Hello. My name's Joe and this is my beginner's blog and a resource for anyone interested in creative writing and fiction. I haven't done any real creative writing since I left school. I'm in my 30's now, so that's quite a long time ago!
I love reading; I’m intrigued by how stories are told. My taste varies and I tend to fluctuate between the classics, modern drama, biographies, historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy, love stories and plays.
I’ve always had an inkling that one day I’d like to give writing something a go, but whenever I've put pen to paper in the past, my inner-critic has rendered me useless very quickly.
At the beginning of 2012 I made a promise to myself; this will be the year that I explore creative writing more diligently. So, I signed up to a part-time fiction writing course in the hope that it would keep me motivated.
I'll share with you the exercises I explore, any tips I pick up along the way and the pieces of creative writing I produce, so that we can learn together.
Kreative Writing is a beginner's blog and resource for anyone interested in writing creatively. It was started by me, Joe. I want to take you along on my journey, so we can develop the skills needed to become great writers together. It will take discipline, passion and determination. Are you up for it?
I haven’t done any real creative writing since I left school. I’m in my 30′s now so that’s quite a long time ago!
I have, however, always loved to read; I’m intrigued by how stories are told. My taste varies and I tend to fluctuate between the classics, modern drama, biographies, historical fiction, thrillers, fantasy, love stories and plays.
I’ve always had an inkling that one day I’d like to give writing another go, but whenever I’ve put pen to paper in the past, my inner critic has rendered me useless very quickly. That, combined with a busy lifestyle and a touch of laziness, has meant that I’ve never committed to it fully.
At the beginning of the year I made promise to myself (I prefer promise to resolution because I never keep those). I am determined that 2012 will be the year that I explore creative writing more diligently. I signed up for a ‘Creative Writing for Beginners‘ course; it’s only two hours a week on a Tuesday at an adult education college, but it’s a start!
As you may have noticed, I’ve already been creative with the spelling of the site’s title. The plain and simple truth is that there were no domain names available with Creative Writing in the title, so I went with a misspelling of the word. I’m actually quite pleased I did. I think it makes it unique!
My aim is that Kreative Writing will become a resource for people at the start of their creative writing journey and beyond.
I often think it’s easier to learn from someone who is still learning themselves; I won’t be tempted to use a lot of fancy terminology that is likely to confuse a beginner for the very reason that I’m a beginner too.
But I must admit, I do have a couple of slightly more selfish reasons for starting this blog;
1, If I commit to sharing my work, I am being held accountable and thus I’m more likely to keep it up!
2, I’d love to get some feedback so that I can mould my writing and improve.
My blog posts will cover;
The class; I’ll share with you the exercises I’m doing, along with any hints and tips I pick up on the way.
The results; The work I have produced and the feedback I receive.
I’m really excited to be starting this process and can’t wait to get going. Let’s get creative!
Exercises, prompts and classes to develop your creative writing, along with some of my own results and opinions.
I recently read this fantastic book which I can recommend wholeheartedly if you are interested in the technicalities of what makes great writing. It’s called Keys to Great Writing
The book inspired me to look into the seemingly more mundane aspects of writing and made me realise that it’s not actually all about having a great story; it’s just as much about the tools you have at your disposal to help you craft that story. Here is a wonderful article about there are occasions you might use the passive voice over the active voice. It’s invaluable reading if you want to infuse your writing with energy and momentum but maintain clarity. I also found a few great articles by the same writer about the most common mistakes novice writers like myself make when starting a story, writing characters and using words and phrases skilfully.
This is my first post in a series discussing developing characters. Here I deal with the idea of conflict. Continue reading
This piece is inspired by Tudor history, a period of time with which I have become fascinated in the last couple of years. Continue reading
This is the first draft of a short piece of fiction I have written in response to using the theme or opening of a story already in existence. Continue reading
This is my first draft response to the Borrowed Titles exercise. Continue reading
This is a great exercise for starting a piece of creative writing. Use an already existing title as a prompt and see where it takes you. Continue reading
This is my first draft response to the exercise on writing from photographs. Continue reading
Life writing can often be the trickiest form of creative writing to do well. But it can also be the most emotionally honest and engaging work you produce. Continue reading
Inspiration for writing short stories can be drawn from almost anywhere. In this class, we explore using photographs as a prompt. Continue reading
This is the first draft of my piece, Family Reunion, which I wrote as a response to the creative writing exercise on dialogue. Continue reading
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