Hello everyone. Whether you’re a CLL student or an online visitor, welcome to the first session of our free online creative writing course. Over the next eight sessions we will be looking at different aspects of creative writing and trying our hand at various forms. I’d strongly encourage you to have a go at the exercises along the way, and please feel free to leave comments or ask questions at the end. And now, without further ado…
Creativity and Art
What is creativity? The Collins dictionary defines it as ‘the ability to cause something to exist’. Without getting into too much of an existential discussion, I would say that with every thought that is expressed, something has been created. It was Descarte who said: ‘I think, therefore I am’; well I would add, ‘I think, therefore I create’ (do you feel a God complex coming on?). But how do we express our thoughts? Sometimes we do it verbally, other times by body language and still again through what is loosely termed ‘art’.
Art takes place when a thought is expressed and fixed in a way that other people may experience it on an aesthetic level – through music, writing, painting, sculpture, choreography and so on. Many artists say that their best work takes place when they ‘by-pass’ the thought and simply express the feeling. This may be true, but for writers, who use a verbal medium, a feeling must first be converted into a thought before it can be put into words. Don’t over analyse the thought before you express it, as this way you can ‘channel’ the purest interpretation of the feeling, but some cognitive process needs to take place. Some writers prefer to mull over a thought and give it form before they put pen to paper – I’m one of them – but it’s good practice to try and switch off the ‘editor’ at least for the first draft. First response trigger exercises are useful in this regard and can release some unexpected words and images.
Exercise 1:
Write down your first response to these words or phrases:
- Blue ball
- And that’s when the sadness came
- Coffee
The first task of a good writer is to convert feelings into thoughts and then into words. This is the raw material that can then be converted into something more permanent. Some writers refuse to toy with their first drafts, believing their creativity will be diluted; I disagree. Allowing your critical mind to improve a piece of writing is where the craftsman meets the artist. Something produced only by the former will lack soul and something by the latter will lack form. Good writing is a combination of art and craft.
For public consumption
Art, of course, is highly subjective and one woman’s masterpiece is another woman’s unmade bed. We all have the ability to create, but whether or not our creation is ‘art’ must be left to the eye or ear of the beholder.
In this session we will look at how you can craft those creative thoughts into creative writing to share with other people. And that’s what sets ‘public’ writing apart from ‘private’ scribblings – there’s a perceived readership in mind. When I ramble on in my journal, I am the only one who will read it (hopefully!) so my only concern is getting my thoughts down on paper. The moment I want someone else to read it I begin to consider ways to improve the presentation and craft it into something more aesthetically pleasing. I consider which words may sound more colourful, whether or not my sentence structure is grammatically correct, whether I’m using evocative imagery, and so on.
Story, feeling or image?
What is it about those creative thoughts that you think might be of interest to other people? Do they speak of an eternal truth or a common experience? Do they make you laugh or cry? Do they suggest a story that will entertain or a poem that captures a moment that must be shared?
Exercise 2: In 50 words or less write down why you want to write then list three creative thoughts that you’ve had lately (each 10 words or less). These may be an image, a musing, a ‘truth’, a story, or so on. If you haven’t had any, take yourself for a walk and look around; what grabs your imagination? Browse through a newspaper or a magazine; do any stories or pictures catch your attention? Think back over your day; did anything funny, charming, shocking or unusual happen to you or someone you know?
Poetry or prose?
Some people are more suited to writing poetry than prose and some people do well at both. Although we won’t be discussing it in this course, other people are more suited to script. I’m one of them. I’ve had relative success as a prose writer and in fact have managed to earn a living from it, but it’s taken years of hard work to get to this point. I recently branched out into scriptwriting and found that I had much more of a natural ability. (If you’re interested in finding out more about scriptwriting, check out getting started in playwrighting). You may find that you’ve been trying to make it as a poet when actually you’re more suited to prose. Now I don’t want to pigeonhole anyone, but ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you more attracted to films than stills?
- Do you enjoy telling people ’stories’ from your life?
- Do you prefer to read stories or poems?
If yes, to these, then you may be more suited to prose than poetry. If no, then the opposite may be true. If it’s ’sometimes yes, sometimes no’ then perhaps you are suited to both. We shall be looking at how to write poems in more detail in session 7, but suffice to say, a poem is like a snapshot of a moment. If you can’t rest until you know what happened before and after, then prose may be your genre.
Exercise 3: Take one of the three creative thoughts you wrote down in Exercise 2, then list 20 separate words that communicate or describe that thought. Do not, at this stage, link the words into sentences. Once you have your 20 words use them in a poem of 16 lines or less. Then, take the same 20 words and work them into a short story of under 300 words. Which exercise came more easily? Which form has best communicted your creative thought?
Further Resources:
There are some excellent resources out there for creative writers. To get quick ’starter’ images when your own well is dry I recommend The Writer’s Block by Jason Rekulak. I’m currently working through The Creative Writing Coursebook by Julia Bell and Paul Magrs and finding it very useful.
The next creative writing course session is how to write a short story. But before you move on to that, please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question in the box below.
Welcome to The Crafty Writer's free online creative writing course, presented by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. I hope that you'll see a dramatic improvement in the quality of your writing as you work through this course.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Hi Fiona,
I tried your exercises and was amazed at how easily the poetry came to me. I have always loved poetry but have never tried to write any. I think I had an idea in my head that it was too difficult or too clever for me to attempt.
It may not be any good but it seemed to say so much more than my short story did. It was hard to get across what I wanted to say in the story form within the 300 word limit.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Hi Soo,
I used to feel that way about poetry too – only the cleverest of writers could do it. Well, maybe only the cleverest of writers are very good at it, but I, like you, was impressed at what came out of me when I gave myself permission to try. With my class on Wednesday I challenged them to retry the exercise (with another creative thought or image) but this time write the prose first and see how it impacted upon the poetry. One of my students said that the poetry exercise helped her find the internal voice of the character she was working on, and the prose helped her discover the plot. Give it a go and let me know what happens.
September 30th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Hello Fiona
I’ve just worked through the exercises in this first lesson and found it quite interesting to need to write to someone else’s guidelines to rather than just whatever I choose. I’ve not been there since I left school!
My conclusions are that I use real incidents as starters as the Blue Ball triggered a memory of one I’d seen under a bush in the garden this afternoon, but soon moved on to the fun my grandsons might have with it when they next come to visit. Also that I’m never satisfied with my 1st draught of anything, and that I write prose and not poetry from choice. The nearest I have ever come to poetry is rendering some of the Psalms into blank verse (representing a non-expert translation into English from another language), some of which I think are not bad.
Thanks for providing the course for free. I look forward to the next part.
Andrew
October 1st, 2007 at 8:24 am
Hello Andrew. I wonder if it’s the real incident or the visual image that triggered your response (or a bit of both). I tend to write from strong visual images too. The other two examples were less visual. We will be looking at prose for the next few weeks but will have another session on poetry later in the course. Perhaps you might surprise yourself. This Wednesday we’ll have a look at the short story. Thanks for visiting and I hope you continue to benefit from the course.
Fiona
October 1st, 2007 at 6:25 pm
I found that by writing the prose first, I could concentrate on the images before me, rather than the story behind the image. It was as if I could give myself the go-ahead to let the words spill out! Thanks fi, see you on wednesday.
love tammy
xxxx
October 1st, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Very interesting result. For visitors wondering what Tammy was referring to, I asked her to write a poem of an image first then prose, then, with another image, reverse the process and see how it impacted upon her writing. I know Tammy’s writing from previous courses and I can tell you that she’s a born storyteller. Sometimes that can get in the way of just focusing on the moment; with this exercise she seems to have got the story ‘out of her’ so that she can relax into the image. Tammy, I saw your other post and will look at it properly tomorrow. Hope your cold’s better.
Fiona
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Hi Fiona, One week late!! I thoroughly enjoyed the first session of the course and was very surprised with all the postive encouragement. This week was not good for me, I felt “brain-dead” and without a creative thought in my head. My problem, nothing to do with the class. Work stress and tiredness, my apologies for a) being late & b)lack of input on my part! Hope my creative juices are working for next week. See you next week. Thankyou, Marge.
October 4th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Brain dead or not you still had some positive things to say. See you next week.
October 4th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Excellent exercises, Fiona. They only confirmed that I prefer writing poetry, but will persevere with trying to write short stories. Thank you.
October 4th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Glad you got something out of it, Verica. I firmly believe that poetic writing can only benefit your prose. It helps you to hone in on the essence of a moment and encourages you to write with all your senses. Even in prose it is good to consider the sound and rhythm of a sentence. So use the tools you’ve got. We’ll be looking at using poetic techniques in prose later in the course. I hope you enjoy the next short story session.
August 28th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I have just run across your course, apparently a year too late. Will these be a new one coming out or should I just follow this one for now.
Thanks,
John Bennett
August 29th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Hi John,
This course ran ‘live’ last year. But it has been so popular that I left it on the site. People are working through it all the time, so just click on the first session and get started! If you have any queries or comments just shout!
Happy writing,
Fiona
November 27th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I am so enthusiastic to try your strategy in teaching writing. Yet, i hope that i teach in those schools that encourage language learning;it is a long story because it is related to the whole schooling system. but better than nothing. i am aspiring to make a difference even though change is difficult and gradual.
Thank you
November 27th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
YOu’re most welcome, Soha. I developed my teaching style by simply asking myself two questions:
1. What would I have liked someone else to have taught me?
2. How would I have liked them to teach it?
Ask yourself those two questions and your teaching style and strategy will flow naturally and be true to who you are.
Good luck,
Fiona
January 31st, 2009 at 6:18 am
Last exercise I struggled and struggled with the poem. It took longer than the prose. But, I only went through 1/2 the prose because I checked the word count…640 words before I knew it. What does that mean? I’m not a poet nor a short story writer..ugh!
January 31st, 2009 at 11:07 am
Don’t get too disheartened after one exercise, Jamie. 300 words is what’s known as micro-fiction and is quite hard to do. I set the 300 word limit so that you would write something comparable in length to the poem – that would make it easier to compare them. The fact that you naturally wrote longer, tells me you may be more inclined towards short stories which can be anything up to 6000 words! I was hoping you would discover that you were more naturally inclined towards writing in a prose style or poetry style / structure than the length of the piece.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:19 am
Well, I did re-write the ‘micro-fiction’ before reading your response. Which I am glad I did. It was extremely difficult to trim it down. (The poem was better!) Thank you for the explanation, I will continue to move forward.
February 2nd, 2009 at 11:31 am
Onwards and upwards, Jamie!
February 17th, 2009 at 3:32 am
Dear Fiona,
I tried writing the microfiction. I only have 112 words. Is that long enough? It described the whole event. It came easir than the poem. Although I do write poetry. I really enjoyed learning the importance of revision. I do not revise very often. I had a long standing aversion to it. Thank you for these lessons.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Hi Lynda. How long is a piece of string? If you covered the whole event, then that’s fine. But if you do have spare words to play with, why not use them? Go back over it and see if there is anything you can flesh out. But don’t pad for padding’s sake.
Glad you’re enjoying the course,
Fiona
February 27th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Dear Teacher,
once i was done with exercise 2 i was too excited to write to you and so i did through your ”contact me” section, only to realize later that i couldve sent a feedback here too. Well also i didnt know that a harder exercise was yet to come, the one that has led me to believe that i am a pathetic poet even though in my real life ive tried writing poems more often than i have struggled with short stories.
I finished my story in 10 minutes with my brain been able to write the whole idea in just 250 words.With poem ( i dont even know if its worth calling a poem) i had a tough time.
Over all i enjoyed it , i loved the fact that i struggled and worked hard and im upbeat for the exercises to come.
Thanks
Regards!
Sofia
February 27th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I’m sure you’re not a pathetic poet Sofia! Sometimes one form of writing comes more easily to us, that’s all. By the way, I’ve replied to your first email: check your in-box. Good luck with the rest of the course.
March 6th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I am so glad I chanced upon this page. I am doing the exercises and enjoying them. I am doing a bit of writing now but that’s without any proper learning, just my own outpourings. Maybe I can improve upon it by going through these exercises.
Thank you so much.
