Creative Writing courses

If you have the chance sign up for a creative writing course. You'll always learn something new and exciting. At one creative writing course I attended we were instructed to write a page and a half story. The following week instead of handing in our stories we were instructed to rewrite the story, getting it down to a half page, without changing the emphasis or the point of the story. It seemed an impossible task. I had worked very hard at getting the story to fit onto the page and a half. But somehow I managed and returned the following week with the same story on only a half page. Actually I was amazed at how the quality of my story had improved. There were fewer words but they were more action packed. And the instructor did not stop there. Again we were told to cut the story in half and again after that. I wouldn't have believed it was possible. My story, that had started out as a page and a half, was now down to two sentences. Obviously it was no longer a story, but those two sentences were the most powerful words I had ever written. It was a lesson I have never forgotten--a lesson on tightening a story--telling it with the least amount of words yet dripping with action and emotion.

At another class I attended everyone was asked to start writing and not to stop until we were told to do so. We were to write without pause and on whatever topic we wanted to write on. And periodically the instructor would interrupt and tell us to change our topic. No matter what we were writing, we were to start writing about something else, never raising the pencil from the paper, never stopping to pause or think of what to say. It sounded ridiculous but we all did as we were told. She then asked each of us to read what we had written. It was most interesting. All the readings were interesting. Our minds had no trouble jumping from one topic to another. In fact the abrupt changes didn't seem abrupt at all--more like they were intended to build interest. And that's the point she was making. For the reader to be captivated by your story it should include unexpected happenings and bumps in the road.

I enjoy the variety of people who attend creative writing classes--both young and old. Their interests are so diversified. It never fails to get my creative juices flowing.