Creative writing is any form of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry that is not technical in nature. Creative writing is known as free writing, the type where there are no rules or structure to follow. Creative writing can be found in novels, short stories, articles, poetry and even screen plays. Creative writing is a more of a contemporary style of writing than anything else. It represents anything that is an original work of writing. Creative writing is the medium that celebrates self expression. It enables you to express thoughts, opinions and ideas in any medium.
If you're new to creative writing you might want to start with something small to get a taste of it. By writing a short story you can get an idea of what's involved in creative writing. If you start with a novella or novel you'll probably quit before you finish it. Novellas and novels take a lot of passion and discipline to finish. In fact quite a lot of writers have trouble finishing long works of creative writing so many just stick to writing short stories or poetry. Novel writing can be very challenging and sometimes takes years to finish. Of course not everyone is able to write creatively. Some people don't do well with the freedom and lack of structure. Coming up with creative outlines, characters and plots that are interesting to your potential reader, is not an easy task. But once you do finish a novel or short story, and it's complete, the feeling you get is amazing.
Grade school teaches you the basics of creative writing. But if you're really looking into the subject colleges and universities are where the knowledge is at. They offer courses in different areas and give you the special one-on-one attention you may need. They also show you different genres of writing and you learn what types you enjoy to write about.
Using story starters or writing prompts is another way to get ideas for stories that will take you places you've never expected.
Trying to get published in the creative writing industry is very competitive. Unless you are the hit of the moment, getting published by a large publishing agency is not easy and sometimes takes years. In fact many writers are published only after many attempts and many rejection letters later. In any case, if creative writing is your passion, practice makes perfect. The more you write the more you improve, and same goes for reading.