March 6th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Dear Shail, you’re most welcome. I hope your writing will develop as a result of doing the course. Just work through the sessions listed at the top of this page at your own leisure. There is no enrolment form to fill in. If you would like feedback on any of the exercises, please contact me. I charge ?5 per excercise payable by paypal. But you don’t have to get the feedback and can just work through the course on your own for free
Happy writing,
Fiona
March 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Dear Shail, you’re most welcome. I hope your writing will develop as a result of doing the course. If you would like feedback on any of the exercises, please contact me. I charge ?5 per excercise payable by paypal. But you don’t have to get the feedback and can just work through the course on your own for free
Happy writing,
Fiona
March 7th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Hi there,
Lol and I dunno if it’s a coincidence or not but one of the words in the first exercise evoked such a strong and lasting image in my mind that I ended up building a whole story around it!
Wow, those exercises were really very helpful! At first the poetry seemed overly dramatic and the prose really drab but when I took the elements of the poem and rewrote it as prose it transformed into a pretty decent piece
I guess I never really looked at writing from this point of view. To me it only involved sitting in front of the computer screen and forcing yourself to type out stuff, but doing all the exercises you mentioned was very different… and very interesting too
Thanks a lot for that!
And thanks for making it free too
I’m really looking forward to going through the entire course.
March 8th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Thanks for saying thanks, Charvi! You’re exactly the type of writer I hoped to encourage with this course. And that you got a whole story out of it is awesome. Happy writing,
Fiona
March 16th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
hi fiona, i have just tonight found your site. it’s amazing! i’ve been looking for something like this for ages. i am however a little confused. it’s pretty typical for me. lol. am i meant to do one section a week? i’ve done level one, well exercises 1,2 and 3 tonight. then read again and think i’ve done it too quick. i’ve been so long just being ‘mum’ and not really using my brain, it’s being a bit greedy now. lol. do i have to wait until next week to do 2 or can i go ahead with it? say tomorrow? sorry if this is a stupid question.
sally.
March 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am
You can do it whenever you like, Sally! The first course we ran was done in ‘real time’ – about 18 months ago. But now it’s up permanently and you can work through it in your own time. Ignore references to next week! Happy Writing.
Fiona
March 18th, 2009 at 12:04 am
thanks. lol. just wasn’t too sure. i’m getting so into it. thank you,
sally. x
April 11th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Hi,
I have just completed your first course. I enjoyed writing the poem, it took an hour and I felt it was completed. I also enjoyed the story but went totally off on a tangant. I didn’t use the words just the theme and feel I could just keep on writing. Am I supposed to e mail my writing to you or just work through the tasks? Thanks.
Heather x
April 12th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Sorry, I have just read through your replies to other students. I would like you to look at my poem, which I like, and my short story (I think the end needs work.) I went back and rewrote task 2 and kept it within the 300 word limit and am pleased with that. I believe it is ?5 each for comments, via pay pal. Do I just e amil them to you.
PS I really enjoyed all of the tasks. Thank you for this free service. I was keen to join a writing class but the weekly commitment and my lack of income with a new baby at home stopped me.
Heather x
April 14th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Hi Heather. By all means send your material to me, but be aware that I charge for everything I look at. Please see the services link at the top of the page for my rates.
Fiona
June 17th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Hello,
I am a woman on disability and I am trying to change my life. I want to write a christian book and I am taking bible study on the internet so that I can do this,
but I don’t even know how to get started.
I am tired of gettin nowhere in life and just existing from one day to the next.
I was wondering where the free course was I didn’t see a place for signing up
I hope you can help me.
sincerely,
Patti Callahan
July 6th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
hi fiona,,
i am a first time writer and was glad that i “bumped” in to your free creative writing online course. i love to write childrens and short stories but i dont know how and where to start and when some ideas come to my head i feel like writing about them and later i feel that they sound so silly..
some of the other courses i looked through their cost is very high since i am not in uk,when i convert the english pound to sri lankan rupee its quite high…
and i would love to hear your comments but i do not know anythin about the pay now pay pals system of payment .
isnt there any other mode of payment…through a creit card or a cheque ???
thanx
waz from sri lanka
July 19th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Stumbled on this from an google search for creative writing courses.. Great job, I intend to work through the eight lessons on my own. Are there any ongoing creative writing courses at CLL this summer? I didn’t get to see any on the CLL website. Rgds.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Hi Danny,
Glad you found us. CLL is closing for the summer and will start up again in October. There will be three creative writing courses: I’m teaching travel writing, Ellen Phethean will be teaching writing for children and Kathleen Kenny will be doing a general intro to creative writing. I’m also teaching a 10-week intro to creative writing course at Skylight http://www.crisis.org.uk/page.builder/skylightnewcastle.html dates to be confirmed. CLL is undergoing some structural changes because of how it is funded, so the programme for next terms is still being finalised. But keep checking. In the meantime, work through this course – it’s always online! Happy writing.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Hello,
What a great course! I intend to work my way through all of the excercises and I might even submit a few things here and there to be marked as your rates seem very reasonable. I found that writing down why I want to write was a real eye opener, (it went on for about 150 words though)
I suspect that my first response to ‘and that’s when the sadness came’ may be the opening paragraph of a short story, but then that’s my trouble – lots of patches but no quilt.
Anyhow I’ll plod on,
Sandra
August 28th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Hi Sandra. I look forward to reading some of your ‘plodding’! I have dozens of patches which may or may not ever be made into a quilt. But some do. An exercise I did in a children’s writing course nearly 7 years has finally been turned into a two-part short story which will appear in Aquila magazine next year. Another ‘patch’ that I wrote in a short-story course has now been turned into a film that’s actually been produced. You never know what your bits and pieces can become – so keep them all!
August 31st, 2009 at 9:22 pm
really enjoying this course – many thanks for developing this site and offering this inspiring service. I am a PR professional, and so my experience of writing is only ever focused on corporate copy; trying to write creatively feels so incredibly different and far more enjoyable, so thank you for making this course so accessible and enjoyable. I’ll be spending the coming weeks doing all of the exercises you have set!
September 1st, 2009 at 8:23 am
You’re most welcome Mindy. Your PR background can work for or against you. The positive is that you already have a writing discipline and are used to editing your work. A lot of creatives struggle with that part of writing, but without it you will not have a publishable product. The negative of course is that you are used to writing to formula which can restrict your creativity. Hopefully you will be able to break away from the negative while retaining the positive. Happy writing!
September 23rd, 2009 at 7:56 am
Exercise 3 makes no sense to me; and I do not mean logic. From what you have seen in my exercises 1 and 2, I “write movies”, which is how many people describe my stories. Because poetry is by its nature an audible art, all stories should told in poems; and, when they are, then readers don’t realize that they’re reading. Instead, they see the movie, hear its sounds and feel. I don’t give a damn for the reasoned mind.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
That’s fine Al. You obviously already have an understanding of your own creative process. But not everyone does and this exercise tends to help them. Some people who have never considered writing poetry actually find that it’s easier than they thought it would be – or the other way round.
September 28th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Thanks Fiona,
your wwriting course has been very helpful,
much appreciated.
Bernadette Ryn
September 29th, 2009 at 9:00 am
You’re most welcome Bernadette.
October 6th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
[...] in Uncategorized In “Creativity and Art” (http://creative-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/releasing-your-creativity/), Fiona Smith discusses the meaning of creativity. What is creativity? What is art? When should [...]
December 31st, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I am so happy to be in a creative writing course. It has always been a dream to become a GOOD WRITER. I believe that participating in this course will help me along that journey and to accomplish my goal.
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
I have really enjoyed doing these exercises so far, I have so many Ideas and sometimes I come to write them down and get a block, by doing these Exercises I have found that my thoughts seem to flow easier on paper.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Dear Nancy, I hope that it does. Happy writing!
Fiona
January 4th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Dear Cath,
I’m so glad the exercises have been of help. I hope that your writing continues to flow,
Thanks for dropping by,
Fiona
January 26th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Great course. I am very interested in studying creative writing and this is a dream come true. I just hope you can still find a way to critique some of the exercises even if we dont have the means to pay for the service. Like for example giving like sort of free critique on those that have talent but cannot pay. Anyway, thanks for giving us a chance to express out taughts through writing.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Hi Lyndon.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the course. But you need to understand I’m not a bored, rich writer with loads of time on my hands. Like most people, I have to earn money simply to live. By putting this course up for free I’m already sacrificing potential income – but I think it’s the right thing to do as I believe in helping fellow writers. You can get a lot out of the course without doing the critiques – lots of people do. Each critique takes a good amount of time for me to do – way more than the £5 I charge. It’s not a lot of money, so unfortunately no I can’t do critiques for free. I wonder if people would ask lawyers, accountants, mechanics or plumbers whom they just met over the internet to spend loads of time helping them without expecting to be paid?
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:24 am
I’m currently a student at the Community College of R.I. and I am happy people like you are helping future writers like myself. I look forward to working with you. I am in my last semester and will have more “time” to dedicate to this craft after graduation in May. However, I don’t plan to wait that long to start honing in on this skill. My wife is getting me a Mac Book Pro and I will soon have the ultimate notebook at hand. Although, one is not necessary but it makes things easier. As you already know time is of the essence when it comes to writing.
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:11 am
Well Leo, millions of books were written before computers were ever invented, so don’t wait until then to start writing. But it’s always nice to have a new toy! And of course, your manuscripts will finally have to be written. But don’t forget the old fashioned notebook and pen either
Happy writing.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:17 am
Thank you so very much for making out time to create this website to help wrters.I have always known I was a talented poet.But I certinly know that my poetry skills really need brushing up.Thanks.I look forward to learing a great deal and I have my paper and biro close by. Thanks.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
You’re welcome Nancy. Happy writing!
February 10th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
[...] Free Creative Writing Course from “The Crafty Writer” [...]
February 11th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
I was born writing and until I graduated from college, it seemed to flow so naturally from my mind to my pen and onto paper. I worked outside of the profession for several years and lost myself, lost my writing abilities too….Thank you for this course. You are helping me find my voice, a voice that was silenced for too long now!
February 12th, 2010 at 9:29 am
May it never be silenced again!
February 19th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I’ve already posted once here, but I simply had to thank you again. It’s so great that you put up a free (and so comprehensive too!) course for the benefit of fresh writers. Life got a little busy for me for a year but now that I have more time I really look forward to completing your course.:)
February 20th, 2010 at 5:41 am
Hi Fiona,
Thanks so much for this. Reading is therapeutic for me because I always felt like there was someone out there who thought exactly the same as me and is able to put it in words so much better than I could. I’ve always wanted to do the same which is how I came about finding this course. I’m not really looking to write for a living so it helps that you’re doing this for free…I couldn’t have pursued it as a hobby otherwise;)
Thanks!
February 20th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Welcome back Charvi!
February 20th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Writing as a hobby gives you the soul-enrichment without the stress! Happy writing Jewelle.
March 5th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Hi..thankyou so much for posting this course for free.. i’m from pakistan and am sorry to say that there are no opportunities to learn creative writing.. I was always a reader and writer, words came to me as easy as breathing ..but somehow, well for a year now i haven’t been able to write a word…i thought my voice was lost forever..ur course has given me hope ..thankyou
March 7th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Hi, I have just found this wonderful resource and can’t wait to begin working through your helpful courses. Thank you for taking the time to offer this! blessings,Kathleen
March 9th, 2010 at 10:05 am
You’re most welcome. I hope you enjoy the course.
Fiona
March 15th, 2010 at 2:40 am
Hello Fiona,
Thank you for offering this course. I have always liked writing and actually had a short story and a couple of poems published long ago. However, life happens, and I haven’t pursued writing for the last several years. I recently retired and hope to do much more writing. I am looking forward to finding if I still have any ability. Again, thanks.
Tony Salvucci
Boston, MA
USA
March 16th, 2010 at 9:33 am
To quote GM Hopkins: ‘Life is too much with us.’ But at least you now have some good material to write about! Hope you find the time and the opportunity.
All the best,
Fiona
March 17th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Hi Fiona,
It had been a delight to read this article of yours and I enjoyed doing the exercises you had popped in. Keep doing such good work. I am starting with the next one.
Thanks!
Pooja
May 1st, 2010 at 9:59 pm
I enjoyed your little exercises, it got my creative side working
May 2nd, 2010 at 11:28 am
I ENJOY WRITING AND I AM ONLY DOING IT AS A HOBBIE
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Hi,
I have recently come across your website and found it very helpful.
Edward.
May 14th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
hello,
I thought I can write just like that.But I feel it is very organised.I feel exicited.
