Article by Tracey Tressa

Creative writing is any form of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry that is not technical in nature. Creative writing is known as free writing, the type where there are no rules or structure to follow. Creative writing can be found in novels, short stories, articles, poetry and even screen plays. Creative writing is a more of a contemporary style of writing than anything else. It represents anything that is an original work of writing. Creative writing is the medium that celebrates self expression. It enables you to express thoughts, opinions and ideas in any medium.

If you’re new to creative writing you might want to start with something small to get a taste of it. By writing a short story you can get an idea of what’s involved in creative writing. If you start with a novella or novel you’ll probably quit before you finish it. Novellas and novels take a lot of passion and discipline to finish. In fact quite a lot of writers have trouble finishing long works of creative writing so many just stick to writing short stories or poetry. Novel writing can be very challenging and sometimes takes years to finish. Of coures not everyone is able to write creatively. Some people don’t do well with the freedom and lack of structure. Coming up with creative outlines, characters and plots that are interesting to your potential reader, is not an easy task. But once you do finish a novel or short story, and it’s complete, the feeling you get is amazing.

Grade school teaches you the basics of creative writing. But if you’re really looking into the subject colleges and universities are where the knowledge is at. They offer courses in different areas and give you the special one-on-one attention you may need. They also show you different genres of writing and you learn what types you enjoy to write about.

Using story starters or writing prompts is another way to get ideas for stories that will take you places you’ve never expected.

Trying to get published in the creative writing industry is very competitive. Unless you are the hit of the moment, getting published by a large publishing agency is not easy and sometimes takes years. In fact many writers are published only after many attempts and many rejection letters later. In any case, if creative writing is your passion, practise makes perfect. The more you write the more you improve, and same goes for reading.

About the Author

Tracey Tressa is an online freelance writer who has a passion for creative writing.To find out more check out her creative writing website.

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I want to do a joint degree in Creative Writing and Journalism but I don’t know if it is a good degree or if it’s useless once I finish uni. I’m studying a BTEC in Art and Design and I would prefer to be doing English or something English related, I’ve been in love with writing since I was about 8. I would love to write fiction as well as articles for a newspaper.

Go with it. If you like writing and want to write fiction as well as articles for newspapers what could be better. If you don’t do it you might regret it later on. Don’t think that by having a degree you will somehow be a best selling author overnight. Do it because you want to and enjoy it too. Good luck.

Well, they are both different type of writing.
Creative writing consists of more thinking "outside the box" using ideas.. and of that nature..
Journalism- is also different— writing news stories and of that sort..
Depending on what kind of writer you are- decide what type of writing skill you want to develop.
I would choose creative writing as a starting point though—
and then do journalism if you had the option of doing both.

I’m seeking a creative writing workshop for beginners that starts by Sept 1st and lasts for not more than 2 weeks. Preferably part-time.
Where can I find that?

Saint Martins College of Art and Design

They do an evening class in the ‘summer term’/'summer school’:

http://courses.csm.arts.ac.uk/summer.asp?CI=5031&MA=4&CAT=20&CSM=yes

Creative Writing – Evening Course

Monique Roffey

Through the use of in-class exercises and take home assignments, this beginners’ course will focus on the basic elements of good writing. Each student will work towards creating clear, expressive prose which demonstrates the virtues of economy and directness, as well as good use of detail and dialogue. There will be a strong workshop component to this course, which will enable students to become comfortable reading and sharing their work as well as benefiting from valuable feedback. There will also be lectures and discussions on technique with particular emphasis on point of view, characterisation, structure, and the process of editing. Students are encouraged to keep a journal throughout the duration of the course. Not only will this course help with writing skills, wherever they may be applied, it will aid with clear thinking and clear expression in other areas and disciplines.

Monique Roffey is a novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, ‘Sun Dog’ (Scribner), received widespread favourable reviews and was published in the US. Her second novel ‘The White Woman on the Green Bicycle’ will be published in 2008. She has tutored for Arvon, run workshops at festivals and contributed to the Creative Writing Course at the Open University. She is currently RLF Fellow at Sussex University.

