CREATIVE WRITING
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"All the creative writing tips in the world are wasted unless you practice your craft. Write! Write! Write! Be innovative. Play! Experiment! Test!" - A New Tale
**A Creative Writing Tutorial** by Stu Leventhal |
It is easier to begin the discussion of what is great writing by first discussing, what is poor writing. Bad craftsmanship is easy to spot; spelling mistakes, punctuation abuses, poor grammar and improper word choices are surely the first signs. Scenes not grounded because they are written from randomly changing literary points of view are usually a rookie writer’s mistake. Foul, excessive, X-rated language that does nothing to add to the dynamics of the story is not going to wear the pin of good literature. There is not enough room here to discuss whether or not pornography should ever be considered literature; so, the often heated, porno debate will have to wait for a later date. It will have to suffice to say that excessively long sex scenes which don’t add any true value to the overall story or theme are not going to be passed down from generation to generation.
The general rule of thumb for including a sex scene in a story that is not pornography is, if it is not an eye opener for the reader or a total shock and surprise that the two people would have sex then you don’t need to mention it. For instance, a husband and wife go upstairs to their bedroom at the end of a stressful day. It is implied that they may or may not have sex, as all husbands and wives do. The scene should only be written about if it adds dimension to the tale that couldn’t be explained any other way. Such as, if the man forces himself on his wife despite her clearly stating over and over she was not interested. Adding the sex scene would also be appropriate if it was used to show the wife or man could not perform well because his or her mind was thinking about their secret lover. If an alcoholic Grandfather comes home excessively drunk and rapes his eleven year old niece that would obviously be a defining moment of the story. It is appropriate, for the author to include the scene up to the point where the reader has no doubt the sex happens. But, continuing to describe the sex, in graphic detail, page after page, for the sake of sensationalizing, would be inappropriate.
Ignorant, dehumanizing, prejudice humor in scenes that are not being used to expose a social wrong or injustice is inappropriate. Meaning, if your antagonist is a mean, tyrannical, bigot then by all means show his true colors to your readers. But, if you are writing a scene with the intention of lightening up the mood of your tale by adding a bit of humor then don’t include racial jokes, don’t poke fun of the handicapped or write a few lines of gross and demeaning text looking for a cheap laugh.
Another rookie writing mistake is to try to write about too much stuff in one story. A clash of two forces is interesting. Make one force evil and the other moral and you have created someone for your reader to cheer for. But have five or six different battles going on in the same chapter and your reader can get confused. They quickly lose focus; no longer know who to identify with or why they should care about the outcome of one battle over another battle. They may even begin to question their choice of hero.
Great craftsmanship in literature will surely be admired and rightfully so. But great messages in writing have been defended to the death. Poor writing form, bad grammar, spelling mistakes and improper word usage never got a writer jailed. But many authors have been jailed and more have been banished from their homelands, throughout history, some even put to death, due to the themes incorporated in their writing. Therefore, it can be concluded that great literature is judged more on the merits of its message than on how well it is crafted. And thus we can infer that writers who have mastered literary form and language usage are not nearly as valued as writers who are keen on delivering messages. The communists, back in the seventies, during the cold war, had a saying, “All art is a weapon.” The most obvious literary examples of this were the propaganda pamphlets that the Russian Government used to distribute in third world countries as well as the propaganda articles the USA’s CIA planted in foreign newspapers and magazines to sway public opinion in favor of democracy. Obviously the two great, most powerful governments of the world, at the time, realized the extremely importance of the underlying messages implied in literature.
