Many creative writers get concerned about how many creative writing projects they should work on at any one time to produce the best results.
So a common questions is: How many creative projects should I work on at once, to be at my most creative?
There are two main ways of working - one writing project at a time or multiple writing projects at a time.
So let's take a look at each, and it's pros and cons:
1. One Creative Writing Project at a time.
Some people work best picking one project, then holing up and hibernating, throwing all their creative writing energy into that project until it's done. Then they rest, choose a new project and start the cycle again.
Advantages: This kind of approach can be very focused and high intensity. You're able to get a lot of writing done in a short period of time.
Because all of this writing is channelled into just the one project, it's easier to see the progress you're making. Seeing this rapid development then leads to becoming more inspired and motivated to create even more.
Disadvantages: It can be easy to get "lost" in projects. If you're so focused on just churning out a high volume of words, there's the risk of losing the wider perspective.
If you don't stay in touch with the overall aim of what you're writing, you can lose objectivity, then not perform at your best. Writing just one project at a time also means you're more likely to become stale and bored and your writing may start to reflect this.
2. Multiple Creative Writing Projects at a time.
Others prefer to have a handful of different creative writing projects on the go at any one time. They choose projects of different lengths, and in different areas so they always remain stimulated. If they get a little stuck on one project, they simply put it away, let it gestate in its juices for a while, and get on with one of their other projects.
Advantages: Having more projects can mean you stay stimulated and inspired. There's more scope for the cross-pollination of ideas, where while working on one project, ideas spark off into other projects.
Just by knowing you've begun a project, your mind is always switched on and looking for new ideas and new approaches for it, even while you're working on others. If you have more projects running, it can mean your mind works harder, in a wider range of ways, and is more productive.
Disadvantages: It's easy to confuse getting temporarily stuck with complete block and procrastination. It's possible with multiple projects you spend all your time flitting from one project to the next and never get any significant amount of any them done.
It's also harder to measure your progress. Writing 5000 words on one project is easy to see and a big chunk of words. The same 5000 words spread over 5 or 7 or 10 projects looks a lot less, even though by the word count the total output is the same. Because it seems like you're creating less, it can reduce your motivation.
So which is the best way of being at your most productive and creative, the single or multiple project approach?
The bottom line is, whatever works for you! There's no definitive answer or method that works flawlessly for everyone.
So be bold, and try experimenting with different numbers of projects, combining different sized projects and so on. Take note of what helps you be more productive, have more ideas, etc and build on this knowledge and experience.
Selasa, 26 September 2017
Kamis, 14 September 2017
10 Things Every Creative Writer Needs to Know About Creative Writing
What is Creative Writing?
The term Creative Writing is used quite broadly but actually refers to the way one expresses their emotions, feelings, thoughts and ideas. It is not just limited to writing out of the box or writing something that's extremely interesting. Creative Writing is an unbound form of writing and is only bounded by the personal limitations of the writer. In fact, the writers who can be extremely creative in their thoughts and ideas are the ones who churn out the most mesmerizing works. As a result, Creative Writing has been termed as one of the most difficult writing disciplines to master. Moreover, creative writing also requires a writer to delve deep into their own minds and connect with various kinds of fictional characters in another world. Another important aspect of creative writing is that it cannot be enforced or learnt. While one can learn and master the steps and processes, the thoughts and ideas need to come from deep within in order for them to be interesting enough to captivate the readers. Therefore, it is important to understand these 10 things about creative writing which act as a set of guidelines or principles for any successful creative writer.
1. Discover your paths and figure out your own strengths and weaknesses
The first and foremost aspect about creative writing is that every writer needs to discover their own path and figure out their own strengths and weaknesses. While there may be tons of creative writing classes to help you go about the same, none can actually enter your mind and bring out the best in you. All they can offer you with is a way or a stepping stone to bring out this hidden creativity and ideas from within.
2. Make sure that you have fun while you're at it
Writing should always come as a hobby or a pastime, if one is to be successful at it. If you don't enjoy and are not captivated by the art of writing, you will never be able to churn out a piece which compels the reader to turn page after page. As a result, having fun while writing is simply a must. Thus, ensure that you write only on topics which you love and can spend hours drooling over. The simple logic behind this reasoning is that if you do not like something, you shall never be successful in making others like it through your works.
3. The main word is CREATIVITY
The primary focus of creative writing should be "creativity" and not imagination. Creativity simply demands one to enter a surreal reality while imagination might simply restrict them to unreality. Moreover, there are no seams in creativity. Keep away from those who say that you are creative as they are simply stopping you from evolving to the next level.
4. Do not count your chickens before they actually hatch
It is great to be creative and have a parallel line of thinking. People love you for it and it makes you feel on top of the world. However, you really need to get moving and start penning those thoughts and ideas into words. Always ensure that you start immediately as thoughts in your mind are useless but penned into words, they are worth millions.
5. Creative Writing? Really???
And who said that only creative writing requires creativity. Even the most boring journals would need some amount of creativity so that they can be penned down into words. The main difference between creative writing and any other form of writing is that the former requires a lot more skill, practice and steely dedication to make the end product interesting for the readers.
6. Stimulate your creative senses
Always remember to write only when you are at your creative best. Some are the beasts of the night while some function the best when they have the warmth of the sun around them. Some need the chirping of the birds or the roar of the sea and yet others need to be all alone and locked down before they can start off with lateral thinking. What ever is your thing and whatever turns you on is a must for writing a creative masterpiece. Make sure that you are at your creative best by stimulating and tingling those creative senses and thoughts before you write.