May 20th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I recently subitted a childrens book to a publisher and they advised me if a was serious about writing to take a writing course. I was thrilled when a fell on your site as I don’t have any money. I was a bit dubious at first as I have never been able to follow structure courses or teaching methods but I found the excercises very easy and enjoyable. I have always found poetry difficult to write but after following excercise 3 I discovered how easily the words just fell into place. I can’t wait to complete the rest of the course. Thanks for a great site. x
May 21st, 2010 at 10:23 am
That’s great Elle! It’s people like you that I was hoping to help. And you’re proof that you don’t have to go down the paid critique route to still get something out of the course. The exercises were originally designed to help writers self-critique. I say this because I’ve just had a complaint that the course says it’s free but really isn’t. If you’re interested in writing for children I have some free articles over on the home site http://www.thecraftywriter.com/category/writing-for-children/page/2/ based on courses I’ve run.
Enjoy the rest of the course,
Fiona
June 15th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
I am currently on maternity leave and looking for something to do just to have some me time. I love Reading so thought of creative writing. When I read this I knew it was for me. I have already done first couple of e exercises & excited about exercise 3. Going to get that brain into gear.
June 16th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Hi Angela, having a baby really revolutionised my writing. Before that I was the type of writer who felt that I had to feel inspired or be in the right mood or have the perfect room, pen, book, computer etc. It was pathetic! With a baby I was just grateful for any five minutes I had. And if I didn’t snatch that time and use it, it would be gone. Now I can write anywhere, anytime. I hope you are enriched through your ‘me time’!
Happy writing,
Fiona
June 16th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Hi Fiona, great site you have here. I came across it while looking for online courses and I must confess, I didn’t take the exercises initially. But I felt such a rush with exercises 2 and 3 that i feel like rewarding myself! Thank you for putting together such a good website with exercises to match. I am considering career change and writing is my first consideration. I will look forward to other lessons. Thanks.
Tt
June 17th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Glad you’re finding it useful. Happy writing!
June 23rd, 2010 at 11:54 am
Hi there, I’m glad that I came across your site. I’ve only found a few out of the dozens I’ve checked out that actually “speak” to me. Those are the ones that I follow and enjoy – they offer real opportunity to learn, discover and grow as a writer.
Being visually disabled, it’s uncertain how long I’ll have the sight I have. To me writing has always been my first love, plus it’s something that I can do even if I can’t see. (Thank goodness for technology. It’s been my window to the world and my bridge to communicate with others.
I hope that someday soon I will have something polished and inspiring for others to enjoy. Being in love with the creative muse, being a word weaver as my kids have dubbed me and passionate about my art helps to make me feel that this is my purpose. This is what I’m meant to do and I want to do it well.
Thanks for offering your insight, knowledge and heart to help others refine their own “voice”.
June 23rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
Thank you Starr, that is a very kind and thoughtful thing to say. I do pray that your word-weaving will not slip away with your sight. Long live the written and spoken word!
Fiona
June 26th, 2010 at 6:44 am
I really love this site. Its good and free enough. Anyway,im a terrible,terrible poet,and i just realised i have made an unconscious decision never to write poetry,so the thought of writing that poem in Exercise 3, just gives me a writers block. Is it going 2 affect my learning in any way,if i ignore d poem section of the course and just concentrate on the prose. Tnx so much 4 this course btw,i love it.
June 27th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
You don’t have to do the poem if you don’t want to! Don’t let that stop you from doing the course. Just skip that bit if you want to. The course is predominantly prose anyway.
Happy writing
Fiona
July 14th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Have been trying to write (unsuccessfully) for years, but never really completed anything i’d started. The whole experience was like an aimless ramble in a wilderness where i was getting hopelessly lost. I hope this course will help me find my destination.
August 8th, 2010 at 8:06 am
I have never really felt confident about any of the prose I write. I hope that venturing in this course would allow me the possibility of finally writing with a sense of satisfaction. I have already worked on the initial exercises of this course and I’m more than trustful that finishing the rest would let me be fully what I have always wanted to be. Thanx for having this free course available!
August 10th, 2010 at 9:25 am
Here’s to you finding satisfaction, Wiseblood!.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Ms., I am from Braziland I will try to make the course. I can read English, but not so well.
I am sure it will be a powerfull exercise…
Thank you for keep it free.
Luciliam
September 1st, 2010 at 8:02 am
I hope the course helps you, Luciliam. Good luck.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:02 am
hi im from south africa…i have been trying for a while to write…it’s like a need in me to put my thoughts to paper..but i do not know if it is any good. my friends read a short story of mine and says i have to send it to magazines…but i dont know how or if they will like it…i would dearly love to write a novel…can u help me?
September 4th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I am so excited about this course thanks so much.
September 10th, 2010 at 11:01 am
Hi Antoinette,
I suggest that you work through the course as it will give you the basics of all creative writing – short stories and novels. We don’t actually look at novel structure in the course, but that’s something you can work on afterwards. Good luck with it. I just got back from SA last night!
All the best
Fiona
September 10th, 2010 at 11:01 am
You’re wellcome Virginia. Happy writing!
September 12th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
This is really helpful i enjoy writing and the exersices will stretch me enough to build myself as a writer
September 13th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Enjoy the stretch!
October 8th, 2010 at 4:44 am
I like this. It helped me a lot with my writing. It made me feel comfortable with my own writing and how I write. Thank you for this, I hope to teach a creative writing class someday. I am very devoted for my age, which is 14. Again, thanks for the helpful exercises!
October 8th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Glad to be of service, Courtney. And good luck with your writing!
October 8th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Thank you. This small breakdown has really helped me understand the writing process. There is a writer in me dying to get out! I arrived in the UK at the tender age of 9 not speaking a word of English. Having read the lion, the witch and the wardrobe aged 10 I have been hooked and fascinated by books ever since.
October 9th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
As many have said before, thank you for this course! I have written several stories, or have attempted anyway, and always ended up loosing interest when life and work got in the way. Poetry mostly comes easy to me, but I’ve never tried to make one up around set words before. I aspire to write stories, and feel your course will definitely steer me towards that end!
October 11th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Hi Ligia,
Well CS Lewis is a wonderful intro to the English language! I hope that writer gets out soon
Fiona
October 11th, 2010 at 10:01 am
I do hope it will help you John.
October 12th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
have just spent a pleasant hour actually writing,not just hoarding up my thoughts and ramblings.I feel good.Thankyou.
October 13th, 2010 at 12:55 am
I really liked the exercises that were given. When I did exercise 3 both the poem and the story were were very close in the story line even though both were expressed in a different manner or outline.
October 17th, 2010 at 5:56 am
thank you for this information. i find it helpful indeed.
my other struggle in question form: how do i get an agent???
October 18th, 2010 at 9:49 am
You have to treat agents the same as publishers. You send off a book proposal to them and wait for them to reply.
October 25th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
So far so good. Great exercise on prose vs poetry. Also helped to actually verbalize why I would like to write.
October 31st, 2010 at 7:16 pm
In the words of Tennessee Williams, “Why did I want to write? Because I’m an artist. What is an artist? – A man who loves life too intensely, a man who loves life until he hates her and has to strike out with his fist to show her he knows her tricks and he’s still the master!”
November 6th, 2010 at 6:51 am
Im a very creative person,we are 8 brothers.They all worked as creative artist .in .advertaising,actors ,painters,writers, home decorators.
My life was the ballet,got injured and my Waterloo.
I worked years as a fashion stylest in a tv network,and a lot of free lance.
ALL of this came easy to me.
The woman that I most admire since a child was Oriana Fallaci,books are part of me.
Good exercises…see what it comes.
November 6th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I am from Slovakia,but I have written a book in English.The book is for the children- I can tell that it is the first English book for the little pupils of 6,7 years old.I have another one for the children of 10,11,12 – it is the book where the pupils started to know what is mathematics,biology,chemistry and so on.I do not know,perhaps these books are convinient for this portal- or they are not. The first book is named: My first English book,the second is named-I want to know more Thanks for undersanding Your sincerely Viera
November 9th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Hello Viera,
This site is about giving advice to writers. We don’t publish or review books – unless they’re writing advice books. Congratulations on finishing your books and I wish you all the best finding a publisher for them.
Fiona
November 9th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Hi Viera,
This is a site that gives advice to writers. We do not publish books nor review them (unless they are writing advice books). Good luck with finding a publisher.
Fiona
November 16th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Hi Fiona, thank you for this free writing course. So far so good. I realise that I like to rush through everything and this is no different, but in doing the exercises (3 in particular), I realised that I had to take my time. No need for speed and it’s amazing what can come from just one thought. I have been writing for ages, but never actually finish anything. I lack structure and I sidetrack. I hope this will help me sharpen and improve how I write. Writing gives me pleasure and I believe this course will help me in more areas of my life than just being able to write stories. You rock!!!
November 16th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
You’re most welcome Natasha. Strength to your pen!
November 18th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
So far I have found that the lessons are made to clearly understand. I know what you are asking of me and I feel that I have confident that I can produce what you are asking. I hope this is exactly what I have been looking for, that extra “umph” to get me producing the kind of material that I feel I as well as my reader can be satified with.
November 18th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Hi, i am interested in starting up a blog and trying to get all possible advice on (the general questions like, will i cut it, can i do this, what if i am terrible – what tools will i need)…and i am curious as to know if creative writing skills will help me in my blog?
November 19th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Hi Khandi, check out the three posts on beginner blogging for writers starting with this one http://www.thecraftywriter.com/2007/12/02/beginner-blogging-for-writers-part1/
November 19th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Hi Fiona, this course is inspirational, and I have identified my style of writing, thank you so much.
God Bless.
November 19th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Hi Fiona, Thanks for the writing courses online for free. The infomation and exercises are very helpful. I’m happy i found this site. I want to be a writer. I have always wanted to be a writer. My favorite subject in school was english. I love to write and makeup stories. Thanks again.
November 20th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Here’s wishing you well for your future writing career, Connie.
November 23rd, 2010 at 1:06 am
How do I enroll in this free class and get started? This course sounds wonderful and just what I have wanted to find. Please tell me more?
November 24th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Ms. Smith, I found this first section of the writing course to open up my pent up feeling
and doubts about knowing if I could and should write, or just sit back and not worry about
the situation.
So far, I have gotten up off my duff and am now ready to press on toward my ideas of story
telling in a narrative form. I want to write a story about a woman who actually lived in the
early part of the eighteenth century, in greater London, England. However, historians seem
to have glossed over that portion of the eighteenth century for reasons unknown.
Thank you for helping me to see that things are possible.
John McRae
November 25th, 2010 at 8:30 am
You’re welcome John.
November 25th, 2010 at 8:31 am
No need to enrol Jo; just get started on the first session.
November 26th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
I believe That I can get good material to write about but Iam a fraid of my sentence structure and thought organizing
November 26th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
I finished section 1 and raring to gowhat is next
Be kind to me Iam a 82 byear old senior
November 26th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
sorry but Iam confused what do I do Know what is next
November 26th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
why do i keep getting the same page back what swrong i guess you dont want me
November 28th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Hi Fiona,
This is a great course! Thanks for making it free and open to all. This is especially helpful to someone like me because before I though knowing how to put creative thoughts and words on to paper was all I needed to know for writing stories. But Writing under your guidelines has changed that view entirely. I’ve learned I’m not very good at writing under commands on certain topics and I look forward to using this and other courses to improve that. Thanks again.
November 28th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
In just reading through this lesson and doing the first exercise I feel I have learned several things. Thank you.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Hello John. I don’t work over the weekends. Now I’m back in the office I can clear your comments. You simply have to click on the link for the next session at the bottom of the page and it will take you to the next session. Otherwise go back to the contents page and click the next session there. Good luck.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:49 am
You’re welcome.
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:53 pm
thanks for making this course free to all, it was just what i needed to get me started! have managed more with all the snow out there and it has also given me some topics to think about, many thanks for kick starting my writing!
December 3rd, 2010 at 5:45 pm
you’re welcome. Snow’s pretty bad here too.
December 4th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Hi Fiona,I just wanted to ask you how did you know u wanted to be a writer? I’m a college student and I’m not sure of what I want to do, but I know I love to write.
December 6th, 2010 at 12:12 am
This is my first lesson and I printed it out. This is so great to be able to have access to free on line lessons. I was looking into going to a community college with tution being over 400.00 for the class and 1 hour driving time. I am grateful you are here.
December 6th, 2010 at 10:22 am
You’re most welcome. This course was initially developed for a community college class. Good luck with it.
