| Introduction to Creative Writing Techniques | | | | formatted creative styles from which one would |
| In this century, ideals no longer have as much | | | | choose. Rather one's style of presentation |
| control over reality as it was taught to have been | | | | depends on his/her creative abilities. Good news is |
| by great thinkers like Plato and Aristotle. Emphasis | | | | everyone has a style, deliberately manipulated or |
| these days has shifted from what "ought to be" | | | | accidentally discharged. |
| to "what is". | | | | The advice however, is that one should always |
| Consequently, a thousand and one media now | | | | take into cognisance the audience in choosing a |
| exist, all transmitting and disseminating information | | | | style to adopt. |
| but with little communication. Little communication | | | | You can choose to tell your story from the |
| because everyone has become a media in himself | | | | middle, the end or from its chronological beginning. |
| herself thus the conventional mass media though | | | | You may even choose to mix poetry with prose |
| have great impact still, but are only chosen | | | | at some point, use hanging sentences, slangs or |
| according to each man's self-augmenting needs. | | | | any other device. If yours is poetry or song, you |
| In this era world over, socio - economic systems | | | | can decide to rend lines evenly or otherwise, |
| no longer reward anybody for his/her labour, | | | | inject rhythm or meter. All these must be |
| rather every one sells himself and his abilities out | | | | dictated by three primal factors, namely: your |
| to get him/her rewarded. | | | | understanding of your audience, the subject/style |
| You are therefore, daily accustomed to seeing | | | | suitability and your creative ability to maximise |
| young men and women carrying gadgets of social | | | | use. |
| communication, including laptop and note book | | | | Diction: once again, be reminded that this is a |
| computers, enabled telecommunications handsets | | | | generation of busy people. Even unemployed |
| that do not only allow easy and efficient | | | | youth are busy staying idle so your aim as a |
| accessibility to business partners, consumers and | | | | creative writer should be to communicate |
| clientele, but also serve as ready modems to the | | | | sufficient volume within limited time given to you |
| World Wide Web. | | | | piece and for every audient's time spent on your |
| The challenge every individual must face now is | | | | work should be well rewarded in enjoyment |
| how to be relevant in the stiff competition that | | | | derivable from the work. |
| has arisen from modern trends, in order to make | | | | Furthermore, creative writers for novels, |
| his/her ideas and personality sell. As it must be | | | | newspapers and magazines need be mindful that |
| insinuated from the scratch, that no one makes | | | | many people read while in transit and at such |
| your point for you if you fail to make it; you are | | | | times, dictionaries are not handy. Also video and |
| simply left out. | | | | stage productions get offensive if those watching |
| On this note, when you hear, read about or | | | | have to break every minute to either write down |
| actually know someone personally who you | | | | a word or punch the "pause" key to go get a |
| assume is asserting the rights of the less | | | | dictionary. |
| privileged, wisdom demands that you look again, | | | | However as earlier said, literature has a duty to |
| as you will see that they are only agitating for | | | | teach and refresh language so while it is |
| their share and more of what the "system avails". | | | | recommended for creative writers to use easy |
| Furthermore, in this century, one can't ignore the | | | | flowing language as much as possible, it is equally |
| fact that his level of exposition to relevant | | | | recommended that to avoid leaving a piece flat |
| information determines his/her level of | | | | and over watered, the diction should be mature |
| transformation, which in turn, determines his/her | | | | and well balanced. |
| overall success. | | | | This again should depend on the audience, the |
| It is undeniably glaring therefore, that to stay | | | | subject matter and author's ingenuity in language |
| above the floods and hold sway in his/her field, | | | | construction. Whatever you do, mechanical |
| everyone must, in these times, must necessarily | | | | accuracy should not be taken with levity. |
| acquire skills in self-expression. This is what makes | | | | Only suitable figurative language and relevant |
| it important for everyone to understand the basic | | | | idioms should be used and the language should be |
| techniques of creative writing. | | | | allowed to flow, except when intended to create |
| So, whether as a student with huge interest in | | | | special effect by a particular pattern of |
| skill acquisition to critique, create and analyse | | | | presentation. |
| creative writings, or perhaps your interest lies only | | | | Representing Universal Reality: creativity is |
| in the appreciation of a particular genre for | | | | beneficial in relation to the expression of human |
| pleasure, this article is baited to improve your | | | | situation. The best masterpieces are those that |
| outlook, as it contains a concise, yet elaborate | | | | arouse empathy, and with which people can |
