Who Is A Creative Writer And How Do You Become One?

Use these first steps to effortlessly begin creative writing

Creative writing is one of the freest forms of art there is and it’s a less fancy phrase for the word “literature”.

It is any written work that involves using one’s imagination to create a narrative. Creative writing has many forms and doesn’t follow the more rigid rules and structures of academic and professional writing. Just like the name says, it’s focused on creativity!

There is some mental work to be done when writing, but more than that, creative writing is letting go of the thinking mind and letting the feeling mind (heart, imagination, intuition) take reign. The pieces of creative writing that are interesting, heartfelt, exciting, and vulnerable are the ones most enjoyed by readers and writers alike.

So, simply put, a creative writer is a writer whose main aim is to create literature from their own perspective, imagination, and creativity.

Types of creative writing

Since creative writing is sometimes loosely defined as any writing that isn’t academic, technical or professional — it’s hard to say how many types there actually are.

One of the best things about creative writing though is that you can hardly ever go wrong when it comes to being authentic. Many new writers have the fear of not being original enough or not knowing what to write but in reality, this isn’t a problem at all.

The reason it isn’t a problem is that there is literally nothing new under the sun.

That means that while people throw around the word “original” a lot, there is nothing to be original about. My preferred word is “authentic”. Being authentic means that whether your idea is relatively new or has been done a hundred times over, you bring your unique and specific point of view, voice, style, and interaction. If you do research, you’ll see that your favourite movie probably has ten other movies like it which can all be pretty good. Originality isn’t the key when it comes to creative writing, authenticity is.

With that said, I categorize it into two pillars: fiction and creative non-fiction.

Creative fiction

• Poetry
• Flash fiction
• Short stories
• Fanfiction
• Novellas
• Novels
• Screenplays
• Plays
• Songs
• Comics and manga
• Radio drama

Creative non-fiction

• Memoirs
• Essays
• Journaling

Why creative writing is so fun for readers and writers

Like I said earlier, creative writing is not just about the thinking mind, it’s about the feeling mind as well. As humans, we seek balance because it is necessary for our well-being. Creative writing engages both the mind and soul because while a great writer takes time to craft the more structural parts of their work, they also use a lot of their feelings, emotions, and even personal history to write.

If you’ve ever read a book that made you furious or ecstatic or watched a movie that made you cry or feel like going on a whole new adventure to meet the love of your life — then you know what I’m talking about.

Creative writing is fun to read and write because it’s immersive and informative. You not only feel like you understand the experience the author writes about, you feel like you’re going through it as well. And no matter what genre of writing it is, there’s usually one or two things to be learned, even if they may be small or silly.

The best thing about creative writing is that it’s all made up. THERE ARE NO RULES! Well, there are rules but rules are made for breaking, right? It’s absolutely exhilarating because you get to explore! You get to create literally anything you want because with a blank page in front of you, you’re a mini-god with a pen. What can beat that?

The benefits of creative writing

I would argue that the biggest benefit to creative writing is release.

Think about it. If you’ve ever gotten an idea for a story, you probably thought about it for hours or days. Or maybe you have manic episodes where several ideas just keep coming at you non-stop for no reason.

Well, what the hell are you going to do with those ideas if not write them down???

The only other option is to let them die in your head. An idea born without its consent, unable to see the light of day. What a pity. It’s no wonder that people say the richest place in the world is the graveyard where multitudes of ideas die.

The next benefit goes in line with the idea of release above. Creative writing is therapeutic. Keeping those ideas in is like holding a shit in. It’s not comfortable and it’ll wreck your internal system sooner or later. With creative writing, you get to ask yourself questions and explore the answers on the page. You get to explore different ideas, concepts and ways of thinking. Just like therapy, it can leave you with more understanding and clarity on a range of subjects and areas in your life.

Lastly, if you’re already a writer or aspiring to be one, creative writing helps you improve other forms of writing.

For instance, if you’re a creative writer, it can help you write more interesting research papers, technical guides, and professional articles. While you cannot use the same flair you use in your creative work, you’ll see how to make whatever academic or professional piece you’re working on more interesting by having a more creative birds-eye view on it. On the other hand, if for example, you’re a novelist, learning how to write poetry will improve your novel writing skill because you can then infuse your novel with a more rhythmic style and inject new metaphors or ideas that increase the depth of the novels scenarios.

