Creative Writing Techniques

by TRACEY TRESSA



Creative writing is one of the easiest forms of literature. You can write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, basically anything goes. Anyone can learn to write creatively. However there are some creative writing techniques to keep in mind that will help make writing easier for you.


Some of the most important techniques for writing are; point of view, dialogue, flashbacks, foreshadowing, and description.

Point of view is important because you need to pick how you are relaying the story. Are you going to have a narrator? Who will it be? Will it be an omniscient character? Will you tell your story in third person, first person?

Before you begin to write your short story or novel, it's essential to establish who the main characters are and how the story will be relayed.

Most creative writing stories have dialogue. This is where one or more characters are needed. Think of using inner dialogue to convey your characters thoughts, and think of conversations that will help move your story along. It's smart to keep dialogue fast flowing and natural, and it needs to serve a purpose. If you just have talking to talk, the reader will quickly get bored.

Flashbacks are a great way to explain something in the past while keeping your story in the present. Flashbacks are usually used when something happened in the characters past that's important to the story. If it's not useful, don't mention it.

Foreshadowing is similar to flashback, but it deals with the future. Foreshadowing is used when you want to hint about something that may happen in the future. Many authors use subtle hints to keep the reader engaged and to hint at a certain outcome or event in the future.

The last important technique when creative writing is description. Description is needed to build the mood, setting and timeline. This technique is tricky because you need to know when it's too much description and not enough.

By mastering these writing techniques, your writing will be a lot more polished, and you may be closer to landing a publishing contract.

Good luck.