What is creative writing? Being creative can be described as the art of making things up. You let your imagination run wild and come up with unique, original essays. It is the sort of writing that will definitely attract an audience. Creative writing is fresh-faced; original and self-expressive. The purpose of creative writing can be to entertain or share the human experience. There are several tips that have been proven to help you write creative essays in English. Here, I will share with you 8 tips on how to make your writing creative and original.
1. Eye-Catchy Opening Paragraph
A reader can judge within the first 10 seconds, whether or not they want to read the story. How do they decide? By reading the first lines of your opening paragraph. Your opening paragraph is like the window of your story. The first sentence should be unusual and uncommon. It can begin with tension or immediacy. You can choose to begin with a flashback; you immediately thrust the reader into the midst of the action. This ensures that your story begins with maximum excitement.
2. Character Development
Characters are the heart and soul of any story. In creative writing, you have to make your characters real and believable, in such a way that readers can easily picture them. Your characters should be unique. But, they should have flaws, pasts and personalities that normal people possess. A good character should have a name, physical description, backstory, nemesis, goals, friends and family, strengths and weaknesses, and dialogue. Remember, the best characters are ordinary people, with exceptional qualities, who do extraordinary things.
3. Plot Development
Plot is the series of events that makes up your story; the order in which they occur and how they relate to each other. It is the action of the story. A good plot should be logical, believable and compelling enough to keep the reader glued to the story. Character and plot development are totally entwined. Use the three act structure in writing your essay. Ensure the plot has an opening, rising action leading to drama, climax, falling action and a resolution. Ensure that every element of the story is vividly described to give the reader a clear picture in mind of what you imagine the setting to be. Here’s a descriptive essay writing guide to help you understand the importance of description in plot development.
4. Vivid Setting
You need to vividly describe the setting and the location of your story. This ensures that the reader can feel and imagine what the character is going through. Write:
- Concrete and specific details.
- Sensory details; describe the sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste.
- Original details; change the perspective.
- Describe the setting using figurative devices.
- Avoid long descriptions.
5. Theme
Have you ever watched a movie, then at the end of it, you ask yourself, what the hell was that movie about? One of the Six Core Competencies to successful creative essays, is the theme. The theme is the main idea being explored in the essay. It is the pulse of the story and should be compelling enough, to make the readers want to read your story up to the end. A theme can be about loss, discovery, justice, betrayal, love, power, etc. when choosing your theme, give it a lot of thought. Imagination is very important here. Your theme should be realistic and relate to life in general. It should tackle the issues, challenges and experiences as seen through the characters.
6. Point of View (POV)
How can the point of view affect your writing? The rules surrounding the point of view are very strong, since POV filters everything in the story. If you make a single mistake, you will have to rewrite the whole essay since it can erode credibility and the readers’ trust. The POV can be the way you think about a subject or the narrator’s position on the description of events. There are 4 types POV;
- First person POV; The first person is the narrator, relating his experiences directly.
- Second person POV; The narrator is talking directly to the reader. It is uncommon in essays.
- Third person single POV; The narrator is outside the story and is the one relating the experiences of the character.
- Third person multiple POV; The narrator is outside the story, and is relating the experiences of all characters in the story.
When choosing a POV, choose carefully because you will have to stick to it throughout the whole story.
7. Dialogue
Dialogue is an essential part of creative writing. In creative writing, dialogue is used to set a scene, to let the reader hear the character’s voice, and when a conversation is an essential part of the story. But how do you come up with dialogue that works? Set the dialogue according to the character’s;
- Age
- Geographic background
- Education level
- Personality; shy, aggressive, etc.
- Relationship with the person she’s speaking with
- Attitude towards the conversation topic.
Do not be too formal, use obtrusive dialogue tags, be too realistic or use the character’s names too often. Avoid making all the characters, sound the same and use narratives. Remember, an effective dialogue should be authentic, cut in at the right moments and clearly capture the character’s voice.
8. Metaphors and Similes
Your writing needs to stand out. That’s why you have to throw in some metaphors and similes. You can use similes and metaphors to help you communicate a specific message, place emphasis on a certain point, or describe something more vividly so that it can have a more powerful effect on the reader.
Similes can be used in instances where the author is trying to explain something without leaving any doubt in the reader’s mind, i.e., ‘He was drinking like a fish’. Similes can also be used in ironic instances, where the author wants to make a comparison to something the exact opposite he wanted to say, i.e., ‘He was as much use as a chocolate teapot’, yet this means he was totally useless. Metaphors on the other hand, can be used to draw a direct parallelism. For example, your writing is a bland dish.
Now that you have got these useful tips, don’t rush into the story. Conduct some research before you begin your story. Record down these ideas until you get your inspiration. Once you have written your story, go through it again and again. Your story might be highly entertaining, but no one enjoys reading a story with a million errors. Finally, keep your essay at a reasonable length.
About the author:
Rick Riddle is a marketing consultant and an up-and-coming blogger whose articles aim to help people with e-learning, self-development, blogging, entrepreneurship, and career. Feel free to follow Rick on twitter and LinkedIn.
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