7. Do not be all sugary or coat your characters with wills of gold
Another aspect that is a must for every creative writer is to understand that all is well is not always good. You need to be a sadist at times in your work and introduce negative characters and sad instances to make your plots interesting. Let's face it. Life isn't completely rosy and people you come across are not always angels. You need to ensure that your plots resemble real life in some way or another and thus being completely preachy is not always good while being somewhat of an antagonist just might get your stories to sell.
8. Behind every unsuccessful writer, there is a man or a woman. But behind every successful one, there are two.
Always remember that creativity is not just about brooding all alone or by yourself. If you feel you cannot get the hang of the way things should proceed in your plot or novel, bounce off your thoughts and ideas across to others close to you. One or two might actually end up adding a twist or a turn to your story which might just give it the edge. Well, it may not happen in the end, but no harm in trying right?
9. Creativity is always there within you. A cough or a sneeze cannot kill it.
Stop complaining and stop giving lame excuses about the tiny flame which extinguished the moment you heard a noise. Creativity is not something which comes and goes. It is always there within you. All that is needed is to stop giving excuses and start concentrating again.
10. Finally, creative writing is not a job or a task. It is most definitely not the means of earning money.
The moment you start looking at creative writing as a job or a means of earning your livelihood, poof, the idea has gone. Writing should not be about a task or about something you do as a daily routine. Writing is something which is there to invigorate and revitalize the writer. It is the karma and the mantra which makes you tick. So stop looking at it like it's just another thing you do. The idea is to look at it as THE thing that you do.
The term Creative Writing is used quite broadly but actually refers to the way one expresses their emotions, feelings, thoughts and ideas. It is not just limited to writing out of the box or writing something that's extremely interesting. Creative Writing is an unbound form of writing and is only bounded by the personal limitations of the writer. In fact, the writers who can be extremely creative in their thoughts and ideas are the ones who churn out the most mesmerizing works. As a result, Creative Writing has been termed as one of the most difficult writing disciplines to master. Moreover, creative writing also requires a writer to delve deep into their own minds and connect with various kinds of fictional characters in another world. Another important aspect of creative writing is that it cannot be enforced or learnt. While one can learn and master the steps and processes, the thoughts and ideas need to come from deep within in order for them to be interesting enough to captivate the readers. Therefore, it is important to understand these 10 things about creative writing which act as a set of guidelines or principles for any successful creative writer.
1. Discover your paths and figure out your own strengths and weaknesses
The first and foremost aspect about creative writing is that every writer needs to discover their own path and figure out their own strengths and weaknesses. While there may be tons of creative writing classes to help you go about the same, none can actually enter your mind and bring out the best in you. All they can offer you with is a way or a stepping stone to bring out this hidden creativity and ideas from within.
2. Make sure that you have fun while you're at it
Writing should always come as a hobby or a pastime, if one is to be successful at it. If you don't enjoy and are not captivated by the art of writing, you will never be able to churn out a piece which compels the reader to turn page after page. As a result, having fun while writing is simply a must. Thus, ensure that you write only on topics which you love and can spend hours drooling over. The simple logic behind this reasoning is that if you do not like something, you shall never be successful in making others like it through your works.
3. The main word is CREATIVITY
The primary focus of creative writing should be "creativity" and not imagination. Creativity simply demands one to enter a surreal reality while imagination might simply restrict them to unreality. Moreover, there are no seams in creativity. Keep away from those who say that you are creative as they are simply stopping you from evolving to the next level.
4. Do not count your chickens before they actually hatch
It is great to be creative and have a parallel line of thinking. People love you for it and it makes you feel on top of the world. However, you really need to get moving and start penning those thoughts and ideas into words. Always ensure that you start immediately as thoughts in your mind are useless but penned into words, they are worth millions.
5. Creative Writing? Really???
And who said that only creative writing requires creativity. Even the most boring journals would need some amount of creativity so that they can be penned down into words. The main difference between creative writing and any other form of writing is that the former requires a lot more skill, practice and steely dedication to make the end product interesting for the readers.
6. Stimulate your creative senses
Always remember to write only when you are at your creative best. Some are the beasts of the night while some function the best when they have the warmth of the sun around them. Some need the chirping of the birds or the roar of the sea and yet others need to be all alone and locked down before they can start off with lateral thinking. What ever is your thing and whatever turns you on is a must for writing a creative masterpiece. Make sure that you are at your creative best by stimulating and tingling those creative senses and thoughts before you write.
7. Do not be all sugary or coat your characters with wills of gold
Another aspect that is a must for every creative writer is to understand that all is well is not always good. You need to be a sadist at times in your work and introduce negative characters and sad instances to make your plots interesting. Let's face it. Life isn't completely rosy and people you come across are not always angels. You need to ensure that your plots resemble real life in some way or another and thus being completely preachy is not always good while being somewhat of an antagonist just might get your stories to sell.
8. Behind every unsuccessful writer, there is a man or a woman. But behind every successful one, there are two.
Always remember that creativity is not just about brooding all alone or by yourself. If you feel you cannot get the hang of the way things should proceed in your plot or novel, bounce off your thoughts and ideas across to others close to you. One or two might actually end up adding a twist or a turn to your story which might just give it the edge. Well, it may not happen in the end, but no harm in trying right?
9. Creativity is always there within you. A cough or a sneeze cannot kill it.
Stop complaining and stop giving lame excuses about the tiny flame which extinguished the moment you heard a noise. Creativity is not something which comes and goes. It is always there within you. All that is needed is to stop giving excuses and start concentrating again.
10. Finally, creative writing is not a job or a task. It is most definitely not the means of earning money.
The moment you start looking at creative writing as a job or a means of earning your livelihood, poof, the idea has gone. Writing should not be about a task or about something you do as a daily routine. Writing is something which is there to invigorate and revitalize the writer. It is the karma and the mantra which makes you tick. So stop looking at it like it's just another thing you do. The idea is to look at it as THE thing that you do.
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