I’ve been in college for two semesters now and I thought, as I continue to advance to my bachelors, I thought I would share some internal wisdom on creative writing with you guys!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and not sponsored. This post does contain affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Write your rough draft in one go if you can
This sounds crazy! I know. But it works so well! I used to write my rough draft in segments of about 500-1,000 words and I found that my writing was very choppy and disconnected. There were more plot holes and awkward breaks that I had expected. Not to mention, my quality of writing waxed and waned each time I took a step away. Now, Iām not going to lie, sometimes I still write in segments like this. And you know what? I can TELL that there is a difference from when I crank out a piece in one go.
Itās perfectly reasonable to knock out a short story, a poem, a chapter, or a blog post in one sitting given youāve set aside some time to do so. (Iām not suggesting you write a whole book in one go. Thatād be impressive, although highly impractical).
Short stories and blog posts are my most common forms of writing. This means that it is entirely possible for me to write a rough draft for each in one sitting. Doing so keeps my writing fluid and allows me the opportunity to avoid plot holes or odd sentence breaks.
When writing a book, I write a chapter at a time or at the very least, a scene at a time. I donāt take breaks between scenes and often try to push through even if I feel stuck or have writers block. I can edit and revise later. But the best way to maintain a similar linguistic style, hold the voice of my narrator, and avoid choppy writing is to just write it in one go.
If you canāt write in one go, write down a summary/major plot points
You read that right. Do NOT under any circumstance write a partial scene or partial story if you donāt have the time to curate the whole thing. If you donāt have the time, write down a summary and be sure to include major plot points. Think of this in a similar way youād jot down dreams in the morning. You want enough detail that you remember the story but you donāt have to write out the whole thing.
Writing down a summary/major plot points ensures that you wonāt forget the story later on when you actually sit down to write it. You can go back and view this as notes and use them as a sort of guide or outline for the story.
This action has helped me SO much! I often have dreams or story ideas during times when Iām super busy or unable to sit and write and it helps to jot down the important points so that Iāll have them for later. Itās also nice because after a while, Iāll have a build up of story ideas and outlines that I can fall back on if Iām stumped, have writers block, or just want to write.
Once draft one is finished, leave it alone for three days
This rule is actually something that Iām still new to doing and it absolutely KILLS me to follow it! I like to get things done, and I like to get them done quickly. I hate putting projects off, especially if Iām super invested in them. However, this rule has been life altering.
I picked up this rule after scrolling through Pinterest on topics about writing techniques (I know, Iām a nerd). I donāt remember which writer/author suggested this rule, but itās one that stuck with me.
The idea is that if you leave your rough draft alone for three days, then when you come back to read it, youāll view the story with fresh eyes. A big problem for writers during the revision process is that they tend to over-revise to the point where draft two or three is worse than draft one. They manipulate and alter the story a bit too much. I know Iām a victim of this. Essentially, if you leave the draft alone, itās thought that youāll come back and pick out only the errors. You wonāt spend too much time trying to revise one word and will focus more on the story itself.
This is kind of a complicated rule for me to articulate, but the general idea is that youāll revise and edit with a fresh state of mind and go into your writing with clearer expectations.
All I know is, this works wonders. I really enjoy coming back to a story after a break and then implementing my revisions. It feels fulfilling and it makes my writing more vivid and lively.
You donāt have to love your story/assignment, just write
So this rule is more directed towards writing majors than passion writers. But I also think there is some benefit to writing things you donāt necessarily love. For example, fiction writers may be appalled at the idea of writing a nonfiction essay. But writing is writing! And you know that rule about being a good writer coming from writing? Yeah this is that rule in practice.
Write. Write. Write.
That is how you become a better writer. You WRITE. And that includes writing on topics you donāt necessarily care about. So long as youāre writing, youāre improving and itās beneficial.
Journal EVERY DAY
This goes along with that āif you want to be a writer, then you have to writeā rule I mentioned above. Journaling is an amazing hobby/skill to get into. Itās therapeutic, introspective, and beneficial to your writing.
I have a blog post here dedicated to the benefits of journaling and how to get into it.
When you journal daily as a writer, it helps you in a number of ways:
- you can jot down story ideas and outlines for later
- You can develop character sketches and traits
- You can create lore and history for your stories
- Copy down sites and articles to reference for later
- Begin a story/write a short story
- Write a scene
- Jot down dreams
- Form a creative nonfiction narrative
Honestly, journal entries are endless! I hope the list above helps you get started or continue (if youāre a seasoned journalist). I journal twice a day. Once in the morning: either to jot down dreams, plan my day, or reflect on my morning reading. And once at night: to reflect on my day, jot down any thoughts or stories that are at the forefront of my attention, and to create a list of to-doās the next day.
My daily journaling isnāt always exciting. If anything, my exciting stories are the ones I write randomly throughout the week when they take my attention. Some days, Iāll pick up my journal midday and write for an hour or more.
Journaling is a writerās must-have and is by far one of the best practices for any creative writer.
Check out my post for a beginner’s guide to journaling! It’s a life-changing habit, well worth getting into!
Talk to yourself/someone else. Tell your story out loud. Listen.
This rule/suggestion is a bit obscure and unique. This is something that Iāve found to be truly beneficial, though others might find it a bit odd. Talk to yourself (or someone else if youāre worried about appearing crazy) about your story.
