Grammar Punk Blog

Creative writing does not have a specific structure, style, genre or composition. Neither do creative writing instructors. Some instructors might assign creative essays while others may assign different types of structure, including poetry, character sketches, letters to the editor, screenplays, monologues, and essays. What makes creative writing different from other types of writing is that the writer uses his/her imagination to expand the topic and make it interesting—and make it their own. Therefore, the first thing you will need to get started is imagination.

 Last week we talked about words; remember, it’s all about the words. The longest stories, novels, epics (think Dostoyevsky—anything by Dostoyevsky) began with one word. Words are the building blocks of, well, everything. And the words you choose are where you’ll begin. Words are the very best part of writing! But what are words to do without sentences into which they will fit themselves?

 You knew we had to talk about sentences next. Like words, the concept of sentences—certainly to a writer—may seem excessively simplistic. Deceptively so. A subtle, but very effective way to make your writing deadly and monotonous is by never varying sentence length. 

Long ones, short ones, medium sized ones; sentences do—and should—come in all lengths. This is not to say you should suddenly become self-conscious about it. Nothing kills creativity quicker than OCD-ing about it, just be aware.

 Check out your favorite authors; notice how they vary their sentence lengths. You may even find cause to throw in a fragment here and there (don’t tell anyone we said that.) Your ultimate goal is flow. Good writing should read effortlessly. Not as easy as it sounds. As any writer will tell you, good writing is hard work.

 Read it aloud. Once you get the hang of this varying sentence-length thing, the best way to ascertain whether or not it’s working is to read your efforts aloud. Does it sound choppy and contrived? Do you find yourself running out of breath before finishing a sentence? Adjust. Then do it again. And again.

 “As with all other aspects of the narrative art, you will improve with practice, but practice will never make you perfect. Why should it? What fun would that be?” —Stephen King