Creative Writing: A Beginner’s Guide to Get Started

• Nov 08, 2024
• 5 min read

• Tags: Fiction, Language, Writing Tips

Creative writing is like painting, but you use words instead of colors. The magic of creative writing makes words sound fun, angry, funny, witty, sad, happy, and much more. This blog explains the basics of creative writing to help you create magic with words. 

You’ll get to learn the meaning and types of creative writing with exciting examples. We’ve also given 3 useful creative writing exercises for you. So let’s dive into the vast ocean of creative writing! 

What is creative writing? 

Creative writing is like building a castle with words, creating a world where anything is possible. Any kind of writing, where imagination and literary devices (e.g. metaphor, simile ) are used is creative writing. 

This writing style is used to entertain, inspire, and open readers’ minds to new ideas. Using creative writing, you can create awesome imaginary characters, stories, and settings. 

Whether you want to create a villain that readers love or a hero readers hate, you can do it with creative writing! 

Need more clarity after this creative writing definition? Let’s see two interesting creative writing examples! 

She found the key beneath a stone,

Unlocking doors to worlds unknown.

Moonlight painted silver on the restless sea,

While roses and daisies danced in the breeze.

Did you see how these lines made the words sound more beautiful? Now can you think of silvery moonlight on the water? And those flowers moving in the wind? It’s like a mini-movie in your head. This is the magic of creative writing! 

You can also try writing creative lines like these for fun. This will help you practice creative writing. 

Now let’s explore the types of creative writing! 

Types of creative writing 

Simply put, there are two broad categories: creative fiction and creative nonfiction. Creative fiction includes novels, short stories, novellas, plays, poetry, and T.V. scripts. 

Let’s first start by briefly understanding types of creative fiction! 

1. Creative fiction 

a. Novels: These are long stories of 40,000 words or more. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Lord of the Rings,  Life of Pi, and Pride and Prejudice are famous examples of novels. 

b. Novellas: These are comparatively shorter stories of 17,500-40,000 words. The Little Prince, Animal Farm, The Old Man and the Sea 

c. Short stories: These are shorter and are usually between 1000-7500 words. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella, and Rapunzel are examples of famous short stories. 

d. Flash fiction: These are very short and are 750-1,500 words in length. As the North Wind Howled and Angels and Blue Berries are examples of flash fiction. 

e. Poems: A poem is a piece of writing that expresses thoughts in a creative and rhythmic way, focusing on how the words sound to the ears. While some poems are short (e.g. haiku), others are long (e.g. sonnet). 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Road Not Taken are examples of famous poems. 

f. Other forms: Microfiction, TV scripts, plays, and screenplay are other forms of creative fiction. While microfiction pieces are 300 words or less, TV scripts, plays, and screenplays are lengthier and have no fixed length. 

2. Creative non-fiction 

Creative nonfiction includes biographies, autobiographies, and writings that combine real experiences and fiction. Let’s quickly explore these types! 

1. Autobiographies and memoirs: These are personal accounts of the authors’ own lives, written by the authors themselves. They have no fixed word count. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is an example of an autobiography. 

2. Biographies: A biography is a story about a person written by another person, with the help of research, statements of other people, and interviews. They have no fixed length.  Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is an example of a biography. 

3. Other forms: Travel writing, food writing, nature writing, lyrical essays, personal essays, science writing, and sports writing also use creative writing. 

Useful creative writing tips for beginners 

The two simplest and most important tips are to read and write daily. Setting a fixed time to read and write is crucial. With this, you can follow the practical tips given below to enhance your writing: 

1. Start small: Begin with journaling, short stories, or simple poems before trying to write novels. 

2. Practice describing everyday objects: Try to describe what you see, touch, smell, hear, taste, and feel. 

3. Have fun with literary devices: Learn and use literary devices like simile, metaphor,  alliteration, personification, paradox, and more to make your writing interesting. 

4. Note down important details: Jot down anything interesting that strikes you (while reading or thinking)  that you can use later. 

5. Use the best writing tools: Additionally, you can also use book writing apps and software like Scrivener, Plotter, HemingwayEditor, ProWritingAid, and FocusWriter. Additionally, you can use writing prompt generators like Service Scape and Seventh Sanctum and setting generators like Donjon and Chaotic Shiny for inspiration. 

Three creative writing exercises for writers  

Following are three practical creative writing exercises: 

1. Make lists 

• • • Create a list of 20 words that come to your mind. Write a paragraph/poem/story, including one or two words. 
    • Make a list of interesting categories to get ideas for a story. For example, “Things I never wish I had said,” or “Ten funny incidents I remember”. 

2. Create a menu 

Choose a theme, story plot, or character to create a menu. You can use headings such as: 

• • • • • Starters: Jot down the important events that took place early in the protagonist’s life. 
        • Main course: Mention the essential events of the plot. 
        • Sides: Note down important secondary characters and events. 
        • Drinks: Write sentences to enhance the mood and atmosphere.
        • Special offers: Mention interesting plot twists in this section. 
        • Desserts: Write about the protagonist’s victory or a climax readers might enjoy. 

For an exciting sample menu, browse through the document given below! 

                                              The Adventure Menu

3. Give a story a different ending 

Pick a short story you really like, one that’s easy to remember. Now, change its ending!

Think about the part where the story changes direction, like when the hero faces a big challenge. What if something totally different happened after that point? Create a list of other possible events and change the ending. 

For this exercise, you can also choose a simple fairy tale.

For more practical strategies to enhance your writing, explore useful creative resources for authors! 

Ten amazing creative writing resources

The following are some of the best resources to enhance creative writing skills: 

1. Daily Writing Tips (blog) 

2. The Creative Penn (blog) 

3. The Write Life (blog) 

4. Writer’s Digest (website) 

5. The Write Practice (website) 

6. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (book) 

7. The Elements of Style by E.B. White (book) 

8. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King (book) 

9. Start With This (podcast) 

10. Write Now with Sarah Werner (podcast) 

Now you can start painting stories with the pen as your brush. Using the key elements of creative writing (imagination, literary devices, and writing techniques), you can craft unforgettable stories. 

However, don’t forget to add the finishing touches–editing. Remove all smudges (spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes) to create a polished, literary masterpiece. 

To edit a text you’ve worked so hard to craft, consider hiring PaperTrue’s editing and proofreading services. Your text deserves the best, and our editors will eliminate all language errors. 

Here are some useful resources for you: 

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Priya

Priya has a talent for academic research and enjoys simplifying complex topics. When she's not helping students improve their writing, she can be seen reading poetry, playing the harmonium, or learning classical dance.