Creative Writing 101: Inspiring Advice From A Published Author

So, you’ve been bitten by the writing bug. You’re feeling pumped up, inspired, and more than ready to crack open your laptop and get to work.

Creative writing is one of the greatest outlets around. Writing lets you create your own little universe. With your own characters. And your own rules. Finishing a story brings with it a feeling of accomplishment, of pride.

But writing can also be one of the most frustrating things to do. Because you have to create your own little universe. With your own characters. And your own rules. Out of thin air. Not finishing a story can bring with it, well, a feeling of great failure.

Writing anything – whether it’s a poem or short story or novel – is a lot harder than it looks. As for getting something published, well, that’s an article for another time.

But whether you want to write romance or fantasy or the second coming of the “Gossip Girls,” there are a few simple things you can do to help you get started and hopefully, write a great story. Check them out:

STEP ONE
Think about the kind of books, short stories, TV shows, and movies that you like best. What do you like to read and watch and talk about? Dark, gritty vampire books by J.R. Ward? Fun, chick-lit stories like the “Shopaholic” series? Maybe you like fantasy and superhero shows like “Smallville” and “Heroes.” Or soapy plotlines, like those found on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Maybe you’re a science junkie and love all the “CSI” shows. Or really dig action blockbusters, like the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.

If you like to read or watch or talk about it, you'll probably like writing it, too. And if you enjoy what you're doing, enjoy your writing, it will only make your story, your book, your voice that much better.

Take me, for example. I love fairy tales, mythology, and comic books. It's the last one that's got me hooked right now. Over the years, I've read and watched comic books, movies, cartoons, TV shows, etc. And the more I saw, the more I wanted to change the stories. Like make Wolverine quit mooning over the whiny Jean Gray. Or get Batman to lighten up just a little bit. (Seriously, isn’t it exhausting to be so dark and moody all the time?)

But the thing that bugged me the most was this – how come none of the love interests like Lois Lane ever figure out that their boyfriend, Clark Kent, is really Superman? A pair of glasses is not a terrific disguise. Are these women blind?

Then, one day, it hit me. I could write my own comic book. With my own characters. And my own mythology. A fairy tale in spandex, if you will, where the women are just as smart and strong as the men. And thus, my debut book “Karma Girl” and the crazy world of Bigtime, New York was born.

Does something about your favorite book bother you? Do you wish the writers had gone another direction with your favorite TV character? How would you change the story? What would you like to see happen? I'm NOT encouraging you to plagiarize other authors’ ideas and worlds. Instead, I want you to think about what you might do different, and then apply it to your own world and your own characters.

STEP TWO
Once you've identified your favorite type of story, think about some of the basic elements you’ll use to create your own, like these:

* The characters you want to focus on

* The world they live in

* The problems they’ll face

* How they’ll overcome those problems

Depending on the type of story you’re writing, you’ll have to ask yourself some more in-depth questions based on these elements. For example, if you’re writing fantasy, you’ll need to think about the kind of world you’ll put your characters in. Is it set in modern times? An alternate universe? What sort of paranormal or magical creatures are in your world? Vampires? Witches? Superheroes? How does your heroine’s magic work? What sort of evil is she fighting against? What or who will help her defeat it?

If you’re writing chick-lit or romance, you’ll have to really focus on your heroine. What does she do for a living? What are her hopes and dreams? Is she single? Divorced? Getting over a bad relationship? What about the hero? What’s he like? How will they hook up? What will make them fall in love?

The same thing goes for any other type of book or story you want to write, whether it’s a mystery or a crime thriller or a science fiction tale. Creating an outline of the story, along with a page about your characters (physical description, job, likes and dislikes) can help you answer these questions.

Also, create characters and a world and problems that interest YOU – not necessarily what your friends are writing. If you don’t really like vampires, you're not going to like writing a vampire book, even if that's what's popular right now. It’s hard to write a short story, and even harder to pen a 100,000-word book. If you don’t like what you’re doing, if you’d rather go shopping with your friends than sit in front of your computer, then your story is never going to get finished.

On the other hand, if you're just dying to write a tale about a sarcastic Goth girl who’d rather eat glass than join some girly, frilly sorority where they wear white lace gloves and drink tea, if the character is talking to you in your head, if you can’t wait to get in front of the computer to get started, then go for it. Goth girls might not be the rage right now, but who’s to say you won't start a new trend?

Believe me, your interest, your love of your characters, will show in your writing. And it really is all about the writing.

STEP THREE
Make it your own. Take your characters/world and give it your own personal stamp or twist. People say there’s nothing new under the sun, and they’re right. Everything’s been done before in some way, shape, or form. But it hasn’t been done exactly the way that YOU are going to do it. So, go for it, no matter how out there it seems.

Also, think about your voice and writing style. Do you pen slapstick comedy? Serious drama? Pedal-to-the-medal action? Think about giving your characters magic powers or a history or other quirks that tie into these things.

For a magical comedy, you might give your character a power/ability that constantly malfunctions. For a serious, coming-of-age drama, maybe your heroine’s parents went through a messy divorce that really impacted her. For an action-driven book, consider making your heroine a tough, kick-ass chick who’s a black-belt in karate and can take out bad guys with her pinky.

Do you have any hobbies or expertise in a certain area? Think about including those in your story. A psychology grad student who knits in her spare time and solves on-campus murders could be much more interesting than your more typical brooding, tortured detective. (This isn't to say brooding, tortured detectives are bad, just that there are a lot of books that feature them.)

Whatever you write, whether it’s a short story or a poem, fantasy or mystery, just remember this – write what you love and give it your own special spin. Because that's where the magic really is.

Jennifer Estep is an award-winning features writer and page designer for a daily newspaper. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism, and a master’s degree in professional communications. Her debut novel, Karma Girl, was released in May. For more on Jennifer, visit her Web site at www.jenniferestep.com.