| practicable guide as well as academically sound | | | | identify. This is why you often see people cry |
| perspective to self-development in creative | | | | while watching a movie or reading a book. |
| thinking that will prune your writing skills. | | | | If the subject matter is crime, it should be an |
| What is creative writing? | | | | edge from which human experience can testify to |
| The term "creative writing" suggests the idea of | | | | its reality (or the similitude of reality). If it's about |
| making to exist by writing. However, the process | | | | war, famine, death, love or rite of passage, your |
| of creative writing goes beyond the incubation of | | | | inevitable assignment is to see to it that the piece |
| ideas to create a notable world. As a field, it | | | | should be able to attract a personal empathy or |
| encompasses every acceptable technique and | | | | identification from a higher number of targeted |
| methodology of self-expression, by which your | | | | audiences who must be of right thinking people. |
| creation achieves beauty and at the same time, | | | | Conflict: it was stated in previous pages that |
| achieves meaningful communication in reflecting | | | | entertainment must be achieved in creating a |
| human situation as universally empirical. | | | | world through writing. Closely related to this |
| However, while being empirical in science may | | | | entertainment value of creative pieces is its |
| mean a pattern of strict adherence to a | | | | degree of conflict which raises suspense, tension |
| prescribed process of understudying phenomena, | | | | and sustains interest. |
| in creative thinking, this refers to the fact that | | | | A good manipulation this translates into enslaving |
| whatever world you create by your writings | | | | your audient, who takes up your work and |
| must be similar with human experience enough to | | | | cannot keep it down to go ease up or to eat until |
| stimulate desired emotional response in a | | | | "the end" shows up. Thereafter, he/she spends a |
| dimension that everyone who has had a similar | | | | good chunk of time wondering about, and |
| experience would be able to identify with the | | | | digesting details and possibilities of the work. |
| characters and social situation created in your | | | | Luckily, human societies as well as individual |
| works. | | | | relationships are connected by conflicts of varying |
| Based on the above, creative writing may be | | | | degrees. Thus, whatever subject matter takes |
| seen as a means/tool of presenting in a manner | | | | your fancy, creating a conflicting situation the |
| to achieve pleasure/entertainment, inform or | | | | escalation or resolution of which characters play |
| teach a lesson informally and to achieve beauty | | | | out would hugely be rewarding. |
| without undermining the universally accepted | | | | When using this technique, your ingenuity must be |
| standards of and devices of self-expression and | | | | the sole dictator of the position of your conflict |
| presentation. | | | | and with it, suspense. It is the proper |
| Creative structures | | | | management of this element that places James |
| That creative writing is creative alone disqualifies | | | | Hardly Chase's works above all peers. Whether |
| the word structure in its literal meaning. Not that it | | | | you choose to dispatch your message using the |
| has nothing to do with its physique, but structure | | | | climactic plotting or it's opposite, the line is that |
| in creative writing is deemphasised from the | | | | there must be enough conflict to make your |
| physical form of having a head up, hind limbs | | | | creative work a masterpiece. |
| behind and trunk at the centre. | | | | Domesticating Inspiration: the hub of |
| Here, what it implies is that there are ideal | | | | everything said and yet to be said in this essay is |
| features a creative piece must have, and not the | | | | inspiration. Everyone creatively minded or not, |
| order of occurrence of these features. | | | | receives inspirations from different sources and |
| Broadly, every creative work of art has some | | | | by differing means. For the creative writer, the |
| type of the following: | | | | great icons of the era have called this source the |
| Introduction - a catchy, interesting beginning | | | | Muse. To many, this is God; to some it is nature |
| that must say what it is all about, why it is | | | | and yet to others, an atmosphere. |
| important and possibly how it is presented. In | | | | The challenge here is that because what puts one |
| complex works, you may need to detail | | | | person in connectivity mode with the source of |
| introduction to include explanations to certain | | | | his/her inspiration may ironically put another off. |
| functional concepts. | | | | So really the onus is squarely on you to identify, |
| Connection - were we to compare this to an | | | | woo and domesticate/personalise/configure yours. |
| animal, connection should be a neck, as it links the | | | | The implication is that if you discover that unusual |
| introductory with the body of the piece. This | | | | ideas come to your head each time you are in a |
| could be a maxim, figurative expression or | | | | noisy environment, you should place yourself in |
| connected sentences that accurately serve as | | | | such environment more often. If on the other |
