Creative writing is so much fun!
"We are trained to self-doubt, to self-scrutiny in the place of self-expression."
First things first: creative writing is just so much fun! Your imagination can run wild. The writing process, not the product, is the focus. Process not product – that is the biggest difference to academic writing or technical writing (as an economist, for example).
Does this quote resonate with you? Most people I know dread the process of writing. It brings up unwelcome memories from school or pulling hair trying to sound smart in your emails or reports.
Long-held believes are hard to change with words. I suggest you try it out for yourself and experience the joy of writing, without any purpose in mind. I have created a mini-series of five writing prompts that only take 15 minutes a day. What makes your stomach flutter? Try it out from the comfort of your home!
"We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul."
Creative writing means you can use the process of writing to access deeper insights into life
One of my favorite books on writing is The Right to Write, from Julia Cameron. I have already quoted her twice above. My other favorite is Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. In her chapter „getting started“, she writes:
"The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a writing workshop is that good writing is about telling the truth. We are species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason why they write so little. But we do. We have so much we want to say and figure out."
As I laid out in my previous blog, expressive writing (which puts more emphasis on feelings than events or memories) can lead to tangible health benefits. Through the writing process we bring emotions and memories to the fore that would not be accessible to us through rational thinking. This takes practice, and there are a number of techniques that can help getting into the writingflow.
Creative writing has many forms
I embarked on my creative writing experience when I was deeply exhausted from the demands of day-to-day life with a family and a demanding full-time job. I wasn’t intending on writing a fiction or non-fiction book (let alone poetry or a screenplay). I was simply drawn into the possibility of doing something fulfilling and relaxing. And I got what I paid for, big time!
I recall that moment during my third writing workshop, called memoir intro, when the amazing Ana Znidar at the writer’s studio in Vienna gave us a writing prompt that was as simple as „and then they met in the staircase“. I put pen to paper and my imagination ran wild. After 25 minutes I had written three quick pages about the first time my father and my (future) stepmother met – in the staircase, where else?
The moment I read my pages out loud for my fellow writers I knew that I wanted to write a memoir (a non-fiction narrative based on my personal memories and stories). It doesn’t matter that I was one year old when my father and my stepmother met, because I carry that story in me and I can put it on the page – my way.
Creative writing encompasses different genres and styles (I already mentioned fiction and non-fiction – for example memoir, but there is also poetry and (screen)play. All the fun stuff, outside the more formal scope of academic or technical writing. But creative writing is not void of technique, which you need for story and plot development, character development, etc. To me, creative writing is personal, it is based on experience and emotion. It makes me getting up at 5 am to write this blog. It is passion!
Stay tuned for my upcoming tips on getting into the creative writingflow at www.thewritingflow.com!
Get your FREE 5-Day writing prompts to begin to explore your inner voice
You can already start now and experience the benefits of writing just 15 minutes a day! Try out this free writing prompt mini-series where you will receive beautifully crafted daily writing exercises for 5 days. At the end of the week and with just 15 minutes a day, you will have written 5 short texts for your diary and explored the power of writing. And you will have enjoyed getting to know yourself a bit better and figured out what makes your stomach flutter!
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