Art of Creative Writing

Writing is an art and a medium of human communication representing language and emotion with signs and symbols. It is inherently a social act, as one writes to share his thoughts and feelings with others. As T.S. Eliot has said, "You write because you feel the need to free yourself of something." Writing serves as a vessel for expressing thoughts and emotions. I describe writing in my poem as:

Writing an Art
Writing an expression of my heart,
Writing a thought expressed in words,
Writing a path to get heard,
Writing a crafting of emotions,
Writing a way to keep my notions,
Writing to stay away from worry,
Writing to tell an untold story.

There are two types of writing: creative and non-creative. Non-creative writing deals with ideas, and its purpose is to inform, thereby widening our knowledge. On the other hand, creative writing is a spiritual activity. Its purpose is to reveal emotions and serve as an expression of our creative urge. A highly creative writer either meditates on concrete elements of the world or reflects on abstract thoughts like love and divinity. He pours out his feelings in his writing. Writing is not something that "Do It Yourself" books can teach. No one can teach another how to become a writer; only the technicalities can be taught. The art of creative writing comes from extensive reading and imaginative, analytical skills.

Anyone who aspires to be a writer must be an avid reader. Substantial reading improves the vocabulary of the writer and provides ready answers to questions that arise during the writing process. The subject of writing should occur to the writer spontaneously, either coming from within or as a sudden reaction to something encountered in the outside world. This is what inspires writing. One should not sit down to write with questions like, "What should I write?" The subject should be very clear to the writer before putting pen to paper. Moreover, the experiences we draw from life should not be transcribed verbatim, as this will result in mere fact-reporting. By using our creativity, we should enrich these experiences with additional details to make the work more interesting.

The act of writing is akin to giving birth to something. It should emerge organically after it is ripe enough and when it can no longer wait. One who wants to be a writer should begin with diary writing. A few months of consistent diary writing will give confidence to the writer to undertake more difficult types of writing. Writing literary works, whether fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or prose, is a task of imagination and creativity. To write these works, one must possess a sound imagination and a highly creative mind. Literary works require analysis of aspects like theme, plot, situations, characters, dialogue, etc. Visualization is a significant factor in creative writing, as we must have a clear picture in our minds of the entire work before beginning to write.

Clarity of thought and expression is essential for writing creative works. Precision is another quality to cultivate, both concerning our thoughts and the words we use to express them. The qualities that a person should develop to become a writer include an exhaustive reading habit, vivid imagination, an inquiring mind, and empathy by getting involved in the feelings of others. Cultivating these habits will enable budding creative writers to produce great works. There is a spark from within that erupts and motivates us to start writing. Four key factors that serve as this creative spark are reading, imitation and imagination, documenting experiences, and the environment that inspires us to begin writing. To be a creative writer, one should have a collection of words. As it is said, "Word is God," so we must use our words seriously and not waste them.

It is also important to build a close circle of creative writers and discerning readers who are on the same wavelength and can patiently read through the manuscript, offering honest and unbiased opinions. It is necessary to shed one's shyness and show one's work to others to receive constructive criticism. Developing these qualities and skills will help aspiring writers in their future endeavours.