Tag: Creative Writing Tips

Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Creative WritingTips and Tricks to Improve Your Creative Writing

May 20, 2010May 20, 2010| Idrees PatelIdrees Patel| 6:08 PM

Started out at creative writing but have no idea what to do next? Don’t worry; it’s very simple to improve your creative writing and grow it to the next level. Everyone has some tips and tricks in his/her sleeve; some work and some don’t. In this post, you will learn:

  1. 1. Why reading up on grammar, spelling and punctuation is the sign of a good writer
    2. The myth of proof reading and editing, and how to debunk it
    3. Why your first draft won’t be up to scratch, and why revising works
    4. And why getting rid of flowery prose, adverbs and unnecessary adjectives is good

So, without any further ado, here we go!

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Creative Non-Fiction: What is it?Creative Non-Fiction: What is it?

May 18, 2010May 18, 2010| Idrees PatelIdrees Patel| 11:06 PM

Now, we’ve come to Part Six of the Creative Writing 101 series. So far, we have learned:

1. An Introduction to Creative Writing
2. How to Get Started in Creative Writing in Just Three Steps
3. Creative Writing vs. Technical Writing
4. Fiction Writing 101: The Elements of Stories
5. Poetry Writing: Forms and Terms Galore

Hence we advance to creative nonfiction. What is it? It’s just writing which is true, but which also contains some creativity. Creative nonfiction differs from other nonfiction because a certain amount of creativity is needed to write in it, as for example a biography. It uses literary styles and techniques to create factually correct narratives, says Wikipedia.

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How to Get Started in Creative Writing in Just Three StepsHow to Get Started in Creative Writing in Just Three Steps

May 3, 2010May 3, 2010| Idrees PatelIdrees Patel| 6:11 PM

You’ve gone to the next step: you now know what creative writing is. You’d like to get started in it. The inevitable question is… how?

For reference, look at Daily Writing Tips’ awesome article Creative Writing 101. There are quite a few steps given there. I will be adding my own touches to them.

So, without any further ado, here are the three steps for you to climb and emerge as victor (sorry, couldn’t resist it).
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Compelling Opening Chapters Written — Then What?Compelling Opening Chapters Written — Then What?

December 11, 2009December 11, 2009| Idrees PatelIdrees Patel| 9:20 PM

Today we’re wrapping up the series on Writing Compelling Opening Chapters. So far, we know:

  1. Why exactly we should write a great opening chapter
  2. The best way of beginning a compelling opening chapter
  3. What should be and told and shown in that chapter
  4. … and dos and don’ts of writing it exactly.

Now of course all we need to have is a stunning plot, superb characters, real conflict, solid architecture, mind-blowing theme and all that.

Yes… sounds hard right?
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Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Compelling Opening ChapterDos and Don’ts of Writing a Compelling Opening Chapter

December 9, 2009December 9, 2009| Idrees PatelIdrees Patel| 9:41 PM

Now we’ve learned why we should write a compelling opening chapter, my best way of beginning a compelling opening chapter, and what should be told and shown in the compelling opening chapter. Today, let’s learn the Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Compelling Opening Chapter.

All too often, writers have great content, but fail to perfect their craft, by putting a load of trash in the opening chapter. This is a sign to editors that you can write well, but you need to write tighter. How? Today we’ll look into that.

First, let’s imagine that you are an editor for a moment. A typical over-loaded, irritable editor. Two manuscripts have reached to you, along with many others. Somehow, you read these two first. You start reading the opening chapter of the first manuscript. Ten minutes later, you put it down with a cold rejection letter for the writer. Why? Because you weren’t impressed by the story. And that was because of various matters…
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What Should Be Told and Shown in the Opening Chapter?What Should Be Told and Shown in the Opening Chapter?

December 1, 2009December 1, 2009| Idrees PatelIdrees Patel| 10:16 PM

An ideal first chapter tells the reader only what’s necessary. After all you can’t finish a story in a chapter can’t you? (Well you can with short stories… but that’s another story.) You must tell the reader the main parts, not the subsidiary parts. The things which are important must be in the front in the opening chapter. Very visible. The subsidiary parts should have the backseat.

Now, you may ask, “what the heck are the main and subsidiary parts? Didn’t we learn all things are important as architecture for a novel?”

Yes, we did learn it. But there are some things called subplots. These things are important – they add depth and reality to a story – but for that reason, they must be given secondary importance. Plots come first, subplots come second. All the loose ends come third.

Which leads to the question… “so what exactly are the main parts? What exactly should be told and shown in the opening chapter?”
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