Creative Writing: Motivation & Skills, An assessment

Transcription

1 Creative Writing: Motivation & Skills, An assessment Dr. (Mrs). Dora Thompson* Prof. Mamta Chhabriya** Assistant Professor, Dept. Of Humanities Priyadarshini College of Engineering Nagpur Abstract It is a major concern to analyze the ratio of time allotted by students for writing and speaking. Since writing as a means of communication has become a thing of the past with today s generation may not even be aware that we communicated to our dear ones by means of letters. Maybe if the practice continued children would have had better spellings, better handwriting and better interest in writing. In a scenario where the entire concentration is on becoming a doctor or an engineer, both parents and children forget the importance to give creative writing, a thought. In my proposed paper I would like to deal with the problems faced by students in creative writing with respect to the school going and college students laying emphasis on how lack of reading leads to poor writing skills which affect the students adversely in their career prospects. Paper Like all learning troubles, difficulties in writing can be distressing to a child's education and self-esteem. As children advance through school, they are increasingly expected to express what they know about many different subjects through writing. If a child fails to develop certain basic skills, he will be unable to write with the speed and fluency required to excel as these demands increase. Indeed, for a child struggling with a writing problem, the writing process 159

2 itself interferes with learning. Students faced with such difficult odds have trouble staying motivated. We often hear teachers complain about a particular student s awful attitude towards writing that interferes with his or her success in completing an assignment. The attitude and approach of a student play a vital role in his or her ability to write well. Students come to language classes with some false notions. They tend to assume that because they speak English and are at least legitimate literate, they know how to write in the sense of writing an essay or a paragraph. Writing problems seldom occur in isolation, and improvements in writing go hand in hand with the development of other non-writing-specific skills. Thus, a problem with the development in one of these areas is likely to interfere with a child's progress as a writer and as a learner. Umpteen factors contribute to the problems faced by different strata of the student community. It is only when the problems related to writing is dealt with wisely that we can think of developing interest in creative writing. According to the Wikipedia Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems. Writing for the screen and stage, screenwriting and playwriting respectively, typically have their own programs of study, but fit under the creative writing category as well. Teachers can act like the light house which directs the students into doing the right thing in the most creative way. This process should begin at a basic level where students should be allowed to pen down on topics of their choice and interest. Creative writing is a way to get your students express simple ideas on a topic of their interest and choice. We can succeed in initiating the hidden ideas of the students; even if they are the most reluctant. There are kids who absolutely hate to write, but helping students to overcome this anxiety is our obsession, which is one of the reasons that teachers toil hard with students with writing. All the students can learn to love writing, regardless of their unique learning styles. Why should students write? 160

3 Writing is one of the essential skills which one acquires in the formative years. Unfortunately, this area is not being given the due importance. Writing skills are essential for achieving career and business goals. It is an important medium of communication. Unfortunately, today, these skills are being neglected. Writing skills are imperative to enhance and hone one s writing skills. A little effort will go a long way to achieve your goals. This is what sets you apart from your peers. We take a look at some instances where writing skills are an important asset. One learns writing skills in school and college. The skill of expressing one s thoughts and communicating ideas and views to others is developed here. Exams are a significant opportunity to demonstrate one's writing skills. This would stand in good stead in any chosen avenues of life. Writing involves mere eruption of words. Expressing them can be a good process to keep their minds involved and keep them far and away from distractions like excess T.V viewing, computer games, video games etc. The youth and children of today prefer watching television to reading books. Their oral communication is excellent at the expense of their written communication. Call centers have cropped up where more importance is given to oral communication skills. There has been a general deterioration in the standard of written communication. People use acronyms in s and SMSs. The education system should be overhauled and refresher courses be given to arrest this negative trend. How does creative writing better you as a person? Creative Writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your learning, and your intellect will be judged in college, in the workplace, and in the community. It helps to express who you are as a person and enables you to think loudly. Creative writing helps you move easily among facts, inferences, and opinions without getting confused and without confusing your reader. It promotes your ability to pose worthwhile questions and fosters your ability to explain a complex position to readers, and to yourself. It reflects your thoughts and convictions and helps others give you feedback. It ensures that your ideas and concepts are refined when others give you a feedback

4 It requires that you anticipate your readers needs. Your ability to do so demonstrates your intellectual flexibility and maturity. Writing down ideas with creativity preserves them so that you can reflect upon them later. What makes Writing Creative? In common parlance, Creative Writing signifies the product of some in born talent. It has to be chiseled by learning writing due to ever changing usage of language and styles of writing. A good writer has to be a communicator, as writing is as much about the documentation of facts as it is about expression. There are a range of benefits of writing and developing its habit is worth the effort. It not only helps in expressing oneself more effectively but it is also beneficial when one wants to get across a point effectively. Growing from a person who writes well into a person who takes creative writing seriously, it becomes a perfect blend of ideas and feelings. This provides the creative touch it might lack. Creativity is a mix of talent and intellect. If you re doing text for business card printing businesses, ad copy, or writing novels, concentrate on the most stimulating elements, not the toil. We can add further stimulus by selecting better and more appropriate areas of writing. Stimulate the creative power, and you ll never look back. Having taught undergraduate and graduate courses for a few years, I have always emphasized the need to embrace the online world and take maximum benefit of the different functionalities to self-represent, write, and actively engage in being part of the web revolution. Realizing the importance of writing and most importantly academic writing for graduate students and others alike, is of paramount importance. Everyone has certain talents and creative ideas that are better expressed rather than hidden in memory. Not only does a person express creativity but also achieves self-confidence and a synthesis of ideas that have the potential to lead to betterment of oneself and the society in 162