Jun 2008 to 25 Jul 2008 Mondays and Wednesdays 18.00-20.30 4 weeks £235

Okay so my highschool sociology teacher has given us an oppurtunity to write a lesson planned on how to teach Bureaucracies. He thinks the topic is fairly boring and in his past years he hasnt found a sucessful way that students can understand. He said that whoever writes him a good, fun lesson plan will recieve a prize. Im all out of creative, fun ideas and i really want to win. Can you help me? it cant be less than a 50min period or more then 4 days long. Thnkk you so much! *He will purchase stuff if needed for the lesson plan, keep in mine were highschool students.

This seems like a perfect subject to have small groups. Each group would represent different entities, such as a small business, a private bank, a city or state government, a large corporation or a stock market, and a federal government.

Part 1: Each group has to define their own bureaucracy (even small businesses have them, but the owner may be the only "bureaucrat"), either role-playing amongst the members, or just creating an organizational chart and rules (and why certain rules were chosen)

Part 2: Groups discuss amongst each other there organization and rules, and decide if rules for each are appropriate, too much, or too little. Is there oversight? Should there be, and why or why not? Are some of the rules repeated in some or all groups? Should government rules have primacy over private sector rules and contracts? If so, when and why?

Part 3: Groups discuss trust: is the concept of trust treated differently in private practice versus government? If so, why? Are any differences specific to a type of government or economy, or are they universal differences? Do the issues of trust make the bureaucracy more efficient, or less, and why?

Part 4: Groups discuss the notion that bureaucracies are self-perpetuating: is this necessarily true? Or is it a popular myth? Can anyone think of bureaucracies that have expanded and shrunk over time? What makes bureaucracies become complex, and what streamlines them?

A possible variation would be to work only with government entities, but one group would be a democratic government, one a dictatorship, one a theocracy, any others you can think of. Most of the above applies, but additional discussions of how the various forms of bureaucracy are peopled, and how those differences might affect the efficiency and trust aspects.

Another variation would be to assign tiered agencies to each group, such as:
- Department of Defense
– US Navy
— US Marine Corps
—- 1st Fleet Marine Force
—– all the way down to squad, if your class was big enough

For a non military example of the same:
- Department of Interior
– National Park Service
— region
—- specific park or monument

I could see this being taking up to all 4 days if historical research assignments are tacked on to each discussion, or done over 1 to 2 hours with just hypothetical discussions. Or, each class period go through each of the variations for an excellent breadth of subject.

Article by Jim Zorn

Distance learning creative writing is fast becoming a trend today. Creative writing can be described as any writing directed towards the goal of accomplishing some intended purpose. Creative writing is different from general writing – general writing may not have any purpose from the point of view of accomplishing some goal. Creative writing certification will qualify you in various ways – writing copy in an ad agency, composing scripts for movies, making you proficient in business correspondence, becoming a book author, the spectrum is too wide to restrict to a list.

Creative Writing Courses

Distance learning creative writing courses are available in a wide variety. Most of the institutes offering such courses will offer you song writing, copy writing, movie script writing, play writing, travel writing, etc. It is just about writing associated with any commercial activity. These courses vary from a few days to three-year degree courses. One-week programs usually focus on one of the many streams in creative writing. The longer duration programs offer specialization in one or more streams. Distance learning creative writing can be accomplished by either of the two types. Creative writing courses are broken into different modules with each ending with a workbook for exercises. It is said about creative writing programs that the more the student practices the imparted skills, the better is the probability of him becoming a creative writer.

Objectives of Creative Learning

All the distance learning creative writing programs start with the major objective of inculcating the creative process to develop the student as a writer and enable her to effectively use observations, memory, voice and style. The programs are further developed to nurture the hidden talent of the students culminating into acquisition of finer details required to master a particular stream of creative writing. Distance learning creative writing programs don’t require any basic qualifications except for an open mind and passion for writing. However, this is not true when creative writing is a part of a bachelor program offered by various universities.

Institutes offer creative writing programs across the world. Some of the leading ones are Chatham College, Purdue University, Burlington College, University of Central Florida, Denver University, etc. The duration of these courses range from a few weeks to up to one year. All the courses are in the form of certification programs. The course material is delivered through the internet, and all the assessments and tests are online only. The material comes in the form of tutorials, ebooks, instruction sets, and in some cases, CD’s.

