into the fray of becoming a published authors. There are two creative writers, that visited by writer's class, one wrote a regional book on the flooding of Missouri, along the Mississippi River of the 1990 and the other wrote a beautiful romance. The romance writer didn't take my advice and her work was stolen by the publisher. That's another story for another day. My point, it takes a lot of work, discipline, passion to become a published writer. Writing is not just writing, it is learning the business of writing.

Want to learn more on the subject of writing, take a look at my bookstore. There are a lot of books on writing, but you don't know what you need to complete your writing project, until you actually sit down and start writing. It could be character development, plotting, finding a publisher, etc., I could go on and on.

What you need to write well; time, inspiration, motivation, and a positive attitude. By allowing your writing self the time to bloom and grow, anything could happen. In my next conversation,
I will discuss "Drafting", get something on the page. In the meantime, keep on keeping on writing.

For my Baden Library and other students of writing. Here is your weekly writing exercise. Instead of driving or walking your usual route, follow a new path, take a walk or drive through the neighborhood, fantasize, play, 'what if'. What if a criminal is living in that house, who is the mysterious lady that you see everyday and you wonder what is in all the bags she carries, day dream. Until the next time, Keep on writing.....