In my experience as a writer, I’ve found that no creative writing experience can ever go unused. Don’t believe me? Start writing and you’ll see exactly what I mean!

How to become a creative writer

You might throw tomatoes at me for saying this, but it has to be said:

The best and easiest way to become a creative writer is to start writing creatively immediately.

That means don’t save it for later. Don’t wait to start writing when you’ve learned all the rules. Don’t leave creative writing for when you “manage” to get the time. Instead, start writing today. Write before you know the rules about plot, structure, and all that stuff. Don’t remember to write in your spare time, create the time to write in your schedule whether that’s monthly, weekly or daily.

With that said, here are more strategic ways to become a creative writer:

1. Figure out your why

Is there a specific story you want to tell? Do you need to release heavy emotions or intense feelings from your life or other peoples experiences? Do you have a question you can’t seem to find the answer to? Do you want to just have fun and try something new? Do you want to explore a talent you’ve always felt like you had?

There are so many reasons for wanting to write but you’re the only one that knows your “why”. I suggest taking time out to think about this because on days you don’t feel like writing, or you get discouraged, your why will keep you going because your why is bigger than just you or your motivation.

2. The next thing to do is to figure out what you like and write that!

You are drawn to the things you like for a reason. Your specific interests are your specific interests for a reason! Not everything in life has to be difficult and that’s why when you’re starting creative writing you should start with interests you already have and enjoy.

For instance, if you told me to write about magic, adventure, philosophy and cats, I could write all day long! But if I had to write about the history of the plastic spoon, I’d be bored to tears and probably submit mediocre work. Someone else might be fascinated by the science of plastic and the history behind it and will be thrilled to explore all the different routes they could go with it. If you give this plastic spoon enthusiast something to write about cats and magic, they definitely won’t be as excited and will not produce their best work.

By no means am I saying you shouldn’t research and write other things. My point is that writing what you like is a much better starting point.

3. Once you’ve figured out your why and the interests you have, the next step is to start writing!

I’ve found that this is the step most new or aspiring writers have the biggest problem with. The trick with this is to explore the two ways you could write. You could use the gardener writing style or the architect writing style.

The gardener: This writing style starts off with just the seed of an idea and is catered to with enough water, sunlight, and fertilizer. This means that you can start off with any idea you have for your story, you don’t have to know how it will end, or even how it starts, you don’t need to know the whole plot or the climax. Once you start off with your main idea, you can then watch how that idea grows and decide what elements it needs the most to make it a better story and write that.

The architect: This writing style uses their idea to build an entire house and scans it from a birds-eye view. This means that they use their main idea as a starting block to fill in all the other parts of the story such as character, plot, inciting incidents and all other parts of their narration. They create the whole story, leaving no details out and making sure everything stands on the foundation.

I’ve found that the best writers are a mix of the two writing styles. It’s also advisable for new writers to begin with the gardening style as it allows you to focus more on expressing yourself. When it comes to creative writing, all the rules can be broken. So if you’re a beginner, or just want to improve or revamp your craft, try writing just for the heck of it and learning or focusing on the rules later.

The last and final step in being a creative writer is actually learning the rules!

In as much as all the rules can be broken, it’s important to still learn them and know why they are there. That way, you’ll be able to break the rules in a way that is in your favour! Because you’ve taken the time to explore creative writing unhindered by rules and rigidity, you’ll be able to use that creativity in line with structures that writers across time have used unfailingly. Creative writing doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. Remember, authenticity, nor originality is the goal. Learn the rules and hone your craft!

Here are some of the most important elements to learn in creative writing:

Narration or point of view (POV), plot, characters, setting, dialogue, tone and style. Another way to learn more about these structures and elements is by reading or watching stories and movies that you enjoy, you’ll see how professionals implement these things into their pieces and get ideas on how to do it too.

As a creative writer, it’s important not to take yourself too seriously. It’s important to have fun. It’s important to write what you like. It’s important to write other forms you’re not used to. It’s important to be open-minded. It’s important to read just as much as you write.

The most important thing, however, is to actually write and get your work out and into the world.