| build up to introduction and foundation to the | | | | hand you discover that you think clearer |
| body. Using connective terms here always makes | | | | creatively speaking, when on your bed, it means |
| it easy for digestion. | | | | you need to create more time to lay on it more |
| Explanation - the body of your creative piece | | | | often. |
| accommodates all details. The devices used must | | | | The point therefore, lies in the creative writer's |
| all be weaved together to create a beautiful | | | | ability to identify what kind of environment and |
| image with lasting impact. | | | | mood causes inspiration to flow and to make |
| Conclusion - this may just be a couple of | | | | deliberate efforts to court such conducive |
| sentences tied in to the piece and corroborating | | | | atmosphere and haven done so, protect each |
| the entire work from alpha to omega, or may be | | | | flow from unnecessary interruptions that would |
| a quote, a short story or whatever device your | | | | result in the Pablo Picasso's "Man from Pollock" |
| creativity dictates. | | | | experience. |
| For the purpose of emphasis, take it again that | | | | Unblocking the block: one of the most |
| the order and style of these rely extensively on | | | | daunting challenges to creativity is how to |
| your creativity as a writer. It is your duty to | | | | "unblock" the initial blockade of one's creative |
| choose a style most suitable to your work. | | | | faculties. Quite often, many a creative talent die |
| Elements of construction | | | | with pent-up uncreated worlds simply because |
| Achieving creative masterpieces requires a writer | | | | they did not know how to start writing. To |
| as creator of worlds and scenarios to know | | | | beginning writers, initial apprehension, explained as |
| understand and adhere to the elements or | | | | "terror of blank page", may result from inability to |
| techniques of writing. These elements discussed | | | | tune one's system to a suitable frequency from |
| here are what make or unmake your writings. | | | | which to download inspiring thoughts. |
| Universal standards/landmarks: like the | | | | When this is the case, you have wonderful ideas |
| creative writer of the Stone Age, the modern | | | | in the head but are not able to put pen to paper |
| man must recognise the existence of certain | | | | to preserve them so they go away and find |
| acceptable standards that are practised all over | | | | someone else more receptive. |
| the world. In as much as the arts have no | | | | The practical tested way of overcoming initial |
| formulae, there are yardsticks that will make your | | | | apprehension is to start writing. Your first few |
| piece either good or bad. Believe it or not, not | | | | lines or perhaps may not be worth being kept, |
| minding your mechanical accuracy, people know | | | | but just write and leave that to the pruning |
| when work is good or bad and they will tell you | | | | process. Once you have started, you'd see that |
| by the way they react to it. | | | | the process flows more spontaneously than you |
| Telling a good and interesting story alone does not | | | | had expected. Thus you may set out to write a |
| make your work fit for eternity but to these, | | | | few lines, a scene, a couple of lines or a page but |
| you must synchronise the ancient landmarks of | | | | end up writing volumes. |
| the profession. | | | | As many ideas as knock at the door of your |
| If for instance, your genre is poetry, not minding | | | | creative mind, not necessarily in any particular |
| the incidence of the "free verse", landmarks | | | | order or in their "perfect" state. Just collect the |
| should be seen as opportunity to express yourself | | | | fish together with the prawns and snails so you |
| beautifully and meaningfully rather than an | | | | can sieve and synthesise later. |
| obstacle to avoid. You can try to imagine what | | | | The word Perfect is placed in quote here because |
| poetry would be without figurative expressions | | | | no work of art is perfect. Why? Because there |
| and the use of such devices as rhyme, rhythm, | | | | are no formulae in the humanities; creativity with |
| and meter etcetera. The poet must know the | | | | flexibility is the watch word. |
| basic types of poetic designs that have been | | | | To elaborate on this, i tell you the story of three |
| identified and their respective features, as his | | | | blind men who went to a games reserve to "see" |
| hers must fall into one category or another. | | | | animals. After visiting elephant's pen, one of them |
| Otherwise you will end up writing chopped -up | | | | who had touched the ear said "Ah! So this is what |
| prose for poetry. | | | | elephants are; flabby, soft and flat." Another said, |
| This also goes for all other genres; the creative | | | | "Elephant is so long and hose like". He had touched |
| writer must identify the archetypical landmarks | | | | the trunk. Yet the third exclaimed, "goodness me! |
| and standards in the field and play by the rules. | | | | Is that how an elephant's body is? As strong as |
| Functionalism: the creative principle of | | | | steel rod." He had touched the elephant's tusk. |
| functionalism does not imply similar meaning as | | | | Now each of them was right in his description of |
| the sociological philosophy that everything plays a | | | | the elephant. Yet this was from each man's point |
