Creative Writing Tips

How many times have you read articles on how to become a better writer? We read and highlight all the pertinent information and then we practice. After studying another writer's style we may strengthen our mechanical skills, but we lose something along the way. We can sometimes lose our voice, what makes us unique and allows us to captivate, engage and stun our audience. What happens next is common, we write a decent article or story, but it lacks personality.

Writing is not a 12 step program or so complicated that one needs to study the works of Edgar Allan Poe to understand the how, what and where of prose. Writing is already a part of you. Your desire to write is your first indication that you have talent. Your talent resides in your imagination, your dreams and your life experiences. Your talent comes with a unique voice, all your own. The sooner you grasp this concept, that your voice is what brings the words to life, the sooner you'll be on your way to a rewarding career in writing.

To become a more effective writer, you must not take yourself or your project too seriously, that is gather and fact check, but remember that your unique take on a situation is what will separate you from everyone else. Let your emotions and imagination drive the story.

Often when a topic grabs my interest and I feel it is something I can work with, I go into my office, shut the door, put in the ear buds and listen to my favorite music. I close my eyes and think about what I want to say and more times than not the words flood my brain so fast, I can hardly keep up. Raw emotions and random thoughts morph into a truly good story. This is my inner voice. I allow it to occupy my mind; I concentrate on it and let my fingers do the rest.

Remember when you were a child? You could make fun out of the most mundane of tasks. Weeding the garden could be dull but you imagined that the bugs residing in the plants had their own perfect bug world. Lady bugs ran the country store and handed out candy to the newborn gnats. May flies led the school band pounding and banging their drums. The fire ants lined up in rows and marched through the town center.

The great thing about imagination is that it doesn't age; it just lies dormant for a time until we wake it up. Wake up your imagination and let your mind wander, you'll be amazed at what you have to say, and shocked at how well you said it.