The only way to learn how to write is to write, and the more you write, the more you have to say. Ideally you want to have spaces--physical, temporal, emotional--in which you are able to engage in the process of writing. Such spaces will have an affect on your ability to write, on the kind of writing you do, and on your attitude toward your writing. Thus, the components of one's environment are important. Most writers agree that they work better without the intrusion of other people. Writing is a solitary business, and there is less a set formula or approach than with any other profession.
Some writers have specific techniques to initiate the process of writing and to overcome any blocks to the process. When you are not sure of what to write, reading can be an excellent stimulus. Although you may not write on the subject of the work, reading will help you generate ideas. Brainstorming is a technique by which you can generate ideas. Write a thought at the top of a sheet of paper, and list any word or phrase that comes to your mind. Set a time limit, and list the items as quickly as you can. All items are legitimate for your list because an allegedly bad idea can lead to a good one. Journal writing provides an opportunity to converse with yourself in your own language about what you have been experiencing. You pose questions, develop ideas, reflect on experiences, speculate and explore, and try to pinpoint confusions. Another method for generating ideas is to list the attributes a thing possesses. Number the items of your list. Then, ask what the uses or consequences of each attribute are. After you respond to your questions, you may want to expound the most promising response(s) in a focused freewrite. If you enjoy thinking visually, try mapping your thoughts. Begin by writing your thoughts as briefly as possible; a single word is best. Circle each thought, and draw three, four or five short lines from each circle. At the end of each line, place one of the journalistic questions (who, what, when, where, why and how), making a longer line for every answer to a question. Freewriting is a technique you may want to try when you have no ideas. According to Peter Elbow:
The idea is simply to write for ten minutes (later on, perhaps
fifteen or twenty). Don't stop for anything. Go quickly without
rushing. Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to
wonder what word or thought to use, or to think of a word or a
spelling, just use a squiggle or else write, "I can't think of it." Just
put down something. The easiest thing is just to put down
whatever is in your mind. If you get stuck [sic] it's fine to write
[sic] "I can't think of what to say, [sic] I can't think of what to say
[sic]" as many times as you want; or repeat the last word you
wrote over and over again; or anything else. The only
requirement is that you never stop.*
Focused freewriting provides the benefits of freewriting but with regard to a specific idea. Freely write for ten minutes; reread your work; and mark any words, phrases or sentences that seem important or useful. Then, freely write for ten more minutes--focusing on the words, phrases or sentences that you marked. To generate more specific information, repeat the technique.
The following list may help stimulate your creativity.
- Develop a character who never goes outside.
- Describe a scent that evokes a memory.
- Listen to instrumental music, and write about the images the music evokes.
- Write a dialogue between you and someone you want to date.
- Write about a physical movement.
- Have you ever been someplace where you felt you did not belong?
- Write about leaving a place you did not want to leave.
- You are eighty-eight years old. What occurred during your life?
- Write about the scent of someone you love.
- Tell a secret.
- Write about a color.
- Imitate another writer's style.
- Remember a dream you recently had, and record it as vividly as possible.
- Describe the most beautiful part of the human body.
- Write about a kitchen utensil.
- Create a complete wardrobe for a character.
- Write the opening visual directions for a film.
- Feel four different fabrics, and describe their textures.
- You are on an exploratory mission to another planet. Describe the planet to the mother ship.
- You drive a truck. Using stream-of-consciousness, describe a night of driving.
- Use water as a symbol in five different ways.
- Describe someone's yard.
- Describe a funeral from the point of view of the dead person.
- Using each sense, describe flat.
- Write about a reunion.
- Describe the inside of your car as it is now.
- Find duality in five things.
- Describe the worst way to die.
- List five oxymorons, and write about one of them.
- Describe the perfect meal.
- Write a poem with no fewer than ten a and m sounds.
- Write from the point of view of a character who is blind.
- Describe a first kiss.
- Define nausea.
- Is it better to be single or married?
- Explore the differences between men and women.
- Record everything you see, hear, smell, taste and feel for ten minutes.
- Describe the smiles of five different people.
- Write a poem that contains a paradox.
- Write about your worst haircut.
- Describe someone's medicine cabinet, and explain what it suggests about him or her.
- Create an immoral character.
- Write about flannel and silk.
- Use jewelry to describe a character.
Ultimately creative writing is a blend of memory, experience and imagination. One of your tasks is to choose details--sensory and objective, real and imaginary--that help you create a new reality. You want to present powerful, personal experiences and emotions that correspond to universal human experiences and emotions. Good writing is authentic--that is, true. When a work is true, it honestly reflects the thoughts and emotions of the writer. That does not mean the events are exactly as you experienced them; rather, the work contains truthful depictions of your experiences.
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*Peter Elbow
, Writing without Teachers, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford UP, 1998) 1.