5 general. Writing is an art, a great talent that comes with practice. The only and the best way to write well is through practice. We also must encourage educators in schools to encourage writing at an early stage. Children who struggle with attention may be inattentive and impulsive. An attention problem may manifest itself as: difficulty getting started on writing assignments easy distractibility during writing tasks mental fatigue or tiredness while writing inconsistent legibility in writing uneven writing tempo many careless errors poorly planned papers and reports Language Problem Good writing relies on a child's language abilities improving steadily over time. A language problem may manifest itself in a child's writing as: poor vocabulary awkward phrasing and unconventional grammar inappropriate use of colloquial language difficulty with sentence structure and word order trouble reading back what is written difficulty with word sounds, spellings, and meanings Can you consider Creative Writing as a career? Sadly, not many parents encourage their children to enter the field of creative writing. Instead, they are pressurized to become engineers, doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants because these, they believe, are the professions that attract the big bucks. However, creative writing has a lot of scope. One can become a journalist, a short story writer, a novelist, a playwright, a copywriter -- the possibilities are endless

6 If you believe that writing is all about sitting at your computer and writing the next great novel, then it cannot be a lovely surprise. It is far more complicated than that! Many people with a flair for writing, pen articles that are very informative and attractive to transmit information that many people are desperate to read about every day. Some people begin their creative writing careers with the hope of becoming the next Stephanie Mayer or JK Rowling. Unless you are unexceptionally talented or lucky, this is unlikely to happen. There is no way that you would start writing novels, nonfiction or film screenwriting without a proper creative writing study courses like- novel writing courses, film screenwriting courses, creative writing fiction classes or creative writing lessons. The key to write a high quality and perfect fit creative writing story can be difficult to achieve, not impossible. With proper guidance and creative writing you can and will be able to enhance your writing skills and this will make of you a creative writing master. The first thing to understand is that you are a creative writing expert and have something worthwhile to say. There are many ideas and tips which helps you master writing and building creative writing careers. There are a lot of creative writing exercises to help aspiring writers in. When it comes to creative writing, every writer is different. The great thing about creative writing study is that there are no strict rules, despite people saying you should do this or you should never do this when writing. For example- Ee cummings wrote poetry without capitalization or periods. The announcement of "write what you know" is often given to new authors, but not mandatory. What about the implementation of the sagas in outer space or epic set in the fourteenth century? We have not been there, but research and imagination are great writer needs to produce credible creative writing. If you are unsure of which genre to write, we can try a few. Perhaps you find that you like to write detective novels, gothic horror, or even fantasy epic. Some authors excel in a variety of genres and others prefer to stick to one. Every writer is different and the best advice for a writer is to write lots. Creative writing includes Novel, fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, but goes beyond the limits of professional standard forms like journalistic, academic, art and literature. The works 164

7 that fall into this creative writing job category include novels, poems and stories. The best creative writing courses for the screen and stage, script and drama, respectively, usually have their own curriculum, but fall into the category of creative writing education. Encourage diary writing habits It is an old belief that diary is the mirror of the owner of that diary. The people who are engaged in diary writing never allow anyone to read their diary. It's one great way to start writing and to love writing. It helps to reflect what you have done, what needs to be improved and what problems and weaknesses need solutions. It's a nice practice, one great hobby and a pastime which helps to rationalize things. I go through phases of writing very regularly in my diary and other phases in which I have less to say. I've found that "forcing" myself to write is rarely helpful. But if you do want to make a habit of writing in your journal daily or weekly, you would just set aside a regular time to do it, probably right before you go to sleep. As an alternative to writing in a diary, you could also try starting a blog. Sometimes when I don't feel like writing for myself (as in a diary), I can still enjoy writing by creating blog posts for my friends and family. Having a different audience can spice up your writing and give you more ideas. Fireworks of Motivation. Motivation works like a magic wand on students and adults of all categories. After a small piece of article writing we wait earnestly for feedback from others. Just the feedback is not something that they look forward to but showers of praises for the work in every minutest detail. Grudging upon giving positive feedback should be far and away from the minds of the readers. Motivating a writer is synonymous with showering blessings on him. It is only motivation which builds the platform for more write-ups. It won t be wrong to say with George Bernard Shaw; Find enough clever things to say, and you re a Prime Minister; write them down and you re a Shakespeare. George Bernard Shaw