how to enhance creative writing skills

Writing Nestling

How To Improve Creative Writing (18 Effective Ways)

Embarking on the journey to improve one’s creative writing is like setting sail into an uncharted sea of boundless imagination and linguistic exploration.

Creative writing, a realm where words transform into vivid narratives, characters come to life, and emotions are painted across the pages, is a skill that thrives on constant growth and evolution.

In this guide, we will traverse the landscape of creative writing, delving into its various forms, mastering the craft, and unlocking the secrets to becoming a more skilled and imaginative writer.

Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith seeking refinement or a budding writer just beginning your literary voyage, the path to improvement is a rich tapestry waiting to be woven, where inspiration knows no bounds, and storytelling becomes an art form.

So, fasten your literary seatbelt, for the journey to enhance your creative writing prowess is about to commence.

Table of Contents

How To Improve Creative Writing

To improve your creative writing skills, follow these steps:

Read Widely:

Read a diverse range of literature, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and different genres. This exposure will help you understand various writing styles and techniques.

Write Regularly:

Practice writing consistently. Set aside dedicated time each day or week to write. The more you write, the better you’ll become.

Expand Your Vocabulary:

Work on building a rich vocabulary. Learn new words, their meanings, and how to use them effectively in your writing.

Study Grammar and Punctuation:

A strong grasp of grammar and punctuation is essential. Review the rules and practice to avoid common mistakes.

Create a Writing Routine:

Establish a routine that works for you. Whether it’s early in the morning, late at night, or during lunch breaks, find your optimal writing time.

Outline Your Ideas:

Plan your writing in advance. Create outlines, mind maps, or notes to organize your thoughts before you start writing.

Set Writing Goals:

Define clear goals for your writing projects. Whether it’s completing a short story , novel, or a series of articles, having goals keeps you motivated.

Seek Feedback:

Share your work with peers, writing groups, or mentors. Constructive feedback helps you identify areas for improvement.

Revise and Edit:

Writing is rewriting. After you’ve completed a draft, revise and edit your work for clarity, coherence, and style.

Experiment with Style and Genre:

Don’t be afraid to try different writing styles and genres. Experimentation can help you discover your unique voice.

Read Aloud:

Reading your work aloud can help you catch errors, awkward phrasing, and improve the rhythm of your writing .

Be Observant:

Pay attention to the world around you. Observing people, places, and events can provide inspiration and authenticity to your writing.

Overcome Writer’s Block:

When you’re stuck, try free writing, brainstorming, or taking a break to refresh your creativity.

Stay Inspired:

Surround yourself with inspiring sources, whether it’s art, nature, music, or conversations. Inspiration can fuel your creativity.

Edit and Proofread:

Once you’ve completed your writing, thoroughly edit and proofread it for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Publish and Share:

Share your work through blogs, social media, or submit it to publications. Public sharing can provide valuable feedback and exposure.

Learn from Feedback:

Take feedback seriously and use it as a tool for improvement. Analyze critiques to enhance your writing skills.

Keep Learning:

Writing is an ongoing journey. Continuously seek to learn and grow as a writer by attending workshops, reading about writing, and experimenting with new techniques.

Remember, improving your creative writing skills takes time and dedication. Patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn are key to becoming a better writer.

Understanding Creative Writing

Understanding creative writing is like embarking on a journey into the boundless realm of imagination, where words become brushstrokes, painting the canvas of your mind with vivid worlds, complex characters, and emotions that dance off the page.

It’s a realm where you’re the architect of reality, bending the rules of ordinary language to conjure extraordinary stories that tickle the senses and stir the soul.

It’s about wielding the power of narrative to shape destinies, provoke thought, and make hearts skip a beat.

In the realm of creative writing, you’re both the magician and the audience, crafting spells with sentences that transport you and your readers to places unknown, unraveling mysteries, and exploring the infinite possibilities of human expression.

Different forms of creative writing

Creative writing encompasses a kaleidoscope of diverse forms, each a unique facet of the literary universe.

There’s the enchanting world of fiction, where novelists weave intricate plots and multidimensional characters that become your companions on thrilling adventures.

Poetry, a mesmerizing tapestry of words, paints vivid imagery and emotion in the concise space of a few lines.

Non-fiction is a realm of truth and authenticity, where writers illuminate reality with memoirs, essays, and journalistic narratives. Screenwriting brings storytelling to life on the silver screen, capturing the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide.

These forms are but a glimpse into the labyrinth of creative writing, where the only limit is the boundaries of one’s imagination.

Elements of creative writing

The elements of creative writing are the building blocks that breathe life into words , transforming them into vibrant stories.

At the heart of any creative work lies the intricate dance of plot, where conflicts and resolutions unfurl like a well-orchestrated symphony.

Characterization paints portraits of individuals, each with their own quirks and depths, making them unforgettable to the reader.

Setting, a crucial backdrop, provides the stage upon which these tales unfold, influencing moods and actions.

Themes thread through the narrative like a hidden river, adding depth and purpose, while style is the unique fingerprint of the author, infusing the work with their voice and perspective.

These elements, in concert, give creative writing its compelling complexity , inviting readers to embark on journeys that resonate with their hearts and minds.

Cultivating a Creative Mindset

Cultivating a creative mindset is akin to tending to the most wondrous of gardens—the garden of the imagination.

It’s about donning the gloves of curiosity and nurturing the seeds of inspiration, coaxing them to bloom into vibrant ideas that dance in the sun-dappled meadow of your thoughts.

In this garden, writer’s block withers under the warmth of persistence, and the weeds of self-doubt are plucked away with unwavering belief in your creative potential.

It’s a sanctuary where meditation and mindfulness are the water and sunlight, ensuring that the fruits of your imagination grow ripe and abundant.

In this verdant oasis, you are the creator and the caretaker, shaping the tapestry of your mind into a masterpiece of creativity that never ceases to blossom with new ideas.

Overcoming writer’s block

Overcoming writer’s block is like finding a hidden passage out of a labyrinth of your own thoughts. It’s the art of breaking free from the stranglehold of a blank page and transforming it into an open canvas.

Sometimes, the most formidable adversary is not the lack of ideas but the daunting prospect of beginning. To conquer this nemesis, one must navigate a myriad of techniques, from freewriting and brainstorming to changing the physical environment, in order to unearth the buried treasure of creativity within.

It’s a mental jigsaw puzzle where pieces of inspiration are scattered, and solving it involves patience, resilience, and sometimes simply allowing your mind to wander until it stumbles upon that elusive spark that will ignite your words.

Overcoming writer’s block isn’t just a battle won; it’s a gateway to the ever-expanding universe of storytelling, waiting to be explored with fervor and imagination.

Developing a writing routine

Developing a writing routine is akin to crafting a symphony out of the everyday humdrum. It’s the art of carving out sacred moments in the day, allowing the muse to speak amid the cacophony of life’s demands.

A writing routine is the scaffold that supports the architecture of creativity, providing the structure and discipline necessary for the magic of storytelling to flourish.

Whether it’s the first light of dawn or the stillness of midnight, these designated hours become the writer’s sanctuary, the place where the mind opens up like a treasure chest of ideas, and words flow like a river.

It’s in these moments of consistency that the craft evolves, enabling writers to hone their skills, unravel narratives, and beckon inspiration at will.

Ultimately, a writing routine is a personal ritual that weaves creativity into the fabric of daily existence, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, one word at a time.

Mastering the Craft

Mastering the craft of writing is like harnessing the mystical forces of language to conjure entire universes from the ink of your pen.

It’s a lifelong journey of delving into the labyrinth of words, where each sentence becomes a brushstroke, and every paragraph a brush dipped in the palette of emotions.

It’s an alchemical process, where you transmute raw ideas into literary gold, refining your art through an unending cycle of creation, revision, and relentless pursuit of perfection.

Every metaphor, every plot twist , and every character’s whisper becomes a note in the grand symphony of storytelling, where the crescendo is the moment you realize you’re not just a writer; you’re a sorcerer, weaving spells with every keystroke, capturing the hearts and minds of readers with the magic of your narrative.

Vocabulary and Language

Vocabulary and language are the enchanting threads that weave the tapestry of storytelling. A writer’s arsenal of words is akin to a painter’s palette, each word a unique hue that, when skillfully blended, creates vivid imagery and evokes powerful emotions.

A rich and varied vocabulary is the cornerstone of effective communication, allowing writers to express the nuances of thought and sentiment with precision and eloquence.

Language, on the other hand, is the vessel that carries these words, shaping the tone and rhythm of a narrative.

The beauty of this interplay lies in the writer’s ability to select the perfect word, the ideal phrase, and the most evocative metaphor, thereby sculpting a literary masterpiece that resonates with readers, captivating their senses, and transporting them to worlds of imagination and wonder.

In the realm of creative writing, vocabulary and language are the keys to unlocking the full spectrum of human experience and imagination.

Writing Techniques

Writing techniques are the chisels and brushes of the wordsmith, essential tools that sculpt and paint the narrative.

They encompass a spectrum of strategies that shape the flow and impact of a piece of writing. “Show, don’t tell” is the art of letting readers experience a story through sensory details and actions, fostering a deeper connection.

Crafting authentic dialogue breathes life into characters, allowing them to converse and reveal their personalities naturally.

The choice of point of view, whether first person, third person, or omniscient, defines the lens through which the reader perceives the tale.

These techniques, like a craftsman’s skills, enable writers to craft stories with finesse, immersing readers in vivid landscapes, relatable characters, and intricate narratives, making the written word a portal to realms of imagination and emotion.

Reading as a Writer

Reading as a writer is akin to peering behind the scenes of a magnificent stage production to witness the magic of storytelling in its purest form.

It’s a journey where the reader transforms into a literary detective, dissecting the prose, unraveling the plot, and examining the intricate brushstrokes of the author’s craft.

With each turn of the page, a writer learns the secret language of pacing, character development, and dialogue that is whispered through the text.

It’s an immersive masterclass that teaches the orchestration of tension, the symphony of foreshadowing, and the art of unveiling mysteries.

In this dual role of reader and writer, one discovers that every book is not just an escape but an invitation to the backstage, where the invisible threads of narrative manipulation are spun, inspiring the storyteller within to reach new heights and craft unforgettable tales.

Analyzing literature

Analyzing literature is akin to embarking on an archeological expedition into the layers of human expression and experience.

It’s a fascinating journey where each page holds the whispers of the past and the echoes of the author’s soul.

As one delves into the intricacies of a literary work, it’s like decoding a cryptic message, revealing the hidden treasures of symbolism, theme, and narrative structure.

Every word, sentence, and character becomes a clue in a grand puzzle, inviting you to explore the profound depths of the human psyche and society.

In the process of literary analysis, readers not only unearth the intellectual and emotional nuances of a text but also gain a profound appreciation for the artistry of the written word, for it is in these revelations that the alchemy of storytelling is unveiled, proving that literature is not merely ink on paper, but a mirror reflecting the intricate mosaic of human existence.

Learning from other authors

Learning from other authors is akin to a masterclass in the art of storytelling. It’s an exquisite journey of exploration, where you walk in the footsteps of literary giants, witnessing their genius unfold across the pages of their works.

These authors, like mentors from afar, offer invaluable lessons in character development, plot structure, and the delicate dance of language.

With each book you read, you glean insights into the diverse ways authors craft their narratives, be it the lyrical prose of one or the gripping dialogue of another.

Their stories serve as templates, guiding you in understanding the subtleties of storytelling, nurturing your creative instincts, and sparking that inner fire of inspiration.

In the pages of their books, you find not just tales, but the wisdom of those who have paved the way, ready to illuminate your path as you embark on your own journey of writing.

Building a personal library

Building a personal library is like assembling a treasury of knowledge, imagination, and soul. Each book, lovingly arranged on the shelves, is a passport to different worlds, eras, and minds.

It’s a sanctuary where you can escape the mundane and embark on an endless odyssey of exploration, enlightenment, and enchantment. Your personal library becomes a reflection of your intellectual curiosity and passions, a curated collection of stories and wisdom that have resonated with you.

Beyond the tangible beauty of bound pages, it’s a space where you can seek refuge, inspiration, and solace.

In this haven, books aren’t just inanimate objects; they are the keepers of dreams, mentors, and the compass that guides you on your own creative journey, whispering their stories and secrets, ready to be discovered anew each time you open their pages.

Research and Fact-Checking

Research and fact-checking are the unsung heroes of the writer’s craft, the secret agents who ensure that the tapestry of fiction and the canvas of non-fiction remain unblemished by errors.

Like intrepid explorers, writers embark on quests for knowledge, sifting through archives, traversing the corridors of history, and plumbing the depths of the digital ocean.

Fact-checking is the lighthouse that guards against the treacherous cliffs of misinformation, ensuring that the narratives we weave are anchored in truth.

It’s not just a scholarly pursuit; it’s the alchemy that transforms a story from mere entertainment into a portal to the worlds, cultures, and ideas it seeks to represent.

In the realm of research, writers become detectives, unearthing secrets, unmasking mysteries, and painting the scenery with the vivid strokes of authenticity.

Without this duo, the magic of storytelling would lose its luster, and readers would be adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

Importance of accuracy in creative writing

The importance of accuracy in creative writing cannot be overstated, for it is the cornerstone upon which the credibility and resonance of a narrative are built.

While creativity allows us to conjure imaginary realms and characters, these creations must find their roots in a foundation of truth.

Factual accuracy in the details of a story, whether it’s historical, scientific, or cultural, lends authenticity to the narrative, enriching the reader’s experience by making the fictional world feel tangible and relatable.

Inaccuracies can disrupt the suspension of disbelief, pulling readers out of the story, and eroding the trust they place in the author.

Moreover, for works that explore complex themes or socio-cultural issues, accuracy is paramount in promoting understanding and empathy.

By upholding the value of accuracy, creative writing can reach its full potential, becoming a powerful vessel for both entertainment and enlightenment.

Finding Your Voice

Finding your voice in the vast wilderness of creative expression is like discovering a hidden gem within your own soul.

It’s not just about words; it’s the symphony of your thoughts, your emotions, and the unique cadence of your experiences coming to life on the page. Your voice is the compass that guides you through the labyrinth of creativity, allowing you to navigate the realms of storytelling with authenticity.

It’s a fingerprint that distinguishes your work from the rest, making your narratives resonate with a singular, unforgettable resonance.

Finding your voice is not just a revelation; it’s a journey of self-discovery, an ongoing exploration of who you are and how you want to connect with the world through the magic of words.

It’s the moment when you realize that your voice, unlike any other, is the key to unlocking the hearts and minds of your readers, inviting them to explore the world as you see it and share in the emotions that define your unique narrative.

Personal style and uniqueness

Personal style and uniqueness in writing are the vibrant colors that distinguish an artist’s canvas from all others.

Your writing style is the echo of your personality , your perspective, and the experiences that shape you. It’s the idiosyncratic rhythm of your sentences, the selection of words that resonate with your soul, and the peculiar nuances that define your narrative fingerprint.

Embracing your uniqueness is not a departure from the norm but a celebration of individuality, an affirmation that your voice is unlike any other.

In a world filled with words, it’s your personal style that makes your work stand out, inviting readers to explore the world through your eyes and experience the emotions that pulse through your stories.

Your style is your signature, and your uniqueness is the spark that ignites the literary world, reminding us that in the realm of creativity, diversity is the catalyst for innovation and the source of endless inspiration.

Authenticity in storytelling

Authenticity in storytelling is the golden thread that weaves a powerful connection between the writer and the reader.

It’s the unwavering commitment to truth, not in the factual sense, but in the emotional and human sense. Authentic storytelling dares to venture into the raw, unvarnished corners of the human experience, revealing vulnerability, joys, struggles, and complexities with unapologetic honesty.

It acknowledges the imperfections of characters, the messiness of life, and the ambiguity of morality.

Authenticity in storytelling is the bridge that allows readers to see themselves in the characters and situations, to empathize, to confront their own truths, and to resonate with the essence of the narrative.

It’s a reminder that, in the world of storytelling, the most profound impact is often not achieved through escapism but through a mirror reflecting the truth of our shared humanity, inviting us to explore, understand, and embrace the beautifully imperfect mosaic of human existence.

Overcoming Challenges

Overcoming challenges is akin to harnessing the fiery spirit of a phoenix, rising from the ashes of adversity with newfound strength and resilience.

It’s the grand adventure of our lives, where obstacles are not roadblocks but stepping stones towards personal growth and transformation.

Challenges are the litmus test of character, the forge where determination is tempered, and where the human spirit finds its true mettle.

In the face of these trials, we discover untapped reserves of courage, creativity, and perseverance that we never knew existed.

Like intrepid explorers charting uncharted territories, we boldly face the unknown, seeking not just victory but self-discovery, for it is in the crucible of challenges that our true potential is revealed, and we emerge as the heroes of our own stories.

Publishing and Sharing Your Work

Publishing and sharing your work is like setting a fleet of paper boats adrift on the vast sea of human connection.

It’s the culmination of the creative journey, where words born in the depths of your imagination finally take flight, finding their way into the hearts and minds of readers around the world.

It’s not just about self-expression; it’s the bridge that unites creators with an audience eager to embark on the emotional and intellectual voyages they’ve crafted.

Sharing your work is an act of courage and vulnerability, inviting both praise and criticism, but it’s also an affirmation that your voice is worthy of being heard.

It’s the act of extending a hand to others, saying, “Come, join me on this journey,” and allowing your stories to become a part of the tapestry of the human experience.

In the realm of publishing and sharing, you become a storyteller not just for yourself but for the world, weaving connections, igniting conversations, and leaving an indelible mark on the shared narrative of humanity.

Traditional vs. self-publishing

The choice between traditional and self-publishing is a crossroads that writers often face, each path offering its own set of opportunities and challenges.