December 6th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Hi Kayla. I’ve always written stories, poems and songs just as a hobby when I was growing up and into my twenties. I trained and worked as a journalist and worked in the field as well as an actress. But didn’t consider a career in creative writing until I was 30 and a full-time acting career was no longer possible due to family commitments. Writing was a creative outlet for me and I didn’t have to leave home and spend hours working out late.
December 10th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
The tasks in the first session served as a reminder of the potency of words to unleash their own surprises in the creative effort. Thanks!
December 16th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Thanks for making this course available. I’ve been a frustrated writer for so long, but this is really helping. I hope to reach a whole new level of writing. Thanks again.I’m a stay at home wife trying to share life’s adeventures.
December 19th, 2010 at 12:09 am
i think its a very nice cource that we can use it to improve our writing even it was poetry or prose
December 20th, 2010 at 10:25 am
You’re welcome Edie.
December 28th, 2010 at 7:36 am
I just completed this and I am truly forever grateful that you made this course free because at a time like this in my life, I must use every gift/talent I have just to make ends meet. This first lesson was truly an eye opener for me. I always loved poetry and wrote a lot of it during my highschool and collegiate years; however, it was so hard for me to write that poem tonight! lol Before I continue to the next lesson, I will definitely review this one again because whether it’s prose or poetry, I want to be the best writer I can be and thank you so much; you are truly a blessing for allowing this at no cost.
December 28th, 2010 at 9:52 am
You’re welcome Candace. I’ve written some terrible poems in my time!
December 30th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I write because I need to, I am not sure just what it is that i write, but I think some kind of prose. I have had so much writing pent up and wanting to come out for so long, but nothing moved me to write, then I found this course. The first exercise was amazing! thank you for teaching this and thank you for offering it for free.
January 1st, 2011 at 12:37 am
I really want to thank you for this course, I’ve done others like this one but yours is by far one of the best… I’m really trying to better myself with my writing skills and since I’m in the process of writing a novel, I have so much to learn about this craft. So everything I can do to better myself in my writing will help. I love writing short stories and maybe one day I’ll have the courage and the understanding on how to submit them to a magazine. Thank you so much for your time and understanding, I’m so excited to go through your course to better myself…
Your friend,
Matthew
January 1st, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Hi everybody,
does anybody can give me an example answer for exercise 1 and 2 to clearly understand the task. English is not my mother tongue
Would be great. The exercises in general a really helpful.
Thanks in advance
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:39 am
You’re welcome Matthew. This course does not teach novel writing per se, but the nuts and bolts of creative writing can be applied to it. Good luck with the novel!
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:39 am
You’re welcome Sharon.
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:40 am
Is anyone brave enough to post their response to exercises 1 & 2 for Jasmin to see?
January 3rd, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Is there a signup to receive notifications for 8 sessions? I stumbled upon this site via ehow. I would like to gain this information via email box. Didn’t see a sign up form. Thanks
January 4th, 2011 at 10:32 am
Hi Diva,
The course was ‘live’ a few years ago and there were email notifications over the course of 8 weeks. But now the whole course is just up on the site. No need to sign up. Just get started by clicking on the first session.
Good luck
Fiona
January 11th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Here is my answers to exercise 1
1)Blue ball= Moon
2)And that’s when sadness came= when the rain started.
3)Coffee= that’s what we shared
exercise 2
I want to write because it is what I love, the written word bring me stories, laughs, ideas; Sometimes I feel like something is bottled up inside of me, and there is not other way to let go the emotions but to put it on paper, this the way I let go emotions, is my own world nobody judge me, is my escape.
Ok here is part 2 Creative ideas:
1)A street at night, soft light pours from the street lamps, soft rain is falling, a silhouette is in the far end of the street.
2)The edge of a cliff, the winds blows, the sky is grey and the sea is mad.
3)A large room, with dark blue walls, heavy drapes on the windows, only one window is open, a chair is close to the window.
English is not my native tongue either so hope I understand the exercises correctly.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:08 am
There is no right or wrong. This is just to get your juices flowing. Some people write whole paragraphs for exercise 1, others just words or phrases.
January 13th, 2011 at 5:14 am
Hi Fiona, and thanks for these lessons. I’m 2/3 of the way through exercise #3 on Lesson One. This is so exciting! I have lots of ideas in my head about various things I’d like to write (mostly fiction), but I’ve always felt intimidated by the whole process. I’ve often wished writing fiction would be as easy for me as pulling out a map and planning my next long-distance car trip. Or, if it could be as direct as following a recipe, that would be even better. I did have some poems published (unpaid, of course) in my university student literary magazine, although I received a degree in Nutrition, not a very creative field, I’m afraid. I’ve discovered I’m able to tap into my intuitive, right-brain side as well as using my more analytical side. Maybe that’s why I enjoy the idea of writing stories, but I also love the free-flow of the poetry I’ve dabbled in. I am so looking forward to each of these lessons. Thanks for providing them free of charge!
January 13th, 2011 at 9:50 am
You should also try writing non-fiction. Nutrition and the whole health market is a very lucrative area for non-ficiton writers. Check out my course on non-fiction writing and freelance magazine feature writing here http://non-fiction-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/ But don’t stop your creative writing either! I call one my heart writing and the other my head writing.
January 13th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Good afternoon, I’m very happy to have found this course I feel I’m on my way to understanding the process of writting. I promised myself this year I’d get into what I’ve longged to do for many years but been affraid to. This is a start. Thanks!
January 13th, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Hi,
I have just found this website and i have a question for you? Do you mark these exercises? If not how do i know if my writing is correct, if i am going in the right direction?
I have been writing short stories since i was a child, i love it. But i want to improve my skills so that others may at some point enjoy them too. Will this course with the addition of the book point me in the right direction and if not is there any writing forums or groups that you could recommend online?
Thanks for reading my questions and i hope you will reply.
January 14th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Hello Mandy, I used to mark the exercises but there was a fee for it. I became too busy to do so, so have removed the facility. As this course is free there is no way that exercises can now be marked as I would have to pay someone else to do that out of my own pocket. The exercises are designed to help you self-analyse your work. Hundreds of students that I’m aware of have found the exercises useful. If you are interested in a course with feedback both the Open University and Writers’ Bureau offer excellent online and / or correspondence courses – but these, naturally, need to be paid for. For other outlets for your writing please see the last session of this course. While I don’t give paid feedback on the exercises in the course anymore, I do however offer a paid critiquing service for longer pieces of work – poetry, short stories, novels etc. For my rates please see http://www.thecraftywriter.com/services/#critiquing. The only other place you can get free feedback is if you join a writers group in your area. Do a google search to find one. You can then swap work with other writers – you critique theirs, they critique yours. Good luck!
January 15th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Thank you for your reply, i will do your exercises and see if there is a writers group in my area, that way i will have the best of both worlds. I understand that it would be a lot of work for you to mark every exercise in this course, which is why i had to ask the question. I hope you understand i just wanted an all round view of what your course may entail.
January 25th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
exercise#1
#1.blue ball=pearl
#2.and thats when the sadness came=when the leaves from the trees died and fell
#3.coffee=morning
exercise *2
i what to learn how to write better because i read alot of fiction,stephen king,james herbert are my favourite and as i read their stories i more and more wish to learn to write like them
i was always the best story writer at school and alawys had alot of imagination that needed to escape
i find when i’m reading i get into the book and i am the characters in it,i want be able to write the same so when somone reads my stuff they feel the same
creative thoughts
#1.i see a robin in the garden nearly every day,he sits and stares at me through the window
#2.watching my children sleep brings such emotion to me,i watch them and thank god for them
#3.it was like a wonderland,the trees white with frost,i felt i had stepped out of my front door into a magical land
exercise#3
eerie,cold,wonder,amazed,bewildered,beautiful,frosty,soft,shine,bright
frozen,still,white,wonderland,crystal,winter,breathtaking,bare,shining,trees
excersise#3 part #2
trees bare in the winter sky
frozen in time,still
beautiful and crystal like,shining in the sun
i’m bewildered by how eerie,amazed by there brightness
bare and white in there own wonderland,with they soft glow around them
breathtaking to look upon
cold to touch,frosty beneath my finger tips
i wonder what it would be like to be them
exercise#3 part #3
the day was cold and bright,the trees around her where bare and still in the shining sun,she saw him standing under the crystal trees,waiting for her approach
She was cold but her cheeks flushed a little when she saw him staring at her with that smile on his face
she was amazed at how frosty blue his eyes where,she wondered what those eyes had seen in his past
the brightness of the sun made her squint and he looked eerie,blured in the whiteness of the trees around
she finaly got to him and he opened his arms and took her in to them,the soft fabric of his coat warm against her face
they walked hand in hand through what she called “the wonderland” and was bewildered by the sight around her for it was beautiful
she was frozen and as if he could read her mind he put his arm around her and held her close
i found writing the short story easier,but the poem did come fairly easy to me also
i enjoyed writing the story more though as i could put more in it and use my imagination more
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:58 am
[...] brother showed me this blog today: Crafty Writer It is a little creative writing excercise aimed at “Releasing your Creativity.” Now I [...]
February 4th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
I really feel that this course will help me. I need to have a start in creative writing. I feel that I can write fairly good stories. I am really glad that I found this free course. Thanks.
February 5th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
I have really enjoyed this course on short study, I have learned alot that I did not know.
Thanks for having this course, for free.
February 9th, 2011 at 1:02 am
I am so thankful for the internet, because I wouldn’t be able to do this course without it.I have been thinking about writing for the most of my life, and this course and the internet is helping me accomplish my lifelong dream, I just hope I don’t suck at it! Thank you so much for supplying this course for free!
February 10th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
I think this is just so generous of you to provide this stimulus free of charge. It is instantly encouraging yet challenging,thought-provoking yet rewarding – and creative. I have completed the first exercise and look forward to continuing the journey. Thank you for the opportunity.
February 10th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
YOu’re welcome Barbara. Enjoy it.
February 13th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I actually enjoyed doing these exercises. I plan to study writing whenever I go to college and I think this will prepare me. I also love that I can do it from the comfort of my home. I am looking forward to continuing on with this course.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
I am really enjoying this so far. Looking forward to the next lesson. Thanks for making it free.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:58 am
Hello and thank you. I will be sixty years old in a couple of months. I feel like I am just beginning. My creative juices are there, but I am so lacking in grammer and everything else that goes in with writing. Thank you for helping us tap in to some of our potential and believing that it is never to late to learn. I feel like I am just learning to crawl when writing. Again thank you for making this course free.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:34 am
you’re welcome Gladys.
February 19th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
I have really enjoyed the first part of your course and look forward to more. Thank you.
February 19th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
i am a new budding author in the making at only 12 years old but i found this lesson very insight ful and i havent stopped thinking about what you have said, i found that i am much better at stories than poetry, something i was torn about, so thank you!
February 28th, 2011 at 2:48 am
Thank you for providing the free lessons. It is valuable to receive guidance in the kraft of writing. Even when one is not shy of words, to learn to put them into something more than just private scibble is wonderful and challanging.
February 28th, 2011 at 10:03 am
you’re most welcome, Maria.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:42 am
I enjoyed this first lesson. I look forward to participating in the next one. I will be getting the book “The Creative Writing coursebook” by Julia Bell, that you recommended. Thank you.
March 7th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
I’m looking forward to reading further.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
I’ve really enjoyed this first session, the exercises so far have been more helpful than i imagined! I’m looking forward to reading on…
March 8th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Thank you so much for this course! I found the first exercise very thought provoking and practical. I’m ready for the next lesson!
March 9th, 2011 at 10:47 am
you’re welcome Oscar. Hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:48 am
Hi Amor. If you’re interested in non-fiction writing you might want to have a look at my non-fiction course too. There’s a session in there on writing from life.
God bless you too!
Fiona
March 10th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
This first lesson has pulled so much out of me. This is rellay eciting!
March 11th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Yes it’s very exciting when you discover what’s been bubbling up inside you for so long. Enjoy!
March 18th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
I enjoyed the first session. I am thinking I maybe more of a prose writer. I have enjoyed journaling for years and I now understand that what I journal is for no one else. Yet some of those thoughts I really want to share. My hope is to encourage someone through my writing as I encourage myself.
The exercises are helpful and things I have never done. I have never taken a writing course. I want to write so much so that it is as if my heart is boiling over, yet I have such fear. Anyway thanks for offering this free. I will be doing all eight sessions. I will get the book as well.
March 19th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Thanks!! I had so much fun and learn some new skills!!
