By: Kathryn Chang '22
Everyone has the desire to create. For some people, creative desire can require your hands to work or your body to move. For others, forms of creative expression can come verbally or orthographically. Most people find one main form of expression and pursue it intently, but unconsciously become close-minded to other exhibitions of creative drive.
Writing, as we know, comes in many forms. There are a plethora of reasons someone can be afraid to explore this field. Often the form of writing we learn imposes a pattern or structure that is too rigid for a majority of students. Creative writing is a craft not credited enough in academia. The biggest issue–-- flexibility in writing– is simply taught, not cultivated.
As a result, we stray away from writing outside academic settings. I’m here to share with you five ways for you to assess if writing is a passion you have left unexplored.
Do NOT designate a time and place to write.
No, the “not” was an accident. I’ve thought long and hard about this statement, especially because the language is so absolute. While this might not make sense to people who thrive off routine, it’s important to give ourselves flexibility where we can. Setting a time and place to write may teach good habits, but it does not cultivate creativity.
Humans naturally go where they feel most inspired, so it's important to plant that seed where we can nourish it. In short, write when you feel inspired–-- by your environment, a person, an object, or a feeling. Do not confine yourself to only feel or channel these ideas in the space you’ve designed for it.
Do not wait to verbalize or write down your thoughts
… or emotions. Sometimes we feel like we have to bottle our emotions or push aside our ideas during the day so we can concentrate on getting through the day. You can do both.
It only takes two minutes to scribble down what you’re feeling or thinking. The emotions you’re suppressing or ignoring may revisit you, so chances are you’ll continue to think about them until they’re addressed. You can always go back to what you wrote later, when you do have time to expand or deepen that train of thought. We think over 6,000 thoughts a day–-- surely there are a few you want to remember.
Do not place yourself in a box.
“I’m not an English person”. “Writing is not my thing”. “Words don’t come to me easily”. Don’t categorize where you do not need to! You can excel in two or more areas most people would consider as the “adversary” of one anotherother (ie, journalism and engineering).
When we compartmentalize our thoughts, we separate those thought processes and emotions from our being. If we think of ourselves as independent from our thoughts, it is easy to fall out of touch with our mind.
We should be familiar with how we think, how we analyze, how we reflect, and how we remember. You cannot do any of that if you continue to separate yourself from your ideas.
For example, if you don’t think of yourself as “yourself” in school because you’re more serious or more observant, perhaps you’re neglecting a crucial part of who you are. Exploring this can mean redefining your abilities not by what you’ve been told all your life, but by what you want to know more of.
Do not claim a singular writing style.
DO NOT STRUCTURE YOUR WRITING… if you do not want to. If you are writing outside an academic setting, writing within a structure can make it hard for you to say what you want to say, the way you want to say it. If you think you write really good research papers, you might be inclined to follow a formal tone, formulating your sentences so that they are unbiased and emotionless. Or vice versa;, if you only informally journal, you may naturally only write in bullet points or half sentences. Whichever writing style you want to explore more of, remind yourself that you are allowed to write outside the structure you’re used to.
Experiment.
To emphasize the importance of expanding your writing style, be open to experimentation! The best example I can think of is when I was a lowerclassmen and had to write a haiku. Personally, I’m a free verse girl, but writing the haiku allowed me to refine my free verse poems to say a lot in very little. I learned to write about fleeting moments as if they were timeless, and that is now an identifier of my poetic writing style.
Part of the experimentation is also writing without an agenda. With Ms. Kane, I devised three registers of writing: logical, conversational, and emotional. Of course, there are a plethora of language registers your writing can encompass, but these three function as the umbrella for other tones. All three can be used in both formal and informal writing.
Logical writing can discuss emotion in a practical way, and emotional writing can be expressed in a conversational manner. There is no such thing as a memoir only being narrative, the same way fiction can be both anti-trope and archetypal. Poetry is not always highly emotional, and non-fiction is not always historical or technical.
When we think of specific kinds of writing fitting one description, we are subsciously keeping ourselves from a world of creative direction. You create the boundaries of your writing, most especially if it is informal.
Generally, you write for two people. The first time you draft, you are writing for yourself. The edit, if needed, should consider your audience. You get to decide who your writing is for, and to what extent it should be left either ambiguous or expository.
Something else to consider that is not related to the actual writing is the space you’re writing in. This IS romanticizing your life–-- lighting a candle, making a Nnespresso, dimming the lights. This can be extremely helpful if you feel uninspired. An addendum:- if you don’t usually read, pick up a book under a genre you haven’t fully given a chance to. Diversifying what is occupying the space in both your home and your mind can reignite creative thought.
As of right now, my thoughts flow most naturally on my Macbook. Sometimes I process best writing on a yellow legal pad, and other times on pieces of scrap paper. Next time you write, try a different medium, time of day, or style. I promise, there are so many ways for you to approach and transcend orthodox ways of writing–-- you just have to find the exhibition of creative drive that works for you!
Edited by: Ms. Brilliant
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