Traditional publishing, akin to the majestic gates of a literary castle, can provide the author with the validation and resources of an established publishing house, offering professional editing, cover design, and broad distribution networks.

It opens doors to bookstores and literary awards, but it also demands patience and perseverance in the face of stringent gatekeepers. Self-publishing, on the other hand, is the democratization of literature, an open road that allows authors to take the reins of their creative destiny.

It offers control and speed of publication but requires authors to take on multiple roles, from editing to marketing.

Ultimately, the decision hinges on individual goals and preferences, as each path holds the promise of sharing stories with the world, whether under the watchful eye of a traditional publisher or the entrepreneurial spirit of self-publishing.

Continuing Education

Continuing education is the compass that keeps the writer’s journey ever-advancing. It’s the symphony of growth in a world that constantly whispers new stories and knowledge.

Imagine it as an uncharted library, where each book holds the key to unlock a new realm of understanding, and each workshop or course is an invitation to dance with different writing techniques.

It’s not just about honing existing skills; it’s about unfurling new horizons and uncovering hidden treasures in the treasure chest of literary prowess.

Continuing education is the echo of the writer’s heartbeat, a reminder that the world of words is boundless and ever-evolving, and that within its embrace, the writer can continue to explore, learn, and craft stories that leave an indelible mark on the literary landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about How To Improve Creative Writing

What is creative writing, and why is it important to improve this skill.

Creative writing is the art of crafting original and imaginative stories , poems, or prose. It’s important to improve this skill because it not only enhances your ability to express yourself but also unlocks the door to a world of creativity, enabling you to engage and captivate readers.

How can I overcome writer’s block and boost my creativity?

Overcoming writer’s block can be achieved through various techniques like free writing, mind mapping, or changing your writing environment. To boost creativity, consider practicing mindfulness, exploring new experiences, and cultivating a daily writing routine.

What are some effective strategies for improving my vocabulary and language skills?

Expanding your vocabulary can be done by reading widely, using a thesaurus, and playing word games. To enhance language skills, study grammar and syntax, experiment with different writing styles, and immerse yourself in literature.

What are some common writing techniques to improve the quality of my creative writing?

Common writing techniques include “show, don’t tell,” crafting compelling dialogue, and mastering point of view. These techniques help to make your storytelling more engaging and immersive.

How can I find my unique voice as a writer?

Finding your unique voice involves experimenting with different writing styles, embracing authenticity, and understanding that your individual perspective is your greatest asset. It’s about being true to yourself and your experiences.

What’s the importance of reading as a writer, and how can I analyze literature effectively?

Reading exposes you to different writing styles and genres, helping you learn and grow as a writer. Effective analysis of literature involves examining themes, characters, and symbolism, and considering the author’s use of language and narrative structure.

What are the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, and how do I decide which is right for me?

Traditional publishing involves working with established publishing houses, while self-publishing allows you to independently release your work. The choice depends on your goals, the level of control you want, and your willingness to handle aspects like marketing and distribution.

How can I ensure the accuracy of my work, especially when writing about real-world facts and details?

To ensure accuracy, research extensively using reliable sources, fact-check rigorously, and consider seeking feedback from experts in the field you’re writing about.

What’s the role of continuing education in improving creative writing, and where can I find resources for it?

Continuing education helps you stay updated with the latest writing trends and hone your skills . You can find resources through writing workshops, online courses, writing groups, and literary events.

How do I deal with writer’s rejection and criticism constructively, and stay motivated in my writing journey?

Dealing with rejection and criticism involves developing resilience, learning from feedback, and keeping your passion for writing alive. Staying motivated can be achieved by setting goals, celebrating small wins, and surrounding yourself with a supportive writing community.

In the realm of creative writing, the journey to improvement is an endless odyssey, an ever-evolving expedition into the limitless depths of imagination and language.

It’s a path that weaves through the intricacies of plot, character, and style, as well as the nuances of authenticity and self-expression. Whether you are a seasoned wordsmith or a budding writer, the pursuit of creative excellence is a lifelong commitment to self-discovery, growth, and storytelling.

As you navigate the labyrinth of writer’s block, craft your unique voice, and refine your skills, remember that creative writing is not merely a craft; it’s a journey of self-expression, a gateway to new worlds, and a conduit for shared experiences.

So, pen in hand and heart afire, continue to embark on this voyage, for it is through the continuous exploration of your own creative depths that you will not only improve your writing but leave an indelible mark on the world of literature.

Your story is waiting to be told, and the pen is your magic wand, the world your canvas.

Happy writing !

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How to Improve Creative Writing

Last Updated: April 26, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Melessa Sargent and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden . Melessa Sargent is the President of Scriptwriters Network, a non-profit organization that brings in entertainment professionals to teach the art and business of script writing for TV, features and new media. The Network serves its members by providing educational programming, developing access and opportunity through alliances with industry professionals, and furthering the cause and quality of writing in the entertainment industry. Under Melessa's leadership, SWN has won numbers awards including the Los Angeles Award from 2014 through 2021, and the Innovation & Excellence award in 2020. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 35,430 times.

Creative writing is an outlet to express your imagination by putting it onto paper. Many people enjoy creative writing, but some struggle with it because of how unstructured it can feel. If you have been writing creatively and you’d like to improve your skills, try learning grammar rules and receiving feedback on your work to strengthen your creative writing and boost your confidence.

Creating Polished Work

• Using correct grammar and punctuation will also make your writing seem more polished.

• For example, instead of saying, “He quickly and quietly ate his food,” try saying, “He gulped down his meal.” This sentence is more interesting, and gives the same effect to the reader.

Tip: Take a break from writing and come back to your piece after a few hours or even days. Mistakes will be easier to spot after you’ve taken a break.

• Revising is similar to proofreading, except you are looking for ways to improve your piece, not just correcting mistakes.

• Don’t be offended if someone doesn’t like your piece, or has a lot of feedback to give. You can choose whether or not to implement a change that someone else suggests.

Finding Time and Ideas

Tip: If you think you might forget to write, set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself.

• Get a library card so that you can check out books for free instead of buying them every time.

• For example, you might start with a prompt like, “Imagine what it would be like to be a plant,” or "Write about a day in the life of Barack Obama.”

• You can also use people-watching to practice writing down descriptions of behavior and clothing.

• For instance, try writing a fairytale from another character’s perspective, or setting it in today’s era.

• Deadlines that you set for yourself can seem easy to brush off, but you will be disappointed in yourself if you don’t meet them.
• Make sure your deadlines are realistic. Don’t plan on finishing an entire book by next week if you’re only halfway through.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.luc.edu/literacy/grammar.shtml
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/group-writing/
• ↑ Melessa Sargent. Professional Writer. Expert Interview. 14 August 2019.
• ↑ https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1
• ↑ https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/why-its-important-to-read/
• ↑ https://cetl.uconn.edu/about/mission/

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100 Writing Practice Lessons & Exercises

by Joe Bunting | 50 comments

Want to become a better writer? Perhaps you want to write novels, or maybe you just want to get better grades in your essay writing assignments , or maybe you'd like to start a popular blog .

If you want to write better, you need practice. But what does a writing practice actually look like? In this post, I'm going to give you everything you need to kick off your writing practice and become a better writer faster.

What Is Writing Practice?

Writing practice is a method of becoming a better writer that usually involves reading lessons about the writing process, using writing prompts, doing creative writing exercises , or finishing writing pieces, like essays, short stories , novels , or books . The best writing practice is deliberate, timed, and involves feedback.

How Do You Practice Writing?

This was the question I had when I first started The Write Practice in 2011. I knew how to practice a sport and how to practice playing an instrument. But for some reason, even after studying it in college, I wasn't sure how to practice writing.

I set out to create the best writing practice I could. The Write Practice is the result.

I found that the best writing practice has three aspects:

Deliberate . Writing whatever you feel like may be cathartic, but it's not an effective way to become a better writer or build your writing skills. You'll get better faster by practicing a specific technique or aspect of the writing process each time you sit down to write.

This is why we have a new lesson about the writing process each day on The Write Practice, followed by a practice prompt at the end so you can put what you learned to use immediately.

Timed . It's no secret writers struggle with focus. There are just too many interesting distractions—Facebook, email, Kim Kardashian's Instagram feed (just kidding about that last one, sort of)—and writing is just too hard sometimes.

Setting a timer, even for just fifteen minutes, is an easy and effective way to stay focused on what's important.

This is why in our writing practice prompt at the end of each post we have a time limit, usually with a link to an online tool egg timer , so you can focus on deliberate practice without getting distracted.

Feedback . Getting feedback is one of the requirements to deliberately practice writing or any other craft. Feedback can look like listening to the reactions of your readers or asking for constructive criticism from editors and other writers.

This is why we ask you to post your writing practice after each lesson, so that you can get feedback from other writers in The Write Practice community. It's also why we set up The Write Practice Pro community , to provide critique groups for writers to get feedback on each finished piece of writing.

Our 100+ Best Creative Writing Practice Exercises and Lessons

Now that you know how we practice writing at The Write Practice, here are our best writing practice lessons to jumpstart your writing skills with some daily writing exercises, for beginner writers to even the most expert writers:

All-Time, Top 10 Writing Lessons and Exercises

These ten posts are our most viewed articles to boost your writing practice:

1. What is Plot? The 6 Elements of Plot and How to Use Them . Great stories use similar elements in wildly different ways to build page-turning stories. Click here to read what they are and learn how to start using them !

2. Top 100 Short Story Ideas . Here are over a hundred writing prompts in a variety of genres. If you need ideas for your next story, check this out!

3. How To Use Neither, Nor, Or, and Nor Correctly . Even good writers struggle figuring out when to use neither/nor and either/or. In this post, our copy-queen Liz Bureman settles the confusion once and for all. Click to continue to the writing exercise

4. Ten Secrets To Write Better Stories . How does Pixar manage to create such great stories, year after year? And how do you write a good story? In this post, I distill everything I've learned about how to write a good story into ten tips. Click to continue to the writing exercise

5. 35 Questions To Ask Your Characters From Marcel Proust . To get to know my characters better, I use a list of questions known as the Proust Questionnaire, made famous by French author, Marcel Proust. Click to continue to the writing exercise

6. How a Scene List Can Change Your Novel-Writing Life . Creating a scene list changed my novel-writing life, and doing the same will change yours too. Includes examples of the scene lists from famous authors. Click to continue to the writing exercise

7. Why You Need to be Using the Oxford Comma . Most people I've met have no idea what the Oxford comma is, but it's probably something that you have used frequently in your writing. Click to continue to the writing exercise

8. Six Surprising Ways to Write Better Interview Questions.  The interview is the most-used tool in a journalist's bag. But that doesn't mean novelists, bloggers, and even students can't and don't interview people. Here's how to conduct a great interview. Click to continue to the writing exercise

9. Why You Should Try Writing in Second Person . You've probably used first person and third person point-of-view already. But what about second person? This post explains three reasons why you should try writing from this point-of-view. Click to continue to the writing exercise

10. The Secret to Show, Don't Tell . You've heard the classic writing rule, “Show. Don't Tell.” Every writing blog ever has talked about it, and for good reason. Showing, for some reason, is really difficult. Click to continue to the writing exercise.

12 Exercises and Lessons To Become a Better Writer

How do you become a better writer? These posts share our best advice:

• Want to Be a Better Writer? Cut These 7 Words
• What I Mean When I Say I Am A Writer
• How to Become a Writer: 3 Simple Steps
• 72% of Writers Struggle With THIS
• 7 Lies About Becoming a Writer That You Probably Believe
• 10 Questions to Find Your Unique Writing Voice
• The Best Writing Book I’ve Ever Read
• The Best Way to Become a Better Writer
• The Creative Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Tools You Can’t Write Without
• Should You Write More or Write Better: Quantity vs Quality
• How to Become a Better Writer in One, Simple Step
• 11 Writing Tips That Will Change Your Life

6 Lessons and Exercises from Great Writers

If you want to be a writer, learn from the great writers who have gone before you:

• 23 Essential Quotes from Ernest Hemingway About Writing
• 29 Quotes that Explain How to Become a Better Writer
• 10 Lessons Dr. Seuss Can Teach Writers
• 10 Writing Tips from Ursula Le Guin
• Once Upon a Time: Pixar Prompt
• All the Pretty Words: Writing In the Style of Cormac McCarthy

12 Genre and Format Specific Writing Lessons and Exercises

Here are our best writing lessons for specific types of writing, including essays, screenplays, memoir, short stories, children's books, and humor writing:

• Writing an Essay? Here Are 10 Effective Tips
• How To Write a Screenplay: The 5 Step Process
• How to Write a Great Memoir: a Complete Guide
• How to Write a Short Story from Start to Finish
• How to Write a Thriller Novel
• How to Write a Children's Book
• How to Write a Love Story
• How to Write a Coming of Age Story or Book
• How to Write an Adventure Book
• 5 Key Elements for Successful Short Stories
• 4 Tips to Write a Novel That Will Be Adapted Into a Movie
• Humor Writing for People Who Aren’t Funny

14 Characterization Lessons and Exercises

Good characters are the foundation of good fiction. Here are our best lessons to create better characters:

• Character Development: How to Create Characters Audiences Will Love
• Writing Villains: 9 Evil Examples of the Villain Archetype
• How NOT to Introduce a New Character
• The Strongest Form of Characterization
• The Most Important Character Archetype
• How Do You Build A Strong Character In Your Writing?
• 75+ Antihero Examples and How to Use Them
• How to Explore Your Characters’ Motivations
• 8 Tips for Naming Characters
• The Protagonist: How to Center Your Story
• Heroes vs. Anti-Heroes: Which Is Right For Your Story?
• The Weakest Form of Characterization
• How to Write With an Accent
• How To Create a Character Sketch Using Scrivener

15 Grammar Lessons and Exercises

I talk to so many writers, some of whom are published authors, who struggle with grammar. Here are our best writing lessons on grammar:

• Is It Okay To End A Sentence With A Preposition?
• Contractions List: When To Use and When To Avoid
• Good vs. Well
• Connotation vs. Denotation
• Per Se vs. Per Say
• When You SHOULD Use Passive Voice
• When Do You Use “Quotation Marks”
• Polysyndeton and Asyndeton: Definition and Examples
• The Case Against Twilight
• Affect Versus Effect
• Stop Saying “Literally”
• What Is a Comma Splice? And Why Do Editors Hate Them?
• Intra vs. Inter: Why No One Plays Intermural Sports
• Alright and Alot: Words That Are Not Words
• The Poor, Misunderstood Semicolon

4 Journalism Lessons and Exercises

Want to be a journalist? Or even use techniques from journalism to improve your novel, essay, or screenplay? Here are our best writing lessons on journalism:

• Six Ways to Ask Better Questions In Interviews
• How Should You Interview Someone? Over Email? In Person?
• What If They Don’t Want to Talk to You?
• Eleven Habits of a Highly Effective Interviewers

16 Plot and Structure Lessons and Exercises

Want to write a good story? Our top plot and structure lessons will help:

• The Ten Types of Story and How to Master Them
• Points of a Story: 6 Plot Points Every Story Needs
• How to Shape a Story: The 6 Arcs
• 7 Keys To Write the Perfect First Line of a Novel
• The Secret to Creating Conflict
• 4 Tips to Avoid Having Your Short Story Rejected by a Literary Magazine
• 7 Steps to Creating Suspense
• 5 Elements of Storytelling
• 3 Important Rules for Writing Endings
• A Writer’s Cheatsheet to Plot and Structure
• Overcoming the Monster
• How to Satisfy Your Reader With a Great Ending
• Pow! Boom! Ka-Pow! 5 Tips to Write Fight Scenes
• The Dramatic Question and Suspense in Fiction
• How to Write a Memorable Beginning and Ending
• How to Write the Perfect First Page

6 Lessons and Exercises to Beat Writer's Block

Writer's block is real, and it can completely derail your writing. Here are six lessons to get writing again:

• How To Write Whether You Feel Like it Or Not
• This Fun Creative Writing Exercise Will Change Your Life
• When You Should Be Writing But Can't…
• What to do When Your Word Count is Too Low
• 7 Tricks to Write More with Less Willpower
• When You Don’t Know What to Write, Write About Your Insecurities

7 Literary Technique Lessons and Exercises

These writing and storytelling techniques will teach you a few tricks of the trade you may not have discovered before:

• 3 Tips to “Show, Don’t Tell” Emotions and Moods
• 3 Reasons to Write Stream of Consciousness Narrative
• 16 Observations About Real Dialogue
• Intertextuality As A Literary Device
• Why You Should Use Symbolism In Your Writing
• 6 Ways to Evoke Emotion in Poetry and Prose
• 3 Tips To Write Modern Allegorical Novels
• Symbol vs. Motif: What’s the Difference

3 Inspirational Writing Lessons and Exercises

Need some inspiration? Here are three of our most inspiring posts:

• Why We Write: Four Reasons
• You Must Remember Every Scar
• 17 Reasons to Write Something NOW

3 Publishing Blogging Lessons and Exercises

If you want to get published, these three lessons will help:

• The Secret to Writing On Your Blog Every Day
• How to Publish Your Book and Sell Your First 1,000 Copies
• How to Get Published in Literary Magazines

11 Writing Prompts

Need inspiration or just a kick in the pants to write. Try one of our top writing prompts :

• Grandfathers [writing prompt]
• Out of Place [writing prompt]
• Sleepless [writing prompt]
• Longing [writing prompt]
• Write About Yourself [writing prompt]
• 3 Reasons You Should Write Ghost Stories
• Road Trip [writing prompt]
• Morning [writing prompt]
• The Beach [writing prompt]
• Fall [writing prompt]
• How to Use Six-Word Stories As Writing Prompts

Is It Time To Begin Your Writing Practice?

It's clear that if you want to become a writer, you need to practice writing. We've created a proven process to practice your writing at The Write Practice, but even if you don't join our community, I hope you'll start practicing in some way today.