What makes a Great Creative Writer? Let’s now consider some of the great ones; and see if we can recognize any similar traits to put forth a hypothesis. William Shakespeare, who is widely regarded as the best English speaking writer of all time, lived and wrote his plays during the late 1500s and early 1600s, which is close to four hundred years ago. At present he is the most read author of all time, second only to the bible. Shakespeare’s work transcends time. His messages speak to every race and creed. They are entertaining and informative for the young and old and touch both genders. Plato, is one of the most important founders of western philosophy. His writings on philosophy, ethics, logics and mathematics, were created over two thousand years ago, yet they are still studied today and are considered very much relevant. Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, hailed as one of the greatest novelists of all time wrote his epic tale ‘War and Peace’ the story of five aristocratic Russian families set during the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
All three of these iconic authors are great examples of a Great, Creative Writers. They each have the ability to communicate across the ages. Their writing is timeless. Their words speak to and touch people from all walks of life; young, old, male, female, every nationality and religion. They expose truths about mankind and life that are universal and transcend the here and now. Shakespeare’s work is as relevant now, if not more relevant, as it was in the Elizabethans times when he created them. Plato wrote statements over thousands of years ago; things that still influence intelligent, modern people of today. Tolstoy’s tales portray engaging characters, living in Tsarist Russia during war time. His grandiose novel, which is over a thousand pages long, is currently the world’s seventh longest book. It speaks to people of every culture.
The world of man has changed so much since each of these great thinkers and superb writers walked the earth. Progress and discoveries, inventions and ideas have been realized and reinvented. Plato was here over two thousand years ago, so much has happened that he could not have ever imagined yet predict still the words he wrote thousands of years ago, have as much merit now as they did in his day and time. Is there anything you have to say to the people of the future that you feel someone two thousand years from now is going to take seriously? Shakespeare’s plays continue to entertain us four hundred years after they were conceived. Can you create a story that people will want to pass down to their next of kin, generation after generation? Tolstoy’s master pieces have been translated into every language of the world. Can people from other cultures relate to your tales?
The great creative writer, now-a-days, must have a street earned degree in psychiatry. He must have his finger on the pulse of society at all times as well as hold the equivalent to an honorary PHD in world history. And over all he must be able to un-puzzle life’s mysteries as the Dalai Lama or a Zen Master might, to make some sense out of the non-sensible. The creative writer must be a swami, a hopeless romantic, an adventurer, a pessimist and an optimist sometimes all, while writing the same chapter.
Are creative writers born with their special gift or can they be taught the art of word persuasion? Certainly being born with a vivid imagination goes a long way in the writing field. But if all the high school and collegiate creative writing courses are any indication then writing, in all of its many forms, is a taught art. Granted many times, I’ve heard of writers claiming they taught themselves. But, they mean, they had no formal instruction. Of course they must have read other works and studied other writers. Suffice to say that some creative writers get off to a better start due to their naturally born talents, the same as some skiers are born with an uncanny ability to navigate down an icy slope the first time they strap skies to their feet. But, unless the natural ability is cultivated and enhanced it can only go so far. Becoming a creative writer takes sincere dedication and most of all practice. The skills of style, form, grammar and word choice, are refined by practice and become second nature through reading well written works and practicing the craft. They have been taught successfully at schools and through tutoring and mentoring. The skills of the imagination can be taught as well as enhanced through reading as well through courses and mentoring. But the skills of transferring the imagination into ink on paper can only get better by writing and revising and more writing and revising.
The great creative writer must be able to step into another person’s shoes and not just to walk a few miles but to see into their dreams, experience their nightmares, feel the pain and anguish of their pasts and perceive for each of their characters a possible future. The creative writer must be able to view ordinary scenes and objects with a much more heightened intensity, sensitivity and imagination than the lay person. A simple coffee cup becomes a hand me down; as the mug that one’s beloved, long deceased Grand Mother used to sip her special blend of aromatic, calamine tea. One must not only be able to perceive and imagine these secret things but also must be able to convey their existence and magic to others with no other help but a pen and paper. The ability to allow one’s reader to smell the calamine of the Grandmother’s tea, as one’s main character says she smells the fragrance whenever her eyes wonder to the lone, beige, clay, coffee mug sitting on its shelf, must be honed. The skill, of breathing new meaning into the ordinary and the mundane, like all worthwhile skills must be nurtured. Of course, if these magic abilities were being handed down spiritually and mystically that would help explain Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Plato and all the other Grand Masters of creative writing.
The general rule of thumb for including a sex scene in a story that is not pornography is, if it is not an eye opener for the reader or a total shock and surprise that the two people would have sex then you don’t need to mention it. For instance, a husband and wife go upstairs to their bedroom at the end of a stressful day. It is implied that they may or may not have sex, as all husbands and wives do. The scene should only be written about if it adds dimension to the tale that couldn’t be explained any other way. Such as, if the man forces himself on his wife despite her clearly stating over and over she was not interested. Adding the sex scene would also be appropriate if it was used to show the wife or man could not perform well because his or her mind was thinking about their secret lover. If an alcoholic Grandfather comes home excessively drunk and rapes his eleven year old niece that would obviously be a defining moment of the story. It is appropriate, for the author to include the scene up to the point where the reader has no doubt the sex happens. But, continuing to describe the sex, in graphic detail, page after page, for the sake of sensationalizing, would be inappropriate.
Ignorant, dehumanizing, prejudice humor in scenes that are not being used to expose a social wrong or injustice is inappropriate. Meaning, if your antagonist is a mean, tyrannical, bigot then by all means show his true colors to your readers. But, if you are writing a scene with the intention of lightening up the mood of your tale by adding a bit of humor then don’t include racial jokes, don’t poke fun of the handicapped or write a few lines of gross and demeaning text looking for a cheap laugh.
Another rookie writing mistake is to try to write about too much stuff in one story. A clash of two forces is interesting. Make one force evil and the other moral and you have created someone for your reader to cheer for. But have five or six different battles going on in the same chapter and your reader can get confused. They quickly lose focus; no longer know who to identify with or why they should care about the outcome of one battle over another battle. They may even begin to question their choice of hero.
Great craftsmanship in literature will surely be admired and rightfully so. But great messages in writing have been defended to the death. Poor writing form, bad grammar, spelling mistakes and improper word usage never got a writer jailed. But many authors have been jailed and more have been banished from their homelands, throughout history, some even put to death, due to the themes incorporated in their writing. Therefore, it can be concluded that great literature is judged more on the merits of its message than on how well it is crafted. And thus we can infer that writers who have mastered literary form and language usage are not nearly as valued as writers who are keen on delivering messages. The communists, back in the seventies, during the cold war, had a saying, “All art is a weapon.” The most obvious literary examples of this were the propaganda pamphlets that the Russian Government used to distribute in third world countries as well as the propaganda articles the USA’s CIA planted in foreign newspapers and magazines to sway public opinion in favor of democracy. Obviously the two great, most powerful governments of the world, at the time, realized the extremely importance of the underlying messages implied in literature.
What makes a Great Creative Writer? Let’s now consider some of the great ones; and see if we can recognize any similar traits to put forth a hypothesis. William Shakespeare, who is widely regarded as the best English speaking writer of all time, lived and wrote his plays during the late 1500s and early 1600s, which is close to four hundred years ago. At present he is the most read author of all time, second only to the bible. Shakespeare’s work transcends time. His messages speak to every race and creed. They are entertaining and informative for the young and old and touch both genders. Plato, is one of the most important founders of western philosophy. His writings on philosophy, ethics, logics and mathematics, were created over two thousand years ago, yet they are still studied today and are considered very much relevant. Russian author, Leo Tolstoy, hailed as one of the greatest novelists of all time wrote his epic tale ‘War and Peace’ the story of five aristocratic Russian families set during the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
All three of these iconic authors are great examples of a Great, Creative Writers. They each have the ability to communicate across the ages. Their writing is timeless. Their words speak to and touch people from all walks of life; young, old, male, female, every nationality and religion. They expose truths about mankind and life that are universal and transcend the here and now. Shakespeare’s work is as relevant now, if not more relevant, as it was in the Elizabethans times when he created them. Plato wrote statements over thousands of years ago; things that still influence intelligent, modern people of today. Tolstoy’s tales portray engaging characters, living in Tsarist Russia during war time. His grandiose novel, which is over a thousand pages long, is currently the world’s seventh longest book. It speaks to people of every culture.
The world of man has changed so much since each of these great thinkers and superb writers walked the earth. Progress and discoveries, inventions and ideas have been realized and reinvented. Plato was here over two thousand years ago, so much has happened that he could not have ever imagined yet predict still the words he wrote thousands of years ago, have as much merit now as they did in his day and time. Is there anything you have to say to the people of the future that you feel someone two thousand years from now is going to take seriously? Shakespeare’s plays continue to entertain us four hundred years after they were conceived. Can you create a story that people will want to pass down to their next of kin, generation after generation? Tolstoy’s master pieces have been translated into every language of the world. Can people from other cultures relate to your tales?
The great creative writer, now-a-days, must have a street earned degree in psychiatry. He must have his finger on the pulse of society at all times as well as hold the equivalent to an honorary PHD in world history. And over all he must be able to un-puzzle life’s mysteries as the Dalai Lama or a Zen Master might, to make some sense out of the non-sensible. The creative writer must be a swami, a hopeless romantic, an adventurer, a pessimist and an optimist sometimes all, while writing the same chapter.
Are creative writers born with their special gift or can they be taught the art of word persuasion? Certainly being born with a vivid imagination goes a long way in the writing field. But if all the high school and collegiate creative writing courses are any indication then writing, in all of its many forms, is a taught art. Granted many times, I’ve heard of writers claiming they taught themselves. But, they mean, they had no formal instruction. Of course they must have read other works and studied other writers. Suffice to say that some creative writers get off to a better start due to their naturally born talents, the same as some skiers are born with an uncanny ability to navigate down an icy slope the first time they strap skies to their feet. But, unless the natural ability is cultivated and enhanced it can only go so far. Becoming a creative writer takes sincere dedication and most of all practice. The skills of style, form, grammar and word choice, are refined by practice and become second nature through reading well written works and practicing the craft. They have been taught successfully at schools and through tutoring and mentoring. The skills of the imagination can be taught as well as enhanced through reading as well through courses and mentoring. But the skills of transferring the imagination into ink on paper can only get better by writing and revising and more writing and revising.
The great creative writer must be able to step into another person’s shoes and not just to walk a few miles but to see into their dreams, experience their nightmares, feel the pain and anguish of their pasts and perceive for each of their characters a possible future. The creative writer must be able to view ordinary scenes and objects with a much more heightened intensity, sensitivity and imagination than the lay person. A simple coffee cup becomes a hand me down; as the mug that one’s beloved, long deceased Grand Mother used to sip her special blend of aromatic, calamine tea. One must not only be able to perceive and imagine these secret things but also must be able to convey their existence and magic to others with no other help but a pen and paper. The ability to allow one’s reader to smell the calamine of the Grandmother’s tea, as one’s main character says she smells the fragrance whenever her eyes wonder to the lone, beige, clay, coffee mug sitting on its shelf, must be honed. The skill, of breathing new meaning into the ordinary and the mundane, like all worthwhile skills must be nurtured. Of course, if these magic abilities were being handed down spiritually and mystically that would help explain Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Plato and all the other Grand Masters of creative writing.
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More Creative Writing Tips by Stuart Leventhal
Don’t overdue your use of adjectives. Use adjectives sparingly and carefully, when impact is needed. Adjectives have been compared to spices when cooking. If the stew tastes good as it is, it would be foolish to sprinkle unnecessary spices in. So why is it a lot of writers feel they must sprinkle their pages with adjectives?
When writing dialog, the first trend professors cover in most creative writing courses is to be creative when identifying your speaker. Instead of he said, she said, you could use something like; speculated Monica or recommended Joseph or encouraged Bob. While this is a noted improvement on Bob said, Monica said; of the old forum. The ultimate goal of the modern creative writer should be to create engaging dialog that needs zero speaker identifications. Just write the dialog then put it into quotes. Every time the speaker changes start a new paragraph. The words of the speaker should be crafted so particularly that they identify the person talking all by themselves.
If there are only two people in the room; an adult male businessman is having a conversation with his irresponsible teenage son. The reader should know immediately, without the author having to write, Mr. Marston said or Mr. Marston’s son Tony replied, who is speaking and not get mixed up wondering did the Dad say that line or the son. Think about it. Dads and sons talk very differently. There word choice is like night and day. There should be no way anyone would get confused as to which one is speaking. All those identifiers get in the way of the flow. You should only add them if there could be a question as to who is talking. Such as when there’s a group of four or five people huddled together, having a heated discussion. You still don’t need to formally identify the speaker, if the talker is the only one in the room who has a particular identifying trait; an accent, lisp, stutter, smoker’s raspy voice, talks in a sing song manner or always uses a favorite saying like slang etc.
