Intro to Creative Writing with Sergio Cacciotti
There are many elements of writing that can be overwhelming for new writers. You may hear or read about things such as structure, character development, inciting incident, plot, the underlying theme, and a bunch of other rules. These are necessary and valid components of creative writing. Yet when beginning your journey as an artist, one of the most overlooked aspects of being a writer is believing in yourself.
Follow Your Bliss
It cannot be understated how imperative it is for new writers to have faith in themselves.
Joseph Campbell was a literature professor who wrote extensively on the subject of mythology and comparative religion. He writes about embracing the artist within you and how each individual is on their own path. We cannot judge or compare ourselves to others, if we believe in our hearts that we are an artist, then we need to be true to who we are. By being genuine to the path that we are on it will always lead us to where we are supposed to be. Joseph Campbell referred to this as “following your bliss”.
As a writer you will often be faced with an avalanche of doubt, this is only natural, but to rise above our insecurity is fundamental to creating a beautiful piece of art. With all that said, you first have to know the rules before you can break them.
Learn Your Craft
If you are passionate about writing you must have a strong desire to learn the craft of writing. Whether you are writing a play or a poem there is a formula involved. This is not absolute, there are certainly exceptions and art is never linear. Yet having a firm grasp on the foundations of creative writing can only strengthen your abilities as a writer. It is arrogant and intellectually lazy to just assume that your God-given talent will be enough for you to be a prolific writer without honing your craft. You have to understand the system of storytelling before you can manipulate the system. A writer who epitomizes this concept is Quentin Tarantino.
One of the most accomplished screenwriters of our generation, Quentin Tarantino is a master storyteller. He is obsessed with film making and screenwriting. His thirst for knowledge when it comes to screenwriting is unparalleled. His writing style is highly unconventional, it is rare to have a 250-page screenplay, yet he manages to get away with it. Not only has he been able to dictate his writing style onto Hollywood executives, but he is also ridiculously successful at it. How is he able to do this? He has mastered the craft of screenwriting. Few screenwriters can breakdown the intricacies of a screenplay like Tarantino. This is because he has a strong will to understand how films are written. He has spent years developing his own style of screenwriting.
Without having the drive or work ethic to learn your craft you will never grow as a writer. This leads to another factor that many new writers ignore. It is not enough to want to be a great writer. There is only one way to become a talented writer, practice, lots of it.
Create a Writing Schedule
There is no way to sugarcoat it if you want to be a writer you have to write. You should be writing every day. Whether writing a novel or in your journal, it is critical for any new writer to write as much as possible.
Writers are notorious procrastinators. How many times have you told yourself that today is the day you start your novel, only to find yourself sitting in front of your computer, staring into space and craving tacos. One way to combat this to put yourself on a writing schedule. In his book titled, On Writing; A Memoir of the Craft, Steven King explains that he has a daily quota of 2000 words. It doesn’t matter if it takes him ten hours or two hours to finish, he puts himself on a writing schedule and he sticks to it. By the end of the week, he has 30 pages written. At that pace you could have a novel written is two months. Writers who are just starting should start at a low word count and build from there. Even if you just start with a couple of hundred words a day, it will help you get into the habit of writing every day.
Write About What You Know
If you are just starting as a writer don't attempt to write an odyssey about the crusades of the 13th century. Endless you are an astute historian and expert on 13th-century religious crusades, just keep it simple in the beginning.
Write about what you know. Explore your own life experiences, things that have touched your heart, something that has inspired you to want to tell that story. Write about subjects that are close to you, that affect your life in a meaningful way. An example would be if you were raised by a single mother who worked two jobs just to put food on the table, you may write about the plight of poverty (underlying theme). This will give you a connection to the piece you are working on. It will aid you in flushing out ideas and developing characters. Most of all it will give you a foundation to build your writing skills.
By writing about what we are familiar with it reduces some of the anxiety that can come along with beginning a story. It allows us to be an expert on the topic we are writing about. For your story to be believable it has to be authentic. You need to know your characters as well as you know yourself. You have to be intimately involved with the story you are writing. This is the most direct way to bond with your readers.
If you are interested in writing a story that revolves around the American Revolution you are going to have to learn as much about that historical period as possible. A writer's best friend is other books. This brings me to my next tip for new writers. If you want to elevate your writing skills, become an avid reader.
Read As Much As Possible
When people ask me where I learned to write my answer is always the same, reading. I learned to write by immersing myself in books and plays. Reading other writers will help you to find your own voice and style. It will expand your imagination and open your mind to other possibilities and perspectives.
Professional athletes usually look up to other athletes who came before them. Kobe Bryant often spoke about how he spent countless hours studying Michel Jordan’s game. Bryant tried to emulate M.J because he was inspired by him. Actors go to the movies or theatre to watch other actors. Most actors have a story about when they watched a film with a particular actor and at that moment they knew they too wanted to be an actor. It's the same way with writers.
The reality is if you want to be a great writer you should be a voracious reader. If you do not read chances are you will become a mediocre writer who probably believes they are more talented than they really are. This brings me to my last piece of advice for new writers. Don’t be afraid to write something, read it, then crumple it up and throw it in the trash.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Don’t be so fucking hard on yourself. It’s perfectly acceptable when first starting out to write things that make no sense or just plain isn't good. Whether you like it or not, not everything you write will be Pulitzer worthy. Becoming a great writer takes time, it’s a journey. Do not strive for perfection when first starting as a creative writer. It’s ok to make mistakes.
Treat yourself with kindness, there is no need to stress yourself out. It is counterproductive to the creative process. To be in tone with your creative side it is best to be relaxed. This does not mean that your life isn’t filled with adversity and that you shouldn’t express the pain you feel, but if you cause yourself to much angst in regards to creative writing you will end up with writer's block.
When you take your first steps on your creative path as a writer, do it for the love of writing. Do it because the need in your soul is so great that you have no choice but to write. In the beginning, write with no expectation of rewards or accolades. Just start off writing because your heart tells you to. Maybe one of the best pieces of advice I can give to new writers is, no matter what happens to you in this crazy life, never, never, never give up on your dreams.
Read
Never Give up