Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Creative Workshop 2025: "What is Creative Writing?"

 

Welcome to the wonderful chaos of creative writing!

If you've ever found yourself making up stories while waiting in line at the grocery store, dreaming up witty dialogue in the shower, recalling strange dreams, or mentally narrating your life as if you were the protagonist of a Netflix series... Congratulations! You've got the writing bug, and there's no antidote (nor do you need one).

What is creative writing?

Basically, it's the art of telling stories in an original and exciting way. It doesn't matter if you write short stories, novels, scripts, poetry, or fan fiction of your favorite series: the important thing is that you use your imagination to bring worlds, characters, and emotions to life.

Unlike academic or technical writing (as fun as reading the instruction manual for a blender), creative writing plays with words, breaks rules when necessary, and seeks to connect with the reader on an emotional level. And that brings us to the big question...

How do you do that?

Think of writing like cooking. You can follow a basic recipe or experiment with ingredients until you create something unforgettable. There’s no one way to get it right, but there are techniques that can transform your story from “ meh ” to “ wow!

Best of all , you DON’T need a “ special gift ” to write. You learn by writing, like you learn to ride a bike: at first you fall, make a fool of yourself, and wonder why the hell you ever got into this, but then… boom! You’re rolling and enjoying the ride.


Three Truths About Creative Writing

🔹
You don’t need divine inspiration. If you’re waiting for the muses to visit, you might as well sit back because they can take a while. The key is to write even when you don’t feel like it. (Yes, it sounds harsh, but it’s the truth.)

🔹 The first version of whatever you do is always a mess. And that’s okay. Even great writers start with drafts full of clumsy sentences, plot holes, and dialogue more forced than a detergent commercial.

🔹 Your voice matters. Don’t try to write like someone else. Find your own style and let your personality shine through in your writing. We don't need Tolkien or García Márquez clones, we need your unique take on the world.


Time to get to work!

If you've made it this far, it's because you have the writing bug. So stop thinking about writing and... write! Don't wait for "the perfect moment" (spoiler: it doesn't exist). Grab a pen and paper, open a document on your computer or a note on your phone... and get started.

💡 Blitz exercise: Write a scene of no more than 10 lines where two characters argue about something absurd (like burnt toast or who picked the worst movie to watch). The key is to have the dialogue flow naturally and with some humor. Have fun! (You don’t have to have anyone read it if you don’t want to)

Remember: the best stories aren’t the ones you just think, but the ones you write. ✈️📚

Here’s a brief process to help you write an argument scene between two characters:

1️⃣ Think about the scene: Imagine the place and the context. Where are they? Why are they arguing? It could be in a coffee shop, in a car stuck in traffic, or in the middle of a space mission.

2️⃣ Choose the type of argument: It could be something trivial (who left the toilet seat up?) or something more serious (a betrayal, an inconvenient truth). The most interesting arguments often mix the absurd with the personal.

3️⃣ Imagine the dialogue: Hear their voices in your head. Do they talk fast and interrupt each other? Do they make innuendos or get straight to the point? Adding gestures and body language will make the scene feel more real.

💡 Extra tip: Think about how each character sees the conflict. For one it may be nonsense; for the other, the end of the world. That clash of perspectives brings the discussion to life!



Using AI


If you want, you can help yourself with some AI like ChatGPT , Gemini , Luzia , DeepSeek

Here are some prompts that can help you generate a discussion scene with AI (or just inspire you to write one yourself):


🎭 Prompts to generate the scene:

1️⃣ Custom context: "Two characters argue in [a location like home, work, etc] about [add a topic of discussion]. One is calm and the other loses their temper. Describe the scene in [humorous, sensory, aggressive, etc] detail."

2️⃣ Emotional context: "Write an argument between [character A] and [character B] where the conflict seems to be about [surface topic], but is actually a metaphor for a deeper emotional wound."

3️⃣ Comedy context: "Create a dialogue where two friends argue intensely about something completely ridiculous (example: who ate the last cookie?), but the conversation escalates into a tale of Greek tragedy."

4️⃣ Difference in perspective: "Two characters see the same event in completely opposite ways. One believes it is a catastrophe, the other that it is a blessing. Write the discussion in contrasting tones."

5️⃣ Tension and twists: "A couple argues heatedly in a restaurant, but in the middle of the fight one reveals an unexpected secret that completely changes the situation."

💡 Tip: Give the characters personality before creating the scene. Specify their relationship, emotions, and communication styles. This will make the result more natural and entertaining. 🚀

 


Do you have questions? Do you want to expand on these topics?

If you are interested in expanding on these topics, I recommend that you read my articles for writers. There you will find many interesting topics that will help you become a 21st century writer. Here are my notes for writers (use the google translate button - for no-spanish writers-) 🌌✍️

Do you have any questions? You can ask me -in english too- through a google form. Use the "Tu Consulta" button, please:


Good writing! 🚀✍️

 




 

 

 
 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment