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
Send me your exercise and I'll critique it for you!
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.