March 21st, 2011 at 7:28 am
Tick Tock
With swollen digits keys are pressed to present a thought. Time is embraced.
Fiona,
It is the balance between classic forms and artistic endeavors that is unnerving
to me as a writer. Like playing a flute, the writer tries to breath life into the music of words
that so often sound shallow. Depth comes from years of experience, letting go while still holding on to the skill of creating a note.
They say “growing old is not for sissies…” but real agony, anguish and pain comes from writing.
March 21st, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Should we post the completed exercises?
March 21st, 2011 at 1:46 pm
That’s up to you Karen. I don’t give feedback but perhaps one of the other participants might want to. In fact it would be useful if they did. However, this will be a bonus as the exercises are designed to help you self-analyse your own work.
April 1st, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Thanks for offering this course for free…i come from a family where writing is not much encouraged. I know that I am not very good at writing but i want to write throughout my life…I am sure I will be benefited by this course…thanks once again…
April 1st, 2011 at 5:28 pm
You’re welcome Dharmista. Sometimes when your blood family can’t help there’s a wider family out in the world waiting to help you. Happy writing/
April 5th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I just started!!! Thank you for offering this!!! I really, really, REALLY want to be a writer!!!
April 6th, 2011 at 9:14 am
You’re welcome Stephanie. And remember: you already are a writer. A writer is someone who writes. But we can all strive to be better writers. Good luck.
April 7th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Poetry and prose flow at will from my pen always singing in my head. Stories I tell to the world, scribbling furiously as words flow onto paper. Reading them back, I tighten them agin and again until there is nothing left except the story I never meant to tell and yet it is the real emotion.
April 12th, 2011 at 4:09 am
Thank you for sharing your expertise. I am now into Exercise 3 and I look forward to finishing the whole course.
April 12th, 2011 at 6:11 am
I have my moments with creativity. Certain days it may befriend me and the flow of ideas never seem to end while there are days when it seems to have amnesia.
April 12th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Good luck with it Jay.
April 12th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
this is brilliant. thanks so much for this. i am loving it. just what i needed,
April 14th, 2011 at 2:25 am
So far I am enjoying the creative writing course. I look forward to finishing the whole course as well. I like to write poetry but also want like to write short stories. My goal is to write a memoir of my childhood and have it published someday. Will we ever get to send our short stories or poems to look over and give feedback to us. Thank you, JC
April 14th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Hello JC, I’m glad you’re enjoying the course. As the course is free there is no money being generated to pay a tutor to look at your work. As I’m sure you’re aware, feedback takes time and skill to give and someone will need to be employed to do that. However, if you would like paid feedback I do run a critiquing service as a separate business. I will not look at the exercises from the course but rather bigger pieces of work – eg the first three chapters of a novel, a full short story or a selection of poems (a colleague looks at those). For details of this service please see http://www.thecraftywriter.com/services/#critiquing
Happy writing,
Fiona
April 14th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Dear Fiona,
Oh my Dear! I never thought I could write a poem from your exercises. It was just a try and Bingo! Im’ not really sure if I did it beautifully – I still need some critique …but for me – I’m so happy – making it! Thank you so much!
love,
Malaya
April 15th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Yeahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love hearing of these little victories. When I used this exercise in workshops there were always a few people who announced at the beginning of the session that they simply couldn’t write poetry but after trying this little exercise discovered that they could. As you say it may not be beautiful (yet), but hopefully it has encouraged you to give your poetic nature another chance. Happy writing.
Fiona
April 15th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Argh! I just can’t write poetry. Whatever I write it comes out as a paragraph from an article. I hate HATE poetry!
Still trying….
April 15th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
We all have our different gifts, Martha. Don’t beat yourself up about it
April 16th, 2011 at 12:14 am
I have written poetry for many years and love it. But I want to learn how to write short stories and memoirs someday. Thanks! JC
April 17th, 2011 at 8:55 am
Hello JC. This course should help you get started in short stories. For memoirs and writing from life, take a look at my free non-fiction course http://non-fiction-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/
Enjoy!
Fiona
April 18th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
My creative side (when it comes to writing) has been accessed instantly; I cannot wait to do more exercises!
April 19th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
I just went through session 1 and find the excercises and information very helpful. The poem was pretty easy for me to write. The problem I have is with the short story. What I wrote did not flow like a short story; it was more like a poem. Is there any advice to help me get out of that or am I just meant to write poems? Right now this is just a hobby for me but I hope to make it more one day.
April 21st, 2011 at 6:58 pm
I am just starting this course and thus far enjoy it. I have always written, ever since I can remember and though I always wanted to be able to do it on a full time basis I never had the chance. Now I do and I am going for it. I have written poems before, though not recently and I am working on a novel (sitting there waiting for fulfillment at 50 pages in length). I am hoping this course gets my creative juices flowing and gives me the much needed tools and tips I know I am missing.
April 22nd, 2011 at 4:06 am
this course has me so excited right off the bat! I have a diary from when we lived in Japan and when I lived in Dubai. They are called my “adventures”. I have wanted to expound on the writings, but didn’t have the courage to really try until this evening when I found your site. I am going to check out your non-fiction writing course. I also want to see if I have any true writing talent by taking my adventures and making them into fictional stories. I do have a knack for telling “what happened to me” with lots of humor, but I would like to find a character and write “adventures” around this character.
April 25th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
when l was in the college of education, l developed interest in writing, even though l was a mathematics student. now have grown up, l want to develop my writing skill, l need the training to do this.
April 27th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Hello Jessica. That was just one exercise; I would not give up on writing short stories because of it. The rest of the course focuses more on short stories so give it a go and see how you do. It’s hard to write ‘micro fiction’ like this and as so few words are used it could quite easily sound poetic. Don’t worry and keep on writing.
Fiona
April 27th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Good luck with it Jaime/
April 27th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Sounds like you’ve got a good supply of raw material to work from. Happy writing!
April 29th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
The session was so great, i really enjoyed it.
May 7th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
I am so thankful that you are so willing to share your expertise with others. I have self published a few works, but look forward to working with a publishing house. I feel that these courses will help me with that journey. I am also researching the idea of writing a script so the course on ‘getting started as a playwright. I am determined to complete all of the exercises! Thank you very much!
May 8th, 2011 at 10:48 am
You’re welcome, La Sonia. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ll be working on the online course in scriptwriting this summer. Hopefully it will be up by September.
Have a good writing day,
Fiona
May 11th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
I like this course so far.It influenced me very much.Thanks a lot.
May 12th, 2011 at 9:25 am
you’re welcome, Sabin.
May 18th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Have written short pieces, incuding autobiography, and poetry from around 1987, but stopped in the last year or so. I have often used The Creative Writing Course Handbook. I am thinking of starting again and wonder if this would help me to get down to it!
May 19th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
I am a young writer (emphasis on the “young”) and I am finding the excersizes you have provided very useful! I can’t wait to read on and see what else you have in store for me to read!
May 20th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I have begun your course today and I just want to thank you for allowing people like me to view for free. I wanted to take a writing course several years ago and could never afford it. I have lost a lot of my skill in my Grammar and Creative Writing and needed a refresher course that I could do at my own pace. This seems to be the ticket for me and maybe just maybe I will finally be able to publish something.
May 22nd, 2011 at 6:46 am
Thanks a milloin for giving this brilliant idea! This would be very helpful for my carrier to cascade among the teachers’ of English. My son who is just 10 years also enjoyed trying your ideas. Thanks and hope to meet you with this sort of activity again!
May 23rd, 2011 at 12:14 am
I found the first lesson to be an excellent experience. I don’t have a lot of spare time and this was exactly what I was looking for. I was able to fully understand and complete the lesson in a very short amount of time and learned what I believe was your intention: to open up the flow of ideas quickly. And it was easier than I thought! Thank you so much for this material and the work you have put into it. I intend to continue the remaining lessons throughout the week.
Tammy Peirce
May 23rd, 2011 at 9:19 am
Glad it did the job Tammy. Happy writing.
May 27th, 2011 at 11:48 pm
I’m happy to find this kind of course. I can do it at my own schedule, it’s not overly-involved, it covers the basics of different types of writing, and it helps me to evaluate myself.
I found this first lesson to a helpful introductory, and I’m happily anticipating working the rest.
Thanks for the time you put into this site>
May 28th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Thank you, Fiona. I just completed Session 1. I had forgotten how exhilariting writing can be. I haven’t written anything in a couple of months. The exercises were a godsend. I can’t wait to practice my craft during the next several sessions.
May 29th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Glad it helped Pat. Keep on writing.
Fiona
May 29th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Glad it helped Pat. Keep on writing.
Fiona
June 1st, 2011 at 1:50 am
so far this site is awesome. i am new to writing and am looking forward to the next assignment. I still must finish exercise three. Thank you for making this free!
June 4th, 2011 at 7:49 am
thank you i like this site as its really useful i m trying to write a fiction and i think i can do well. i m already writing poem as well.
June 5th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
I want to write because I want to share with other people many interesting moments in my heart. Given that writting is an art form that does not necessarily requires skills developed from childhood, I choose it as a channel to let out beautiful, weried, subtle, and powerful imagination in hope of awakening people’s inner ability to know themselves and other people. I will keep an eye on this site. Thank you so much. !
June 5th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
This is a great refresher course for getting back into the habit of writing! It’s exactly what I need to rekindle the passion that I had before the full-time job and just life in general got in the way. The structure and exercises to follow are great, as I haven’t had enough discipline of my own to get started again. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can do this again. Thanks a bunch!:)
June 6th, 2011 at 9:29 am
Then it’s mission accomplished on my part Judi. Happy writing!
June 8th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
first time trying to write anything. so far i have enjoyed the steps. hopefully the course helps me understand my writing, to create an idea. the exercises are really good. thankyou.
June 11th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Hi,I have just started this course and would like some honest opinions and thoughts about my writing so I am posting my answers to exercise one;please feel free to let me no what you really think.The first part of exercse one is below:
CREATIVE WRITING COURSE
LESSON ONE:
EXERCISE ONE:
Write down your first response to these words or phrases:
* Blue Ball
* And that’s when the sadness came
* Coffee
BLUE BALL:
At first impulsive thought a blue ball is quite a simple everyday object; a sphere of blue coloured plastic which you would normally find in a children’s toy box. That first thought may seem obvious though adult eyes; however have you ever thought about this same simple everyday object through the eyes of a child. For a child transferring from the baby to toddler stage (when their brain becomes a sponge to soak up as much knowledge as they can which is then stored for later life), this object is like a major discovery. How it is used obviously depends on the child, their age, and their development. For example a younger child who is teething will see it more as an object to put to their mouth, bite and cut their teeth on. Progressing to a toddler it becomes a whole new discovery which encourages the development of their gross motor skills through learning to throw, catch, roll and chase after this brightly coloured sphere which they use as a tool to learn and develop skills which they will then use without even thinking in everyday life. Sometimes when adults look at an object as simple as a ball they probably just see it as an obstacle to trip over, pick up or put in their child’s toy box; but perhaps if adults try to look at this normal everyday object through the eyes of their children maybe they would learn something too. Moving this theory on once the child enters school and begins their journey into their education (which will later greatly influence all aspects of their life, for example, whether they go on to further education and what career path they chose) this object then takes on a new journey of discovery. Think for example of geography lessons, the simple blue ball then becomes a global map of the world, imaging this through the eyes of the child this becomes not just a geography lesson but a whole new giant world to explore. This will not only instil in them the geography and educational aspects of the global world but may also inspire an ambition to travel and discover a whole new giant world that they have only just discovered exists. Just imagine being a young child just starting school and discovering that your world so far containing not only parents, family members and friends but now contains teachers new friends and a whole new giant world of major discovery. Thinking like this most adults would say what a fantastic position to be in starting your journey of major discovery that will continue constantly throughout your life. Unfortunately as adults we seem to lose our sense of adventure and our nature of exploration instead getting bogged down with work, bills, family commitments and the school run; but just for a few minutes close your eyes and put yourself in a classroom as a young child and revisit your exploration skills; try it you never know you might learn something. Ignite your exploration and discover skills through the eyes of a child and you too will discover a whole giant global world of discovery that you can get excited about and interested in. Some may see this exercise of imagination as childish, a waste of valuable time and just plain ridiculous but I would suggest you try it; you never know you might surprise yourself with what you discover and learn. Try it if you dare, give in to your inner child just for a few minutes and take a break from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Ignite the flame of youthful exploration and discover inside yourself and see what you discover.
