Arlene Said:

How do I get started with creative writing?

We Answered:

I was a creative writing major, and some of the exercises they professor gave us were pretty neat. Here are some:

- Start with ten individual sentences. From each sentence, create ten more sentences that are connected to it. Afterward, you will have a total of 100 sentences. Believe me, it's a lot harder than it seems. For example, if you start with sentence 1. The house is painted in green. 2. The garden needs weeding, 3, 4, and so on, and I gather that you want to be more creative than those simple sentences. So from that first sentence, 1. The house is painted in green. The following sentence will be 2. The green color resembles the mucus fallen out of Tommy's nostrils as coughed for the fifth time in two minutes. 3. Tommy had never seen the house before, or else he would be reminded of that embarassing evidence once he'd seen the yucky color. 4. But the house can't help that it is painted in green. 5. Mr. Martin, the owner, only has twenty bucks left in his pocket, and on a whim, he drove to Home Depot and bought the first bucket of color that fits his budget. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, will continue. You get one story. Then start again with the second sentence above. This should keep you busy and wrinking your head as it did mine. Although these examples are just created now on the spur of the moment.

- Another creative idea is to write sentences, or even a small paragraph without any word that has an "e." For example, "Holly laughs out loud on our front porch. Holly's grandma scowls at Holly's hilarious mouth. It winks and works up and down as though it is ill." Etc. See, no "e."

- This exercise is a difficult one. Start with sentence, and from that sentence, focus on it and feel as though that sentence will "give birth" to the second sentence," and so on. This is not a stream of conscious writing. It is not supposed to work that way. Rather, you will have to feel the writing. When you write that sentence, and the following sentences, you feel as though the language writes for itself. You're an instrument that writes. But the sentence that you created will actually breeds more sentences so that they flow seamlessly from one to the next.

That's all I can think of at the moment. The bookstore and library also offer exercise tips for creative writing from poets and fictional writers. Good luck and enjoy! If you follow these examples and write them, you'll be surprised at your work. It will not be the typical work and ideas that you're used to, but you'll love it. I know I did.

Freddie Said:

How do you make a creative writing portfolio?

We Answered:

Get a nice binder from Staples or somewhere with some of those clear sheets and print out all of your writings. Stick them in the clear sheets and put them in the binder. If you want to be more creative you could even get dividers and divide each writing by title or date. Making a table of contents will add professionalism. Try to make the font size/style the same on all of the writings though or else it could look like a collaborated mess. Unless, you dont use the dividers, then using a different font could help differentiate each piece. Those are my ideas, I have made one myself and am very satisfied with it. Hope that helps....

Carmen Said:

How can I improve my creative writing skills?

We Answered:

Pick up a book from an author who has written many, all of them very successful called simply "On Writing" by Stephen King, it will give you lots of advice on the overall craft of writing. You also have to read to write - read a lot.

Steve Said:

Creative writing copywright: How to protect work when submitting to potential publishers or literary agents?

We Answered:

You do not need to register your copyright before submitting. Publishers and agents get so many submissions in a day that they don't have the time (let alone the inclination) to steal someone's work. They will be insulted and know that you are an amateur if you *do* register your copyright before submitting.

If they did steal someone's work, they would instantly lose all integrity and go out of business. Publishers and agents care about helping authors get their work published.

Besides, you will have researched the agents and publishers you submit to, so you'll know they're legitimate. Your initial submission will likely include no more than a few pages of your work, and if anyone wants a full manuscript, you will have done *extra* research on them, so you'll know it's safe.

Just a note: The word is "copyright" not "copywrite". As in, the right to copy something.

You do know that agents are only interested in books, right? They don't handle shorter work like poems or short stories, most of the time.

Loretta Said:

What is the best way for a recent creative writing grad to get an agent?

We Answered:

You do not need an agent until you have a completed book manuscript ready for shopping around to various publishers. If all you have right now are short stories, you need to send them to magazines on your own. I know of no agent that will represent someone who only writes short stories.

Get the most recent Novel and Short Story Writers Market, and start doing some research. Find what publications print the type stories you have written.

Good luck!