Don’t let your writing lessons get in the way of telling a story. Just because you got an A+ in scenic development class, doesn’t mean you can launch into four or five paragraphs filled with imagery, anytime you like. The story always comes first, over and above an author’s showing off his skills of writing. All kinds of skills and techniques must be mastered, but knowing when and in what dosage to put each skill to use is ultimately key. Of utmost importance, always remember, if there’s a simpler way to express what you are trying to say, use it. Never make your reader struggle to understand big words, decipher hidden themes and agenda’s, if it can be avoided. There’s a time and a place for sophistication. It is usually most effective in small doses, when it springs spontaneously and naturally from the writer’s pen, achieves its objective then quickly and quietly fades into the background.
People read for enjoyment. Deep themes, moral judgments and eye opening accounts of harsh realities are necessary and can be enjoyable and satisfying to read but they should be handled subtly. They should never be longwinded, overly opinionated or come out of left field to slap the reader across the face. If you find your fictional prose becoming soap box, preachy, consider switching to a nonfiction style like an essay or critique where your reader is expecting you to sound off personally about your subject matter.
“Don’t be afraid to cut.” Advises Waldo Jeffries, established author and lyricist. “Write it all out, long style then cut, cut, cut! The first few revisions I do are all cut, cut, cut! I don’t rewrite anything yet, nor look for a better word to describe something. I simply read with the mindset of scribbling out anything that’s boring or repetitive, doesn’t quite fit in, doesn’t make sense or is making my prose stagnate. You’ll be surprised, how much better your stuff sounds once you’ve cut out the fat.
If there was a simple definition of good writing, it would be choosing effective words so others can understand what you are saying. Quite simply, it is a lot easier to express your ideas, feelings and to tell stories with good crisp and clean writing. Gimmicks and anything else you try to add, usually just get in the way. Keep your writing lean. Therefore it stands to reason, adding long extended sentences, here and there throughout your prose does not flesh out the piece. Long sentences slow everything down, forcing your reader to stop to think. “What is he trying to say here?”
On the same token, adding complex sentences does not make your writing more scholarly and academic. Complex sentences, just like long sentences, slow everything down. Short simple sentences, on the other hand, are easy to comprehend. Additionally, short sentences cause the writer less trouble. You will make less grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes if you concentrate on shortening your sentences and simplifying your words. This exercise, will speed up the whole writing process, making writing, for the author, less of a struggle, more enjoyable and much more efficient. It also will assure your readers fully understand what you are saying.
Be obvious about what you are trying to state. Writing is a communication tool.
Writing is a skill that takes time to master. Developing good writing abilities requires effort and constant training. Practice makes perfect. The best authors create almost every day. They also read regularly.
Reading builds one’s vocabulary giving the author more tools to convey his her message with. A strong vocabulary ensures you will know the best words to convey your ideas. Reading also enables you to observe and assess the works of other authors, which also gives you more tools with which to work your own writing magic.
Learn proper grammar. Anyone who wishes to become a good author needs to understand the fundamentals; proper punctuation marks, verb agreement and the distinction between jargon and real words. Reading through books relating to grammar and writing can always be a benefit. Writing classes are also beneficial.
Writing classes are good places to start networking with other writers who are going through the same struggles you are. You can share ideas and tips, critique each other’s work and just be there to support each other.
Mentoring with an expert pro author who can point you in the right direction can speed up your learning curve tremendously. Sometimes one has to offer one’s services free as a writing apprentice but the benefits can be invaluable when it comes to gaining experience, building exposure and adding merit to one’s resume.
When writing dialog, the first trend professors cover in most creative writing courses is to be creative when identifying your speaker. Instead of he said, she said, you could use something like; speculated Monica or recommended Joseph or encouraged Bob. While this is a noted improvement on Bob said, Monica said; of the old forum. The ultimate goal of the modern creative writer should be to create engaging dialog that needs zero speaker identifications. Just write the dialog then put it into quotes. Every time the speaker changes start a new paragraph. The words of the speaker should be crafted so particularly that they identify the person talking all by themselves.