The goal is to tell your story out loud. Throughout history, most stories had been passed down orally and were created for oral tellings. Humanity is highly influenced by oral story tellings and it’s a wonderful way to become a better writer. There are a few key points I want to share about this rule so Iāll divide them up a little bit.
Telling yourself the story
This is such an amazing practice and I encourage every writer to do this. Tell yourself your story. Start from the beginning and talk to yourself as if youāve never told this story before. Include the details, talk about the characters, talk about the plot, character desires, setbacks, world-building, etc. Talk about ALL OF IT! This will help you to further develop the story in your mind and will help you to create a more in depth and responsive memory to your story.
I donāt know the science behind why this works so well, but it works in the same way as giving yourself positive affirmations in the mirror or telling yourself your to-do list. For some reason, this helps retain the story in a greater fashion than when you write it down. AND it helps you grow more personal to the story.
It can be a tricky thing to get used to if you donāt normally talk to yourself in this manner and thatās okay! Just keep trying and reap the benefits of this practice!
Telling someone else the story
If you do nothing else on this guide, at least do this one. Writers love telling their stories. I mean, thatās the whole point isnāt it? Talking about your story is super important and even healthy for you. Get those words out of your head and off the paper. Find someone trustworthy, and vent. Get the whole story out if you can.
This is beneficial in a number of ways. Like above, telling the story out loud is a great way to grow closer to the characters and plot. Additionally, telling the story to another person is a fantastic way to further develop the story narrative. By this I mean, itās easier to find and fix plot holes and to come up with solutions to things youād never considered in world building. A listener will ask questions youād never thought of as they attempt to understand the story. Theyāll ask why things are the way they are, why a character might act a certain way, or why the society in the story holds a certain belief system.
I like to think of this as a Tolkien-esque writing experiment. That man had every single detail configured for his story. You should too! You should know EVERYTHING about your story, itās characters, and the world they live in. Having a listener will help you develop that further.
Retelling a scene from someone elseās work
Iām not going to lie, this is actually something I hated (and may or may not still despise) from my fiction writing classes in college. I hate retelling scenes from other peopleās writing.
Now to be clear, I love to retell stories Iāve read to my friends and family. But the retelling I’m talking about is VERY different than giving your friend a quick rundown of what happened in a book or ranting about why youāre upset that your favorite character died.
Retelling a scene as my fiction classes had me do is…interesting. First, you have to retell the scene as if itās happening in front of you. Letās say Iām going to retell the scene where Harry Potter first steps into the great hall at Hogwarts.
This is how it would go:
Harry is standing in front of these large wooden doors just before Professor McGonagall opens them. Heās surrounded by other first years, including Ron Weasley, his new friend. Ron wears hand me down robes and has messy red hair.
And on and on we go.
Ideally, you want to talk in present tense as if itās happening right in front of you. You also want to mention as many details as you can that incorporate sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch into the scene. Be super specific!
You also want to focus on where everyone is spatially. Are Harryās classmates clustered together? Are Ron and his shoulder touching due to the clustered first years? How far is Harry from the door? Etc.
This is about what you see in your minds eye when reading. I might see Harry about five feet from the door while someone else sees him much further away. Unless the author specifically mentions how far he is, the distance is left to the readers interpretation.
The whole point of this practice is to become an effective storyteller and to be as descriptive as possible. Itās about comparing what you saw in the story to what another reader saw (as this practice is usually done in groups). As much as I hate this practice, itās super beneficial for writers to reflect on what theyāve read and to compare elements of anotherās storytelling to their own.
(And though I didnāt include this next tidbit as a rule, I consider it highly valuable:
Analyze other stories and writing. Have philosophical discussions with people about the story. Analyze the voice and characterization. Annotate works you love. Really dive deep into hidden meaning and language. This will help you grow as a writer.)
Talking/reflecting with yourself about what youāve written and what youāre going to write
This goes along with talking to yourself but reflecting on what youāve written or planning your writing (you typically do this in a journal entry) can really help you to move your story along. It helps you identify problem areas and gives you goals to reach.
Use the ātake a placeā method! (Something college taught me)
This is one of the simplest and yet most meditative things in writing. In my fiction classes, typically towards the end of class right before we journal or begin writing for a short story, the professor would have us ātake a place.ā Essentially, the professor would use guiding sentences and techniques to help you curate a scene.
Examples include:
- imagine a place in front of you, what do you see? Is it dark? Light? Rainy? Sunny? Indoor? Outdoor?
- Are you alone? Are there people with you?
- How do you feel in this space? What is the physical temperature? What are your emotions?
- Is there an object in this space? What is it? What does it feel like? Sound like? Look like?
And of course this goes on. Itās a really meditative way of building a scene. You focus on where the scene takes place, who is in it, what are they doing, what are they feeling, etc. I really enjoy ātake a place.ā I often use it in my own meditations where I build a little safe haven/sanctuary for myself and my thoughts.
I highly recommend doing this before you write a scene. It really helps you to focus on the senses used in the scene and to understand what is taking place and what is worth taking note of.
And that’s all I’ve got for now! I hope these writing tips are helpful and you can begin implementing them into your every day writing gigs!
If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below:
Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know if you’d be interested in more Creative Writing tips!
You can also email me with questions or concerns you may have at info.amelia.wilson@gmail.com
Also, check out my poetry book,The Lights are on but Nobodyās Home, available now on amazon for $6.99!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a commission at no cost to you.
Thanks again