| specific role in society. Creative functionalism | | | | of view, and according only to each man's |
| means that there are functions or roles that | | | | understanding and perception. |
| literature as a mother field for creative works, is | | | | Similarly, the field of creative writing is bigger than |
| expected to perform. For your work to be seen | | | | anybody and so it is impossible to paint a perfect |
| as creative, it must fulfil at least one of these | | | | picture, as what you see as perfect may be to |
| functions of literary scholarship:a) Preservation and | | | | another man, terrible. So if one may ask, whose |
| refreshment of language and culture - it is the | | | | definition should we take as most suitable and |
| duty of literature as a way of life to preserve the | | | | thus, perfect? However, there are archetypes |
| language we speak, cultural values and practices. | | | | and ingredients that make your work a |
| Language here does not mean dialect, not that | | | | masterpiece by popular opinion and these, this |
| literature does not preserve or refresh dialect, but | | | | essay has offered. |
| the emphasis should be on its ability to retain | | | | Stages in the creative process |
| expressions that were used thousands of | | | | While the following stages may not necessarily |
| decades back for generations yet unborn. | | | | occur in a particular order, they are stages every |
| It is also the most articulated means by which to | | | | creative thinker goes through in passing across his |
| know the history and culture of every group, | | | | ideas. These include, but are not limited to: |
| whether written or passed by word of mouth. | | | | Ideation |
| Also the manner and style of literary | | | | Mapping/outlining |
| presentations makes otherwise ordinary language | | | | Elaborate detailing |
| interesting, lovely and tasty in the mouth and ear | | | | Pruning/editing and |
| both to the speaker and the one who hears. | | | | Dissemination. |
| Therefore, as a creator of worlds, when you put | | | | Creative Ideation |
| your world together, it is necessary that you | | | | This refers to the process of receiving inspiration |
| provide refreshment to expressions. | | | | to write. That time when you begin to put your |
| For example, you could say in your writing that "it | | | | strands and bits of thinking together towards |
| is now obvious that Dennis and Juliet have a | | | | making a whole story that would be meaningful |
| relationship beyond casual". Another way of | | | | and appealing. This largely happens within the |
| offering same rendition is this; "it stares you in the | | | | creative sphere of the mind but may often be |
| face that Dennis' hand shake with Juliet is well | | | | triggered by external factors. |
| beyond the elbow". The two statements share | | | | External factors that may motivate the ideation |
| the same meaning but one of them, the latter, is | | | | of a creative thought or stimulate the flow of |
| more pleasurable to hear and to say. Also, it says | | | | inspiration include personal experiences, witnessed |
| more volumes than the former.b) Entertainment - | | | | experiences of things which did not happen to |
| more than anything, people patronise creative | | | | you but which you witnessed happen to another. |
| works for their entertainment value. This is not to | | | | What you see with your eyes equally play a huge |
| scare, but to hint that the fastest way to buy | | | | role in stimulating your inspiration. Others are |
| audience's/fans'/consumers' hearts as well as their | | | | things, people and places you love or hate. |
| pockets is giving them entertaining pieces that are | | | | Simple and effortless as creative flow of ideas |
| interesting enough to relax the nerves. | | | | may seem, it is what stops majority of people |
| In the past, research has shown, people read | | | | from thinking and writing creatively, as it requires |
| more in the past than they now do. Why? | | | | attention and servitude. Hard as they try, some |
| Because the shift of emphasis to material | | | | have complained that they are never able to |
| accumulation has left majority of people with no | | | | make any meaningful coordination of their |
| time to read, as books require full attention to | | | | thoughts, left alone putting them in black and |
| decipher. | | | | white. |
| Audio music on the other hand, receives more | | | | Ideation to most creative writers happens slowly |
| patronage because it in itself creates room for | | | | and intermittently at the initial stage but grow |
| one to combine with financial and other activities. | | | | frequent, spontaneous and often aggressive with |
| For this reason, the streets like the offices are | | | | passage of time aided by constancy of practice. |
| alive with men and women whose ears are | | | | (See more of this discussion under domesticating |
| plugged with one audio device or another -simply | | | | inspiration in subsequent pages). |
| because the audio media allows you to receive | | | | Mapping/outlining |
| entertainment while working, driving or sleeping, | | | | This entails registering the ideas as they drop into |
| which the book does not permit. This singular | | | | your creative thoughts as they come. This may |
| point poses a greater challenge to the creators of | | | | just be sketches or main ideas, leaving the nitty |
