My Musings on Creativity and Critque

I know what it's like, to live without knowing where I'm going. I wonder when I'm going to get there and how. I wonder what I will wear and how I'll make up for any time I lose along the way. I wonder the age old question, what is the meaning of life? I seek to find answers though I know I may never find them. I often begin a story by making something up. However, part of my transformation into the adulthood of writing has included the loss of imagination for the cold, hard, and ever concrete evidence. This is how I know I've spent way too much time writing in schools. I haven't lost my creativity, it is just buried away. Hiding.

I believe that when one starts to talk about their writing, they get an idea of what it is to others. The process becomes something that others make their own. When one talks about her own writing to a group of other people she can determine their reactions and if critique is asked for it will surely be received. One thing people never have a problem doing is stating their own opinion.

Ka-pow Words

Words are a powerful thing. Anyone who has gotten into a heated debate will know that. You may have noticed that you use words that are more powerful and persuasive. Words with ka-pow in them. So writing could be considered a recipe that you add spice to. The more spice the less bland the outcome of the recipe is.

If you find your writing is heading towards dull then break out the thesaurus or one of my favorite resources, www.merriam-webster.com with its online thesaurus. Search for words that are unique, but be careful of words that are never used anymore, are jargon, or are necessary as they are. Words with ka-pow could easily be the descriptive words that you have in your writing. Simply enough, instead of happy, use ecstatic or joyful depending on if it fits in the sentence.

Certain genres have the advantage over others when using ka-pow words. While journalistic writing has strength in its concise sentences and strong organization, press release writing, or review writing, can benefit from ka-pow words. You may have noticed that, when writing a review of a product or service, there are plenty of strong words that make that product stand out. When writing about strawberry shampoo, talk about all the sensory details, not just sight, and use words other than sweet or red. With the right ka-pow words, you'll find your that your writing will be even stronger and detailed.

Finding Your Voice

Finding a voice is one of the most important aspects that young writers learn to develop. Often, writing with a journal or writing letters to a friend will help with developing voice. Does your writing take on a friendly tone? Or is it reserved and intelligent?

Start by not thinking about what you're writing too hard. Write in a journal about your personal story, views, and beliefs. From there, review your writing. Is it sarcastic? Humorous? But most importantly, is it you?

Continue to write with different tones, sentence forms, and words. All of them add up like pennies in a jar to make your paragraphs flow with a unique, curious voice. You may find that your paragraphs are short and full of action words. Or that your writing takes on a reflective and laid back tone.

In any case, if your not happy with the way your voice is sounding ask yourself a couple questions. What about the writing don't you like? What words would your friends use to describe you? What can you do to incorporate those descriptions into your writing? If your friends describe you as a romantic then go ahead and write that opinion article with some lovely, serene words and tone. Even if you later edit and don't use those sentences, you at least have them out on paper and in your voice.

Welcome

Welcome to blog postings about writing as written by a college student. Here you will find the innermost musings of a writer on the craft of writing. An easy to read blog about personalizing the craft of writing and mastery of technique without losing creativity.