Thank You in advance,I look forward to your comments and opinions.
June 11th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Hi,I have just started this course and would like some honest opinions and thoughts about my writing so I am posting my answers to exercise one;please feel free to let me no what you really think.The second part of exercse one is below:
CREATIVE WRITING COURSE:
LESSON ONE (CONTD):
EXERCISE ONE (CONTD):
Write down your first response to these words or phrases:
* Blue Ball
* “And that’s when the sadness came”
* Coffee
“AND THAT’S WHEN THE SADNESS CAME“:
In our modern day world of gadgets and technology it is very easy to forget about some of the greatest inventions ever made; maybe this is because the inventors themselves are either long dead and forgotten or unknown. You are probably sat at your PC/laptop with your central heating on drinking a cup of coffee that was made in seconds (me too). By now you are probably wondering which inventions and inventors I am talking about. The inventions I am referring to are human beings, animals, thoughts, feelings, the world around us, bodily function and processes (I.E. the ability to get pregnant and give birth) ETC. ETC. I believe that the reason the inventors of these things are forgotten because they are either dead, unknown or disputed; for example, the earth around us comes down to the many theories developed by both science and human thoughts. Take the world around us; this issue for the majority of people normally comes down either God created the world and everything in it or the big bang theory invented by the scientific boffins. Despite your believes as to who was responsible; have you ever wonder who invented thought processes and feelings. Who developed being happy, sad, elated, depressed, worried, ETC. ETC. Someone must of original discovered feelings they can’t just come about from nowhere. Imagine a world without feelings and thoughts; it would bring us down to a race of humanoid robots with nothing to do, no conversation, no opinions and no relationships; in short the world and the human race would just become a highly scientific machine which would just go through the motions of life rather than actually live it. Moving on from this theory someone must have also invented not only money but the means to earn it, for example who invented schools, colleges, universities, exams, qualifications and actual jobs themselves, someone must of done but I bet the majority of people (including myself) would not be able to name these inventors without doing a great deal of research probably online (another great inventions which has become an everyday expectation. Also I have often wondered who developed the structure of our society, for example “The Royal Family, “The Government”, “Our police and legal system, these things which are the main underpinning of the society that we all take for granted must have been developed by a human being (an extremely clever human being as I’m sure you’ll agree). Also when you look at the news and events occurring in our society everyday who was it that decided who would starve and who would be fed. “Human rights” are an issue which is constantly brought into our society everyday; more often that not people who have had their “human rights” not only taken away but totally destroyed. There is a saying that comes to mind in these situations “There but for the grace of God go I”, while I am not a religious person (I don’t follow any conventional religion or necessarily believe in God; however I do believe in a superior being or authority) this saying surely makes people realise that when they are sitting in there comfortable warm houses watching the TV or play games or surf the net on their PC’s with all the food and drink they can fit into there cupboards, not only are there people who are poorer than others, there are people who have nothing. Thinking along the theme of “And that’s when the sadness comes”; I watched a documentary recently about Kenya and tourism and what the tourists don’t see or realise is going on. There were people working in five star hotels serving other people for twelve hours a day seven days a week for a salary which is a pittance. Not only were these people paid next to nothing they were going home to live in ram shackled huts with a blanket on the floor, no food and only dirty water to drink. Surely when we see things like this happening around us that is when the sadness comes. I once read that 25% of the worlds population eat 75% of the worlds food; if this was more evenly distributed that we would have a lot less people in our world having there not only their “human rights” taken away from them but also their dignity. Some people reading this will probably be thinking yes ok but that’s what charities are for and I donate to charities so therefore I am helping these people. It is true that there are charities who try and help people living in squalor facing starvation, dehydration and diseases through no fault of there own; there is only so much these charities can do to meet even the basic human requirements of these people and to me that is where the sadness really comes from. Coming back to my earlier theory it is hard to believe but also completely true that someone invented both sadness and these terrible conditions that some people have to face everyday. While it is really sad that these people have to live like this I feel that what is more sad that someone invented and allowed people to live like this and that is where the sadness really comes in.
Thank you in advance.I look forward to your honest thoughts and opinions.
June 11th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
A really helpful first few steps, thanks for being so generous in creating this free resoure, I’ve been a frustrated beginner writer for a long time and am finally committed to having proper go, your website is helpful in its guidance.
Lucy Parry
June 13th, 2011 at 5:15 am
These exercises so far have really got the creative juices following thank you.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Just to clarify Mandy, other users may want to comment on your writing but I cannot. I provide a free course but not free critiques. Please see my note on the contents page of the course in this regard.
Fiona
June 13th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
You’re welcome Lucy and PA.
June 13th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Hi Fiona,I totally understand that a professional like you doesn’t offer free critiques;I read the notes on the course before I started.I am really enjoying this course and think it’s fantastic that you provide it free.I was asking for opinions from the people who are also taking this course.Thank you again for provideing such a course for free;I really appreciate it.Mandy
June 13th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Hopefully someone will reply then. Perhaps you should preface your comments with ‘To all fellow students …’ so they know it’s not me you’re asking. Good luck!
June 17th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Hi Mandy
I’ve just read your responses to Fiona’s Excercise 3. Interesting but not, in any way shape or form a ’short story’. I also write, or try to, and what I learnt very early on was – follow the instructions given. Although your thoughts are interesting, I’m sorry but neither example is a short story.
PS I am hoping to improve my own writing too.
June 17th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Hi Yvonne,I totally appreciate your comments & thank you for taking the time to both read my work and leave a comment. I wasn’t aware that my answer was supposed to be a short story as this was not mentioned in the question.I let my imaginations lead me and my work was the result.
June 17th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Hi Yvonne,
Creativity and Art
What is creativity? The Collins dictionary defines it as ‘the ability to cause something to exist’. Without getting into too much of an existential discussion, I would say that with every thought that is expressed, something has been created. It was Descarte who said: ‘I think, therefore I am’; well I would add, ‘I think, therefore I create’ (do you feel a God complex coming on?). But how do we express our thoughts? Sometimes we do it verbally, other times by body language and still again through what is loosely termed ‘art’.
Art takes place when a thought is expressed and fixed in a way that other people may experience it on an aesthetic level – through music, writing, painting, sculpture, choreography and so on. Many artists say that their best work takes place when they ‘by-pass’ the thought and simply express the feeling. This may be true, but for writers, who use a verbal medium, a feeling must first be converted into a thought before it can be put into words. Don’t over analyse the thought before you express it, as this way you can ‘channel’ the purest interpretation of the feeling, but some cognitive process needs to take place. Some writers prefer to mull over a thought and give it form before they put pen to paper – I’m one of them – but it’s good practice to try and switch off the ‘editor’ at least for the first draft. First response trigger exercises are useful in this regard and can release some unexpected words and images.
Exercise 1:
Write down your first response to these words or phrases:
•Blue ball
•And that’s when the sadness came
•Coffee
The first task of a good writer is to convert feelings into thoughts and then into words. This is the raw material that can then be converted into something more permanent. Some writers refuse to toy with their first drafts, believing their creativity will be diluted; I disagree. Allowing your critical mind to improve a piece of writing is where the craftsman meets the artist. Something produced only by the former will lack soul and something by the latter will lack form. Good writing is a combination of art and craft.
WHERE DOES THIS EXERCISE SAY THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO WRITE A SHORT STORY AND TO TURN OFF YOUR INTERNAL EDITOR AND LET YOUR IMAGINATION WANDER.PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I’M MISSING THE POINT.MY ANSWER WAS QUITE SHORT TO BE EXACT IT WAS 250 WORDS LONG.WHILE I APPRECIATE HONEST COMMENTS I’M AFRAID THAT I DO NOT AGREE THAT THIS QUESTION REQUIRES A SHORT STORY IN THE ANSWER.I ALSO GOT MY PARTNER TO READ MY WORK AND YOUR COMMENT AND HE COULDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE A SHORT STORY EITHER.
June 17th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
P.S. to the last message I sent to Yvonne; my answer was 650 words not 250,I apologise for this typing error.
July 10th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
the exercise 1. given for Writing down first response to these words or phrases:
blue ball = earth
And that’s when the sadness came = when i lost that i always craved for.
Coffee = ????
can you give remarks some suggestions on that.
July 11th, 2011 at 10:40 am
Sorry Sana, I don’t respond to the exercises (please read my comments about this on the FAQ page). But other students can do so.
July 13th, 2011 at 12:18 am
I have paid for a writing course in years past, blogged for many years, joined writing sites but have never really got into my writing because I have not reached a good standard to get paid for it. I just haven’t beeb disciplined enough, I guess. I have not got into fictional short stories; thats where I should concentrate on I believe. I have forgotten my own advice – write,write,write. And then edit,edit,edit! I think I should get back into Qondio and do some more researched writing too. But that is non-fiction. What is the best thing to do as a fictional writer?
July 18th, 2011 at 10:22 am
Same advice Peter – write, write, write then edit, edit, edit. But also take time out and let things simmer. I’ve recently just picked up a novel I wrote ten years ago. It never got published. But it is only now that I see why. Distance sometimes can give you the critical insight you need. Also, have more than one project on the go at the same time. Sometimes it’s difficult to tear away from one thing to do another, but I believe it’s healthy. Anyway, that’s my tuppenceworth, other people no doubt have their own advice. Keep writing.
Fiona
July 20th, 2011 at 1:27 am
Just finished the first lesson. Perhaps I cheated a little bit, because my three ‘creative thoughts’ were the ideas for three novels I want to write. Creativity is not, I believe, my problem. I think what I really need is some lessons in creating a story arc. I’m hoping that comes in a later lesson. Meantime, here are my poetry and prose exercises. Realize Ms. Smith won’t be commenting, but perhaps others would like to do so.
My words were: dark violent rogue plots hunted military bad power technology twist hero used honor hunting selfless impossible cost protection corrupted and deluded.
The dark, violent rogue plots as he is hunted,
His military technology lending a twist of power
That makes him bad.
The hero, his honor used and abused,
Hunting, because he is selfless.
Impossible, the cost of protecting,
The Deluded from the Corrupted.
In the dark of an uncaring, deluded public, the rogue VAMPIRE plots the violent overthrow of the government. He twists his military technology to harm those he once protected. His power has corrupted him, turning to bad his every thought and intention. But he does not know that he is hunted by a hero; a man whose honor has been used, but who remains selfless in his hunting, paying the impossible cost to keep us under his protection.
Please let me know what y’all think. I guess I wrote more of a teaser than a short story.
July 23rd, 2011 at 8:57 am
Here are my responses to the three phrases
Blue Ball: The world floating in space going round and round and never stopping enough so that I can understand it.
And then the sadness came: The day my ten year old daughter died suddenly from a brain aneurysm.
Coffee: Thoughts in my brain snapping like a fallen live electrical wire on a wet street
July 24th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
I found this very useful, and thank you very much. I’ve realised that both poetry and short stories come easily to me, but I discovered that the poetry flowed more naturally. I wrote the poem about a character (antagonist) that I had in my head for a script I’m writing, a small story arc for an episode, and the poem helped me define the character in a better way, and the short story helped me develop her backstory in a more defined, proper and need-to-know basis, so thank you also for the help on that matter. I really appreciate the fact that you put up a free online lesson, thank you so very much and I cannot wait to get onto the next lesson. You’re very kind. ^_^ xxx
p.s. As a 17-year-old who, with constant school work, cannot get out to a writing course, this is been amazing for me so thanks so very, very much (again!) xD
July 25th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
You’re most welcome Nicola. Happy writing.
July 25th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
I just completed the introduction to this course and I have to say, as a lifelong creative writer and teacher, I am very impressed with your lesson and its ability to be helpful not only at the “advanced” stage of a writer’s career (whatever THAT really means) but would be very useful in any middle school, high school, or freshman college classroom. I might just adapt some of this into a lesson or two in the future, if that would be alright with you.
Thanks so much, and I’m looking forward to progressing right along through the course.
July 26th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Thank you Jeff. By all means use some of the concepts but the material itself is copyrighted. You may of course refer your students to the website. Hope you enjoy the rest of the course.
August 5th, 2011 at 12:30 am
I just finished Lesson 3. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this. I have been out of school a very long time (1980). I did not go to college and have regretted it all my life. I am an almost 50 ( still a 40 something for a few more months lol)young wife, mother and grandmother to whom I had devoted my whole life to, and now I am facing an empty nest. I have always had dreams of being a writer( after high school of course) but I hated English when I was young, and I do have horrible grammar skills so I guess you can say I am a beginner. I am searching for websites that can help me learn my basic grammar skills as will. Any suggestions I would greatly appreciate.
