You can find several online workshops and a lot of free material to study creative writing, but what does it mean to improve your creative writing?
Grow Your Creative Writing Skills
Becoming a writer means being creative enough to find the time and the place in your life for writing.
~Heather Sellers
If you intend to become a published author, developing your creatives skills is a must.
Of course, the best thing would be to have a community of writers to exchange information with. Therefore, most courses, even online, offer different platforms for you to interact with other writers, such as forums and Facebook groups.
So why, with so much content available, are so many writers still not taking Creative Writing courses?
If you are one of these, here is a list of reasons to start taking creative writing courses.
1 – Creative environments will encourage you to write more.
It is the main reason to join writing courses, in my opinion. If you plan to go to classes and do the proposed exercises, you will write more than usual. That alone is worth the investment, isn’t it? But the many advantages do not stop there.
2 – You will learn new planning techniques
Yes, many writers work in the “gardener” mode. They start writing and change their projects throughout the writing, but learning to plan is important for everyone. After all, planning can help you better deal with the infamous writing block. Besides, different forms of planning give you different points of view about their stories and have a lot to contribute to your personal creative process.
3 -You will learn new writing techniques
Everyone lives, one way or the other, on a bubble, and in terms of writing and creativity, this is no different. You may not yet know writers you will love and techniques that will help you create even more compelling stories.
The workshops can help you get out of that literary bubble a bit and get in touch with stories and styles you would never have known.
4 – You will meet new literary genres
In the most complete workshops, you will come into contact with different literary genres. Perhaps, you will end up discovering a new area of writing with which you identify. I, for example, always liked writing short stories more. Still, participating in writing workshops, I realized that I need not be afraid of the long narrative and love to write chronicles. I did not abandon the stories, but I was able to start other projects in parallel to writing more and more.
5 – Creative Writing courses will help you to develop your own narrative voice, your author’s voice.
We are often influenced by some of our favorite writers. There is nothing wrong with that. It is part of the writer’s ongoing learning process. However, in the workshops, with exchanging with colleagues and teachers, you will realize what is yours. You will be able to identify what you borrowed from your references and will be able to determine what makes you unique. This is an important step in your writing journey.
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
~Scott Adams
6 – You will learn to deal with criticism (with baby steps)
At some point during the workshops, you will be asked to write and share your texts with colleagues so that they can give an opinion on your writings. This is a time of great learning. You will hear a lot of criticism – constructive, we hope. It is imperative to learn how to deal with them and evolve as a writer.
Having a group analyzing your manuscript is remarkably enjoyable to know what works and what doesn’t. At what points did you achieve your goals with the text, and what do you need to improve. Do not be afraid to share your writing with others who are also developing as writers. These exchanges are incredible and full of learning.
7 – You will build a community of fellow writers around you.
It is one of the most important elements for the growth of any author for several reasons:
First, because you will end up finding people qualified to give you critical opinions about your writings. Second, because, in general, the authors help each other in the dissemination of content, promoting, sharing, and taking part in literary events and launches. If you want to launch yourself as an author, it is essential to be among your peers.
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