By David Ndirangu
Worth Noting:
- The process of creative writing will include these parts; Characterization – that is developing the characters and their roles. Realism – a character’s action must be authentic and agree with the personality you have created for them.
- Setting – this is where and when the action takes place. Tone – how you use language, the specific choice of words to communicate your attitude that is contained in your story.
- Mood – use words that make readers feel a certain way towards the characters in the story or the subject matter. This is the reader’s emotional response to the characters’ actions, experiences and feelings or the topic generally.
Creative writing is the art of putting down your own ideas and emotions into words. It is an artistic and expressive way of turning complex ideas into simple words.
To some people creative writing comes naturally but most people need extensive training and research to acquire the skill.
Expressing your ideas verbally might appear fairly easy but to put them in writing is a great deal harder. Good writers are however able to express themselves and transform ordinary moments into interesting stories that enable them to connect with other people.
The various genres in creative writing include; fiction, non-fiction, poetry and screenplay.
The more recent areas that have come with modern technology including blogs and dialogues will generally fall into any of these categories.
Effectively done creative writing pieces should possess the following characteristics; Theme – that is the message the creative piece is intended to convey to the reader. Clarity – the piece of writing should be clear enough not to confuse the reader. Form – there should be a beginning, middle and end. The beginning should introduce the reader to the story while the end should be satisfying to the reader. Emotion – the text should be emotionally charged. The reader should feel like laughing, crying or even get scared. This will happen when the reader has properly connected with the characters in the story. The writer should be careful about the language and the power of the words used.
The process of creative writing will include these parts; Characterization – that is developing the characters and their roles. Realism – a character’s action must be authentic and agree with the personality you have created for them.
Setting – this is where and when the action takes place. Tone – how you use language, the specific choice of words to communicate your attitude that is contained in your story.
Mood – use words that make readers feel a certain way towards the characters in the story or the subject matter. This is the reader’s emotional response to the characters’ actions, experiences and feelings or the topic generally.
The creative piece should have a structure and plot which moves from the expositions, action or conflict, climax and resolution. The point of view is the perspective from which the story is told. After the conflict there is resolution whereby questions are answered for the reader and the storyline gets to a conclusion that is consistent with the events.
The task of creative writing follows the following steps; Planning – you should have in mind the general layout of the entire creative work. You may want to actually take a pen and paper to map out the layout of your envisioned piece. Drafting follows which is getting down to write out the story in its rawest form. This is likely to be the most difficult part to aspiring writers. When I set out to write my first book, this is the exact spot where I got stuck. “How do I start?” I was jammed in this particular spot for close to ten years until I met someone who had just published a book. “How do you start writing a book?” I asked her.
She gave me a rather funny look and answered, “You just take a pen and paper and start writing.” To be honest I felt a bit foolish but eventually did exactly that.
Drafting is followed by revising of the portions written whereby some portions may be even shifted from one part to another.
Editing is next – this is the point where the writer reads through the text to check for grammatical errors and correcting them. Editing by the writer is normally a continuous exercise every time a particular portion is completed. This should be followed by reading through the entire work to ensure that the story has a ‘flow’. Finally the text or manuscript is ready to be shared with others who will evaluate and do any further editing which may be necessary but in constant consultation with the writer.
A beginner in creative writing should start small and make incremental steps forward. One should make writing a routine and if possible always carry around a notebook to record everyday observations as opposed to trying to commit everything to your memory. Given a opportunity everyone has a story to tell.
David Ndirangu Bsc. International Business Administration (USIU- A) CPA (K). Business Management Consultant and Author of the book; This is DAVE. Email: ndirangudavid2023@gmail.com
