Creative Writing Means Focusing Your Creativity - Here’s How
29 December 2006
When you think of creative writing, you may not think of focus. However, focus is essential to all writing, and the creative exercise is no different. Without focus, you’re wandering in a mire of tangents and rabbit trails that will leave your reader confused and frustrated.
Different writers achieve focus in different ways. Some focus their writing by creating detailed outlines of what they want to say. Others begin with a vague idea of where they want to end up. Others simply get an idea and start writing. All different techniques, all valid, and all offering their own challenges when it comes to focused writing.
I don’t know which method you prefer. Maybe you don’t even know. If you don’t, here are some tips to help you along.
1. If you work from an outline, then make it as detailed as possible and stick with it. Your focus may change during the writing; that happens. If so, rework your outline so you remain on track with the new focus of your writing.
2. If you start with a vague idea of your ending, or no idea at all, go with the flow. Then, you’ll have to go back and rid your writing of the inevitable digressions that have shown up along the way. It will be difficultno one likes to “kill their darlings,”but the end result will please you.
Finally, focus means using the correct words to convey your meaning. What does that mean? It means every word, every phrase and paragraph, must move your writing toward its objective. If you’re writing fiction, every word needs to move your plot forward. For an article, you need to use every word to support your main idea. For poetry, use every phrase to build your thought. So, if you remember nothing else, remember this: make every word count. Your readers will thank you.
Andrea’s writing background includes features, editorials, reviews, profiles, poetry and fiction. She was the winner of the MOTA short story contest in 2002 and received honorable mentions for fiction from Writer’s Journal magazine in 2002 and 2004. Find out more about Andrea and her writing at http://www.andreadisalvo.com
Tags: creative, creative writing, creativity, focus, focused, words, write, writer, writing, writing tips
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