Personally, I waited  far  too long to start practicing and it set my writing back years.

How about you? Do you think practicing writing is important?  Let me know in the comments section .

Choose one of the writing practice posts above. Then, read the lesson and participate in the writing exercise, posting your work in the Pro Practice Workshop . And if you post, please give feedback to your fellow writers who also posted their practices.

Have fun and happy practicing!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

50 Comments

You have THE BEST content for writing on this blog!!

Thank you, Kristen. This made my morning. 🙂

Thanks Mitch. 🙂

I can’t remember when I started following this website. I have to look in my notebooks because that’s where I did these practices. I didn’t have access to a computer when I did them, so I wrote them out, setting the time limit. But even when I do get to a computer, I have my reservations about putting my practices on the page. even though it’s practice, I want them to be the best, almost perfect. But I know it won’t be. I’ve gotten feedback before that says so. It still gets to me that I didn’t put something together that not everyone liked. I need to get over it. After all, that is what these practices are about: to learn and improve on our craft.

I don’t know either, George, but it’s been several years. Perfectionism is something so many of us face, and it’s made worse when you don’t have a critique community as warm and encouraging as ours is. I hope you and everyone here are always willing to try something new, even if it comes out a little messed up, because you know we’ll support you and try to make you better.

What a great share! Thanks so much!

You’re so welcome, Elizabeth. Thank you for commenting.

when I ran writing classes I wrote. when I am “a member of writing classes” the teacher/leader/facilitator is NOT MY AUDIENCE and so I don’t write as well/as much. I don’t get the feedback I need from fellow students because most of them have never run their own writing projects/workshops. So many people expect you to write their story for them. I’ve actually got quite a few stories of me own. I have finally decided I like owning them. 😉

It sounds like you need a new critique group, Patience! Hope you can find a place where you get the feedback you need.

Wow! Terrific round-up of resources. 🙂

Thanks Stephanie. 🙂

Practice is necessary, period. It doesn’t matter what you want to learn. If you want to improve, practice is vital.

It’s odd. I’ve known and applied that principle for years on a variety of things. Painting. Drawing. Blogging. Gardening. Laundry.

But never writing.

Like you, I had the notion that just writing every day was all it took to improve. Why not the same level of dedication to writing?

Perhaps it’s time to change that!

I can relate, Carrie. It’s easy to confuse the craft of writing with journaling, thinking that you can just write whatever you feel like and you’ll get better, write something worth reading. The truth is that writing interesting things to read is a skill, but the good news is that you can get better at it with practice. Thanks for practicing with us! 🙂

I love these suggestions , and have set Writing Practice as my homepage so the first 15 minutes of my day is spent writing, whether its a practice or exercise here or another that is sprinkled through out this site, Thank you for all you do everyone here at The Write Practice

This is great Debra. I want to write the first 15 minutes of my day too!

I agree with Joe, Do it. Could be your to do list… ( that could lead to something else story wse later)

I love that, Debra. Such a good way to start your day.

Thanks Joe!

The best! Thank you so much for this.

You’re very welcome!

I simply LOVE all the tips and suggestions given on this blog. They are super helpful!

THANK you. We love sharing them with you. 🙂

Hi! You forgot the link to How to Write a Story a Week: A Day-by-Day Guide.

Thanks a lot for your work! This post is amazing.

It’s a great post Thiago. Definitely one of our most shared. Thanks for mentioning it! BTW here’s the link:

https://thewritepractice.com/a-story-a-week/

Wow!! There are so many exercises…. I just love it..! I am gonna really enjoy it..!

Awesome! Thank you for reading and practicing with us. 🙂

I only read halfway , My tootie is jumping all over me, and typing this is a struggle when a 3yr old wants his Toy Story movie on Youtube in this computer. Thank you for this article, will come back later to finish reading.

I know the feeling! Good luck!

Can’t wait to get stuck in with this! 🙂

Very helpful! Thank you!

I’ve just bookmarked this page. Thanks for this wonderful list.

This is awesome! So many helpful tips. I will be coming back to this often. Thanks for posting this!

Wow, so many goodies! Thank you for always providing such amazing content!!

I have enjoyed all these articles. Thank you for the help an inspiration to get my writing on its way. My creativity is boosting with confidence. Tootle loo.

Amazing contents for beginners like me Joe. I am highly inspired by your commitment. Thank you.

Hey, thanks!

Although I have only read half of thisc article, the practice exercises are excellent. Some of them are exactly what a beginning writer like myself needs. I am committing to at least try ALL of them. Thanks Joe!!

very helpful! thank you..

Amazing articles! Thanks so much for sharing!

My god this article made me love this site . You know it’s kinda hard for a beginner writer, who don’t know where to start and fixing goals, even samll ones give us a direction . A place to go , an aim for our creativity so thanks you , this community and this site. Love you all . At your pens ! 😉

Wow. This is great. I find all your posts informative, but this one is the best for me to use as a guide to get my self starting to write….Thank you.

I’m an old lady who wants to publish one more book before I die — have published several, all non-fiction, and done two under contract to a major publisher (reference books). So help me, the BIGGEST problem I have all along, is keeping track of the damned paper work and research that goes into a book!!! Yet I never ever see articles on something as simple as “How to file” — Oh I know, there’s wonderful software these days so probably I will never find a way to get paper organized — everybody will use software and do it on the computer. I’m too old for that — just one look at the learning curve for software, even putting the damned stuff into computer files is even MORE frustrating than paper!! Oh well, somehow I managed in the past to get books published, I may be able to do it one more time.

you enjoy writing more than anything else and you do indeed care to help others write. I love writing but translation from Arabic into English and English into Arabic is taking all of my time from the early hours of the morning till the evening. I will soon get all of your books in order to read them as soon as possible. One thing I am sure of. You know what you are doing very well. Hamzah

Excellent! Many useful tips. Many thanks!

Liz and Joe, I have only looked at a few exercises. Already, I am convinced that your site is one of the best sites out there. Thank your for sharing your wisdom.

Wow, these are the best lessons and exercises for writing. Actually i’m participating in a compitition this wendsday. so, i’m quite nervous and exited. this helped me a lot

Magnificent post ever I have read. This article will help me a lot to write a right way. Thank you.

i need your help to improve to become a better writer please. i think i usually commit moist of these errors and i don;t pay attention to many advices too.

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The best writing exercises bring out our latent creativity. Especially if you ever feel stuck or blocked, making creative writing exercises part of your daily writing practice can be a great way to both hone your skills and explore new frontiers in your writing. Whether you’re a poet, essayist, storyteller, or genre-bending author, these free writing exercises will jumpstart your creative juices and improve your writing abilities.

24 of the Best Free Writing Exercises to Try Out Today

The best creative writing exercises will push you out of your comfort zone and get you to experiment with words. Language is your sandbox, so let’s build some sand castles with these exercises and writing prompts.

Write With Limitations

The English language is huge, complicated, and — quite frankly — chaotic. Writing with self-imposed limitations can help you create novel and inventive pieces.

What does “limitations” mean in this context? Basically, force yourself not to use certain words, descriptions, or figures of speech. Some writing exercises using limitations include the following:

• Write without using adverbs or adjectives.
• Write without using the passive voice – no “being verbs” whatsoever. (Also called “E-Prime” writing.)
• Write a story without using a common letter –  just like Ernest Vincent Wright did .
• Write a poem where each line has six words.
• Write without using any pronouns.

Among exercises to improve writing skills, writing with limitations has the clearest benefits. This practice challenges your brain to think about language productively. Additionally, these limitations force you to use unconventional language – which, in turn, makes you write with lucidity, avidity, and invention.

Freewriting & Stream of Consciousness

What do you do when the words just don’t come out? How can you write better if you can’t seem to write at all? One of the best poetry exercises, as well as writing exercises in general, is to start your day by freewriting.

Freewriting, also known as “stream of consciousness writing,” involves writing your thoughts down the moment they come. There’s no filtering what you write, and no controlling what you think: topicality, style, and continuity are wholly unnecessary in the freewriting process. While the idea of freewriting seems easy, it’s much harder than you think – examining your thoughts without controlling them takes a while to master, and the impulse to control what you write isn’t easy to tame. Try these exercises to master the skill:

• Do a timed freewrite. Start with five minutes.
• Freewrite until you fill up the entirety of something – an envelope, a receipt, a postcard, etc.
• Freewrite after meditating.
• Freewrite off of the first word of today’s newspaper.

Among daily writing exercises, freewriting is one of the best writing exercises. Poets can use freewritten material as inspiration for their poetry. Prose writers can also find inspiration for future stories from the depths of their consciousnesses. Start your writing day with freewriting, and watch your creativity blossom.

Copy What You Read

Plagiarism is still off the table; however, you can learn a lot by paying attention to how other people write. This is what we call “reading like a writer.”

Reading like a writer means paying attention to the craft elements that make an excellent piece of literature work. Good writing requires different writing styles, figurative language, story structures, and/or poetry forms, as well as key word choice.

When you notice these craft elements, you can go ahead and emulate them in your own work. As a fiction writer , you might be drawn to the way Haruki Murakami weaves folklore into his stories, and decide to write a story like that yourself. Or, as a poet, you might be inspired by Terrance Hayes’ Golden Shovel form — enough so that you write a Golden Shovel yourself.

• Read a favorite poem, and write your own poem in the same poetic form.
• Blackout poetry: take another poem, cross out words you don’t want to use, circle words you do, and write a poem based on the circled words.
• Copy a single sentence from a favorite novel, and write a short-short story with it.

Among free writing exercises, this is a great way to learn from the best. The best kinds of exercises to improve writing skills involve building upon the current canon of works — as Isaac Newton said, you achieve something great by “standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Write From Different Perspectives

The conventional advice given to writers is to “write what you know.” We couldn’t disagree with that statement more. The best creative works force both the writer and the reader to consider new perspectives and learn something new; writing from a new point-of-view makes for a great exercise in expanding your creative limits.

Try these ideas as daily writing exercises:

• Write a story with the same plot, but with two or more perspectives. For example, you could write a lover’s quarrel from two different view points.
• Write from the point-of-view of a famous historical figure.
• Write a story or poem from the perspective of an object: a statue, a doll, a roomba, etc.
• Write from the perspective of a person you dislike.

While playing with perspective makes for a great fiction writing exercise , poets and essayists can do this too. Patricia Smith’s poem “Skinhead,” for example, is a persona piece written from the perspective of a white nationalist, but the poem clearly condemns the speaker’s beliefs.

Thus, perspective writing also works as a poetry exercise and an essay writing practice exercise . If you’re stuck in your own head, try writing in someone else’s!

Write Metaphor Lists

All creative writers need figurative language. While metaphors, similes, and synecdoches are more prominent in poetry , prose writers need the power of metaphor to truly engross their reader. Among both exercises to improve writing skills and fun writing exercises for adults, writing metaphor lists is one of the best writing exercises out there.

A metaphor list is simple. On a notebook, create two columns. In one column, write down only concrete nouns. Things like a pillow, a tree, a cat, a cloud, and anything that can be perceived with one of the five senses.

In the other list, write down only abstract ideas. Things like love, hate, war, peace, justice, closure, and reconciliation — anything that is conceptual and cannot be directly perceived.

Now, choose a random noun and a random concept, and create a metaphor or simile with them. Delve into the metaphor and explain the comparison. For example, you might say “Love is like a pillow — it can comfort, or it can smother.”

Once you’ve mastered the metaphor list, you can try the following ideas to challenge yourself:

• Create a coherent poem out of your metaphor list.
• Turn your metaphor list into a short story.
• Try making lists with a different figurative language device, such as personification, pathetic fallacy, or metonymy.

Any free creative writing exercise that focuses on figurative language can aid your writing immensely, as it helps writers add insight and emotionality to their work. This is an especially great creative writing exercise for beginners as they learn the elements of style and language.

Daily Journaling

Of course, the best way to improve your creative writing skills is simply to write every day. Keeping a daily journal is a great way to exercise your writing mind. By sitting down with your personal observations and writing without an agenda or audience, a daily writing practice  remains one of the best writing exercises , regardless of your genre or level of expertise.

Consider these ideas for your daily journal:

• Track your mood and emotions throughout the day. Write those emotions in metaphor — avoid commonplace adjectives and nouns.
• Write about your day from the second- or third-person.
• Journal your day in verse. Use stanzas, line breaks, and figurative language.
• Write about your day backwards.
• Write about your day using Freytag’s pyramid . Build up to a meaningful climax, even if nothing significant seemed to happen today.

Learn more about keeping a journal here:

How to Start Journaling: Practical Advice on How to Journal Daily

Writing Exercises: Have Fun with Them!

Many of these writing exercises might feel challenging at first—and that’s a good thing! You will unlock new ideas and writing strengths by struggling through these creative challenges. The main point is to have fun with them and use them to explore within your writing, without indulging too many monologues from your inner critic.

Are you looking for more exercises to improve your writing skills? Our instructors can offer prompts, illuminating lectures, one-to-one feedback, and more to help you improve your craft. Check out our upcoming creative writing courses , and let’s put these skills to practice.

Sean Glatch

Thank you for this. I’ve been stuck for months—more than that, actually, and you’d think that a pandemic stay-at-home would be the perfect time to do some writing. But no. I’m as stuck as ever. In fact, the only time I seem able to write consistently and well is when I’m taking one of your classes! I’m still saving my pennies, but these exercises will hopefully get me writing in the meantime. Thanks again!

Hi Kathy, I’m glad to hear some of these tips might spark your creativity 🙂 I feel the same way, I was hoping the stay-at-home order might spark some creativity, but we shouldn’t push ourselves too hard – especially in the midst of a crisis.

The best part about writing: all you have to do is try, and you’ve already succeeded. Good luck on your writing endeavors!

Bravo….!What a great piece! Honestly I learnt a lot here!

I picked interest in poetry just a week ago after reading a beautiful piece which captivated my mind into the world of writing. I’d love to write great poems but I don’t know anything about poetry, I need a coach, a motivator and an inspiration to be able to do this. This piece really helped me but I will appreciate some more tips and help from you or anyone else willing to help, I am really fervid about this.

Hi Anthony,

Thanks for your comment! I’m so excited for you to start your journey with poetry. We have more advice for poetry writing at the articles under this link: https://writers.com/category/poetry

Additionally, you might be interested in two of our upcoming poetry courses: Poetry Workshop and How to Craft a Poem .

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at [email protected] . Many thanks, and happy writing!

[…] 24 Best Writing Exercises to Become a Better Writer | writers.com  […]

Hi, kinsey there. Thanks for giving information. it is a very informative blog and i appreciate your effort to write a blog I am also a writer and i like these type of blogs everyone takes more knowledge to check out my essay writing website

As a writer, I often struggle to break free from the chains of writer’s block, but this blog has gifted me with a map of inspiration to navigate through those creative storms. It’s like being handed a box of enchanted writing exercises

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How to Improve Creative Writing?

Unlock your writing potential with our comprehensive blog on How to Improve Creative Writing. Discover invaluable tips and techniques to enhance your storytelling, spark inspiration, and hone your writing skills. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting, our insights will empower you to craft compelling narratives and take your creativity to new heights.

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Creative Writing is a captivating form of art that thrives on the power of imagination and expression. Refining this skill is an ongoing endeavour for those embarking on a Writing journey. Thus, an aspiring Writer must explore the intricate world of Creative Writing that offers insights, techniques, and guidance on How to Improve Creative Writing. The following blog on how to improve creative writing that will help you develop empathy, expand your imagination, and improve your communication skills  

Table of Contents  

1) Understanding the importance of Creative Writing  

2) How to improve Creative Writing?

     a) Reading helps

     b) Review the work of other Writers

     b) Power of imagination 

     c) Ensure correct grammar and punctuation 

     d) Constructing compelling characters and plots 

     e) Free Writing 

     f) Editing 

3) Conclusion 

Understanding the importance of Creative Writing   

Creative Writing is not just a hobby but a powerful tool that transcends the boundaries of language and culture, offering many benefits that extend far beyond storytelling. This form of expression holds immense value in both personal and professional spheres. Thus, itcontributes to personal development, effective communication, and even social change. 

Creative Writing allows individuals to articulate their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Through storytelling, poetry, or personal essays, Writers can explore the depths of their psyche, confront inner conflicts, and find catharsis. This act of self-expression helps Writers make sense of their feelings and connects them with readers who might resonate with similar sentiments. 

In a world driven by practicality and logic, Creative Writing encourages us to embrace our imaginative side. It challenges us to think beyond the boundaries of the ordinary and envision worlds, characters, and scenarios that have never existed before. This cultivation of imagination enriches our inner world and spills over into problem-solving, innovation, and the ability to see possibilities where others might not. 

How to improve Creative Writing

If you want to know How Improve Creative Writing, then consider practising the following: 

1)  R eading helps  

2) Review the work of other Writers

Besides immersing yourself in the writings of authors you admire, it's beneficial to actively analyse their work. This involves exploring their research methodologies, be it qualitative or quantitative, and understanding how they integrate theoretical frameworks into their studies. Observing how these Writers introduce and develop new perspectives on discussed topics can be particularly enlightening.

Moreover, engaging in this kind of review not only enhances your comprehension of their techniques but also sparks a wealth of ideas for your own creative endeavours. This process of critical evaluation can be a rich source of inspiration, helping you to identify both potential themes for your writing and areas to avoid. By exploring the depths of their work, you gain insights that can significantly influence and shape your own creative journey.

3) Ensure correct grammar and punctuation  

A Writer's proficiency in grammar and vocabulary lays the foundation for clear, engaging, and impactful storytelling. Mastering these fundamental elements is about adhering to rules and wielding language with precision and finesse. Proper grammar ensures that your sentences are clear and coherent, allowing readers to understand your intended meaning without confusion. It prevents misinterpretation and helps convey your ideas effectively. 

