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I have started writing a novel, what kind of creative writing techniques can improve my narrative writing?

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Question added by Samar Saleh , Community Manager , Bayt.com
Date Posted: 2016/02/16
Zahid Hussein
by Zahid Hussein , President , Sustainable Resource Foundation (SuRF)

Use ‘the Channels’: One effective technique in terms of 'getting started' writing a piece is to zone into one of the 'creative channels.' While the channels can consist of basically anything, the central ones are: Feeling: this would be your emotional response to things, what images are evoked when you think about a particular topic or image based on the feelings you get from it. Thinking: this would be your introspective look at whatever topic you have, from a philosophical or logical perspective. Observational: this is truly the most objective channel, where you write about something purely in a physical sense. A five to ten minute 'free write' in one of these channels about an idea or something physical can both be good ways to figure out what to write about. For example, writing about a house through the feeling channel will produce something very different from the observational channel. A lot of material can come through free writing; it can spark an idea for a more focused piece. Pick a book of poems or collected creative essays/story excerpts: Go through the book and pick a few with a good opening line and ending line, then a few you feel are weaker. Ask yourself why the selected are the stronger and weaker. Usually the stronger will instantly draw the reader in with an intriguing action and conclude with an equally powerful image. The weaker are often predictable or non-unique images. Keep this in mind with your own writing. After you start, take away what you love the most: This can be very hard to do once you actually begin the composition process--there is bound to be a sentence, paragraph, or stanza that inevitably becomes your favorite. However, in order to make the other parts equally as strong, an effective technique is to cut out the 'favorite' bit so that you can examine the remaining parts and see how you can make them as strong as the best one. Afterwards, you can put the removed component back in to see if the piece still flows. Let it marinate: Once you have finished a piece, try 'putting it away' for a day or two. Often, new inspiration will come from something that has already been written to produce something even better. 

1. Think about your reader :

With creative writing, as with any kind of writing, your reader is your most important consideration. You need to know and understand whom you’re writing for if you’re to do a good job of keeping them interested. Let’s think for a moment about the kind of person you’re writing for when you’re writing an essay and what you need to do to write specifically for them:

2. Three-act structure :

The three-act structure is a writing device used extensively in modern writing, including for film and television dramas. These ‘acts’ aren’t as distinct as acts in a play, as one follows seamlessly on from another and the audience wouldn’t consciously realise that one act had ended and another began. The structure refers to a plotline that looks something like this

3. An attention-grabbing opening :

An oft-spouted piece of advice in creative writing is to use an attention-grabbing opening. One way of doing this is to start with a ‘flashback’, which could disrupt the chronology of events by transporting the reader directly back to the midst of the action, so that the story begins with maximum excitement. In a murder mystery, for instance, the writer might skip a slow build-up and instead use the murder itself to form the opening of the novel, with the rest of the story charting the efforts of the detective to uncover the perpetrator and perhaps telling the events prior to the murder in a series of flashbacks. The same principle can be applied to essays, though it’s easier to use in some subjects than others.

 

Mohammed  Ashraf
by Mohammed Ashraf , Director of International Business , Saqr Al-Khayala Group

Wow, it is good deed but not easy in your young age, you have sit alone in a lonely place with great patience . A beautiful natural place. No interference from anyone . purely alone , take tea every often and enjoying writing with creative thoughts, ideas, perception and inspirational thoughts. Deep knowledge about the society’s role inside the theme of the noval, should not  directly insult any culture, religion, personality and so on.

After the above concentrate on below points and complete your novel and relax yourself from a big deal of tensions. 

  • Appearance. Gives your reader a visual understanding of the character.
  • Action. Show the reader what kind of person your character is, by describing actions rather than simply listing adjectives.
  • Speech. Develop the character as a person — don’t merely have your character announce important plot details.
  • Thought. Bring the reader into your character’s mind, to show them your character’s unexpressed memories, fears, and hopes.