August 5th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Hi Sheila, glad you’re enjoying the course. There is a free online English grammar course that may be of use to you. http://www.english-online.org.uk/ Try it out.
Happy writing
Fiona
August 7th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
I just decided to try writing as a way of releasing my creative energy. I had always wanted to, but my own negative thoughts always stopped me. Now I am ignoring those thoughts and moving forward with my desire to write. I loved the first exercise. It took me a few days as I had to find time to fit it in but I loved what came up out of me. I was surprised at how I could use words to describe a feeling rather than using them to outline a thought. I’m looking forward to continuing. Thanks for this course!
August 8th, 2011 at 10:31 am
You’re welcome Susie. Glad you’re feeling ‘unblocked’.
August 9th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
I did the first response exercise and I agree with you about not thinking too much about what I am going to write. When I wrote what I felt it flowed. I am looking forward to the next lesson. Thanks so much!
August 10th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
You’re welcome Gilberto.
August 11th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
I`m so excited over this course I love writting but I never had an opportunity to study it.
August 15th, 2011 at 2:09 am
In doing Exercise 3, if I have no interest in writing poetry, should I still write a poem?
August 15th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Hi Sally, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. You don’t have to write a poem if you don’t want to. However, prose writers (ie writers of stories and books) often find that practising poetry helps them in their use of language. Poetry helps you to concentrate on the affect of words on the reader and the rhythm of sentences. These are all very useful in your writing. But hey, it’s up to you. This is supposed to be fun! Happy writing.
August 17th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
thank you so much for offering this course free of charge! i am a new mom and wife and i recently found that writing is my calling! in the process of polishing up my writing resume, thnk you so much for the opportunity to expand my horizons!!
August 17th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
You’re welcome Maddie. I found writing one of the few things that kept me sane when I was a new mother!
August 18th, 2011 at 3:50 am
I am so inspired by the writing I have just done. I have wanted to write a book for years. This is ultimately my goal, however, I have been lacking the follow through to get started. I am now taking responsibility for my life and creating my own destiny..This exercise has opened by eyes to the possibilities. Thank you
August 18th, 2011 at 7:02 am
Hi my name is David. I am considering writing about a three year period of my life. A time of terrible abuses in my life as a boy in the 70’s. At present I have leagle case pending aginst the Catholic church. Any suggestions?
August 18th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Then it’s mission accomplished on my part! Go girl!
August 18th, 2011 at 10:56 am
You will need to confer with your legal team on this. You’re on very thin ice.
August 18th, 2011 at 10:57 am
In terms of the actual writing, this falls into writing from life which is covered in my other course http://non-fiction-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/
August 18th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
can I email you privately?
August 18th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
You can use the contact form on the menu David. Your message will not be viewed by the public, just by me and my web administrator.
August 18th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Just to say though I’m not prepared to give you a legal opinion if there are legal proceedings underway.
August 18th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
I want to write a piece of fiction based on my experiences while working for a well-known international organization, which is as readily recognized as the FBI, the CIA, the KGB, the United Nations, etc. Do I need their permission to reference them in my book?
August 18th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Fiction is fiction, but make sure that it really is. The FBI etc are frequently used in fictional accounts so you don’t need their permission. If you were writing a non-fiction memoir you would need legal advice from a lawyer (not from me) as to what would be considered libellous or not.
August 23rd, 2011 at 6:58 am
I have been wanting to put my thoghts,feelings and experiences into words but was not sure where to begin.
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:39 pm
a friend found your advice on creative writing on the internet(which i never use) so i read through it and found it very interesting and helpful.
I would read two or threee to books a week and have a great imagination,therefore i would love to express my thoughts etc in the form of writing or indeed poetry.
August 24th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Hi Jim. What a treat to be able to read two or three books a week! If I have time to read two or three books a month these days it’s a miracle. I’m very envious. Hope you enjoy the course.
August 27th, 2011 at 5:03 am
I thought the exercises in the first session were very enlightening, I never knew that my first short story would come so easily, using a few short words. Once I began the words just started pouring out, and i began to get to know my main character through out the rest of my story.
August 30th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
OH this is an awesome free course… I haven’t started any of the lessons as of yet, but first wanted to ask a question
. Is there a place where we can post our work? I think it’d be awesome if the people who are interested in doing so could read each other’s work that they collect through the assignments in this course 
.
. I love writing prompts as they are a wonderful way to get the ol’ creative side of the brain turning 
.
Thank you for offering this free course! I bought two books over the past month in hope of refining my own writing skills/talents
-Rebecca
August 31st, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Hi Rebecca, people can post their writing in this comment section.
September 2nd, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Oops! I guess I like prose better as I just wrote 676 words in 15 minutes on exercise 3.
September 3rd, 2011 at 7:58 pm
This course is a breath of fresh air. I needed a tune up bad. Thanks for offering it for free
September 5th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
So happy to have come upon this course! Thanks for putting this out here for us to explore.
It’s just what I was looking for.
Can’t wait to continue!
September 5th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
you’re welcome, Lydia.
September 5th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Gonna give this course ago.
September 12th, 2011 at 1:59 am
i am trying to do my very best so can you alll please help me.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
What specifically do you want help with, Auneaka? If it’s a question about how the course operates then ask away, if it’s to do with feedback on your writing, please read my comments on this in the introduction.
September 15th, 2011 at 9:13 pm
This is so great of you to provide this course for free! I’m eagerly wanting to “break into” the freelance writer world and this is a wonderful start! I wish you much success in whatever you do!!
September 16th, 2011 at 9:53 am
You’re welcome, Tenesia. If you want to break into freelance writing then I suggest you also do my free non-fiction course which deals extensively with how to operate as a freelance http://non-fiction-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/
Happy writing
Fiona
September 18th, 2011 at 3:50 am
I just finished exercise three. I dont know how a poem is structered, but i went for it. as usual i like what i came up with but after reading it over and over again i begin to think its juvenile and dumb. That being said i enjoyed it immensely…… the poem well i call it a poem anyway flew right out of me thanks to this exercise.
September 18th, 2011 at 11:32 am
Dear Teddy, don’t allow your nay-saying editor to get you down. This was a simple exercise to get the old creative juices flowing. And seeing it ‘flew right out’ of you, then it’s achieved its purpose. There’s time for structuring and improving it later. Happy writing.
Fiona
September 19th, 2011 at 2:31 am
Thank you for offering this service, learning a lot by the resources you have provided!
September 19th, 2011 at 2:35 am
i am trying to write poetry about everything on the positive level, i need some encouragement on how i can write poetry that i can win in the contest.
September 19th, 2011 at 2:45 am
Thank you so much for offering this course. Although writing is what I’ve been dreaming of doing, I didn’t really know where to start. This course is just what I was looking for!
September 19th, 2011 at 11:02 am
There is a specific session on writing poetry here http://creative-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com/how-to-write-poems/
October 1st, 2011 at 7:51 am
thanks
October 2nd, 2011 at 3:46 pm
I really enjoyed this exercise. It was challenging and I loved it. It really surprised me on how easily the poem came out of me. Normally it takes me HOURS to write a decent poem. This one turned out surprising well, which is good for me.
Thank You.
October 2nd, 2011 at 8:24 pm
This sentence was my biggest takeaway:
“The first task of a good writer is to convert feelings into thoughts and then into words”.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:49 am
Glad it helped, Danielle. Sometimes a quick exercise like this can help you by-pass your internal editor.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Hi.Fiona. I finished the 1st three questions on Releasing You;re Creative Writing,and I didnot find it too dificult. But the net part.I am not sure of.Janice.
October 6th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
This was a good beginning. It surprised me how easily the poem came however the short short story was equally as quick. Good for me, right? I am looking forward to the next part but trying not to rush through anything. Thank you for this!
October 7th, 2011 at 5:56 am
Thank you very much for this online course. It is very nice of you to teach us and share your knowhow. I really appreciate it. You see I am just at home in my computer recovering from brain surgeries (brain tumour) but recovering very well in God’s grace. Can’t believed it didn’t affect my brain memory wise and got the itch to do some blogs and simple article writing at hubpages. I am struggling and came across your site. Thank you and godbless your good heart.
October 7th, 2011 at 8:59 am
Good for you
October 7th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Glad to be of help, Lenny. And I thank God you’re on the mend. May He continue to bless you.
October 9th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Being a person who was very fond of writing and got crippled and went into coma and recovering this site and course is truly amazing .thank you for finding the time and patience.
October 9th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
You’re welcome Amanda. I hope you rediscover the joy of writing.
October 11th, 2011 at 12:57 am
I was surprised to find your site. My attempt to create a short story about my younger years does not feel impossible now that I have learned some of the basics of writing through your site…I hope to do well and will stay in touch..thanks.
October 11th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Glad to be of service, Rick. Hope you enjoy writing the story.
Fiona
October 12th, 2011 at 4:26 am
I’m so glad for something like this. I haven’t written poetry in far too long, and every story I’m working on currently has been put on hold by writer’s block. It’s nice to find a way to both work on my format and find ways to re-capture my muse. I hope this helps others as much as I hope it helps me. God Bless. =)
October 12th, 2011 at 8:46 am
So glad I found your website. You are unreal to be prepared to teach us . I will work thru your exercises and hopefully learn.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Thanks Katerina. Hope your muse returns.
October 15th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Thanks for this very helpful website. I did the three exercises and enjoyed them.
I wrote the poem and the little short story, both pretty easily, surpisingly.
October 17th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
So far, this is fun. Tomorrow I will embark on second assignment Thanks. i LOVE free.
October 19th, 2011 at 3:34 am
Thank-you for this site. I have been procrastinating but have found this very helpful.
October 19th, 2011 at 10:02 am
Glad it’s helped you get off your procrastinating body part
October 20th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Thank you for this website. There should be more people like yourself creating website such as these to help people realise their creativity.
Thanks again.
October 20th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
You’re welcome, Carla.
October 20th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
hello i have decided to do the course and i am on ex.2 where your asked to write down why u want to write and 3 creative thoughts….a creative thought? does that consist of an idea youve had dealing with writing? okay if a picture jumps out at u why it jumped out at u? what do u mean by creative thought?
October 21st, 2011 at 11:05 am
Hi Jabari. A creative thought is simply a thought, idea, image, word etc that comes into your mind and you would like to expand on creatively. These are some creative thoughts I’ve had today and could write about if I wanted to: ‘autumn leaves’, ‘mothers in law’, ‘revolution’, ‘when the tumble drier stops tumbling’, ‘the joys of cheese’.
October 22nd, 2011 at 2:19 pm
ooo okay i understand…thank you so much
October 28th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
This first module has really pushed my want and eagerness to write. As it’s on line and free, the lack of pressure is really beneficial yo me as I can pursue my interest at my own pace!
October 29th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Glad to hear that, Anna. That’s what I hoped the course would do when I put it up there. It’s wonderful to know that people are being ’set free’ to explore their creativity.
October 29th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
oh it left me felling so so delighted…this is the first time i came to know about the poet inside me…thanx a lot…
October 30th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
I’m really happy for you, Mandeep. It’s wonderful when we unleash our hidden talents, isn’t it? Happy writing.
Fiona
October 31st, 2011 at 12:10 am
Geez this is really working. I actually enjoyed writing a really short story.
October 31st, 2011 at 12:39 am
Thank you for these exercises. I came here solely for the purpose of helping me along on my path to better my short story and novel writing endeavors. Thanks to you though my love of writing piety has been religion. I haven’t written any poems in years, until tonight, and I do believe that I will keep at it. Thank you!
October 31st, 2011 at 10:29 am
Good to hear it!
October 31st, 2011 at 10:29 am
That’s great news, Lea/ And long may it continue!
November 4th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
I really enjoyed the first three exercises and look forward to continuing. I have always wanted to write, and think I am finally serious enough to see if I am any good. This is a stepping stone for me.
November 4th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Thanks, I am really trying to see if I can do something with my desire to write!
November 4th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Well having the desire is the first step. Hope it turns into something fruitful for you.
November 5th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Thank you for your willingness to help others. I have made a commitment to myself to follow at least one of my dreams and believe I have the stories to possibly make it a reality.
November 6th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I like that attitude, Vicky. When pursuing one dream you may fulfil others. But as you go, don’t forget to help others on the way.