A varied vocabulary and an understanding of sentence structures enable you to create a rhythmic flow in your Writing. It keeps readers engaged, making your narrative a pleasure to read. The right word at the right time can evoke powerful emotions in your readers. A rich vocabulary allows you to paint vivid imagery and convey the nuances of emotions, immersing your audience in your story's world. 

4) Constructing compelling characters and plots  

Different characters possess distinct speech patterns and vocabulary. Mastering varied vocabulary and grammar styles empowers you to create authentic dialogue and voice for each character. Descriptive language and vocabulary choices contribute to the atmosphere of your story. Whether serene countryside or a bustling city, your words set the stage and immerse readers in your fictional world. Grammar nuances, like the choice of verb tense or punctuation, can subtly shape the meaning of a sentence. This precision is essential for delivering the desired impact in your Writing.  

Everyday life is the common ground that connects readers to your Writing. Drawing inspiration from the mundane allows readers to easily relate to your characters, situations, and emotions, making your story more engaging and relatable. 

Writing grounded in everyday experiences carries an authenticity that resonates deeply with readers. When you capture the nuances of ordinary moments, your Writing becomes genuine and sincere. 

5) Free Writing  

Free Writing and brainstorming open the floodgates of your mind, allowing your thoughts to spill onto the page without self-censorship. This process often leads to unexpected and innovative ideas. 

When you're stuck in a creative rut, free Writing and brainstorming can be the catalyst to break through the barriers of Writer's block. Putting pen to paper generates momentum and reignites your creative spark. 

6) Editing  

The true magic lies in editing and polishing – refining your raw words into a symphony of carefully chosen phrases and resonant emotions. This stage is where your Writing truly comes to life, where you sculpt your narrative into a masterpiece that captivates readers and stands the test of time. 

Editing ensures that your ideas are conveyed clearly and coherently. It eradicates confusion, ensuring that readers effortlessly follow your narrative. Polishing hones your language, transforming mundane phrases into evocative descriptions and ordinary dialogues into authentic conversations that resonate. Editing harmonizes your story's pacing and maintains consistency in characters, plot, and tone. This creates a seamless reading experience. 

Through careful editing, you enhance the emotional resonance of your Writing. Readers feel the depth of your characters' emotions and the weight of their decisions. The pressure to create something flawless can paralyse your creative process. Remember that first drafts are meant to be imperfect. 

The fear of not meeting your expectations or those of others can immobili se your creativity. Overanalysing every word or idea can lead to self-doubt and hinder the free flow of creativity. Mental fatigue and lack of rest can drain your creative energy, leaving you struggling to conjure ideas. 

Ready to elevate your skills to achieve optimum work-life balance? Explore Personal Development Training !

Conclusion  

In Creative Writing, the journey is as enriching as the destination. With the tools and insights this blog shares, you're now equipped to embark on a path of continuous improvement and answer the question “How to Improve Creative Writing?” As you refine your Writing skills, remember that creativity knows no bounds. Embrace the power of imagination, nurture your vocabulary, and polish your prose diligently. Let your words flow freely, unburdened by self-doubt, and embrace the growth process.  Ignite your imagination and refine your storytelling skills with our dynamic  Creative  Writing    Training.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Creative Writing fosters essential abilities, namely in any profession, it enhances your ability to communicate effectively, think critically, and organise thoughts. This ability is crucial for articulating ideas in every facet of life. Additionally, adept writing showcases your clarity of thought, facilitates communication across various levels, enhances comprehension and interpretation.

To combat Writer's block, begin by writing anything, as the act itself can stimulate creativity. Altering your environment may also spark inspiration. Additionally, setting a timer and writing continuously for a set duration can be effective. The Pomodoro Technique, which involves working in 25-minute segments with brief breaks, is another useful strategy for enhancing productivity and overcoming writer's block.

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10 Creative Writing Skills and How To Improve Them

Discover 10 Creative Writing skills along with some of the best tips to help you improve these abilities.

Creative writing is a skill that can be used in many different ways. Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, a poem or even just a grocery list, creative writing can be a helpful and rewarding skill to have. In this guide, we’ll discuss what creative writing is, how it can be used and how you can improve your own creative writing skills.

Imagination

Originality, flexibility, storytelling.

Imagination is an important creative writing skill because it allows you to create new worlds and characters. It also allows you to think outside the box and come up with original ideas. When you practice your imagination, you can improve your ability to think creatively and come up with new ideas.

To improve your imagination, try brainstorming new ideas, daydreaming, or writing short stories or poems. You can also practice visualizing a scene before you write it down. If you can see the scene in your head, it will be easier to write it down.

Creativity is an important skill for writers because it allows them to come up with new ideas and develop new stories. A creative writer can come up with unique characters, settings and plotlines that other writers might not think of. Additionally, creativity can help writers come up with different ways to say things and make their writing stand out.

To be a creative writer, you need to be able to think outside the box and come up with new ideas that haven’t been done before. You also need to be able to develop these ideas into full stories and write them in a way that is unique and interesting.

Originality is important in creative writing because it allows you to stand out from the crowd. When you’re writing a story, poem, essay or any other type of creative work, you want to make sure that it’s original so that it can be appreciated for its own merits.

To be original, you don’t have to come up with something completely new. You can take inspiration from other sources and then add your own twist to it. For example, you can take a plot from a movie you saw and then change the characters or setting. Or you can take a line of poetry and change the words or the order that they’re in.

Being original is a great way to impress your readers and win them over.

Fluency is the ability to read a text quickly, accurately and with proper expression. When we read fluently, we are able to focus on the meaning of the text rather than on decoding the words. Fluent readers are also able to understand multiple meanings of words and can use context to determine the correct meaning.

Fluency is an important skill for writers because it allows them to focus on the content of their writing rather than on the mechanics of writing. When writers are able to focus on the content, they are able to produce better writing.

Flexibility is important in creative writing because it allows you to be open to new ideas and to change your mind as you write. It also allows you to experiment with different styles and genres. When you’re flexible, you can try new things without feeling like you have to stick with one style or genre forever.

Flexibility also allows you to be open to feedback. If you’re flexible, you can listen to feedback and consider whether it would be helpful to change something about your writing. If you’re rigid, you might be less likely to take feedback seriously.

Eloquence is the ability to speak or write in a clear and effective way. It’s a skill that all writers need to have, whether they’re writing fiction or non-fiction. When you’re able to eloquently express your ideas, you’re more likely to engage your readers and keep them interested in what you have to say.

Eloquence comes from practice and experience. The more you write, the more comfortable you’ll feel with the written word. You’ll also start to develop your own style and voice. As you become more eloquent, you’ll be able to better communicate your ideas and tell your story.

Persuasion is an important skill for writers because it allows them to convince their readers to see things their way. When you’re able to persuade your readers, you’re able to influence their thinking and behavior. This is a powerful tool and should be used carefully.

To persuade your readers, you need to understand their perspective and then craft a compelling argument that will convince them to see things your way. You also need to understand the different types of persuasion, including ethical and unethical persuasion.

Storytelling is an important skill for writers because it allows them to connect with their readers and tell a compelling story. A good storyteller can capture their audience’s attention and keep them interested in the story. A writer who is skilled at storytelling can use language to create vivid images in the reader’s mind and build suspense.

Storytelling is also an important skill for public speakers. A good speaker can use storytelling to engage their audience and keep their attention. A skilled storyteller can use language to create vivid images in the mind of their audience and build suspense.

Vocabulary is an important skill for creative writers because it allows them to use language in new and interesting ways. A strong vocabulary can help writers to describe things in detail, create interesting characters and settings, and develop complex plots. Additionally, a good vocabulary can help writers to avoid using clichés and to write in a more original way.

Grammar is important in creative writing because it helps you to communicate your ideas clearly and concisely. Good grammar can also help you to build suspense and create a mood in your writing. Additionally, good grammar can help you to avoid common writing mistakes such as run-on sentences, comma splices and comma errors.

How to Improve Your Creative Writing Skills

1. Read, read, read One of the best ways to improve your writing is to read as much as you can. By reading widely, you expose yourself to different styles of writing and different ways of structuring stories and arguments. The more you read, the more you’ll develop an understanding of what makes good writing and what doesn’t.

2. Write, write, write The only way to get better at writing is to do it. The more you write, the more you’ll develop your own style and voice. It’s also important to experiment with different genres and styles of writing to find the one that suits you best.

3. Get feedback One of the best ways to improve your writing is to get feedback from others. Ask a friend or family member to read your work and give you their honest opinion. If you’re a student, ask your teacher for feedback. If you’re a professional writer, consider hiring a developmental editor.

4. Join a writers’ group Joining a writers’ group is a great way to get feedback on your work, as well as to meet other writers and learn from them. Many writers’ groups meet regularly to discuss their work and offer feedback.

5. Take a class Taking a creative writing class is a great way to improve your writing skills. You’ll get feedback from your instructor and your classmates, and you’ll be able to practice your writing in a structured setting.

6. Use prompts Writing prompts are a great way to get your creative juices flowing. By starting with a prompt, you’ll have something to focus your writing on, and you’ll be less likely to get stuck.

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• Creativity Techniques

26+ Creative Writing Tips for Young Writers

So you want to be a writer? And not just any writer, you want to be a creative writer. The road to being a legendary storyteller won’t be easy, but with our creative writing tips for kids, you’ll be on the right track! Creative writing isn’t just about writing stories. You could write poems, graphic novels, song lyrics and even movie scripts. But there is one thing you’ll need and that is good creative writing skills. 

Here are over 26 tips to improve your creative writing skills :

Read a wide range of books

When it comes to creative writing, reading is essential. Reading allows you to explore the styles of other writers and gain inspiration to improve your own writing. But don’t just limit yourself to reading only popular books or your favourites. Read all sorts of books, everything from fairytales to scary stories. Take a look at comics, short stories, novels and poetry. Just fill your heads with the knowledge and wisdom of other writers and soon you’ll be just like them!

Write about real-life events

The hardest thing about creative writing is connecting emotionally with your audience. By focusing your writing on real-life events, you know that in some way or another your readers will be able to relate. And with creative writing you don’t need to use real names or details – There are certain things you can keep private while writing about the rare details. Using real-life events is also a good way to find inspiration for your stories. 

Be imaginative

Be as crazy and wild as you like with your imagination. Create your world, your own monsters , or even your own language! The more imaginative your story, the more exciting it will be to read. Remember that there are no rules on what makes a good idea in creative writing. So don’t be afraid to make stuff up!

Find your writing style

Thes best writers have a particular style about them. When you think of Roald Dahl , you know his books are going to have a sense of humour. While with Dr Seuss , you’re prepared to read some funny new words . Alternatively, when you look at R.L.Stine, you know that he is all about the horror. Think about your own writing style. Do you want to be a horror writer? Maybe someone who always writes in the first person? Will always focus your books on your culture or a particular character?

Stick to a routine

Routine is extremely important to writers. If you just write some stuff here and there, it’s likely that you’ll soon give up on writing altogether! A strict routine means that every day at a certain time you will make time to write about something, anything. Even if you’re bored or can’t think of anything, you’ll still pick up that pencil and write. Soon enough you’ll get into the habit of writing good stuff daily and this is definitely important for anyone who wants to be a professional creative writer!

Know your audience

Writing isn’t just about thinking about your own interests, it’s also about thinking about the interests of your audience. If you want to excite fellow classmates, know what they like. Do they like football , monsters or a particular video game? With that knowledge, you can create the most popular book for your target audience. A book that they can’t stop reading and will recommend to others! 

Daily Exercises

To keep your creative writing skills up to scratch it is important to keep practising every day. Even if you have no inspiration. At times when your mind is blank, you should try to use tools like writing prompts , video prompts or other ways of coming up with ideas . You could even take a look at these daily writing exercises as an example. We even created a whole list of over 100 creative writing exercises to try out when you need some inspiration or ideas. 

Work together with others

Everyone needs a little help now and then. We recommend joining a writing club or finding other classmates who are also interested in writing to improve your own creative writing skills. Together you can share ideas, tips and even write a story together! A good storytelling game to play in a group is the “ finish the story” game . 

Get feedback

Without feedback, you’ll never be able to improve your writing. Feedback, whether good or bad is important to all writers. Good feedback gives you the motivation to carry on. While bad feedback just gives you areas to improve and adapt your writing, so you can be the best! After every piece of writing always try to get feedback from it, whether it is from friends, family, teachers or an online writing community .

Enter writing competitions

The best way to improve your creative writing is by entering all sorts of writing competitions . Whether it’s a poetry competition or short story competition, competitions let you compete against other writers and even help you get useful feedback on your writing. Most competitions even have rules to structure your writing, these rules can help you prepare for the real world of writing and getting your work published. And not only that you might even win some cool prizes!

Keep a notebook

Every writer’s best friend is their notebook. Wherever you go make sure you have a notebook handy to jot down any ideas you get on the go. Inspiration can come from anywhere , so the next time you get an idea instead of forgetting about it, write it down. You never know, this idea could become a best-selling novel in the future. 

Research your ideas

So, you got a couple of ideas for short stories. The next step is to research these ideas deeper. 

Researching your ideas could involve reading books similar to your ideas or going online to learn more about a particular topic. For example, if you wanted to write a book on dragons, you would want to know everything about them in history to come up with a good, relatable storyline for your book.

Create Writing Goals

How do you know if your writing is improving over time? Simple – Just create writing goals for yourself. Examples of writing goals might include, to write 100 words every day or to write 600 words by the end of next week. Whatever your goals make sure you can measure them easily. That way you’ll know if you met them or not. You might want to take a look at these bullet journal layouts for writers to help you track the progress of your writing.

Follow your passions

Writing can be tedious and many people even give up after writing a few words. The only way you can keep that fire burning is by writing about your true passions. Whatever it is you enjoy doing or love, you could just write about those things. These are the types of things you’ll enjoy researching and already know so much about, making writing a whole lot more fun!

Don’t Settle for the first draft

You finally wrote your first story. But the writing process isn’t complete yet! Now it’s time to read your story and make the all-important edits. Editing your story is more than just fixing spelling or grammar mistakes. It’s also about criticising your own work and looking for areas of improvement. For example, is the conflict strong enough? Is your opening line exciting? How can you improve your ending?

Plan before writing

Never just jump into writing your story. Always plan first! Whether this means listing down the key scenes in your story or using a storyboard template to map out these scenes. You should have an outline of your story somewhere, which you can refer to when actually writing your story. This way you won’t make basic mistakes like not having a climax in your story which builds up to your main conflict or missing crucial characters out.

It’s strange the difference it makes to read your writing out aloud compared to reading it in your head. When reading aloud you tend to notice more mistakes in your sentences or discover paragraphs which make no sense at all. You might even want to read your story aloud to your family or a group of friends to get feedback on how your story sounds. 

Pace your story

Pacing is important. You don’t want to just start and then quickly jump into the main conflict because this will take all the excitement away from your conflict. And at the same time, you don’t want to give the solution away too early and this will make your conflict too easy for your characters to solve. The key is to gradually build up to your conflict by describing your characters and the many events that lead up to the main conflict. Then you might want to make the conflict more difficult for your characters by including more than one issue in your story to solve. 

Think about themes

Every story has a theme or moral. Some stories are about friendship, others are about the dangers of trusting strangers. And a story can even have more than one theme. The point of a theme is to give something valuable to your readers once they have finished reading your book. In other words, to give them a life lesson, they’ll never forget!

Use dialogue carefully

Dialogue is a tricky thing to get right. Your whole story should not be made up of dialogue unless you’re writing a script. Alternatively, it can be strange to include no dialogue at all in your story. The purpose of dialogue should be to move your story forward. It should also help your readers learn more about a particular character’s personality and their relationship with other characters in your book. 

One thing to avoid with dialogue is… small talk! There’s no point in writing dialogue, such as “How’s the weather?”, if your story has nothing to do with the weather. This is because it doesn’t move your story along.  For more information check out this guide on how to write dialogue in a story .

Write now, edit later

Writing is a magical process. Don’t lose that magic by focusing on editing your sentences while you’re still writing your story up. Not only could this make your story sound fragmented, but you might also forget some key ideas to include in your story or take away the imagination from your writing. When it comes to creative writing, just write and come back to editing your story later.

Ask yourself questions

Always question your writing. Once done, think about any holes in your story. Is there something the reader won’t understand or needs further describing? What if your character finds another solution to solving the conflict? How about adding a new character or removing a character from your story? There are so many questions to ask and keep asking them until you feel confident about your final piece.

Create a dedicated writing space

Some kids like writing on their beds, others at the kitchen table. While this is good for beginners, going pro with your writing might require having a dedicated writing space. Some of the basics you’ll need is a desk and comfy chair, along with writing materials like pens, pencils and notebooks. But to really create an inspiring place, you could also stick some beautiful pictures, some inspiring quotes from writers and anything else that will keep you motivated and prepared. 

Beware of flowery words

Vocabulary is good. It’s always exciting when you learn a new word that you have never heard before. But don’t go around plotting in complicated words into your story, unless it’s necessary to show a character’s personality. Most long words are not natural sounding, meaning your audience will have a hard time relating to your story if it’s full of complicated words from the dictionary like Xenophobia or Xylograph .

Create believable characters

Nobody’s perfect. And why should your story characters be any different? To create believable characters, you’ll need to give them some common flaws as well as some really cool strengths. Your character’s flaws can be used as a setback to why they can’t achieve their goals, while their strengths are the things that will help win over adversity. Just think about your own strengths and weaknesses and use them as inspirations for your storybook characters. You can use the Imagine Forest character creator to plan out your story characters. 

Show, don’t tell

You can say that someone is nice or you can show them how that person is nice. Take the following as an example, “Katie was a nice girl.” Now compare that sentence to this, “Katie spent her weekends at the retirement home, singing to the seniors and making them laugh.”. The difference between the two sentences is huge. The first one sounds boring and you don’t really know why Katie is nice. While in the second sentence, you get the sense that Katie is nice from her actions without even using the word nice in the sentence!

