I am not content with the way I write. Part of the problem is that I write literally, so I will say “It was cold”, whereas I need to learn to write more descriptively, along the lines of “the gentle breeze carried with it a chill deep enough to make your joints creak”. Ok, perhaps that’s not a very good example, but hopefully you get where I am coming from.
A few years ago I attended a creative writing course at the local college. It was a good course, and the lecturer was a well known author who’s intention was alway to get her students published. The nature of the course was such that a number of her students were regulars, they had done the course several times. I did it twice. I stopped after that. In fairness, I did tell the tutor that I wasn’t interested in writing fiction, but I felt obliged to for the purpose of the course. Of course, what I wrote was rubbish.
I think I could go back and do the course one more time but it would be on the basis that my work would be non-fiction (of course, unless that brilliant idea hits me making me the next JK Rowling – how likely is that?). Even to the point of character development, which is a crucial part of fiction, it is also critical to non-fiction that you understand who and why you are writing about someone.
It was only after I had walked away from the creative writing course, that I became aware of the concept of creative non-fiction. That of course hit a not in my mind. I’ve looked at a few YouTube videos on the topic, and there are podcasts as well. It’s not really a problem that most of these are American in origin, it’s just that they are so enthusiastic. I just need to find the right one – I am still looking.
Bills Posts 