If you are serious about kick starting your career in creative writing or fine-tuning your skills as a writer, there is no better way than attending such a distance learning program.

About the Author

Jim Zorn is web master of the Guide to Distance Learning. Please visit to learn more about online colleges and universities, distance learning degrees, majors and courses offered.http://www.guide-to-distance-learning.com/index.html

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Article by Dobbin Jones

Creative writing is a pleasurable activity and there is no age limit when it comes to indulging in any kind of writing exercise. Both students and professionals can benefit from creative writing exercises and enhance their standards of writing and ignite mind’s eye and thoughts.

This article mainly focuses on the purpose of creative writing, its forms and also guides a beginner in finding creative writing exercises and books both online and offline.

Purpose Of Pursuing Creative Writing Online And Offline Courses

There are various reasons due to which people pursue creative writing courses before they begin writing seriously. Learning the basics of creative writing unlocks a path for thinking creatively and helps extend boundaries of imagination.

Writing exercises can be very entertaining, especially for kids, who are not so enthusiastic because these exercises make them to forget that they are amid a learning process.

One main purpose of pursuing creative writing classes is to open one’s mind to new ideas and pen imaginative thoughts for narration. Perfection is very vital in any kind of writing and in order to reach to that level, it is essential to enhance one’s skills and master various facets of language for example, in English, metaphors, spelling, character profiling and so forth.

Different Styles Of Creative Writing Practices

Different styles of creative writing courses are available, of which many are premeditated in order to exclusively work on a particular facet of story writing (fiction writing) such as lingo deftness or design improvement. Whereas other creative writing exercises merely assist in steps to begin writing a story and innovative idea development, for any age group.

A high-quality writing exercise is just giving the first line of a story and allowing your imagination to pour in subsequent text. The first line is often a question that a writer requires in order to craft an entire story.

Creative writing classes and courses help master writing techniques. A lot of proficient writers practice this craft using these exercises, in order to learn more and perfect their writing skills.

Locate Creative Writing Exercises

Usually a lot of people, especially those in the teaching profession, prefer to form and generate their own writing exercises. Nevertheless, there are a lot of options available to find handy and readymade courses and practicing exercises, both offline and online.

Creative writing online is the best medium to avail resources to find good and quality creative writing exercises. There are numerous websites that do not require any subscription and avail free writing exercises like poetry writing, fiction writing and more for all age groups.

Most of the websites offering creative writing online practices and exercises have a provision for self tests by which a writer can test his / her writing abilities and skills and improvise. A lot of other websites offer creative prompts, which can be used to begin writing a story. Websites that offer simple classes and training for developing language proficiency and writing techniques are also available.

Another place to hunt for good creative writing exercises is a well established library or bookstore. Before Internet, lecturers and writers would go through a lot of old and new books in the market that included writing exercises for children and other ages. These books are now also available online at much lesser costs.

About the Author

Log on to writingvacation.com in order to access a wide range of books on poems, poetry writing, fiction writing and Creative writing online courses and free lessons.

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I’ve been writing professionally for over 20 years and teaching writing almost that long. Each conference, each writing staff, and each class has always included some writer who asks : "How am I able to Become A Better Writer?" they do not customarily like my reply. "Practice writing each day and read to observe the writing of others each day." they loathe the answer for one of 2 reasons usually. Some of the people are on the lookout for some easy solution, mystic formula that may make them a good writer in three simple steps.

Though my proposal involves just two steps it is blazingly obvious that it’s a long-term project. The other bunch of people will snarl at the 1st because they consider themselves "real writers" but they hate the answer any more than the others. They think they have got a present that just needs to be unlocked by the sorcery key that made public, successful writers possess. The truth is that there is not any way to enhance your writing apart from to repetitively practice your craft.

Write each day. Experiment, plan, revise, and revisit. Make challenges, cut off dates, and competitions. Push yourself and your writing will reward you. I guarantee.

Write something impressed by a writer you admire and then write something fully your own. However it’s not enough to simply write in a vacuum — or an ivory tower. You need to also read the writing of others. Read far and wide. Read fiction, nonfiction, poetry and song words. Read discussion and convincing, read educational and chronological, read science and fantasy. Read proficient and talented pros and read those that are still finding their writing feet. You are reading to gain inspiration and confidence.

