How to rekindle your creativity and get into creative writing We’ve all heard about the benefits of writing for pleasure, or as a therapeutic practice, yet getting started can feel daunting. We share five ways you can get into creative writing right now Writing | Bonnie Evie Gifford
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t’s an old adage, yet it’s one that many of us secretly harbour: we’ve all got a book inside of us. “If only I had more time.” “Work’s too stressful to think about starting a personal project.” “I’m just waiting for inspiration to strike.” Before you know it, weeks, months, years have passed, all with nothing to show but that untapped feeling of “I could be creating something, if only…” Whether you’re new to creative writing, or have just fallen out of practice, we share five simple tips to help spark your creativity, prioritise your passions, and start writing.
1 EMBRACE COMMUNITY Writing communities are among some of the most welcoming and passionate places – you can make new friends, gain advice and guidance. Local writing groups often offer weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly sessions where you can write together, share your work, gain feedback, and even discover competitions worth entering. Some may even offer writing retreats or regular write-a-thons, where everyone can get together 44 • happiful.com • February 2020
and write with no distractions – just a supportive environment filled with encouragement. If you don’t have a group near you, or your confidence is holding you back, there are plenty of online communities for writers of all genres, styles, and experience levels. Facebook has many writing groups (both private and public), as do sites such as Tumblr and Reddit. Signing up is free and easy. There’s no need to feel pressured to share your work before you’re ready, but you can still pick up great tips from reading others’ creative works-in-progress.
2 TAKE UP A 30-DAY CHALLENGE You may not have heard of it, but each year thousands of writers around the world take on the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. Based around the idea of writing 50,000 words in just 30 days, the goal is to focus on getting a first draft done without getting caught up in editing, polishing, and restarting the bits that aren’t quite there yet, or that you’re struggling with. While the official NaNoWriMo takes place every November, many online writing groups and websites
offer 30-day prompts to help get you started. A great way of challenging you to write outside of your comfort zone, a prompt may include writing in a different genre, including a set theme, item, or setting. Books such as The FiveMinute Writer or The Write Stuff are filled with prompts, exercises, and inspirations to get you writing now, rather than waiting for that elusive ‘perfect idea’.
3 REDISCOVER YOUR LOVE OF READING If you’re ever stuck for inspiration, going back and reading your favourite book can help you remember why you love writing. ‘You can’t be a good writer without being a reader’ is something drilled into writing students throughout their time at uni, and it really holds true. How can you know what’s already been overdone within your preferred genre, if you don’t read? How can you keep pushing yourself to do your best, if you don’t have benchmarks to aim for? Reading can be an important part of the process – just make sure you don’t allow it to consume all of your precious time for creativity.