| music, without undermining other branches of | | | | gritty for much later. Outlining is like laying the |
| creative writing. As the world designates lesser | | | | skeletal foundation of the world you have |
| time for entertainment by the day, the challenge | | | | received in your imagination to build. |
| is to continue to meet the entertainment needs | | | | Because inspirations come in flashes, they get |
| of targeted audience. | | | | very elusive if not penned down and experience |
| Simply put, your work must entertain if it is | | | | has shown that the best of inspirations come |
| creative enough so if you are wondering how to | | | | uninvited and if lost, are not easily reincarnated. |
| write creatively, one way is to dwell on subjects, | | | | Creative mapping and the previous point (ideation) |
| ideas and characters that have entertainment | | | | go concurrently mostly, but some experienced |
| values. More so because the world of today is | | | | creators who find that the process of mapping |
| too serious pursuing money that without creative | | | | interferes with inspiration flow may choose to |
| writer to cushion the effect of hard labour, many | | | | keep the head down and store up the flow to |
| will go nuts, as "all work and no play..."c) | | | | write them later. But without experience, this may |
| Standpoint - majority, if not all creative works are | | | | not come easily. Frankly, it may be a sure way to |
| a response to a particular social situation. Script | | | | lose precious ingots of ideas. |
| writers for audio, video theatrical productions as | | | | Elaborate detailing |
| well as poets, novelists and playwrights build up | | | | The outlining stage of creative process helps to |
| illusionary worlds with their characters and | | | | preserve ideas for this stage. An initial mapping of |
| scenarios, simulating real life situations and | | | | a creative piece, be it a song, poem, prose or |
| suggesting ways of either solving or worsening | | | | play may look very unattractive and meaningless. |
| identified problems. | | | | This stage therefore, entails providing connected |
| This ties us in to the function of literature to | | | | sentences, lines, paragraphs and detailed |
| teach, inform and educate. And this role is not | | | | description/elaborate intriguing of the world as it |
| done through the usual school type of | | | | exists in your head. |
| pedagogues' teaching but done using creative | | | | The creative writer must always be conscious |
| ways. | | | | that his writing is his creation and the life of its |
| Your creative work will only be truly creative | | | | people as well as their resources, natural and |
| when it makes a statement about a given human | | | | human, depends on him. Where you create for |
| situation. This is the secret behind the world's | | | | instance a wonderland, real people would leave |
| greatest literary works. | | | | this busy world of ours on vacation to serve |
| The film "Helen of Troy" like "Romeo and Juliet" | | | | tourist term in your world. Otherwise, it falls flat |
| seems to make a statement that love is greater | | | | among worlds that are never candidates for |
| than every sentiment and so deserve any | | | | permanence. |
| sacrifice made for it. So also does the science | | | | Elaborate detailing is the stage where the nitty |
| fiction film "Matrix" makes a statement that the | | | | gritty is put together to make the work beautiful. |
| creator of the universe has destined everything | | | | Pruning |
| to be as it will be, and there is nothing to change | | | | Albeit this begins with ideation and runs |
| it, not even the combined effort of all enemies, | | | | concurrently through the process, it is presented |
| human and spiritual. | | | | last on the list here because as it is important, so |
| Read any book, watch any movies or listen to | | | | is it inevitable. This is simply editing of all sorts and |
| any music. Any work that has no stand point, | | | | may be done at every point in time, as the aim is |
| something that it is advocating, teaching, | | | | to present you virgin world a master piece. |
| encouraging, discouraging or informing about | | | | Editing only ends with the publishing of your |
| cannot pass for a creatively master piece. So | | | | creation to its intended audience once this is done, |
| when you write, isolate a situation and address it. | | | | except for subsequent editions/revisions, |
| It is not expected that creative work must be | | | | whatever errors there may be, whether failure in |
| prescriptive, the point is in having a viewpoint to | | | | aesthetics or mere grammatical failures would |
| pass across about a chosen theme, which must | | | | stay on forever like a child born of unwanted |
| not necessarily be consistent with expectations of | | | | pregnancy. |
| real life but is a product of imagination curdled by | | | | It is advisable for you to give other people |
| creativity. | | | | chance to edit, even possibly critique your work |
| Style: self explained as this may seem, it is | | | | prior to its publishing, as you will discover that you |
| one of the trickiest aspects of creative writing | | | | overlooked very ignoble errors but which are big |
| especially for those whose duty it is to review | | | | enough to ruin your work. |
| creative works. This is so as there are no | | | | |