Article Title: What is Creative Writing?
Author: Craig Lock
Category (key words): Writing, Creative Writing, Writing Hints/Tips, Creative Writing Course, Writing Course, Online Writing Course (enough there for now, craig!)
Web sites:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4
Brand new online creative writing course: Click on http://creativekiwis.com/index.php/creative-writing-course
The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.craigswritingarticles.wordpress.com
http://writeanpublish.wordpress.com/
http://wanttowriteabook.wordpress.com/
www.nzwriter.wordpress.com and his various other blogs at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com
Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, ‘spiritual writings’ (how ‘airey-fairey’), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig)
Publishing Guidelines:
We hope that the following article (which is a lesson from our original online writing course) may be informative and helpful to your e-zine readers, or on your web site. If it helps others “out there” in any way, then we’re very happy. .
“We share what we know, so that we all may grow.”
*
WHAT IS CREATIVE WRITING (FROM ONLINE CREATIVE WRITING COURSE)
“It’s easy being a writer… the hardest part is figuring how to make a living whilst one does so.”
“It took me twenty long years of sweat and tears (no blood please, I’m very sqeamish) to become an overnight success.”
– “a nony mouse writer”
I believe ALL writing is creative (a nice short sentence to get the ball rolling). Journalism is a different form of writing in that it merely reports the facts of a particular event.
However, I believe even journalism can fall under the banner of creative writing; because it still utilizes one’s imagination in HOW you choose to report an event and the style you choose to write in (more on style coming up in a later lesson). Journalism is meant to be completely objective; yet often the biases of reporters come through in their writing. It is very hard to avoid that.
I would regard (or define) creative writing as “fully using a person’s inherent ‘creativity’ through the amazing power of the creative imagination (subconscious mind) in putting words to paper to tell a tale, or attempting to get a message or moral through to one’s readers.”
(I just wrote that in response to a query from someone doing a thesis)
*
To continue after that rather long-winded definition…
To be a published writer is one of the most rewarding occupations and pastimes – both financially and creatively. I find it a very satisfying and enjoyable activity. I can’t teach you how to write, let alone how to be a writer. I don’t have all the answers. All I can do is give you some tips and guidelines that I’ve learnt over the years (starting from the beginning of my writing “career” with writing “stirring” letters to newspapers in South Africa), which hopefully will make it a lot easier…if that is what you really want to do.
They are all based on what I have learnt by doing it myself – usually through the long process of trial and error. I hope this information is interesting and helpful to you in your quest to be a writer and getting published.
“I just write what I write. There is this tremendous drive to communicate. You want to get inside the readers skin, their mind and heart. and challenge that person, move that person, open their eyes to things they maybe hadn’t thought of before.”
– Paul Auster (author of ‘Sunset Park’)
Firstly (and most importantly)…
There are no ABC’s in writing – there is no set formula, which guarantees success. Everyone is a unique individual with their own gifts: their experiences, perspectives and highly individual style of writing. I believe having the ability to put words down on paper is only the beginning to writing. There is a great deal more to be learned on the techniques, which I’ve developed over the years. Hopefully, by the end of this course, you’ll be able to look back and see how much your writing has progressed, which gives me great gratification – nice long word that, like marmalade!). We all have our own particular style of writing. As you’ll see, I use a particular style in this course; however the style in my novels is completely different. In this course I try to inform and entertain at the same time, through “light, breezy” writing (no wind, please!).
My main aim in this course is to help develop your unique style of putting words to paper, as well as giving you some practical tips that I’ve learnt (especially from writing for the last sixteen years). I believe that writing courses and workshops (such as offered by the polytechnics here in New Zealand) can improve your writing – as long as the basic talent, your gift is there. Online courses through the internet can be a great educational tool (at a greatly reduced cost). Well I have to say that, don’t I?
All writing courses can help develop your skills by enhancing your creative powers, if you have the DESIRE to learn and grow (even dwarfs!). Why do you want to be a writer? What is your biggest motive you think? Write a few sentences on this to clarify your thinking and give you something to aim for in your writing.
For example do you want to write for pleasure or for profit…or perhaps both. I find writing my thoughts down, focuses my thinking. What are your attitudes to writing and what are your writing ambitions? What would you like to achieve in the future? It’s fine for your writing ambitions to change over time. Mine have changed drastically, as well as my “styles”; however right from the start I only wanted to write for publication – to “make a living”, as well as impacting others – hopefully making a difference through sharing my life experiences.
For example, you might just want to “dabble” in a bit of writing for your own eyes, for pleasure; then write items for close friends or family members. Then a few years down the track, you might decide that you want to write articles on your particular hobby for magazines – for MONEY. Wow! Later perhaps even a book, as I believe we all have a tale to tell deep within us.
What kind of writer do you want to be? Do you want to write for
pleasure and/or for profit? I believe, if you write for pleasure, you’ll be happy doing what you like… and it often leads to profit naturally. Because when you do something you are good at, it gives you enjoyment (or when you enjoy some activity you become better at it). This can often lead to financial rewards.
Many top writers and other artists (yes, it is an art!) earn very good money from doing what they love. To end off this piece, here are two of my favorite quotations, that help keep me inspired, daily .
“What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it; boldness has
genius, power and magic in it.”