Happy writing
Fiona
November 6th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Have always want to write a story about my childhood.your free lessons will just help me get it right.thanks a lot dear
November 7th, 2011 at 9:41 am
You’re welcome, Nkami. Enjoy!
November 8th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Wow, never thought of myself as a poet but your exercise three highlighted the fact that I was all about the poetry.
Thank you, you course have spurred me on to unveil my creative persona.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Glad to be of service, Sam!
November 9th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Since I was young I have had a desire to be writer, short stories is where i have always wanted to be. I got away from writing for reasons that now don’t matter. I’m now in a position to give it a try again. Words and ideas used to come easily to me now it’s much harder. At almost 59 years old I suppose i would like to at least try to fulfill my dream. this course may just get me going.
November 9th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Hope so, Tim!
November 10th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
thanks Fiona
you are really a great help and a wonderful person
those starting exercises,practically slapped my thinking cap on my head.
hope to make something out of this course.
and is there a need to submit those exercises?
November 11th, 2011 at 7:57 am
Hello Odun, I don’t mind giving someone a good slap around the head if it will help them get started! Regarding submitting, a few years ago there was a facility to submit the exercises for a cost of £5 a time. However, I became too busy to deal with them so I have removed that facility. The exercises were originally designed as a means to help writers self-analyse their creative process, so you should still get a lot out of it even without my input.
Happy writing
Fiona
November 13th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Wow! I wrote down words to describe my Mother and wrote both the poem and the short story. I am totally overwhelmed with the emotion that came from that exercise. I realize the power of words if they are combined correctly to express an important message. I actually cried when I read back what I had put down on paper. I know that I love my Mother, but today I realize why! Thanks for this initial exercise.
November 13th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Glad to hear it, Liz. Hope you have a chance to read the poem to you mother.
November 14th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
So far I am already enjoying the exercises!
November 16th, 2011 at 10:59 am
This Is awesome!
November 23rd, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Really enjoyed the first session and looking forward to the second. I am an aspiring writer and currently working on my first novel. I have put it on hold and decided to write a few short stories first as well as competitions. Basically sharpen my pencil so that when i get back to the novel i should have better direction, skills and a much more creativity.
November 23rd, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Happy sharpening!
November 26th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Thanks! Great tips so far.
November 29th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
What a great way to get me out of this prison of procrastination! Thanks so much for doing this!
November 29th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Happy to oblige, Michele
December 1st, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Found this very helpful and informative
Thanks
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:01 am
You’re welcome, Ray.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
This is very informative, easy to read and understand. You are doing a great job. Thanks.
December 6th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
“one woman’s masterpiece is another woman’s unmade bed”- that makes a firm statement.
Also wanted to thank you for this helpful article
December 7th, 2011 at 8:29 am
Hi Souptik, I was referring to the Tracy Emin Turner Prize winning art-work – Unmade Bed. Which is just that, an unmade bed! Glad you found something useful here.
December 11th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Thank you Ms. Fiona for offering this course. I’m interested in honing my writing skills to turn them into a meaningful career God Willing. Your course is giving me an introduction into the beautiful world of writing. I’m most grateful.
Sincerely,
Sarah
December 11th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
You’re most welcome, Sarah. This must be one of the nicest ‘thankyous’ I’ve ever received. God bless you in your writing.
December 13th, 2011 at 2:02 am
Really enjoyed this first session, and look forward to the rest to come. Thank you so much for making this course available for free. It really is a wonderful way to encourage us all to be more creative!
December 13th, 2011 at 11:50 am
i really liked this, it was very helpful
December 18th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
I am an inveterate writer – of emails and letters etc and also my profrssional life is that of editing medical manuscripts in terms of language. So I write an awful lot and read an awful lot. Have always had the desire to be creative but one has to know how to go about it. The words that you proviude here ans ask us to think up of our associaitons and the small tasks you have set are surely the best wasy to begin to think differently – not always intellectually, as my profession requires, but maybe emotionally. I shall work through your course and I might be able to come up with good ideas for creative writing and maybe even actually produce a short story – which is what I really want to do.
best
rajam
December 29th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
was surprised at how easy it was to form a stoty.
December 30th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
i am really excited to go on to the next course i am learnin things already. i learned i am not a poet by no means thanks for giving me somewhere to start b4 i start paying!
January 3rd, 2012 at 8:11 pm
love this free creative writing lesson, it really helped to release my creativity by writing freely and not thinking too hard.
January 4th, 2012 at 11:11 am
I think this has help to write and to think about the way that i write. I never would have wrote a short story or poem before this. Thank you for your help
. Also, I have purchased ‘The creative writing coursebook’ as you suggested.
I am going to take things step by step, thanks for your help again.
January 4th, 2012 at 11:14 am
You’re welcome Roger. I hope you continue to enjoy the course.
January 10th, 2012 at 9:26 pm
hi, Just wanted to say that this information is very useful too me!!
January 18th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
So helpful and so interesting! I’m so happy to see it comes pretty easy to me. At least for short stories. And I really enjoyed the first exercise.
January 19th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Hi Fiona,
I am an avid web surfer, and greatfully came across your website on creative writing. I want to commend you for offering a free creative writing course to all of us, ‘wannabe’ writers. Most professionals such as yourself, would usually want payment first. I’m a natural thinker and do a lot of that, thinking that is. I am also fond of reading and acquiring loads of different avenues of knowledge. Call me a ‘knowledge junkie’ if you wish! Well, I dont want to keep you, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to help the ‘needy’ in their time of need. I will now continue utilising this wonderful oppertunity (your free course, ofcourse) to hopefully learn something about creative writing and hone my skills, that is if I actually do posses any, in this field, at all!
Thank you!
January 19th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
You’re most welcome Joel. I’m sure you have some skill – you certainly have the passion! Happy writing.
January 21st, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Hi Fiona,
I want to thank you for allowing us to draw from your experience and wisdom.The exercises are great and looking forward to the rest of the course.
I would like to know what your fee is for professional critiquing. I did not see an amount under F.A.Q. If you could let me know I would appreciate it.
Thank you for making this short course free and I know everyone else is just as grateful as I am.
Deborah
January 22nd, 2012 at 1:08 am
Thank you for the exercises. I wrote about a busy mother who drank black coffee because her four year old son had woke her up after a four night sleep. The boy tripped with the big blue ball and fell down the stairs. His mother took him to the hospital and when they asked her for her health care plan the sadness came to her. It was interesting. But I wasn’t sure if I understood the exercise because I was unclear. Did I have to create some small narrative or just write three sentences, I wasn’t sure. It took some time to do. But thanks, I really enjoyed it. Can’t wait to keep up writing.
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:41 am
Hello Deborah. Glad you’re enjoying the course. Regarding critiquing rates, it varies according to what you want done. There is a link to my rates on the FAQ page. But if you missed it, here it is again http://www.thecraftywriter.com/services/#critiquing
January 23rd, 2012 at 9:42 am
Hello Kathie, there’s no right and wrong. This was simply an exercise to release something in you. If a sentence was released, that’s great, but if it led to something longer, that’s fine too. Happy writing!
January 27th, 2012 at 12:36 am
I fear I’m not very creative. My blue ball was a blue medecine ball; my coffee was a cup of Folgers classic; and my sadness was a scene from the book “A Picture of Dorian Gray”. My three crative thoughts were all ones I had a while ago and probably weren’t original even then. They were “A woman named Evangeline is the angel of death”, the name “Ellia”, and the line “My tears will be your river crossing.”
January 27th, 2012 at 8:54 am
Why isn’t that creative? All of those things could be the start of something. Simplicity is not a lack of creativity. You’re doing yourself in before you even start. Give yourself a good talking to!
January 31st, 2012 at 3:40 pm
I was thinking hard to write something about a ‘ blue ball’ , when my seven year old grand daughter brought a globe from school. She told me that she wanted to be a glob-trotter. I am sad that I dont have much time left to be one, and what else i can do other than muse on it over a cup of coffee!
January 31st, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Thank you, I am having fun and hope with your course!
I am not sure if you meant to write a whole paragraph or just write first few lines that come to the mind?
I wrote online few lines but I would like to know if you expect to write as longer as possible?What would be convenient?
Blue ball rhythmically swinging between puffy white clouds
thats when the sadness came stalking the whole of my body, slowing down my steps
grabbing my legs, paralysing my body, bringing me closer to death..
Coffee ..
vibrant fumes of Rumba and Mambo..
Thank you,
S.
February 1st, 2012 at 8:58 am
Write as much as you like Satinka. This is for you. It’s simply an exercise to release your creativity. I don’t look at it.
Happy writing!
Fiona
February 1st, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Dear Fiona, first of all I would like to thank you for all the hard work you have put into this online course for all of us to be able to learn so much from. I am very interested in everything you have explained to us so far, and am at present doing the exercises re The Blue Ball, the Sadness, and the Coffee etc, which I enjoyed immensely, but found to my surprise that my creativity and imagination began to come out in leaps and bounds, making each of the three subjects into much more than just a few words. i.e.
1. I saw children playing happily with a large `blue ball` on the beach in the breeze, completely oblivious to the fact that a few minutes earlier their lovely `blue ball` had been just a little bundle of thin inflatable rubber, awaiting only to be blown up and the air retained therein by just a little plastic stopper to create their wonderful object of pastime.
2. The sadness came when I looked at my darling lifeless mother on the lounge carpet where I discovered her, having passed, with sign or warning, her last breath, and feeling the very soon awaited new baby withing myself, `and the sadness came` when I realised that this wonderful and caring mother who had always been and who now no longer was, would never herself have the joy of seeing and holding her first grandchild from the daughter whom she herself loved so much, and
3. I wrote about the bronzed Brazilians working in the heat of the sun in the isles of the coffee plantations, never complaining, their sparkling white teeth showing so clearly as they smiled and chatted as they worked, and I became aware that both due to, and thanks to, their hard work and perseverance in the gruelling and underpaid lifestyle they probably were accustomed to I, myself, had the luxury of quietly being able to sit and read my morning paper, savouring with relish and taking utterly for granted the aroma and taste of my “wake-up” call of each morning – my `life saving` first of the day `cup of coffee`.
There, I said my imagination had run away with me, and am not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign. Do you have any ideas or comments? Thank you so much again Fiona, and now on to the rest of the First Chapter exercies, which I am really looking forward to. With warmest regards, Katy
February 1st, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Hello Katy, I’m very glad the exercises helped to release something from you. However, I can’t comment on your work. Please read the introduction page to this course again for my reasons. However, if you would like to develop one of these ideas into a story I can critique it when it is done but I will of course charge you for that. Perhaps one of the other students can comment on your work if they choose.
Happy writing
Fiona
February 1st, 2012 at 8:04 pm
thank you for this free course, just what I was looking for. I have a story to tell, based on a real event. I believe this will help me transform my collection of facts into a form that other people can laugh and cry with. I found it easier to write the short story, putting on paper a daydream I have had for a while about relocating and having a totally different life. The words flowed easily, I could see myself living this alternative life. Looking forward to doing the rest of the course and then getting on with writing my book.
Thank you
February 4th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
This is what I have been looking for(a writing course) all this while.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Tonye.
February 5th, 2012 at 2:58 am
I’ve already started writing. Short stories, some poetry but prose suits me better. I’ve turned into a natural story teller. I’m working on a semi-fictional autobiography/memoir in the first person using a pseudonym for me and other characters.
February 5th, 2012 at 6:13 am
The exercises I just did helped me through a rough situation. It made me realize the things that I know I will now never forget. Writing about this helped in ways I cannot describe and hope writing will continue to help me. I guess i just figured out that writing about things that happen to you make you feel a little less pain every time you read it and write about it. Thank you.
February 5th, 2012 at 9:38 am
Glad it’s helped, Dustie. Enjoy the rest of the course.
February 5th, 2012 at 9:38 am
You’re welcome, Carole.
February 5th, 2012 at 9:39 am
You’re on a roll!
February 7th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I always love writting, cos it is one of †?? easiest way I can express myself, but thanks to d lec, I think I ???? now able to make better constructions of ideas.
February 8th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Hi Fiona. Its great to start writing, be it poetry or prose and be able to bring the piece to a conclusion just because of the word limitation. Brings a nice conciseness to it, rather than rambling on. Regards, Jo.
February 8th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Glad it helped, Jo. Yes sometimes setting limitations can be liberating. Happy writing.