C.J. Braden • 5 Minute Read
Being creative is natural for so many of us. The way you express your creativity might be different – you might like painting or photography, or maybe you simply express it by color coordinating your pens. No matter what form it takes, everyone is creative.
It’s always a strength to try new things. However, when it comes to creativity, there are plenty of ways you can try your hand at a new method.
Creative writing is one of the oldest forms of creativity – humans have been telling each other stories for as long as there have been humans. But why should you pick up this new hobby rather than others, and how can you get started?
Read on to learn why you should try creative writing today.
Vintage typewriter
Why should you try creative writing?
Creative writing is a very accessible form of creativity: it can be done on your own, and all you need is a piece of paper and a pen or a computer of some kind.
Writing will improve your written communication skills as your vocabulary, grammar, and spelling improve. It isn’t just your communication that will benefit, though. By getting into the heads of your characters, your empathy and imagination should improve too.
Try creative writing with others
Creative writing doesn’t have to be done on your own. It can be very social. There are writing groups, where you can complete writing tasks together, or critique groups, where you can get together with others to look at each other’s work and give feedback.
The creative writing community online is very active, with hashtags like #amwriting and #writingcommunity often trending with helpful advice.
#amwriting #writingcommunity social media tags
Online writing events can make you feel like part of a big social writing group. A popular one is NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, is a campaign where writers try to write the first draft of a novel in a month.
Though writing is a solitary hobby, you don’t have to be alone while doing it!
Using a random word generator for creative writing
How do you get started in creative writing?
As mentioned before, creative writing is super easy to get into. All you need is something to write on – whether on paper or a computer – and an idea.
If you already have an idea, great! If you are struggling to think of something, there are plenty of writing exercises you can try. I often gain inspiration from things I have around my home. I was inspired to write a quick little creative writing piece about a vintage vanity I once owned. I wrote it as if I was the vanity and it surprised me by turning out to be a very cute story!
Some exercises to get you started are using a random word generator, generating five or so words (add more if you want a challenge). Then, try to write a scene where two characters have a conversation, and all five random words need to appear in the dialogue.
Try reading other books to gain creative writing ideas
Alternatively, pick a book off your shelf and turn to a random page. Pick a sentence at random: this is your first sentence. Do the same with a different book: this is your last sentence. Your job, now, is to write from the first sentence to the last, creating a narrative that makes both sentences connect and make sense.
These are just two examples, but there are plenty of exercises out there if you just google them.
Everyone Can Write Creatively
Creative writing is an easy hobby to take up – you can spend as long or as little as you like working on it. Who knows, in time, you might be writing novels!
C.J. Braden is a regular contributor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her by clicking here.
This is a sponsored article. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post, however, are based on my personal point of view.