Some Tips for Creative Writing

[Devonian]

Well writing you can only get better at by actually doing it. So here is all that I can remember from my Creative Writing classes back in high school. However i'm not a good poet, so these may help for poetry writers, but i have more of a novelist, novelle, or short story approach to writing so these tips will be slightly more useful to others with the same approach. So i strongly encourage poetry writers to post tips here also please.

They'll be posted on this thread and if any other expreienced writers that also have advice feel free to post here as well.
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First of all if you are going to write you need ideas so take every chance you can to expand your horizons so to speek.

Keep an open mind, and don't overwork yourself. If you rush it most likely won't come out as well as if you just take your time writing it.

Keep some sort of pad, notebook, or sheets of paper and a pen or pencil with you always, because you want to be ready when inspiration hits you. Inspiration hits anytime it likes don't let the idea fly away. When it leaves you never know when it will return.

Try out several areas within writing and find what you are not only comfortable but also enjoy working with.

Don't worry about grammer or mispelling while writing just let the idea flow onto the paper proofread and edit after you finish.

Try putting together a portfollio of all your works it helps a lot, trust me.

I would suggest having several copies of your work in both digital and ink/graphite and paper. This way you can have back-ups in case of loss of one or the other.

Get to know you word processing/office software at least the one for writing. Make full use of the crude thesuarus the program uses to enrich your vocabulary during the editing phase.

Have people whomever you trust and or know would read and give you feedback, so you can improve your work.

Attempt to find inspiration where or on whatever you can comfortably write about.

Read your work aloud in front of an audience it will help you do better with writing and editing a double win so to speak.

Most importantly HAVE FUN this is what creative writing is mainly about.
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hmm i have to look at my old notes again so this is all i have thus far hopefully there will be more soon. May you have pleasant journies on your quest to better yourselves in the ways of the written words.

[Caity_walsh]

writing is just like art .. u take ur time it gets better u rush than its just a mess ! i havent rly writtin anything big but i wrote a 10 chapta book n iv written a cople of poems but thanks for the advice ! if you havent got a pen n paper wen u get an idea n than wen u go 2 write it and u forgrt how can you remember ?

[Shaehl]

Hmm, I think I'll add my own:

Show, don't tell. The phrase is practically cliche by now, but it is no less important. In 9 out of 10 cases, you don't want to "tell" your readers about things. For instance, instead of saying, "Bob was angry.", show us the results of that anger. Does Bob's fist clench? Do his eyes narrow, or body tremble? You can also describe many things scenically. We learn about characters best by seeing what they do. When you are trying to convey to the reader a certain trait that a character has, do it by showing us a demonstration of it. Example: Instead of saying, "Bob had quirky personality." Show us that quirky personality in action.

[Random Havoc]

I don't know if this is in the same catagory but free writing is when you write about what you think. No correction, no editing no going back, just write continuously about anything and anything for 5 minutes, you'll see your thoughts become much more focused after that time.

[Byakuya7]

I agree, just write about anything you want. My main problem in high school right now is that im a good writer but I dont respond to the prompts and I diverge from my point. Writing freely allows you to gather your thoughts and practice placing them on paper, which in turn improves your writing drastically.

[Caity_walsh]

well im thinking of joining the writing club but all my friends are saying dont do that but i realy want to !

[Byakuya7]

screw your friends, do what you want and dont be influenced by them. The time for social groups was in middle school, high school is the path to your college career and job, so dont let them ruin that. They dont know whats best for you, and 99 percent of the time they never will.

[Undying]

What Byakuya7 said. You friends aren't you, they can't tell you what's best to you.
@Shaehl: kind hard to write with "Show, don't tell" attitude... I try, but it's still hard.
I have a question: anyone has any idea how to write comic scenes and amke them really funny? because I'm kinda stuck with comedy parts.

[Caity_walsh]

screw your friends, do what you want and dont be influenced by them. The time for social groups was in middle school, high school is the path to your college career and job, so dont let them ruin that. They dont know whats best for you, and 99 percent of the time they never will.

my friends are my friends i dnt wanna be seen as DITCHING them but i hope you know im me an individual so im going for the writing club !!! thankyou Byakuya7 im realy scared about joining the writing club coz iv neva been 2 it n i dun no wat happens in it does any 1 else no wat happenes at a writing club ?

[K.Ogawa]

i'll put in my 2 cents. i've been writing for the past 5-6 years (though I'm not all that great in my opinion) but I've done some reading...

i think one of the best things you can do for yourself is to def write EVERYTHING that comes to mind, even the most minute detail of a character or something you'd want to include in your writing.

i'm currently writing two novels. one is more realistic, but humorous while active at the same time. while the other is much like bleach. but for example, in my one book, a character has a habit of hitting people when they're in pain, and he tells a story of when he was a kid, he was constipated and his mother was there when he was trying to do his business... he then goes on to say that he got so strained that he just punched his mother in the face.

now i didn't make that up, but i heard it from my friend (true story) and it cracked the hell out of me, so I decided that it would be great to add it into the story. i felt that i wanted to truly make the characters life like as much as possible.

my next point: write a kind of resume for each character, even if he isn't a main character. everything from their birthdate to their outlook on life, favorite quotes, education, social class, job related skills, hobbies, ambitions and fears, clothing brands, favorite cologne, favorte foods, etc etc. the list goes on.

and also, don't let anyone hold you down. take advice, but don't even let yourself stop you from writing. that was a big problem of mine in high school. it got up to the point that i thought that everything i wrote was total garbage. until I showed it to my teacher and she seemed genuinely excited at my writing... and i was like "didn't that suck?"... the thing about being a writer is, you write what you want regardless of what others think.

if you're like me and want to just want to be able to publish a book or two just for the hell of it, then don't hold back. there are ways to get your book published even if it turned down by big names. but if you're intent on making a best seller, then... you have no choice but to go to others for their opinions and advice. though i admit, i'm not into making money, i'd like it to be a good book that will be remembered, ya know?

... uh, i think that's it for now... :biggrinki gotta go!