Make the conflict impossible

Imagine the following scenario, you are a championship boxer who has won many medals over the year and the conflict is…Well, you got a boxing match coming up. Now that doesn’t sound so exciting! In fact, most readers won’t even care about the boxer winning the match or not! 

Now imagine this scenario: You’re a poor kid from New Jersey, you barely have enough money to pay the bills. You never did any professional boxing, but you want to enter a boxing competition, so you can win and use the money to pay your bills. 

The second scenario has a bigger mountain to climb. In other words, a much harder challenge to face compared to the character in the first scenario. Giving your characters an almost impossible task or conflict is essential in good story-telling.

Write powerful scenes

Scenes help build a picture in your reader’s mind without even including any actual pictures in your story. Creating powerful scenes involves more than describing the appearance of a setting, it’s also about thinking about the smell, the sounds and what your characters are feeling while they are in a particular setting. By being descriptive with your scenes, your audience can imagine themselves being right there with characters through the hard times and good times!

There’s nothing worse than an ending which leaves the reader feeling underwhelmed. You read all the way through and then it just ends in the most typical, obvious way ever! Strong endings don’t always end on a happy ending. They can end with a sad ending or a cliff-hanger.  In fact, most stories actually leave the reader with more questions in their head, as they wonder what happens next. This then gives you the opportunity to create even more books to continue the story and keep your readers hooked for life (or at least for a very long time)! 

Over 25 creative writing tips later and you should now be ready to master the art of creative writing! The most important tip for all you creative writers out there is to be imaginative! Without a good imagination, you’ll struggle to wow your audience with your writing skills. Do you have any more creative writing tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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10 Effective Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing

Writing a story is a craft that requires constant tweaks, edits and trial and error by the writer. Here are ten tips to improve your creative writing and save you hours of painful re-writing in the future.

(1) Don’t underestimate your reader

You have a fantastic plot, your characters are realistic, the setting is ideal and you want to make sure that the reader gets every little detail that you have in mind. Great!

The only problem is that you may be tempted to bombard your reader with many intimate details so that they see it exactly as you do. In-depth descriptions can be useful and effective, but don’t overdo it. Keep your writing neat and tight; don’t waste space on long, rambling descriptions about things that aren’t necessary to your story.

Wouldn’t it be ideal if editors received submissions and decided to look past the typos and incorrect formatting because they think it might be a little gem of a story? The fact is that if your manuscript is full of errors or doesn’t follow the required guidelines then it’s going in the trash.

Don’t rely on your computer’s spell checker. If you make a typo, the computer will not warn you if you’ve still spelt a valid word. Your gorgeous heroine meets the bog (boy) of her dreams? The wealthy doctor places his golf ball on his tea (tee)?

(3) Give Your Characters Life

Characters are vital to your story so treat them with care and give them that breath of life that you, the writer, have the power to give. Give them unique characteristics; make them believable by making them have a purpose, motivation and conflicts to resolve.

(4) Use Strong Words

You want your writing to sound decisive, so use words that get the point across. Did Bob’s really big headache cause him a lot of pain or did Bob’s migraine cause excruciating pain? But remember not to overdo it: don’t use words that the reader won’t understand, you want to use strong words, not confusing or extravagant ones.

(5) Show Don’t Tell.

Who hasn’t heard that one before? But it’s a valid point and a useful rule for all writers. Fiction is for entertainment, so entertain your reader! Give them an excuse to escape into the reality that you have created. Let them see, hear, feel, smell, laugh, cry, love and hate. Show your reader the world that you’ve created, don’t just tell them about it.

(6) Check your Commas

While commas can be effective many inexperienced writers tend to sprinkle their sentences with them. When placed incorrectly, commas can chop up your sentences and sometimes even alter the meaning. Brush up on your high-school grammar; your work will improve with that alone.

(7) Grab their Attention from the Start

Opening lines are often referred to as ‘the hook’ because that’s exactly what you want them to be. You get the reader’s attention and reel them in for the rest of the story. Try something powerful to kick-start your story. For example: ‘Mark’s back broke with an audible crack’ or ‘Eliza didn’t realize that she was going blind’ or ‘The bullet that pierced Henry’s back and left him paralyzed was meant for a homeless man’. Each of these lines makes the reader ask ‘why?’ and once they ask that question, the reader will keep on reading until they find the answer.

(8) Give Your Reader a Satisfactory Ending

You can leave the reader speculating or wondering why at the end of your story, but try to resolve as much as you can. If your reader finishes the last sentence and is still asking questions about what happened to who and why, then you still need to tie up the loose ends.

(9) Sober up

Think of writing as going out to a bar: you go out, the lighting is dim, it’s noisy, maybe you drink too much but you meet a person who’s attractive, witty, shares the same interests as you and you’re smitten by them. A few days later you meet for coffee: are they as good looking or charming as you remember?

This can happen with writing. You become intoxicated with the feeling of success and think that you have written an award-winning piece. The question is, once you’ve sobered up, is it as good as you thought it was? Put your manuscript away and try not to think about it for a couple days. Then take it out and read it with a clear, open mind. Read it through once from beginning to end, then break it up into sections, then read it sentence by sentence. Is it as good as you remembered? If so, then well done! But the odds are that if you were too excited about finally wrapping it up, then you’ll find some points to revise.

(10) Challenge Yourself

Are you trying too hard to write in a specific genre or style? Do you only write short stories or novels or poems or movie scripts? Give that creative muscle a workout and try something different. It will be a refreshing exercise for your mind and you might be surprised by the result. If you don’t succeed then you have still learnt a valuable lesson.

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14 Creative Writing Exercises to Improve Your Writing

Allison Bressmer

Whether writing is a hobby or a career for you, developing consistent writing habits is key to becoming a better writer.

Blank pages are intimidating. Commit to writing every day to conquer that page and develop your writing skills and style.

By engaging in intentional writing exercises daily, you’ll hone your skills and develop a creative mindset.

These creative writing exercises will get you started immediately!

14 Best Writing Exercises to Try (For Beginners AND Pros)

How do you improve your writing skills, 1. practice freewriting.

To freewrite , set your fingers on your keyboard and start writing; don’t worry about mistakes. Your freewriting is for your eyes only and your goal is simply to get words on the page.

Stuck for a topic? Choose an object you can see—your coffee cup; your sofa; the beat-up (or not) car across the street.

Now, write about the object. You might describe it, tell a story about it, analyze its usefulness—anything is fine. Allow your stream of consciousness to flow and bring ideas to the surface.

The endgame of this writing exercise isn’t to produce great writing about boring objects; it’s to work your writing muscles.

As you search for ways to make these objects interesting, you’ll find unexpected ideas, word choices, and wordplays.

Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, calls freewriting exercises “Morning Pages” and advises all writers to practice freewriting every day, first thing in the morning, right after waking up.

2. Use Story Starters

Story starters or writing prompts are creative writing exercises that can help you escape a creative rut.

A writing prompt can be anything—a single sentence, a short paragraph, a word. You could even use the first line of a favorite book or newspaper article and take the story in a new direction.

Try building a story from one of these prompts:

• I opened the window.
• We disagreed.
• “It was a pleasure to burn.” (Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 )

There are many places to find story starters and writing prompts online, such as Daily Prompt .

3. Write a “Dear Younger Me” Letter

What would you like to say to yourself five, ten, 20, or 50 years ago? Go ahead and write a letter to that younger self!

Maybe you’ll offer advice or reassurance, relive a special moment with them, or tell them how you’ve changed, or haven’t, since you were “their” age.

Another option: imagine what someone else in your life would say to you at a particular time and write from that person’s perspective.

This activity is a great creative writing exercise and a way to tap into your emotions.

4. Do a Point of View (POV) Switch

Take a segment from a favorite book. Rewrite that segment from a different character’s point of view.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is written in third-person limited POV. A third-person narrator tells the story, but focuses on Harry’s thoughts and feelings.

In your rewrite, focus on Hermione’s POV. What does she see that Harry doesn’t? What is she feeling and thinking?

As you write, notice how the story changes. Chances are, it will take on a distinct form and tone and may inspire an idea for a new story of your own.

Or rewrite the segment from an entirely different point of view. If the original is told from first-person POV, recreate it with a third-person narrator.

Note what other changes you’ll have to make because of that switch.

Should you include more or less sensory detail ? Should you adjust what’s revealed about each character thinks or feels?

This writing exercise can help you determine what POV you like writing in best and demonstrate how a single story can be told in several ways.

5. Put Yourself in the Middle of the Action

Take a story that resonates with you.

Rewrite the story as if you’re the main character.

Now that you’ve got eyes “inside” the story, can you expand on the details to make a situation more intense or to convey your feelings more fully? Can you think of ways to make the story more engaging?

As you generate ideas you’ll likely find a creative direction for a new story.

6. Eliminate Empty Words

Sentences contain working words and glue words. Working words tell your reader key information, convey emotions, and provide meaning. Glue words hold the working words together.

Streamline your phrasing to only use necessary glue words. Unnecessary glue words are empty words that clutter your sentences and slow your writing down.

There are, there is, there are, in, on, of, this, just are common glue words that can become empty.

In this sentence, “There are two birds sitting on the roof,” the only purpose of the words “there are” is to make the sentence complete. A better strategy is to use a stronger, more specific verb. For example, “Two birds perch on the roof” or “Two birds idle on the roof.”

ProWritingAid’s Sticky Sentences Report highlights sentences with too many glue words. With rephrasing and editing, you can streamline those sentences and keep your work moving fluently.

To practice, review a scene in your manuscript and restructure sentences to eliminate glue words.

Replace weak verbs with stronger ones and be economical with your word count. Don’t be afraid to cut; you can always go back and add details as needed.

You’ll find yourself choosing more precise words and constructing leaner, clearer sentences.

7. Outline Dialogue-Heavy Scenes

To create a natural back-and-forth exchange between characters, outline the dialogue in dialogue-heavy scenes first.

Don’t worry about writing descriptions, dialogue tags , or body language cues. Just write the basic dialogue.

Then, go back and evaluate what you need to add to express the characters’ tone, feelings, and personality more fully.

Tip: only use dialogue tags when the speaker’s identity isn’t clear. When they’re needed, it’s best to stick with said and asked . If the exchange needs intensity, add action beats—a telling glance or gesture to heighten the moment.

8. Replace Adjectives with Descriptions

Adjectives are powerful. However, they only tell what’s happening; they don’t give the reader an experience. In this sentence, the adjective tells us Peter’s feelings:

• Watching the movie, Peter was scared!

Replacing this with a description allows the reader to experience fear along with Peter:

• When the headless bleeding corpse slithered out from the box in the attic, Peter screamed and ducked behind the sofa!

Now you try.

Review your draft. Look for adjectives you can replace with descriptions.

Use sensory words so your reader can experience the smells, touches, sights, sounds, or tastes you describe.

ProWritingAid’s Sensory Report helps you balance sensory details by analyzing the emphasis you put on each sense. For example, in this sample, my writing has a heavy sight-emphasis.

The report measures 67% of the sensory words as appealing to sight, letting me know I might want to make adjustments and create a more balanced experience.

9. Blog Every Day

Blogging every day encourages regular writing habits and is great practice for any writer.

You can consult online resources for tips on how to find a blog topic or niche.

For example, you might decide to focus on food, on being a teacher, on being a millennial, on parenting, or on being a millennial who is a teacher and a parent!

Focus on a different aspect of that topic each day—even if you simply write a “Day in the Life of a _ _ _ _ _” series.

This limited focus provides a framework, but leaves plenty of room for creativity. Explore within that framework as you develop your voice and style.

For an extra challenge, limit the number of words you write. On slower days, the number will serve as a target. On days when ideas flow, it will help you ensure that each word matters.

10. Write a 500-Word Story

In the writing world, a 500-word story is an example of “ flash fiction. ”

Flash fiction includes all the elements of plot, conflict, and character development, but since it’s so short, every word counts.

Want to try? Write a fully formed story that includes these three words: rose, glass, forbid . Add no more than 497 additional words of your choice!

This exercise will help you focus on story structure, word choice, and powerful imagery.

11. Set a Captivating Mood

Readers should be intrigued by the story and drawn into the setting so they can feel for and with your characters. To make that happen, create a mood.

In Creating Short Fiction , Damon Knight suggests imagining you’re a character in a room. Describe what’s happening in that room and how the character sees, experiences, and responds to those surroundings.

Put the exercise into practice. Imagine an enemy from your past just called you, saying, “I’m outside your door.”

Now describe the space around you. Do everyday objects become potential weapons? Is the air heavy with dread or charged with fear or filled with fury?

12. Be Observant

Pay close attention to your own reality and the emotions you experience in response.

Let’s imagine you’re sitting on a beach. Engage your senses and observe your emotions.

What do you see, hear, taste, smell? What does it feel like to sit in the sun and sand?

Are you feeling excited? Tranquil? Contemplative? What’s triggering that emotion?

Perhaps the roaring waves make you feel small and insignificant—or invigorated! Maybe the ocean is quiet, and the small waves’ gentle rhythm soothes you,

Capture those details and feelings in a journal (or on your phone!). Later, write a scene based in that setting, using those captured details to create sensations and evoke emotions.

13. Practice Empathy

Being sensitive to the feelings of others and seeing the world through their eyes will help you create well-developed characters .

Imagine a mother struggling with a stroller and shopping bags on the bus. Her kids are loud, they press the stop button repeatedly, and she has to take a phone call. Passengers are obviously annoyed.

Write the scene from the mother’s perspective, considering her feelings and frustration. Does she notice the passengers’ anger? Who is calling her? Where is she trying to go?

This exercise also works when you make it personal, though it may be emotionally challenging.

Rewrite a part of your life from the perspective of someone you hold negative feelings about—an ex, an enemy, a boss. Consider their feelings and tell “their side.”

14. Group Writing Exercises

Groups can trigger creative writing ideas.

Give each member time to write one or two themes (one sentence each) for a holiday story.

Shuffle those submissions and redistribute them randomly.

For online groups, post the themes in chat and have everyone use the entry following their own.

Set a timer for ten minutes, during which each writer creates a story fitting their assigned theme.

Then, share your stories! Keep the exercise going with a story swap. Have a new author continue each narrative.

Stephen King once observed:

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

Reading and observing the work of other writers is essential to developing your skills, but isn’t enough on its own.

You must give your writing skills a workout—and these 14 creative writing exercises provide the perfect starting point.

You don’t have to work alone! Professional bloggers, novelists, copywriters, and other writers use ProWritingAid to receive personalized feedback on their work.

It’s a one-stop tool to help you evaluate, edit, and improve your writing. Try it out today.

Do you want to know how to build a world your readers won’t forget? Download this free book now:

World-Building 101: How to Construct an Unforgettable World for Your Fantasy or Sci-Fi Story!

This guide is for all the writers out there who want to construct an unforgettable world that your readers can’t help but get lost in, learn how to invent species, gods, monsters and more in our immersive guide..

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Allison Bressmer is a professor of freshman composition and critical reading at a community college and a freelance writer. If she isn’t writing or teaching, you’ll likely find her reading a book or listening to a podcast while happily sipping a semi-sweet iced tea or happy-houring with friends. She lives in New York with her family. Connect at linkedin.com/in/allisonbressmer.

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8 sharp techniques to improve your creative writing skills.

Good composition skills in any facet of creative writing will take you to amazing heights. You should remember that in order for your creative writing to reap rewards, it should captivate the reader. Your words should be carefully thought out, and they should have meaning. How can you accomplish this? It may take some adapting, but aiming to improve with these tips will never do you harm.

1. Have a Broad Understanding of the Subject

Writing creatively requires a focused approach and broad understanding of the subject in order to create a larger picture for the reader to visualize. You should spend time researching and conducting informational interviews in order to gain this knowledge about the subject. The more knowledge that you have, the more that you are able to convey to the reader through your writing. Oftentimes, writers miss out on painting the larger picture.

2. Do Something Different

Never be scared of doing something different or unique that will bring your writing to a whole new realm that may be unexpected or out of the ordinary. Oftentimes, this can evolve into something that is different yet amazing—something that readers will enjoy.

How can you achieve this? Think differently and put yourself in environments that are inspiring or relaxing. Sometimes, having no rules is the best way to reach your full potential when it comes to creative writing.

3. Think of the Three Act Structure

This method is prevalent not only in modern writing, but also in television and film. These “acts” are not distinct from one another, rather they flow seamlessly through the piece.

Setup, confrontation, and resolution. The setup will establish characters, how they relate, and their world. There will be an inciting incident that has an attempted resolution and a turning point. The confrontation will be the central problem with the main character attempting to resolve it with much adversity, turning into a journey. The resolution consists of the climax and the resolution of the problem.

4. Add Interesting Details about the Setting and Location

Bring your essay to life—literally. Using specific details about settings and locations, readers will be transported into your piece. Literature can be dry if focused only on the hard facts, but can become increasingly interesting when adorned with details about a location or setting. Even the smallest details can prove to have a major impact in creative writing.

5. Extended Metaphors

This is when the writer uses an analogy to explain a complex concept so that the readers may understand it better. Unfamiliar concepts can be explained in a way that is familiar and can be visualized.

One example of a well-known extended metaphor is when Shakespeare wrote “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” in Romeo and Juliet.

6. Record Your Ideas

Keep a notebook with you at all times so that you can scribble down any ideas when they come to mind. Inspiration can strike at any hour. Think about your topic when you’re doing mundane tasks or when you are out and about. You’d be surprised at what you’ll think of when you’re out of your working mode.

7. Use Meaningful Dialogue

Meaningful dialogue will demonstrate how the character feels or what they mean by what they are saying. Rather than only including the words that are being spoken, include one or two details about the character that will invoke an image in the reader’s mind about how the person is feeling. Most people know how to write a creative essay , but having meaningful dialogue transforms it into a masterpiece.