You are reading to build your vocabulary and your stockpile of writing tricks. You are reading to find out more about the rhythms and patterns of language. You are reading so that as you write you’ll be able to make your own unique voice. Learning the way to be a better writer isn’t the work of a weekend or perhaps a semester. Learning how to be a better writer is a life’s work. If you actually are a writer then you’ll never think about your work done. I do not know a pro writer who sits back and asserts " I am done learning now, I am as good as I am going to get". Actually it needn’t take a whole life to reach pro standing but you should not make that your goal. Thinking in those terms can hold you back from turning into the best writer you may be. For instance, maybe the explanation why your particular project was denied didn’t have anything at all to do with your writing but was actually due to your subject, the specific wants of that publisher, or perhaps the mood of the editor when your submission found their desk. The reality is that you can’t control when you become a published, professional writer, but you can control your progress toward improving your writing. Trust me, the more powerful your writing becomes then the less complicated it’s going to be to achieve that other goal. When you reach the point that you continually deliver quality writing then you’ll find a market.

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Article by Dan Goodwin

Even the most experienced and seasoned creative writer can benefit from creative writing exercises and prompts.

The key to continuing to grow and develop as a creative writer is to keep experimenting, trying new techniques, ideas and exercises to challenge yourself.

Using a variety of different approaches and starting points in your creative writing will help you to explore your potential as a writer and keep pushing the boundaries.

But although creative writing exercises and prompts are a great tool to use, they assume one thing.

They assume that you are willing and able to write.

Give a writer a creative writing exercise or prompt and they won’t necessarily come up with some interesting creative writing.

In fact many times, however ingenious, stimulating and brilliant the exercise is, the writer won’t produce a single word, let alone a wonderful piece of writing.

So why is this? What’s missing?

There are a number of different factors that stop us from writing, however gifted and talented we are.

Perversely, often the more naturally capable we are of writing creatively, the more we struggle to write.

Here are some of the crucial elements a creative writing exercise or prompt on its own WON’T give you, and how to get it:

1. The confidence to write creatively. Talent and ability amount to very little if you simply lack confidence in your writing.

Build your confidence by starting small and writing little and often. A few paragraphs of a story, a short poem, or a blog entry every day will help you get into the habit of writing consistently. Then you can just increase the amount and frequency as your confidence builds.

2. The “set up” to write creatively. If you don’t have somewhere you can go and start writing within a couple of minutes, you’ll lose motivation and inspiration.

Have a designated place for you to write. If you don’t have your own room or study, at least have a desk or chair where you can have your creative writing equipment to hand and ready for you to start writing at a moment’s notice.

3. The permission to write creatively. Even if you think on the surface you’re willing to write, often on a deeper level, you’re not allowing yourself to. Not giving yourself permission to create is an often overlooked creative block.Write out for yourself some positive affirmations, such as “I deserve to be able to create”, “I have as much right to create as anyone”, “The world needs me to be creative” and simply “I give myself permission to be creative”. Practice reading them out loud regularly.

4. The time to write creatively. Many of us claim we don’t have time to spend on our creative writing. The truth is, we don’t make it enough of a priority.

Start by giving yourself just 10 minutes at the same time each day to spend writing. Get up a little earlier, go to bed a little later, fit it in wherever you can. By practicing this routine, you’ll find it soon becomes easier to extend it to a larger chunk of time each day, without impacting the time demands of the rest of your life.

5. The motivation to write creatively. Even if you have everything else in place, if you’re not motivated to write, you just won’t write.

Keep your motivation high by reminding yourself why you write creatively. What are the top 5 benefits? What are the 10 things you love about being able to write creatively? What are your ambitions as a creative writer? Write these out and pin them up somewhere prominent to keep you motivated.

Spend a little time and effort on each of these 5 key areas and you’ll soon find there’s no limit to how much you can write.

Then, using those creative exercises and prompts will add the extra dimension you need to explore your creative writing even more.

About the Author

For some great creative writing prompts to get you started, sign up for your FREE 5 part creative writing ecourse at http://www.YouAreACreativeWriter.com

Creativity Coach and keen creative writer Dan Goodwin helps people who are frustrated they’re not using their creative talents as well as they could be. See more at his website: http://www.CoachCreative.com

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