Creative Writing | Writing Forward

Five Things I Learned in Creative Writing Class

People often ask me whether I think a formal education is necessary to a successful writing career. A degree certainly helps, but no, it’s not necessary. There are master writers who did not finish high school and plenty never went to college. I want to be clear: I fully support higher education. If you pull me…Read More

Ideas for Writing Creative Nonfiction

In fiction writing, we’re often inspired by what-if questions: What if an innocent person is convicted of murder? What if humanity finds itself facing total extinction? What if that rabbit hole leads to a fantastical wonderland? Fiction is driven by imagination. Ideas for writing creative nonfiction often arise from experience and interest rather than imagination….Read More

Do You Need a Creative Writing Degree to Succeed as a Writer?

Young and new writers often ask whether they need a creative writing degree in order to become an author or professional writer. I’ve seen skilled and talented writers turn down opportunities or refuse to pursue their dreams because they feel their lack of a creative writing degree means they don’t have the credibility necessary to…Read More

How to Develop Your Creative Writing Process

Writing experts often want us to believe that there is only one worthwhile creative writing process. It usually goes something like this: Brainstorm Research Outline Rough draft Revise (repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat) Edit, proof, and polish This is a good system — it absolutely works. But does it work for everyone? Examining the Creative Writing…Read More

Debunking Common Myths About Writing

Myths abound in the world of the arts, and writers are not immune to them. Many of us succumb to the fallacies that are floating around about what it means to be a writer or what it takes to become a writer. So what’s the matter with falling for myths about writing? Myths about writing…Read More

Are You Living the Writing Life?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines lifestyle as “a particular way of living: the way a person lives or a group of people live.” Dictionary.com defines it as “the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group.” A lifestyle is something you build for yourself…Read More

Keep Writing!

When life gets hectic, getting your creative writing done seems impossible. Inspiration might be knocking, but the house is so full, you’re not sure you can open the door and let it in. How can you keep writing? What if all you need is sixty seconds? We all have responsibilities to fulfill and obligations to…Read More

How to Be More Creative in Your Writing

Here’s an age-old question: is creative writing an art or a craft? Artistically minded writers will say that writing is most definitely an art while those who who think more analytically will claim writing is a skill, a trade, and a business. My answer is that writing can be either an art or a craft,…Read More

Where Do Successful Authors Get Their Most Brilliant Writing Ideas?

Do writing ideas just fall out of the sky? Is it reasonable to sit around waiting for a great idea to land on your lap, so you can write the next big bestseller? I don’t think so. When it comes to developing worthwhile writing ideas, it’s either feast or famine for most of us. Some…Read More

26 Creative Writing Careers

If creative writing is your passion, then you’d probably enjoy a career in which you could spend all day (or at least most of the day) pursuing that passion. But creative writing is an artistic pursuit, and we all know that a career in the arts isn’t easy to come by. It takes hard work,…Read More