Different Types of Creative Writing to Try

What kind of writer are you?

Are you the kind of person that likes to write fiction stories, or are you more interested in non-fiction topics? Sometimes, creative writing seems so difficult because we aren't sure what kind of writing best suits us. Finding out what kind of writer you are is half the battle. Once you understand this, you will be able to identify what types of writing you are the best at.

If you are more of a non-fiction type, the idea of being creative with your writing may seem like a difficult task to undertake. If you are very good at poetry, you may be able to see things in a uniquely abstract way that resonates with others. Even if you have no clue what you are good at when it comes to writing, the good news is, you have many options when it comes to creative writing, and my advice is to try them all! You never know what you will be more drawn to until you try it out yourself. Below is a general list of some of the different types of creative writing you can practice on your own time to help get your creative juices flowing.

Creative Nonfiction:

This is one of my favorite types of writing, because there are so many different ways you can write creative non-fiction. There may be some of you out there who are partial to writing solely non-fiction stories as opposed to fiction stories. This is absolutely okay, and I’m here to tell you that there actually is a thing called creative non-fiction and it is awesome! Creative nonfiction paints a picture in the reader's mind, even though the writing might be about something true. For example, the descriptive language, say, about an article written about Mars, includes factual ideas and creative descriptions of the planet that match up to that. A lot of creative non-fiction is also deeply personal, and written a lot from that first person point of view.

Let's say you are writing for your blog and you want to talk about a trip that you took to the mountains. You are writing a nonfiction piece about your experiences, but you also get to add creative details into that story that will draw your reader’s attention to what you are writing about. Consider using the five senses, sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing to help you paint a vivid picture for your readers of what that experience was like. You might not always be writing in first person point of view, but even if you are writing about another person, you can take the time to give vivid descriptions of that person that your readers will remember.

Poetry:

Not everyone has a knack for poetry, but you don’t have to in order to start writing poetry. There are so many different types of poetry that you could write that the possibilities are absolutely endless. You don’t even have to rhyme anything if you don’t want to. Free verse poetry can be the easiest and most personal type of poetry to write. Try thinking about a topic: a shoe, the window, love, peace, war. Then, write everything that comes to mind when you think of that topic; jot down key words, adjectives, and phrases. Once you have written these down, put them in the order you would like, and you have a poem!

Poems are meant to be like bullet points, small lines of description given for a particular thing or topic. You can also think about poems as a “snapshot” of a scene, story, or picture. It doesn’t give all of the details that a story might, but it gives us enough to let us step into the scene with the writer. This is why many people like to write haiku poetry. Haikus are short poems of three lines that briefly describe a topic or object. This is also another type of poetry that might be easy to try for someone new to this kind of writing.

Freewriting:

Freewriting is a technique used to continuously write without stopping for a certain amount of time. If you are the type of person that feels like you are stuck, free writing might be something that you want to try. Here, you will be able to write down every single thought that comes into your head onto the page. Sometimes you will come up with some really cool stuff, other times, it will just seem like a cluster of random thoughts. What you choose to do with that information is where the creativity comes into play. Maybe you could form this into an article, or a story, or a poem. Get inspired just by looking at and really examining your mind. Free writing is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and to help you learn how to collect all of your ideas in one place.

Journaling:

Another form of writing that helps you brainstorm ideas is journaling. When you are journaling, usually, you are discussing a personal experience or connection that you have with something. If you consistently try to journal every single day, odds are that you might come up with something very interesting or creative one day. Perhaps you decide to extend this journal entry into something more. Journaling is one of the best ways to get started with creative writing if you feel that you won’t be successful with it. It will force you to come out of your shell a little bit and look at the world through your own lens.

Fiction:

Fiction stories can be some of the most wild, outlandish, and interesting things in the written language. You have total freedom to determine what your characters do, how they act, and what happens to them. Some good ways to get started with fiction writing are to immerse yourself in activities that force you to become the storyteller and creative individual. This is why a lot of people interested in writing fantasy tend to get involved with a lot of fantasy, such as playing some good old Dungeons and Dragons with their friends. They get to practice the art of storytelling, which only serves to further enhance their writing abilities. Consider ways that you can practice storytelling to help you come up with creative ideas. It also might be good just to observe someone else in a similar situation and see how they do.

It's All Up to You

Whatever type of writing you choose to try, remember, this is all about YOU. Don't force yourself to do anything you aren't comfortable with, and always remember to follow your heart. With the latest technology at our fingertips, new ideas and topics are being created every single day on the internet. There are so many things that you can choose from that the possibilities truly seem to be endless. Figure out what you want your goal with creative writing to be for the next month and try out some of these different types of writing. You may just find that one of these is your true calling in life, and I personally believe it's better to fail trying hard to do something than to just give up from the start! Give yourself the chance, and wonderful things will come your way.