8. Create Tension or Conflict

Tension and conflict is created between characters and can be internal or external. You should balance these opposing forces to keep the reader interested in the story and anxious to see how it will be resolved. There are plenty of themes for conflict which include, but are not limited to, high stakes, universality, insight, empathy, surprise, causality, progression, empowerment, and mystery.

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Home › Study Tips › Creative Writing Resources For Secondary School Students

11 Creative Writing Tips To Help Unlock Your Creativity

• Published October 31, 2022

Table of Contents

Creative writing is hard. It’s hard enough to come up with an idea, but it’s even harder to execute in a way that engages and entertains the reader.

Many people think they don’t have what it takes to be a creative writer. They believe that only certain people are born with the talent to write well.

We’re here to tell you that’s not true. Anyone can be a great creative writer if they learn how to tap into their creativity and use practical writing tips.

Our creative writing summer schools give students access to 1:1 personalised tutorials with expert creative writing tutors. To help them unlock their inner potential.  

This guide will discover practical Creative Writing tips to help you write better and more easily.

1. Hook Readers With Your Character’s  “Why” At The Very Beginning

Great stories are not wild creations. Instead, they follow a specific formula that works. For instance, did you notice how record-breaking stories often show their main characters’ motivations and dilemmas within the first few scenes? 

• Simba is declared the future King of Pride Rock. But there is one who refuses to bow to this acknowledgement. Will Simba succeed in taking his rightful place in the Circle of Life?
• The arrival of Mr Bingley, a single young man with good fortune, is announced in the relatively poor Bennet household. Will any of the Bennet sisters succeed in alluring him to marriage, inadvertently saving them from destitution?
• Humanity is under threat due to a powerful stone called the “Tesseract.” Are there heroes powerful enough to save them from extinction? 
• Elsa accidentally hits Anna with her frozen power. Must she hide forever for fear of hurting those she loves most?
• Planet Earth is dying due to dwindling resources and overpopulation. Jake Sully is called to replace his brother on a mission to take a promising energy source from another planet. But, will Jake allow the genocide of an innocent, native race to save his world?

If you keep your readers confused and wondering, “Why am I reading this book in the first place?” They’ll most likely lose interest. Or if they stay hooked due to curiosity, they won’t have an emotional connection with your main character. 

Because they have no idea why they should care about your main character in the first place!

So let your readers relate to your character’s motivations. And they’ll be eager to walk with your characters through the ups and downs of the story.

2. Get Into The Habit Of Reading (If You Haven’t Already)

It’s not enough to keep writing. You also need to keep reading different types of creative writing to improve your skills. Reading can help you:

• Understand how different writers tell their stories.
• Learn new words and how to use them in sentences.
• Become familiar with sentence structures, grammar rules, and punctuation.
• Get different ideas on how to start and end your story.
• Understand what works and what doesn’t work in a story.

Creative writers are also great readers! If you want to dig deeper and love reading then make sure to flick through our creative writing examples so you can pick up more knowledge and skills.

3. Dissect Good Stories To Imitate Good Practices!

You read a story. After finishing it, you couldn’t get it out of your head. And you ruminate over it days, and even weeks, after. 

What’s the secret sauce? 

The only way to find out is if you dissect it. So answer these follow-up questions to help you create your inspiration board.

• Who is your favourite character? List down the essential points of their character development.
• What are your Top 10 favourite sentences/lines? Why did it strike you? Why is it unique?
• List down your Top 3 scenes. How did it contribute to the story? Why are they your favourite?
• What similes and metaphors added the most flavour to the scene/dialogue? 
• Who is the side character you relate to the most? What characteristics do they have that show their humanity? How did they reveal it?
• What are your favourite chapters? How were they structured? 
• Do you notice a similar formula at the beginning and end of each chapter? How do they flow smoothly from one to the other?
• What’s the first and last sentence of the entire story? Did it help in hooking the reader and in delivering a lasting effect? If yes, how so? 

The more you answer these questions, the better you can detect subtle patterns and formulas that work together in bringing the characters and their stories to life. If you’re looking to further your university knowledge, browse the best UK universities for creative writing .

4. How Would You Rewrite Badly Written Stories? 

You let a book down. You’re frustrated because the character wasn’t as developed as you wish they were! Or that the ending was way too illogical to make sense of. 

Do you feel you’ve just wasted N number of hours reading a sub-par story? Your reading efforts don’t have to go to waste! Why? Because you can learn from other people’s mistakes.

In fact, it’s a better, less-damaging way of learning than having to learn the hard way from your own mistakes! These guide questions can help you in this task:

• How would you go about it if you could rewrite a scene, character, or story?
• What are the missing details that you would’ve added?
• Do you feel there were too many unnecessary subplots or characters in the story? How would you have trimmed it down to focus on the essential plot points?
• Did the author try to stuff in too much information all at once without pacing it out well? What would you have done differently to make the story flow better?
• Do you feel that the story was too predictable or even unbelievable? If so, how would you have made it more interesting and believable?

5. Make Your Characters Relatable

We read stories because we can sympathise with the characters. They allow us to see ourselves in their situations and how they handle their woes and joys. 

So write your characters in a way that makes them relatable. Make your reader root for them. 

It doesn’t matter if your characters are animals, inanimate objects, or aliens. What matters is the humanity at heart. These are some of the attributes that make a character relatable:

• They have believable flaws and strengths (e.g., they can’t be superhumanly perfect or mind-numbingly stupid all the time).
• Your characters need to grow and change as the story progresses (e.g., they overcome their weaknesses or learn from their mistakes).
• Do they exhibit human emotions (e.g happiness, sadness, anger, love, fear) in response to the events that happen to them?
• Give your character realistic motivations and goals. If they’re willing to risk their lives, there must be a convincing motive.
• Make realistic and consistent interactions between the character and the world around them. Don’t make them walk long distances without signalling their exhaustion, thirst, etc. Unless they have abilities to bypass such weaknesses.
• Each of your characters needs to have a backstory, even if you don’t share it with your audience. This way, your characters come alive independent of you!

If you want to enhance your writing skills, navigate to our 308 creative writing prompts , which should come in handy!

6. Don’t Try To Get It Perfect When Writing The Draft

Not even the greatest creative writer in the world publishes their first draft. But wait, isn’t this common sense? So why is it important to reiterate?

To eliminate the fear of the blank page.  

Although everyone knows the first draft is never the final product for publishing, we act as if it is . We want to get it perfect, and this is what paralyses us from writing altogether.

The goal of the first draft is to get your story down on paper (or computer). Then, you can fix all the errors later. Just let the words flow without much worry about spelling or grammar.

You can always get back to it later during the editing phase. For now, keep writing and let your story unravel itself from within your imagination.

7. Incomplete Idea? Write It Down Anyway!

A great story can come from a simple news article you read this morning. Or from a creative writing prompt that stimulated your imagination. So always keep a writing pad or app around. 

Whenever something pops up in your mind, jot it down. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a good or bad idea. The present moment is hardly the best judge to make the distinction. Write it down anyway! You can always revise it. Or add to it later.

You never know when inspiration might hit and help you complete that story!

8. Identify Your Purpose 

What message are you trying to express? At the end of the day, readers will want to learn something after reading your story. So if you wish to raise awareness about a social issue or promote a cause, your story should have a purpose.

Your message doesn’t need to be in-your-face obvious. It could be subtle and woven into the fabric of the story. 

A story without a message will feel empty. And you may feel flat writing it because there’s no personal conviction behind it. So self-reflection is paramount when writing creatively. 

9. Determine Your Audience

As you write your story, taking a step back and thinking about your audience is essential. This will help you determine the following:

• The tone of your story
• The level of detail to include
• The type of language to use
• What information to share (and what to leave out)

Who is your audience? If you’re writing a children’s story, you’ll want to use simple language and avoid violence or other mature themes. 

On the other hand, if you’re writing for a more general audience, you have more freedom to explore different topics and use a variety of language styles.

Keep your audience in mind as you write to better engage them with your story. Remember, if you try to write for everybody, you’ll end up writing for nobody!

10. Learn From Expert Tutors

One of the best ways to improve your creative writing skills is to get feedback from an expert. Creative writing tutors can help you with the following:

• get inspiration from other writers 
• develop your ideas further
• structure your story
• create your characters
• find the right words to express your thoughts
• create tension and turning points in your plot
• publish your work (if you’re planning to)

If you’re serious about improving your creative writing skills, consider getting professional help. You may want to check out our Creative Writing Summer School . 

Here you’ll experience 1:1 tutorials in prestigious universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.

Creative writing tutors can provide massive acceleration in your creative writing journey!

11. Get Feedback From Others

Aside from professional feedback, feedback from friends, family members, and other writers is beneficial. Here are some things to keep in mind when getting feedback:

• Be open to constructive criticism. Don’t take it personally if someone points out flaws in your work. Instead, use their feedback to help you improve your story.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for specific feedback. If you’re unsure what areas need improvement, ask your reader to focus on a particular aspect of your story (e.g., the plot, characters, dialogue, etc.).
• Be aware of bias. Someone you’re close to may be more likely to praise your work than give constructive feedback. So take their input with a grain of salt.
• Don’t take too long to revise. After you’ve received feedback, it’s essential to act on it quickly. If you wait too long, you may forget what was said or lose motivation to make changes.
• Be selective with who you take feedback from. Not everyone will have helpful things to say. So it’s important to choose wisely when seeking feedback for your story.

After getting feedback, you’ll better understand how your audience might react to your story. Therefore allowing you to revise as needed.

What Makes an Excellent Creative Writer?

Here are 3 easy and practical tips on what makes an excellent creative writer:

• An excellent creative writer practices regularly. Writing is a skill, and like any other skill, it takes time and practice to master. The more you write, the better you’ll become at it. So make use of creative writing exercises!
• Creative writers need to love experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try new things and explore different styles. The only way to find your voice as a writer is to keep writing.
• And finally, an excellent creative writer is always learning. Whether it’s attending workshops, reading books on writing, or taking online courses, there are many ways to improve your craft.

So if you want to be a good writer, start by committing to lifelong learning. Creative writing is a journey, not a destination. There’s always room for improvement!

What Are The 6 Characteristics of Quality Creative Writing?

1. focus for clarity.

The first characteristic of creative writing is focus . An excellent writer knows how to focus on their story. Excluding anything that doesn’t contribute to the plot.

In other words, they know how to edit out the “fluff” and get straight to the point. This can be difficult, especially if you’re attached to your story. But if you want to improve your writing, it’s important to learn how to focus on the essentials.

Creative writers also have a good sense of what their readers find important. As a result, they know how to prioritise information so that their story is clear and concise. This is especially important when writing for a specific audience or market.

2. Emotionally Captivating

The second characteristic of quality creative writing is emotion. A good creative writer knows how to stir emotions in their readers. They create characters and situations that the reader can relate to.

They also use descriptive language to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. This allows the reader to feel like they are part of the story. As if the reader is right there in the character’s shoes.

It makes the story memorable and enjoyable.

3. Development For Engrossing Read

The third characteristic of creative writing is development. A good writer knows how to develop their characters and story so that reading is engrossing and satisfying.

They do this by creating believable and well-rounded characters. They also craft a plot that is both compelling and credible. And they use dialogue and description effectively to bring their story to life.

4. Coherence For Smooth Flow

The fourth characteristic of creative writing is flow. A good writer knows how to create a cohesive story that flows smoothly from beginning to end.

This means using transitional phrases and sentence structures effectively. It also means choosing the right words to express your thoughts and ideas. So that the readers feel the story sticks together as one logical whole.

5. Language

The fifth characteristic of creative writing is language use. A good writer knows how to use language effectively to create the desired effect.

They know which words to use and when to use them. They also know how to put together sentences excitingly and creatively. This allows the writer to communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly and engage the reader on a deeper level.

6. Error-Free

The sixth and final characteristic of creative writing is accuracy. A good writer strives for perfection and pays attention to detail. They proofread their work carefully to ensure no grammar or spelling errors.

This attention to detail shows in the quality of the finished product. Hence, it’s essential to take the time to revise and edit your work before you publish it.

Creative writing is a skill that can be learned, honed, and mastered with practice. You don’t need to have a natural gift for storytelling – you need patience and the willingness to learn from your mistakes. And if creative writing is something you’re looking to take further, then check out the a-level requirements for creative writing at top UK universities.

By following our creative writing tips and practising regularly, you, too, can write stories that engage and entertain your readers. So what are you waiting for? Start writing!

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List of Creative Writing Techniques: Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: June 8, 2023  - Last updated: July 31, 2023

Categories Writing , Creativity

Creative writing is a form of self-expression that allows writers to explore their thoughts, emotions, and ideas uniquely and imaginatively. It is a powerful tool that can be used for personal growth, self-discovery, and even social research.

However, many writers struggle with finding the right techniques to make their writing more engaging and effective.

One way to improve your creative writing skills is to learn and practice various techniques to help you express yourself more effectively. Whether you are a seasoned writer or just starting, there are many techniques that you can use to enhance your writing.

Each technique can help you create a more compelling and engaging story, from character development and plot structure to dialogue and imagery. In this article, we will explore some of the most effective techniques for creative writing and how you can use them to improve your writing.

What are Creative Writing Techniques?

Creative writing techniques are tools and methods writers use to produce engaging, original, and expressive writing pieces. These techniques can help writers to develop their skills, experiment with different styles, and create unique and compelling works of literature.

There are many different creative writing techniques that writers can use, including:

• Free writing: This technique involves writing without stopping or censoring oneself, allowing for a free flow of ideas and inspiration.
• Brainstorming: This technique involves generating ideas and concepts through group or individual brainstorming sessions.
• Imagery: This technique uses vivid and descriptive language to create mental images in the reader’s mind.
• Metaphor and simile: These techniques use comparisons to understand a concept or idea better.
• Dialogue: This technique uses character dialogue to reveal personality traits, advance the plot, and create tension and conflict.
• Point of view: This technique involves choosing a narrative perspective, such as first-person or third-person, to create a particular effect or tone.

By mastering these and other creative writing techniques, writers can develop their skills and produce more engaging and effective writing.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced writer, using these techniques can help you take your writing to the next level and produce truly unique and memorable works.

Elements of Creative Writing Techniques

Regarding creative writing, several elements can help make your writing stand out. This section’ll explore some key elements of creative writing techniques.

1. Story Elements

The story elements are the building blocks of any good story. These include the plot, characters, setting, theme, foreshadowing, and climax. Each element is important in creating a compelling story that engages the reader.

2. Literary Devices

Literary devices are tools writers use to add depth and meaning. Some common literary devices include metaphor, similes, imagery, personification, analogy, alliteration, contrast, euphemism, hyperbole, irony, onomatopoeia, and oxymoron. These devices can help create vivid and memorable descriptions, add humor or drama, and convey complex emotions or ideas.

3. Writing Style

Writing style refers to how a writer uses language to convey their message. It includes things like sentence structure, word choice, and tone. Developing a unique writing style can help your writing stand out and create a distinct voice that readers will recognize.

4. Point of View

Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. It can be first-person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. Choosing the right point of view can help create a sense of intimacy or distance between the reader and the characters and can also affect how the story is perceived.

5. Rhetorical Devices

Rhetorical devices are techniques that writers use to persuade or influence their readers. Some common rhetorical devices include anaphora, word repetition, and emphasis. These devices can help create a sense of urgency or importance and be especially effective in persuasive writing.

Incorporating these elements into your writing can help you create more engaging and effective pieces. Whether you’re writing fiction, creative nonfiction, blog posts, short stories, flash fiction , free verse, or academic writing, understanding these techniques can help take your writing to the next level.

How to Use Creative Writing Techniques

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting, incorporating creative writing techniques into your work can help take your writing to the next level. Here are some tips for using creative writing techniques to improve your writing skills, find inspiration, and make your work stand out.

Incorporating Techniques into Your Writing

One way to incorporate creative writing techniques into your work is to focus on originality. Avoid cliches and overused phrases and instead strive to create unique and memorable characters, settings, and plots. Developing strong characters with depth and complexity can also help draw readers in and keep them engaged.

Another important aspect of writing is tension. By creating tension and conflict within your story, you can keep readers on the edge of their seats and make your work more compelling. This can be achieved through dialogue, plot twists , and other techniques.

Improving Your Writing Skills

Improving your writing skills requires practice and dedication. One way to do this is to experiment with different writing techniques, such as analogies, metaphors, and dialogue. Reading literature and watching films and television can also help you develop your skills by exposing you to different styles and approaches.

Another important aspect of writing is empathy. By putting yourself in your characters’ shoes and understanding their motivations and emotions, you can create more realistic and relatable characters that readers will care about.

Finding Inspiration for Your Writing

Finding inspiration for your writing can be a challenge, but there are many techniques you can use to spark your creativity. One approach is to draw on your life experiences and emotions, using them as a basis for your writing. Another is to observe the world around you and draw inspiration from the people, places, and events you encounter.

Ultimately, experimenting and finding what works best for you is the key to using creative writing techniques. Whether you’re a teacher looking to inspire your students or a writer looking to improve your craft, incorporating these techniques into your work can help you create more engaging, memorable, and impactful stories.

In conclusion, creative writing techniques are essential for any writer to improve their craft.

These techniques can help writers create engaging and thought-provoking pieces of literature that entertain and challenge readers to think more deeply about the world around them.

One of the benefits of incorporating creative writing techniques into one’s writing is the ability to analyze literature more effectively. By understanding the different elements that make up a story, such as plot, character development, and setting, writers can better appreciate the deeper meaning behind the text. This can lead to a more nuanced and insightful literary analysis.

Another advantage of creative writing techniques is crafting compelling beginnings that hook readers from the first sentence.

By utilizing sensory description, dialogue, and action techniques, writers can create openings that draw readers into the story and keep them engaged.

