10 ways to get writing

Creative writing is a richly rewarding way of expressing yourself, enabling you to turn the ideas in your head into stories on the page. With creative writing, you can transform your imaginative life into part of your daily existence. You can bring characters to life on the page and create the stories that entice readers into the worlds you’ve envisaged.

You can start now. Because creative writing begins with turning creative thinking into creative action. If you really want to write, you need to be invested in it. That means you need to commit to doing it regularly. We’ve thought a lot about how busy everyone is these days, and how that can get in the way of doing the things you really want to do. Your time is precious – but so is your writing! With this in mind, we’ve set out a series of steps that will enable you to find your flow and write your story.

Everything in this publication is here to encourage you, and offer tips to get your creative juices flowing. As you read on, you’ll find various tools, prompts and creative inspirations to get you started – and keep you writing.

THE FIRST STEPS

Welcome to your first stage in this writing journey!

If you’re a writer, there’s nothing more exciting (and yes, sometimes terrifying!) than a blank page. A page just waiting to be filled with your words.

All those stories, all those possibilities. How do you choose which one to write? How do you make a start?

With a new writing project, just like any creative project, that’s what you have to do. Make a start.

But how?

Sometimes it’s straightforward – you have an idea, it arrives fully formed, and you know what you want to write. Something has sparked your imagination and given you the urge to put words on paper. If that’s you, you’re lucky – a visit from the Muse with a fully-formed idea is something to celebrate.

The early stages of this kind of project, where you’re burning to get your ideas onto paper or a screen, and you can’t write them fast enough, are a joy. It’s what we all hope for. Getting off to a great start, the way ahead looks clear, and though there may be problems further along, that initial impetus to get words down can’t be beaten.

Beginnings are thrilling, but they can also be scary, and writing is no different from anything else. The main thing about starting something is that you’re setting out on a new journey – a new piece of writing. You might have a destination in mind, but you don’t know what kind of adventures you may have along the way.