Creative Writing ArticleWhen in school, most of us took creative writing. When we decided to become “serious writers” though something changed. For many of us, the idea of being a professional writer seemed to preclude creativity. Talent took a backseat to playing it safe. If you look at most magazines, there is a formula to their articles. Each editor prefers a certain style and authors that conform to that style have a better chance of being selected. That’s life. On the other hand, there is a reason that millions of magazines and books are published and sold, every year. And that reason is that the writers have conformed their format to industry standards, while keeping their own voice. Here are some tips on getting published, while keeping the creative part in your creative writing: 1) Look at the magazines that you will submit articles to or the books put out by your favorite publisher. Find out what the articles in that particular magazine or the books in that publisher’s genre have in common. Is it length? Do they open with action? Do they help? Do they include references? Is there a particular theme? 2) Next take the format and make it your own. Pick an article or one of the shorter books and lay out the format. Make an outline. For example: Article starts out with a killer headline. First sentence has pizzaz. Second paragraph goes into details and references. Last paragraph sums it all up and tells them where to get more information. For books: First paragraph starts out with action. Second paragraph gives characteristics in a funny way. Publisher seems to like animal themes. Doesn’t seem to like too much dialogue. Most books in this series are about 100 pages long. Ending usually has me laughing. 3) Analyze your topic. Make your normal notes or outline of your book or article. Draft your characters or conduct your interview. Get as much information on paper as possible, without worrying about format. 4) Dust off your creative writing books and jog your memory with a cup of coffee. Let your mind go. Take chances. Have fun with it. 5) Implement your creative writing strategies for this work, while sticking to the publisher’s preferred format. If they love funny first lines, give them one. If they love lessons, include one. If they are all about family values, include them in your story. Remember creative writing is not just a class in college. It is a part of what professional writers do. Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips go to:
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