Moreover, creative writing techniques can be used to explore deeper societal issues and themes. Using metaphor, imagery, and symbolism, writers can shed light on complex topics and offer new perspectives on social and cultural issues.

Overall, using creative writing techniques can help writers produce more engaging, thought-provoking, and impactful pieces of literature.

By incorporating these techniques into their writing, writers can create works that entertain and inspire readers to think more deeply about the world around them.

Improve Your Creative Writing: Why & How

Ever noticed how some people send messages expressing themselves beautifully in their texts, emails, and WhatsApps that just feel right?

They put thought into every word, and getting a text from them is something you look forward to.

Maybe it’s the emojis they pick or just the way they express themselves.

Well, it’s because they’ve taken the time to improve their creative writing.

Today, I want to share some ideas on how you can do the same.

Interested?

Let’s carry on.

What is Creativity?

Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought. — Albert Einstein

Why Do You Need Creative Writing Skills?

Creative writing?

Yes, it can be a bit of a challenge.

I mean, getting an idea is one thing, but making it land with readers?

That’s a whole new level of tricky.

Many people think they lack the qualities required to be a creative writer. They believe that only a few people are born with the ability to write well.

But guess what? That’s not true.

Anyone can become a great creative writer if they learn how to bring out their creativity and apply practical writing techniques.

Creativity is important for several reasons.

Career Development

First, it enables you to climb up the Career Ladder.

The ability to think outside the box empowers you with a creative streak and employs your imagination to create new content pieces at work.

Rather than giving up and hindering your growth, you’ll consistently find ways to overcome challenges and create new strategies. Employers value this quality, especially when considering candidates for promotions.

Creative Writing opens the door to endless possibilities like author, blogger, cartoonist, journalist, speech writer, editor, etc.

Adapting To Change

Handling creative writing work challenges can be made easier by looking at them from different sides, talking with your team, and learning from what happened before.

This way, you can come up with super creative and smart ideas to break through problems and adapt to change.

Competitor Advantage

With so much content around, content writers need to make their work stand out.

Creativity is the key!

It helps writers produce unique and interesting content that grabs the readers’ attention.

When you think creatively in a business, it means you’re coming up with new ideas that help the company.

This makes the company strong and handles outside challenges. Making them stand out from other companies.

Irreplaceable By AI

AI is super smart and getting even smarter, but there’s one thing it can’t do like humans: think creatively.

It cannot produce impactful copy, express opinions, or convey empathy and lacks experience, expertise, authority, and trust.

Related Article: AI And The Future Of Copywriting

Growth Mindset

Every organization today has an atmosphere where creative writing skills are not only supported but actively nurtured.

And this contributes to the culture of a growth mindset.

What does that mean?

It’s all about being open to learning and leveling up in our craft.

When you always look for new ideas, you improve the overall efficiency of your creative writing workflow and process.

As a creative writer such an environment encourages you to explore new narrative avenues, experiment with writing styles, and push the boundaries of creativity.

How You Can Enhance Creative Writing Skills?

A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.— Thomas Mann, Essays of Three Decades

Want to beat those creativity roadblocks and boost your out-of-the-box thinking?

Continue reading to learn methods for improving your creative writing skills.

Understand the language and grammar rules

So, even though we call it ‘creative writing,’ don’t brush off the language and grammar stuff. Your choice of words should match your style and what you’re writing about.

Pick the wrong ones, and readers might drift off, questioning your writing game.

And grammar, it’s not just about showing off.

Good grammar makes your stories flow better and makes them easier to understand. Imagine reading something with messed-up grammar – total confusion, right?

Especially in creative writing, which is pretty much a fancy part of literature. So, keep those grammar rules in check.

Practice Writing Daily

Like most skills, creative content writing comes with practice and improves over time.

You might be familiar with the saying “Practice Makes A Man Perfect”.

That’s exactly what happens with creative writing. The more time you spend thinking and jotting down your ideas clearly, the better you’ll get.

Now, when it comes to writing, everyone has their way of doing it.

Experiment with different writing mediums such as digital journals, or public forums. Finding the medium that resonates with you can make writing more enjoyable and effective.

These types of creative writing warm-ups are an integral part of daily writing exercises to enhance your writing skills.

If you’re not sure where to start, just write about things you care about.

If your goal is to enhance creativity in a professional context, gradually transition from personal writing to business-related topics. Research various business writing prompts to expand your creative skills.

Eventually, you can use your creative writing skills in your everyday work, like writing emails and messages at your job.

Take time to reflect on your writing. Consider what worked well and areas of improvement.

Don’t aim for perfection. Get it to 90%, share it, learn from mistakes, and stick to what works.

Get Into The Habit of Reading

If you want to become a better writer, make reading a habit.

Reading helps you understand how different writers tell their stories, learn new words, grasp sentence structures, and get ideas on improving your comprehension.

Create a list of things to read, commit to a daily 20-minute reading block, and explore various genres to discover your interests.

Reading famous works by great writers provides valuable references for your creative writing journey. So, read more to write better and enhance your creative writing skills.

Brainstorm Ideas

So, when you’re brainstorming, it’s like creating this no-judgment zone. It’s all about quantity over quality at the start. This way, imperfection doesn’t scare you off, and ideas just start flowing freely.

In the age of AI, writers are using it to boost creative writing that gives them instant prompts and guidance.

In addition to this tools like mind mapping and word association help stay on track and overcome writer’s block.

They help break down the creative walls and keep you on the writing path.

Practice Editing

Finally, editing is as important as the actual writing process.

As you practice editing, you’ll become good at identifying and correcting errors, helping you with more refined writing.

Here’s a tip: Wait at least a day before you start editing. This gives you a fresh perspective, making it easier to find mistakes and make your writing better.

Each revision adds layers of improvement to your creative writing and encourages writers to celebrate small victories in their writing journey. Recognizing improvements, no matter how minor, can boost motivation.

Final Thoughts

Growing your creativity is a lifelong thing, a journey you need to be on regularly.

The real power of creativity is inside you.

Let it out, nurture it, and watch it reach new heights.

Now, it’s your turn: Which tip do you like the most? Or maybe you use a different one not on the list? Share in the comments.

About The Author

Prachi Bisht

She is an avid writer and contemplative soul who finds her greatest inspiration in the quiet moments of life. When not engrossed in writing, she enjoys exploring nature, sipping on a cup of tea, and finding beauty in the ordinary. She believes that the most profound stories often lie in the spaces between words, waiting to be discovered.

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Elevate Your College Writing with this Creative Writing Guide

Table of contents

Creative writing assignments are not new to you, but whenever you are asked to write a poem or a fictional story in college, do you feel nervous? Well, you are not alone. The pressure to be ‘creative’ is real.

Having good creative writing skills can be one of the most important things that students need to have nowadays. To enhance your creative writing skills, you can start by understanding what creative writing is and the factors that can support your development in creative writing.

In this article, we’ll touch upon what creative writing is, along with how you can become a better creative writer and the other skills you can work on to do so.

What is creative writing in college?

Creative writing, as the name itself, is a newer style of writing that goes beyond the formal, professional, and traditional styles of writing. Most people with creative writing styles end up creating fictional or nonfictional works.

Some examples of creative writing work include poems, stories, journalistic, film scripts, and more. Therefore, creative writing is often known as the most expressive writing style.

These days, creative writing has come in many forms that are easy to find around us, including each significant genre and style. For example, creative writing includes biographies, fiction works, poetry or spoken words, non-academic essays, speeches, and scriptwriting.

5 Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing Skills as a College Student

If you think that some people are just born to be excellent writers, you are mistaken. While it is not something you can learn or imbibe, with regular practice and training , nothing can stop you from acing the art of creative writing. Here are five simple ways to enhance your creative writing skills.

1. Read, read, and read more

First, if you love to write something, you should also love to read!

The reason why you need to read more is that by reading, you can pour the ideas that you have into work. Practicing writing skills is very important to produce excellent and enchanting art.

Have you ever wondered why many lecturers suggest their students read some articles or journals? Some of them even give their students whole journals as references for the classes. Well, it is because by reading a lot of articles, essays, or academic reports, you will be able to produce one in the future!

You will get used to the styles, the format, and the differences between each article. By getting used to these, you will be able to choose your own topics to write down and make your own article or essays. But you need to understand when paraphrasing is plagiarism and avoid it – the idea is to take inspiration.

2. Review the work of other writers

In addition to reading your favorite writers’ works, you should also make an attempt to review their work.

By reviewing your favorite writer's work, you can figure out their ways of doing the research (qualitative, quantitative, etc.) and how they apply the theoretical basis in their study. Or how they propose their new idea about the matters that are discussed.

So, it will bring many ideas for you who are still on your way to doing creative work too. Doing a review will give you many inspirations on what you can or can't write.

3. Understand the language and grammar rules

Even though it’s called ‘creative writing,’ it doesn't mean you can neglect the critical language and grammar rules in writing.

Make sure you use languages that suit your writing style, the kind of works you will make, and the genre of your works. Choosing the wrong words or diction can cause readers to get bored and even doubt the quality of your work.

Next, grammar is essential to show that you have above-average writing skills. In addition, using good and correct grammar will help you to write stories more coherently and easily understood.

So people will not feel confused when reading your writing if the grammar is messed up. After all, creative writing also does works that are still part of the literature field, so you can't forget about the grammar rules.

4. Explore voice and characters in your writing

Furthermore, to improve your writing skills, you can try to write things in a different way than usual.

For example, if you want to write down your opinion on a particular social phenomenon, you can try to write down the point you want to write down in your work.

Try to find the best research methods, theoretical basics, and kinds of studies that you can apply to that social phenomenon. This way, your ability in writing will improve step by step.

Next, to explore the topics or notions you want to bring out from the study, you can try to write them down in detail. Consider asking questions such as:

• What kind of effect will this social phenomenon have on society?
• How did this social phenomenon start?
• What is the other factor that affects this social phenomenon?
• Are there any effective research methods that will bring the best result for this topic?

5. Try different types of creative formats

Apart from finding a writing style that suits you, you must be brave to improve your creative writing skills by trying other writing formats. This will help you to increase your creativity in writing.

For instance, if you’re comfortable writing fictional stories, why not experiment and give poetry a try? This will help you understand different creative writing formats and the nuances they come with.

4 Essential Skills You Need for Creative Writing

Apart from creativity (of course!), there are other critical skills you need to ace your creative writing assignment. Let’s take a look at what those are.

1. Imagination

If you want to improve your creative writing in college, start working on your imagination. It will help you to build ideas for your writing.

For example, when you see specific government rules in your country, you can try to imagine what would happen if those rules failed. Is there any chaos ensuing? Will there be any rules that can be more effective and actual to replace the current rules?

Tip: be observant and start taking notes. You never know when your ideas can find their way into your writing.

Interesting video by Psych2Go on being creative and building your image

2. Persistence

A good writer never gives up on writing. There will be a phase when you feel so unmotivated that you can't write anything! It is okay if you want to pause for a while and take some rest. But, make sure that you will come back and continue your work again.

Remember: practice makes perfect, and giving up should never be an option.

3. Adaptability

Next, you should be adaptive to the development of the creative writing world that may happen in the future. It is good to have a unique, authentic style of writing.

But, make sure that you can fulfill what the audience wants, the writing style that is famous nowadays, or what kind of topics and research people would love to read.

4. Resilience

The last and most important skill a student should have is resilience! Don't be afraid of critics or any suggestions that people give to your works. The golden rule is to not take any feedback on your writing personally.

Whenever you write something, it is a good idea to share it with your friends and family and be open to criticism. This gives you a fresh perspective which will only help you improve your creative writing skills.

Wrapping up

We agree creative writing can be daunting and might need a lot of work, but it is certainly something you get better at with time and practice.

The next time you are met with creative writing in college and are unsure of your skills or are running out of time, reach out to our essay writing service for students .

Be it an essay, creative writing, assignment, or script – our team of writers are experts in all forms of creative writing and will deliver original, high-quality work within the stipulated deadline.

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10 Best Creative Writing Courses for 2024: Craft Authentic Stories

Learn how to tell your story and engage your readers with great storytelling.

As a lifelong literature enthusiast, I decided to challenge myself in 2010 by participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which tasks participants with writing a 50,000-word draft within a month. Although I’ve only achieved this goal twice since then, the experience has been invaluable. I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers, both online and in person.

Through my experience, I can confidently say that creative writing is a skill that can be developed and honed, just like any other. While traditionally associated with literature, creative writing is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool in various forms of writing, from copywriting and storytelling to novels and poetry. It has the ability to captivate readers and elevate the impact of written expression.

If you’re searching for the best online Creative Writing courses and resources, you’ve come to the right place. This Best Courses Guide (BCG) is built from Class Central’s catalog of over 300 Creative Writing courses and selected according to a methodology that you can check below.

Click on the shortcuts for more details:

What is Creative Writing?

Courses overview, why you should trust us, how we made our picks and tested them, here are our top picks.

Click on one to skip to the course details:

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Creative writing is a genre of writing that seeks to evoke emotions and feelings in its readers. It surpasses the limits of traditional forms of literature and emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes and poetic traditions. Creative writing finds application in various forms of writing, including screenplays, plays, novels, poems, and other written works. In this guide, I will delve into some of its most popular facets.

Enhancing resilience and creativity through writing

Research shows that the brains of professional writers work differently from those of novice writers. Moreover, creative writing has been found to boost resilience in students . If you want to enjoy the benefits of writing, it’s important to develop the habit of jotting down your thoughts and words. Doing so can help you overcome writer’s block.

Creative writing is so powerful that it’s used in prisons to give inmates a chance to express themselves in programs like PEN America . “By providing resources, mentorship, and audiences outside the walls, we help these writers to join and enrich the broader literary community.”

Creative writing is a skill that can be learned and practiced like any other. Techniques such as ABDCE structure, 1st or 3rd person point of view, “show don’t tell”, dialogues, and tropes can be easily learned through the online courses in this guide.

• Together, they account for over 1M enrollments
• Skillshare, with 2 courses, is the most featured provider
• The single most popular course has nearly 400k enrollments
• Three courses are entirely free or free-to-audit.

Best Fantasy And Short-Stories Writing Lessons For Beginners (Brandon Sanderson)

Besides being an awesome writer, Sanderson is an instructor with a very unique talent for keeping us engaged. He has also made available a full course in creative writing on YouTube , originally presented at Brigham Young University, which includes the most crucial tools for any beginner or even experienced writers. The course is comprehensive and rich in content, with great sound and video quality.

Each video discusses a specific tool or technique, so you can easily select the theme you want to explore next or watch it all in sequence. It’s up to you. I recommend you take your time, watch one video at a time and experiment with each concept, or even better, find a writing buddy or form a group to practice writing together.

What you’ll learn:

• Plot construction, character development, and engaging storytelling
• Techniques for crafting immersive worlds and believable viewpoints
• Insights into the publishing industry, tailored for emerging writers
• Strategies for writing compelling short stories and leveraging them for larger projects.

“Very informative! I’m a beginner writer looking to study writing for video games, and this class gave me a lot of helpful tools to start understanding how stories work/how to organize my ideas! Will definitely be returning to some of these lectures in the future for guidance 👍” – Paige Webster

Best University-level Creative Writing Course (Wesleyan University)

Creative Writing by Wesleyan University is a specialization for those looking for a way to improve their writing structure, scene and character creations and finding your style. Each course includes writing practice (for paying learners) and insightful interviews. It’s worth your time and effort if you are a disorganized writer like myself.

• Techniques for crafting a bracing story with memorable characters and an interesting setting
• How to employ a fresh descriptive style in your writing
• Skills for analyzing and constructively evaluating peer writing
• The ability to refine your writing, critique writing in general, and draw inspiration from existing literature
• The process of drafting, rewriting, and completing an original story in the genre of your choosing.

It should be noted that the peer-grading system often lacks depth. However, the assignments are well-crafted and can be easily evaluated with minimal effort, providing some insights from other participants in the form of feedback or inspiration from their submissions.

“Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me – thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.” – Laura B, Coursera learner

Best Course to Find Your Voice (Neil Gaiman)

Neil Gaiman is currently one the most prolific writers I know of: he’s written books , comics , movies and even TV shows . Even if you’re not a fan of his style, there is definitely something you can learn from him.

In Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling you will discover Neil’s philosophy on what drives a story and learn to unlock new stories within yourself.

While MasterClass doesn’t sell single courses, a subscription provides access to their entire library, including other writing courses like Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing , Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers , Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing , and James Patterson Teaches Writing . If you are considering the purchase, you should definitely enjoy the rest of their catalog.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Discover and develop your unique writing voice
• Generate and develop original ideas
• Create dynamic, well-rounded characters that come to life on the page.

This course includes a 94-page workbook that includes assignments and supplemental material.

Best Practical Writing Course With Support (Trace Crawford)

I love it when a passionate teacher like Trace Crawford puts the effort into creating a comprehensive curriculum. COMPLETE Creative Writing – All Genres is a 12-hour course with 145 downloadable resources. In this course, you will learn how to write engaging fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction, helping you become the successful writer you want to be.

• The four genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction
• How to discover, refine, and share your unique writing voice
• A series of authentic writing assignments designed to target the skills you need to develop
• Writing techniques, literary devices, and specialized skills to enhance your writing
• Opportunities for publishing, podcasts, and how to create a professional creative writing portfolio
• Discover multiple public outlets to share your writing with others as you gain confidence and experience success in your writing ability.

This is a practical creative writing course that includes assignments reviewed by the instructor, though response time may vary.

