Okay, so you have plenty of creative writing ideas – now what? For some people, getting ideas is the easy part and its the writing that can be a challenge. For others, the easy part is doing the writing but the ideas are slower to come. For me? My day could go either way. Sometimes the ideas flow and the writing comes easy. On other days I struggle with one or both of these things.
But in this article, I’ll just be discussing what to do once you get the ideas. If you need more tips on how to generate ideas or deal with writer’s block, just look around at the site and you’ll find plenty of tips.
What type of creative writing?
Creative writing comes in different forms. Once you have an idea you can either write a poem, short story, novel, screenplay, a screenplay or even a traditional play. If you have an idea this is the first thing that you’ll need to think about.
Now, when I come up with an idea I more often than not already know which genre it will fit best as. For example, I may come up with a good plot for a novel. Or I may have an idea for a poem that I want to write.
Other times, I can’t seem to decide what genre the idea will fit best as. For example, I came up with an idea a few months ago and I’m still trying to decide if it should be a screenplay or novel. Sometimes it’s easy to figure it out, sometimes it’s not.
If you’re on the fence about an idea, all I can say is don’t obsess too much about this step. Start working the idea in one genre. If it isn’t going well, consider trying the same idea in another genre. It may just be a matter of trial and error.
Getting it Down on Paper
Once you figure out what genre your piece will be, your next step is to write – to just work on the idea that you came up with. As I mentioned before, some days this may come easily. Some days it won’t.
One of the things that stops writers is fear. This really gets in the way and can prevent you from even starting. First, it helps if you understand that it is rare for writers to experience a stellar first draft. If your rough draft needs work, that’s okay – just work on it.
What really helps me is to set the timer. I set it for ten or fifteen minutes and promise myself that I will work on the idea for that time. It works. The timer somehow draws my attention to what I am writing and I am able to concentrate.
If that fails, try one of the writing exercises I’ve mentioned in previous posts.
Once you have the creative writing idea, all you need to do is start writing!
