Description: Creative Writing expert, Alessio has a First Class Honors degree and share his perspective on how to grab the attention and ‘WOW’ your reader.
Creative writing can be challenging at any academic level. Students may often encounter writer’s block or struggle with ways in which they can make their writing unique and original. The creative writing process can be daunting as many don’t know where to start or how to make their writing read-worthy.
Here are four unique writing tips you can use throughout the creative writing process to really wow your readers.
Tip 1: Use your Own Experiences in your Writing
Writers often struggle with constructing storylines and characters. This is because there are a lot of factors to consider for both of these areas. Where will the storyline start and end? What characters are you going to introduce and when? What makes the characters unique and interesting?
Creative writers sometimes fall into the trap of trying too hard to make their storylines complex. They worry if their characters are mysterious and interesting. However, drawing on your own life experiences, or basing characters off of people you already know and love, is the key to unlocking that creativity.
Real-life people and experiences are perfect starting points to develop characters and storylines. Try to think about a person you know who is similar to the character you are trying to develop. Then develop their character arc from there.
Tip 2: Expand your Vocabulary Daily
Taking the time each day to expand your vocabulary is crucial to impressive creative writing. Most writers have a limited or specific vocabulary which can make their writing seem repetitive especially with longer pieces of work.
Actively seeking new words or phrases to incorporate into your work is essential in keeping your work interesting and original. It can be even more impressive if the vocabulary you are using is of the time that your story is set in.
Additionally, focus on incorporating ‘wow words’ or high-level vocabulary – this will make your work impressive and seem more professional. Just make sure you are using the words correctly!
Tip 3: Explore New Places
It’s important to keep your writing environments new and fresh as you work on your creative piece. For instance, working in the same office at home can get boring and start to feel uninspiring. Even so much as taking regular walks to a new part of your town or exploring a different area of your local park may inspire a new idea for your piece.
Switching up your writing environment to places such as a bookstore you haven’t yet explored or a library in the next town over may also inspire new storylines or ideas for key plot points. These subtle changes may have amazing and unprecedented effects on your ability to write creatively.
Tip 4: Research Into Unfamiliar Genres
Writers frequently fall into the trap of sticking to a genre they love and only writing within that genre. This may seem like a good idea, however, writers get stuck or focus too much on imitating others’ work that they struggle to find their originality.
Finding a genre that is unfamiliar and attempting to write a short story within that genre can help inspire new ideas and ways of writing previously unknown to you. For example, if you’re writing a sci-fi piece, try incorporating a non-fiction historical element to make your work more original.
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