If there are only two people in the room; an adult male businessman is having a conversation with his irresponsible teenage son. The reader should know immediately, without the author having to write, Mr. Marston said or Mr. Marston’s son Tony replied, who is speaking and not get mixed up wondering did the Dad say that line or the son. Think about it. Dads and sons talk very differently. There word choice is like night and day. There should be no way anyone would get confused as to which one is speaking. All those identifiers get in the way of the flow. You should only add them if there could be a question as to who is talking. Such as when there’s a group of four or five people huddled together, having a heated discussion. You still don’t need to formally identify the speaker, if the talker is the only one in the room who has a particular identifying trait; an accent, lisp, stutter, smoker’s raspy voice, talks in a sing song manner or always uses a favorite saying like slang etc.
Don’t let your writing lessons get in the way of telling a story. Just because you got an A+ in scenic development class, doesn’t mean you can launch into four or five paragraphs filled with imagery, anytime you like. The story always comes first, over and above an author’s showing off his skills of writing. All kinds of skills and techniques must be mastered, but knowing when and in what dosage to put each skill to use is ultimately key. Of utmost importance, always remember, if there’s a simpler way to express what you are trying to say, use it. Never make your reader struggle to understand big words, decipher hidden themes and agenda’s, if it can be avoided. There’s a time and a place for sophistication. It is usually most effective in small doses, when it springs spontaneously and naturally from the writer’s pen, achieves its objective then quickly and quietly fades into the background.
People read for enjoyment. Deep themes, moral judgments and eye opening accounts of harsh realities are necessary and can be enjoyable and satisfying to read but they should be handled subtly. They should never be longwinded, overly opinionated or come out of left field to slap the reader across the face. If you find your fictional prose becoming soap box, preachy, consider switching to a nonfiction style like an essay or critique where your reader is expecting you to sound off personally about your subject matter.
“Don’t be afraid to cut.” Advises Waldo Jeffries, established author and lyricist. “Write it all out, long style then cut, cut, cut! The first few revisions I do are all cut, cut, cut! I don’t rewrite anything yet, nor look for a better word to describe something. I simply read with the mindset of scribbling out anything that’s boring or repetitive, doesn’t quite fit in, doesn’t make sense or is making my prose stagnate. You’ll be surprised, how much better your stuff sounds once you’ve cut out the fat.
If there was a simple definition of good writing, it would be choosing effective words so others can understand what you are saying. Quite simply, it is a lot easier to express your ideas, feelings and to tell stories with good crisp and clean writing. Gimmicks and anything else you try to add, usually just get in the way. Keep your writing lean. Therefore it stands to reason, adding long extended sentences, here and there throughout your prose does not flesh out the piece. Long sentences slow everything down, forcing your reader to stop to think. “What is he trying to say here?”
On the same token, adding complex sentences does not make your writing more scholarly and academic. Complex sentences, just like long sentences, slow everything down. Short simple sentences, on the other hand, are easy to comprehend. Additionally, short sentences cause the writer less trouble. You will make less grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes if you concentrate on shortening your sentences and simplifying your words. This exercise, will speed up the whole writing process, making writing, for the author, less of a struggle, more enjoyable and much more efficient. It also will assure your readers fully understand what you are saying.
Be obvious about what you are trying to state. Writing is a communication tool.
Writing is a skill that takes time to master. Developing good writing abilities requires effort and constant training. Practice makes perfect. The best authors create almost every day. They also read regularly.
Reading builds one’s vocabulary giving the author more tools to convey his her message with. A strong vocabulary ensures you will know the best words to convey your ideas. Reading also enables you to observe and assess the works of other authors, which also gives you more tools with which to work your own writing magic.
Learn proper grammar. Anyone who wishes to become a good author needs to understand the fundamentals; proper punctuation marks, verb agreement and the distinction between jargon and real words. Reading through books relating to grammar and writing can always be a benefit. Writing classes are also beneficial.
Writing classes are good places to start networking with other writers who are going through the same struggles you are. You can share ideas and tips, critique each other’s work and just be there to support each other.
Mentoring with an expert pro author who can point you in the right direction can speed up your learning curve tremendously. Sometimes one has to offer one’s services free as a writing apprentice but the benefits can be invaluable when it comes to gaining experience, building exposure and adding merit to one’s resume.
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