– Johann von Goethe
“Do what you love, then you’ll never have to do a day’s work in
your life.”
Happy writing…creatively, of course!
Craig Lock (Eagle Productions Books)
”Eagles may fly high, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.”
“It took me 15 years to find out that I had no talent for writing, but by then I couldn’t give it up, because by then I was too famous to give up.”
– Robert Benchley
“Asking a writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp post how it feels about dogs.”
– Christopher Hampton, British writer and dramatist
About the author:
Craig is a writer, who believes in (and loves) sharing information with a touch, a “dash or two” of humour, as well as encouraging and helping others to find their talents and gifts, to strive for and accomplish their dreams in life – whatever they may be.
Brand new online creative writing course: Click onhttp://creativekiwis.com/index.php/creative-writing-course
15 + informative and entertaining lessons. Learn the craft of writing and have fun at the same time
Craig is currently writing ‘To the End of the Rainbow’, where the reader is involved making DIFFERENT CHOICES, DIRECTIONS: DIFFERENT PATHS = DIFFERENT OUTCOMES
The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” (including ‘To the End of the Rainbow’, as well as his various books on the writing journey) are available at: :
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock and
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4
All proceeds go to needy and underpriviliged children –
MINE!
What’s the difference between a writer and a family pizza?
The pizza can feed a family of four!
The submitter’s blogs (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) are at www.craigswritingarticles.wordpress.com
http://writeanpublish.wordpress.com/
http://wanttowriteabook.wordpress.com/
www.nzwriter.wordpress.com and his various other blogs at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com
“I make art through using materials…and words are my tools.”
– me
Art is at the highest reach of one’s creative imagination.”
“Your only limits are your own imagination.”
Together, one mind at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, encourage, empower and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials
This article (as with all my articles) may be freely published, electronically, or in print
“They say that if enough chimpanzees were put in front of enough word processors for enough time, eventually one of them would write Hamlet.”
Hi
CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
MANY HUNDREDS MORE COMMENTS OVERNIGHT and many hundreds of thousands already on my various other blogs at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/…true!) …so hope it’s not slowing down your loading speed!). Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share.
So sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet, but DO try to read as many as possible daily (and even moderate a few when I get a “mo”),
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”
“As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”
– craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)
“Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.
“Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”
“Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…
and you may even hit the stars.”
– craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
“If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,
he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
here lived a great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
PPS
Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing
“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”
The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –
MINE!
”Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.”
– James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915)
Hi
CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
MANY MORE COMMENTS OVERNIGHT and many hundreds of thousands already on my various other blogs at http://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/…true!) …so hope it’s not slowing down your loading speed!). Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share.
So sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet, but DO try to read as many as possible daily (and even moderate a few when I get a “mo”),
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”
“As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”
– craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)
“Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.
“Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”
“Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…
and you may even hit the stars.”
– craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
“If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,
he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
here lived a great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
PPS
Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing
“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”
The various books that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock&sort=relevance&ie=UTF8&qid http://goo.gl/vTpjk and http://www.creativekiwis.com/amazon.html
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –
MINE!
”Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.”
– James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915)
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You can certainly see your expertise within the work you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
Thanks for the follow/link/like/reblog/comment and/or kind thought(s)
Hi
CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
I’ve had many many hundreds of thousands (“zillions”) of comments on my various other WordPress blogs at https://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/craigs-list-of-blogs-updated-sept-2011/
in recent years …true!) …obsessive or WHAT! Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share. However I am unable to keep up with the comments and was spending entire days just on replies on my various blog pages.
Though I’m rather “driven”, I still get really, really fatigued (there’s a few books there). so sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet, but DO try to read as many as possible daily (and even moderate a few when I get a “mo”), I got swamped with comments on my various blogs, so have had to close them off on all of my blogs, except for one or two of particular interest to me – sorry and hope you can understand.
* “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
~ Franz Kafka
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”
“As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”
– craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)
“Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.a
“Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”
“Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…
and you may even hit the stars.”
– craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
“When (or if ever) you arrive in heaven, let faith, hope and love be the wings that carried you there.”
– as adapted from the inspiring words of Jonathan Edwards, former minister in New England, Massachusetts
“The Greatest Race: Living by (with) faith, hope and love is the highest podium any person can reach, God’s podium that anyone stand on.”
– c
“Having pursued the goals, the dreams set before us and run the race with persistence and endurance, after giving it all. Then one day standing on the summit of life, breathing in the pure sweet oxygen of achievement, totally satisfied in running the greatest race, the race of life one that ANYONE can run and win.”
from http://racetothechequeredflag.wordpress.com/
and http://www.godandformula1.wordpress.com
“If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,
he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
here lived a great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
PPS
Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing
“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”
The various books* that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=%22craig+lock%22&sitesearch_type=STORE
http://www.creativekiwis.com/index.php/books
and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –
MINE!
“When the writer is no more , the value of your purchase will soar! “
Don’t worry about the world ending today…
as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand
PPS
“I wish you well on a rainy day
I wish you rainbows to brighten your day
To feel your quiet moments with a special kind of warmth
to remind you that happiness can happen
when you least expect it.
I wish you rainbows to make you laugh and smile
to show you the simple beauty of life
and to give you the magic of dreams come true.
I wish you rainbows
I wish you well.”
– Larry S. Chengges
”Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.”
– James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915)