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"The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or to say a new thing in an old way." -Richard Harding Davis
My name is Darkin and I'll be your guest host for this issue of For Authors.
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Oh Where, Oh Where has my Creativity Gone?
Creativity is the key to every writer's craft. Without it, we are nothing more than people sitting at desks with paper and pencil, or blank computer screen, doing some meaningless task to occupy our time.
Coming up with a great story idea is only part of the creative battle. Keeping your creative juices flowing throughout the writing process is crucial to finishing your piece. Some writers can sit down and write a story from just the barest hint of an idea. The rest of us might need to think an idea out a bit before we sit down to write.
There are several ways to "flesh" out a story idea so it is clearer to the writer, without having to outline the entire tale out.
Brainstorming
An easy technique to use is to take a piece of paper and put your story's idea at the top of the page. Set a timer for five to ten minutes, then think about your idea. Write down everything that comes to mind, no matter how silly. This works great for helping narrow a broad plot down to a more specific story line.
Mapping
For writers who are more visual, this might be the right technique. Draw a circle in the center of a piece of paper and write your story idea inside. Draw lines out from the circle. At the end of each line, write out what comes to mind about the story idea and draw a circle around each one. Continue placing lines and circles, either off the main idea or any of the sub-ideas. Use as many as you feel necessary to tell your story.
Speed Writing
Just as it sounds, speed writing is sitting down and writing without pausing or editing. Set your timer for ten or fifteen minutes, then write your idea at the top of a piece of paper. Start the timer and write whatever comes to mind. Do not read or edit what you are writing. This is not about making it perfect, it is about getting your story on paper without hesitation.
Letter Writing
Sometimes the pressure to get a story written is enough to keep your pen from touching paper. If you find yourself feeling this way, try writing your story as a letter to a friend. You might find you have an easier time. For this technique to work, you will need to choose someone you have a good relationship with. Sit down and write them a letter about your story. Write it in letter format and keep writing until you have told them the entire tale. Do not worry about the format, you can always change it when you do your rewrite.
Ending First
This might be the most difficult technique of all and not one for every writer. You have to be sure of your story before you try this method. There is no writing law that says you have to start at the beginning of your story. Sometimes you know the middle or ending of a tale before you know how it starts. So go ahead and write what you have in your head. Often times, the beginning of your tale will make itself known by the time you finish writing the ending.
These tools are only for getting the first draft of your story on paper. After you get the basic tale down, then you can work on fleshing and polishing your piece until it shines.
Creative writing should flow mind to pen to paper. Sometimes, it just needs a little bit of help to start, or keep, it flowing.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Happy Writing!
darkin
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Here are some items I've found while traveling the highways and byways of Writing.Com!
Short Stories and Poems
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For Writer's Cramp 3.26 - a Mirrored Cinquain about light.
#1086725 by Sophurky   |
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Contests and Other Activities
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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I would love to know what you thought about this issue. Please use the comments box below to let me know Here are some comments from my last guest editing.
darkin
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Submitted By: siminspain
Submitted Comment:
Thank you for bringing attention to characters. These guidelines for character sheets are useful. Do you think that it is possible to develop a character by writing the first draft and then using that character information to rewrite it?
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Submitted By: Starr Phenix 
Submitted Comment:
Thank you for mentioning my contest in your newsletter! :)
You touched on one of my favorite subjects this week, and I thought you did an excellent job breaking down the process of creating characters for different styles of writing.
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Submitted By: mronovitch
Submitted Comment:
Great newsletter! I create character sheets, but I've never thought about making them for each type of story-writing. Thanks for laying out an example of how a character sheet would look for the different types of fiction!
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Submitted By: Ladyoz 
Submitted Comment:
Great newsletter - thank you for the character sheets. It reminded me that I used to keep a "think tank" for each character, as well as one for each of the important countries in a story. My think tanks contained all that kind of information, and they were VERY useful. Looking forward to the next newsletter!
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Submitted By: writetight
Submitted Comment:
Your newsletter concerning the use of character sheets is very helpful. I'd like to add something to the list, however,: accents.
In dialog, if one of your characters speaks like this, "Hey, partner, ya'll be needin' any hep drivin' them steers to market?", be sure that ALL of this character's dialog is consistent throughout the story.
Very good point, Dan!!! Thank you for pointing it out.
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Submitted By: scribbler
Submitted Comment:
I'd have to disagree with you when you imply that shorter stories need a less developed character. Sure the story may not INCLUDE as much information but I'm a strong believer that every character shuld be COMPLETELY fleshed out in the authors mind before being set to paper. Its hard to fool readers into believeing a character you don't even have completly created.
What I said was flash fiction didn't need a lot of character information. If you are writing a story that is under 1000 words, it would take longer to come up with a complete character sheet then it would to write the story. Fiction longer than 1000 words should have more character development, and that means a more complete character sheet.
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For Authors: June 13, 2007 Issue [#1774]
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