Vikas Bachhuka
by Vikas Bachhuka , Sales Manager - Tire, Lubs & Batteries , ALI ALGHANIM & SONS AUTOMOTIVE CO.

Well first of all congratulation for your new interest.

 

Now that you have started writing novels you can refer the below points for a better novel writing

 

1)    Think about your reader - Your reader is your most important consideration. You need to know and understand whom you’re writing for if you’re to do a good job of keeping them interested. 2)    Three-act structure - The three-act structure is a writing device used extensively in modern writing, including for film and television dramas. These ‘acts’ aren’t as distinct as acts in a play, as one follows seamlessly on from another and the audience wouldn’t consciously realize that one act had ended and another began. 3)    An attention-grabbing opening - One way of doing this is to start with a ‘flashback’, which could disrupt the chronology of events by transporting the reader directly back to the midst of the action, so that the story begins with maximum excitement.  4)    Extended metaphors - For example, when Shakespeare wrote the passage in Romeo and Juliet referring to “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” he was using an extended metaphor. A metaphor is a kind of analogy, so the similarities with creative writing are strong here. 5)    Interesting details about setting and location - Another way of keeping your reader interested is to bring your novel to life with details about setting and location, just as creative writers do. Novels can become quite dry if you focus solely on the academic problems, but you can make them more interesting by peppering them with details. 6)    Editing - Few writers get it right first time. Once you’ve written a first draft, read through it and think about whether the order of your points is optimal and whether what you’ve written actually makes sense. Don’t forget to proofread to ensure that you’re spelling and grammar is impeccable! 7)    And finally… Record your ideas

 

 

Nila Eslit
by Nila Eslit , Content Writer for Fitness web , George Allen

Check the internet.

Actually, you should have done it even before starting your novel. I hope you'd not get lost in the process.

Abid  Patel
by Abid Patel , Manager- Sales and Support , ZAYANI COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Think of it as a conversation with your readers. Be genuine and simple. This is the information age and too much information is already available and writers tend to cut and paste.

If you want to sound original, relate it to your experiences and write it in the first person as if you are telling the story.

 

I did an exercise with a writer to have thought clarity some time back and it worked out well. You need to find sounding board to figure out the style of writing. If you build a structure and message, writing would become easy. Some writers are more spontaneous but that takes a lot of experience.

samiya guadi
by samiya guadi , Teacher , University

To be creative novelist, one must consider many techniques to follow

  1. The major one is to pick an amazing topic to discuss ie the writer must choose temporary topic to attract other's attention.
  2. The novelist must be selective and intellegent for choosing every item, he/she writes. He must use simple terms, and avoid vague terms, and be precise, concise, to the point.
  3. The novelist must use Academic language, and style. He has to use short sentences without shift in contest in them. He must bear in mind the form of the paragraph how should be starting from introductory sentence then supporting ideas then concluding one. He must know also the formula of the sentence itself. And then, he has to be aware how to join the sentences using conjunctions, and linking paragraphes using linking terms(adverbs).
  4. As we know, novelsits are going to write to readers, so they have to take them into consederation.
  5. Organizing the set of incedents into begining then plot then its resolution in order to be precise in your writing.
  6. Do not forget to  write set of the elements that should be mentioned in the novel like characters, time, place...etc.

Sidrah Nadeem
by Sidrah Nadeem , Global Marketing Manager , Hill & Knowlton

Mabrook, this will be quite a journey for you.

 

Structure, content clarity and transition are probably the three most important things to consider.

Also given everything is being read online, please publish an e-copy too!

ahmed abdallah
by ahmed abdallah , Language Instructor , King Saud University

thanks for the invitation

sorry

I don't have enough experience

However, I would like to suggest two things:

1- I suggest you develop writing skills in general

2- I encourage the spontaneous overflow of ideas and feelings

 

Omar Saad Ibrahem Alhamadani
by Omar Saad Ibrahem Alhamadani , Snr. HR & Finance Officer , Sarri Zawetta Company

Thanks

Agree with Colleague Mohammad ashraf

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