“The short snippets of theory in combination with the short assignments suits my learning style. I don’t remember the last time I’ve written anything creative, but this course gave me the incentive to set some foundation and its actually quite enjoyable if you stick to it.” – Nikolaos-Stylianos Z., Udemy learner

Best Course to Overcome Writer’s Block: 10-Day Journaling Challenge (Emily Gould)

I couldn’t resist adding Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge to this guide. Emily Gould is a delightful instructor, and her approach to inviting you to participate in the challenge is impossible to decline. It’s the perfect course to overcome writer’s block, which is exactly what she proposes. In this 10-day creative writing challenge, filled with inspiring examples, observation prompts, and clever revision tricks, writers and enthusiasts will be able to express their creativity in a personal and artful way.

This course is the shortest one on the list, and it’s more about the challenge of keeping a journal. If you decide to subscribe to Skillshare, you can also enjoy their entire library of courses. In addition to the other two recommended courses on this list, you can also check out these other Skillshare courses: Writing Suspense: How to Write Stories That Thrill in Any Genre and The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit .

Best Course to Create Fiction From Personal Experience (Shaun Levin)

Shaun’s approach to writing in Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience is an unusual one. It draws from your personal experience to create a compelling fictional story. I can say from experience that this technique will help you write with more depth and authenticity. Every time we bring our own life to the story, it becomes alive, believable and relatable. In a way, all fictional stories are based on the author’s life.

This course will help you with techniques and a series of practical exercises to start writing your scenes from a more philosophical point of view, creating compelling stories. You’ll learn how to delve into your imagination to find everything you’ll need to become a prolific writer, no matter where you are.

By the end of the course, you will have a final project that will receive feedback from Shaun and other learners as well. Actually, if you want to check it out, in the course page on Domestika you can open the submitted projects and read the comments.

Shaun’s other courses: Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life .

“A practical course. Shaun Levin talks about theory but also demonstrates his process, which was invaluable. The exercises got my creative juices flowing. Thinking about doing his other course in the future.” – Maya Dicheva

Best Course to Make Writing Less Stressful with Best Practices (Jennie Nash)

If you struggle to start or get stuck in your writing, Write Your Book: Start Strong and Get It Done can help. With good advice and emotional support, you’ll learn techniques to make writing less stressful. The accompanying workbook guides you to think methodically by asking the right questions to keep you focused on your story and not chasing your own tail.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Design every element of your novel or memoir, including the protagonist, plot, story structure and a project success plan
• Define your narrator’s voice
• Determine where your story begins and where it ends
• Decide what point you’re making about human nature
• Make sure you’re giving your ideal reader exactly what they want
• Gain the confidence you need to push past any doubts and finish your book.

This course is more of a masterclass, so there are no assignments included but it teaches good practices and provides a very useful workbook.

Best Course to Create A Compelling Story (Lisa Cron)

Writing: The Craft of Story is a series of well-produced lectures covering the basic building blocks of a story. Taught by author Lisa Cron, you will learn how to create compelling stories based on the way the brain responds to storytelling. This course emphasizes the importance of capturing the reader’s attention through techniques such as suspense, exploring the protagonist’s inner issues and dreams, specificity, and cause and effect. Upon completion of the quizzes, you will receive a certificate for your LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you can watch all the videos without subscribing to the course.

“Learning the fundamentals of crafting a story was and is a fascinating experience. And yes, I would highly recommend writing to anyone interested in learning how to express the communication of feeling.” – Nicole Gillard, LinkedIn learner.

Best Course to Write Personal Essays with Impact (Roxane Gay)

Discover the art of crafting powerful personal essays with best-selling author Roxane Gay in her course, Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact . Through her honest and thoughtful approach, Roxane will help you find your story, craft your truth, and write to make a difference.

This master class offers eight video lessons that are filled with practical guidance, actionable tactics, and example essays to guide you from the first idea to a final, publication-ready work.

You’ll learn how to:

• Find a specific purpose for telling your story
• Connect your work to larger conversations and timely themes
• Conduct crucial research to support your work
• Navigate personal memories to write your truth
• Write and revise your final work, and submit your work for publication.

Additionally, the class provides a downloadable worksheet to support your ongoing creative nonfiction writing practice, as well as links to additional resources.

If you enjoy creative nonfiction writing, you might consider this course that’s also on Skillshare: Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth with Style (Skillshare Original) by Susan Orlean

Best Course to Develop Your Ideas And Research for Characters (The Open University)

Start Writing Fiction explores the writing process, from journaling and idea development to reflection and editing. It features insights from established writers such as Louis de Bernières, Patricia Duncker, Alex Garland, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Tim Pears, Michèle Roberts, and Monique Roffey,  who share their approaches to research and turning events into plot. Led by Derek Neale, a novelist and short story writer, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of the writing rituals and techniques used by successful writers.

You’ll get to critique the work of other writers and receive feedback. This course is designed for individuals interested in starting or improving their fiction writing and does not require prior experience in the subject.

You’ll learn:

• Creation of characters in fiction
• Different sources and ways of presenting characters in stories
• Reading as a writer
• Writing practice including creativity, research, observation and editing
• Peer reviewing, workshops and the importance of feedback.

“This course takes learners through many aspects of writing such as developing characters, observing and describing details, finding inspiration, writing and editing. It includes some peer reviews which can be varying in quality. I was lucky enough to have some of my writing reviewed by a reviewer who gave very helpful and positive feedback.” – Pat Bowden

What’s Next

Scribophile is one of the largest online writing communities. You can get feedback on your writing and join writing groups. If you decide to join with a free plan, you need to collect points by reviewing other writers’ work before submitting your own work for review. They also developed some advanced tools for evaluating work and guidelines to make sure you give/receive feedback that is actually meaningful.

NaNoWriMo started out as a month-long challenge where you invite your friends and join other writers in your region, be it online in their forums or in person, to challenge yourself in writing your first draft. Nowadays, they run all-year round writing challenges (but November is still the biggest one in terms of participation). What is cool about it is you actually get to meet people in real life with various writing skills and backgrounds. I was able to make some great friends over the years and even met a few professional writers that decided to join our local group just to support us.

If you have any resources you would like to have added here, leave a comment below.

Class Central , a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.

Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.

First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn about creative writing.

When choosing courses, I considered the following factors:

• Renowned Institutions : I looked for recognized institutions in creative writing
• Instructor experience : I sought instructors with extensive experience in creative writing and engaging presentation styles
• Popularity : I checked numbers of enrollments and views to find popular courses
• Course content : I examined courses that covered a range of topics and presentation styles, including the basics and more advanced topics. I watched some course videos to sample courses I hadn’t already taken
• Learner reviews : I read learner reviews (when available) to get a sense of the quality of each course, leveraging the Class Central database with its thousands of course ratings and reviews written by our users as well as available course provider reviews.

Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A creative writing course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.

Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about creative writing.

Fabio Dantas

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• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
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• Advanced Writing and Editing
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• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Writers
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Creative writer skills by experience level, important skills for entry-level creative writers, important skills for mid-level creative writers, important skills for senior creative writers, most underrated skills for creative writers, 1. cultural sensitivity, 2. research proficiency, 3. active listening, how to demonstrate your skills as a creative writer in 2024, how you can upskill as a creative writer.

• Enroll in Advanced Writing Workshops: Participate in workshops led by esteemed writers to gain new perspectives and techniques in storytelling, character development, and genre-specific writing.
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• Experiment with Different Writing Forms: Challenge yourself by writing in various formats such as poetry, flash fiction, or playwriting to enhance your versatility and creativity.
• Join Writing Communities: Connect with fellow writers through online forums, local writing groups, or social media networks to exchange feedback, support, and ideas.
• Attend Literary Festivals and Author Talks: Immerse yourself in the literary scene to stay abreast of industry trends and gather insights from successful authors.
• Practice Writing Regularly: Commit to a daily writing routine to sharpen your skills, build discipline, and foster a deeper understanding of your unique voice.
• Utilize Writing Software and Tools: Leverage the latest technology in writing software to aid with grammar, structure, and organization, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of your work.
• Seek Constructive Criticism: Embrace feedback from editors, writing coaches, or peer review groups to identify areas for improvement and refine your writing.
• Study the Business of Writing: Understand the publishing industry, including marketing, agent representation, and self-publishing to better navigate the path to getting your work seen and sold.
• Invest in Personal Branding: Develop a strong online presence through a professional website, blog, or social media to build your audience and establish your reputation as a writer.

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Ways to improve your creative writing?

I was wondering if any of you know of articles, books, or youtube videos that helped improve your writing skills for the better, I have done some research but i still haven't found anything and was wondering if any of you have some advice on where i can find creative writing videos or how you improved your writing

June 18, 2024

‹ Previous   3 minute READ  

Creative writing is taught to children and students, but it benefits adults just as much. Writing is part of lifelong learning that keeps us awake, clear and connected.

On June 19th, the UK will celebrate National Writing Day with events for pupils and young writers. 1 This is a chance to bring creative writing into your life. The ideal moment to highlight the numerous benefits that writing offers for all ages.

Now, statistically, you will not win this competition. So why bother? Let’s see if we can think of better reasons to write than winning prizes…

1. For your wellbeing

Improve your mental health.

Creative writing can be therapeutic for adults. It gives you a safe space to express emotions, navigate feelings, and make sense of life.

Writing connects us to ourselves, our friends and family, to people who know us and it creates new contacts, with some luck, maybe even far into the future.

Sharing your stories, traditions, and perspectives creates a sense of belonging. Clarifying our ideas, and connecting with others gives us sense and purpose.

Become who you are

Like kids, creative writing helps adults discover or reconnect with their inner thoughts and beliefs. It’s a platform for introspection.

“You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write. In effect, you have to announce, ‘This is me, this what I stand for, this is what you get when you read me. I’m doing the best I can – buy me or not – but this is who I am as a writer.” ― David Morrell

Writing offers a chance to learn more about your values, goals, and aspirations through the ideas, stories, and characters you create. This leads to better self-awareness and personal growth.

Train your intelligence

As we age, it’s easy to get stuck. Creative writing keeps your thoughts fluid and helps maintain mental agility. Organizing thoughts, building narratives, or focusing on characters and plots keeps your brain sharp.

2. To improve your communication skills

Become a better communicator.

Expressing yourself clearly and persuasively is key to many jobs. Writing poetry, short stories, or novels boosts your ability to engage and convince your audience.

“The good ideas come first. The skill to communicate them brilliantly in a way that appeals to readers or to an audience takes years of practice.” – Robin Mizell

These skills translate naturally into the workplace, from composing messages to pitching ideas confidently.

Strengthen your creative muscles

Creativity isn’t limited to the arts. It’s valuable in all areas: business, science, and tech. Creativity is crucial for innovative thinking and problem-solving. Writing helps you gain new perspectives and come up with fresh ideas.

3. For pleasure

Your readers will feel if you had fun writing or whether it was mainly work. By focusing on improving your text, you make writing playful and rewarding.

Writing can be fun

iA Writer has been embraced by thousands of journalists, writers, and bloggers worldwide. With iA Writer, you can

• Eliminate distractions with Focus Mode
• Get stylistic insights using Style Check
• Refine your writing skills with Syntax Highlighting .

Each time you refine a sentence, improve your style, or clarify your idea, you feel a sense of achievement. This way, writing becomes a fun form of play, where the joy comes from seeing your text improve with each change.

Using AI without cheating

If you use ChatGPT or work with other authors, you can keep track of your unique voice with Authorship .

To use AI without cheating you need to learn how to turn the tables on AI . Ask AI to prompt you. Use it as a dialog partner. Don’t let it write for you.

Try different platforms

Use different writing tools. Write using a typewriter, or longhand, and try different apps for different purposes (Markdown is your friend because it’s portable across different apps).

So, pick up a pen 2 or open a new document, and start writing. Find your focus. Share your thoughts. For more writing tips and inspiration, check out our blog posts .

4. To get started

Competitions are not there to be won. There is too much luck and taste involved when it comes to winning any prizes. Competitions exist to get you started and motivate you to give your best and finish your stories.

National Writing Day is a UK event celebrating the joy of creative writing. Created by First Story, a national literacy charity, it encourages people of all ages and skill levels to write for fun and self-expression. You’ll find details about First Story charity and free creative writing on their website .

iA also sponsors the NYC Midnight Short Story and Screenwriting challenges. Join and see where your ideas take you.

As an official partner of the event, the BBC has compiled some teaching resources for National Writing Day.  ↩

Prefer writing in analog? Experience minimalist, distraction-free writing with iA Notebook with watermark lines to guide your pen.  ↩

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16 essential tips for improving your copywriting skills.

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Consumers are constantly bombarded by advertisements, email blasts and other forms of marketing content. Yet, only select pieces of copy truly capture attention and persuade audiences.

Good marketing copy is the bridge between a product and its audience, so any professional looking to make an impact in marketing needs to sharpen their copywriting skills. Below, Forbes Communications Council members share expert tips for improving your craft and better understanding the art and the science behind persuasive writing.

1. Seek Outside Opinions

To be a great writer, you must read much and write more. Find a writer who is stronger than you and let them redline your drafts to bits. Put down a draft for a few hours and return to it with fresh eyes. Are you captivated or bored? (Yes, some of my own writing has put me to sleep.) Your copywriting muscle gets stronger with time and becomes richer with maturity and experience. Stick with it. - Lauren Pasquale Bartlett , Ingenovis Health

2. Be Conversational

Write how you speak. Formal writing to impress is out. Conversational writing to enhance understanding is in. To that end, use short sentences. And before you put a bow on it, read it out loud. Great copywriting has a cadence and a rhythm. It sings. - Colleen Edwards , NextGen Healthcare

3. Make It Enticing Yet Educational

Looking at this through a B2B lens, we can first assume that copywriting includes long-form writing. Since B2B copy is meant to help buyers understand and evaluate complex topics, it needs to be both enticing and educational. It therefore needs to be less like headline-driven front-page news and more like investigative journalism that tells the story clearly and in ways that draw the reader in. - John Steinert , TechTarget

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Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 4. avoid using jargon.

Lose the jargon. All of it. Every word that is gimmicky. Every word that is shorthand for an idea you have not explored. Every word that presumes to be a shortcut to understanding. Be patient with yourself and use every word with meaning. - Scott Anderson , National Park Foundation

5. Write Clearly

Get clear and concise first. Of course, most writers want to pick the perfect turn of phrase that customers will remember forever. But if your writing is not clear and concise, that kind of flourish won't stick out. Focus on clear and concise copy, and then add compelling language from that solid baseline. - Robert Neely , Lima One Capital

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6. Slow Down And Proofread

When you slow down and read backward or out loud, your errors will jump out at you. If that doesn’t help, then take a break. Once you go back with fresh eyes, you'll have a new perspective. Also, think about your audience. When I'm writing marketing material, I like to read important things to my dad, because he will give me an outside take that helps me gauge how my writing is landing. - Layla Kasha , Grocery Outlet

7. Understand The Larger Message

Copywriting is an art that requires creativity and alignment with a larger messaging strategy. Look to truly understand how your strategy aims to move your target audience. By continuously applying the principles that underpin your larger strategy, you can motivate your audience to take action. As long as you stay within the boundaries of the defined message, you can be creative with your delivery. - Lisa Kalkes , Veteran Benefits Guide

8. Read Out Loud

Read your copy out loud. It will help make your copy clear and concise. Once you hear your words, you'll be able to identify redundancy and awkward phrasing much more quickly. You'll also be able to hear if your message came through clearly or whether you need to go back and rework some areas. - Kathy Sucich , Dimensional Insight

9. Be Empathetic

To truly elevate your copywriting, immerse yourself in empathy. Understand your audience’s deepest desires, fears and aspirations. Craft your message not as a marketer but as a trusted friend offering solutions to their challenges. When your writing resonates on a human level, it inspires action. So, channel your inner empath and let your audience feel understood, valued and compelled to engage. - Katie Jewett , UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations

10. Spend Time Reading

Read, read and read—there is no easy way. Make it a daily habit, highlighting interesting words and absorbing industry knowledge. Remember, there's nothing more authentic than using your own words and observations. While it's beneficial to reference global brands, rely on your unique perspective to create compelling copy and be ready to contribute meaningfully to conversations. - Suneeta Motala , Stewards Investment Capital

11. Don’t Overcomplicate Things

Keep your copy simple. Write as if you’re addressing a fifth grader. Over 50% of Americans read below a sixth-grade level. The most effective copy is the one that’s easy to understand. If Ernest Hemingway wrote at a fifth-grade level, you should too. - Ken Louie , MetroPlusHealth

12. Remember Your Story

Don’t lose sight of the primary story you are trying to tell. Infusing your story into your copywriting will enable you to better connect with your audience in a way that captures their attention, helps them understand the essence of who you are and moves their heart to engagement. - Rob Forrester , Guardian

13. Consider Your ‘Why’

One key thing to keep in mind is that good writers aren’t thinking about their writing; instead, they’re thinking about the point they’re trying to make. In copywriting, you need to always think about why you’re writing this piece. What is the ultimate end goal of your writing? Start from there, and you’re guaranteed to create copy that resonates more strongly with your target audience. - Alexi Lambert Leimbach , Xcellimark

14. Practice

Write for 10 minutes every day, even if the content is random and unrelated to your subject matter. Put pen to paper and write something. This will help cut through the clutter in your mind and improve your ability to focus on what you actually want to write about. - Sheryl Seitz , May Mobility

15. Listen To How Your Audience Communicates

To improve your copywriting skills, ensure you deeply understand your audience by listening to sales calls, analyzing social media interactions and noting the content and language they engage with. Avoid buzzwords and marketing jargon to sound authentic. Finally, imagine swapping in a competitor’s name in place of yours. Does your copy still work? If so, it’s too generic—strive for uniqueness. - Jeff Marcoux , Entry Point 1

16. Avoid 'Filler' Content

If you're going to do a piece of content, make sure you provide the information and insights that you'd want if you were looking for this article. Too many companies want something written on a topic and they don't worry about quality. Make sure you understand the goals for each piece of content and write in a way that delivers significant value. - Tom Treanor , Snipp Interactive

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