CREATIVE WRITING MASTERCLASS Your Complete Guide to Creative Writing What is Creative Writing? Creative Writing ● Any writing that goes beyond the scope of technical or academic writing ● Fiction and Nonfiction ● Narrative, characters, ideas, imagination ● Communicates an idea to the reader What will you learn in this course? This Course ● Why we write ● Medium ● Grammar ● Process ● Elements of storytelling ● Revision ● Fiction vs Nonfiction ● Finding a home for your work ● Style Meet your instructor: Brian ● Copywriter for theatrical, TV and video game marketing campaigns ● Studied Screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University ● Love writing ● Why am I teaching this course? How will this course work? Your personal project ● Do you have an idea for a short story, novel, essay? ● If so, great. You can use this course and lesson plan as a guide to help you develop, write, revise and find a home for your project. ● If not, no problem! We can work on something together throughout the lessons from either your own idea or a provided prompt. Works we will cover in this course... ● Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling ● Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain ● The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest ● The Martian - Andy Weir Hemingway ● The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway Father Time - David Sedaris ● Ulysses - James Joyce ● Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman ● Misery - Stephen King ● Pride and Prejudice, Emma - Jane Austen ● ● EXERCISE 1 Select a prompt to work with throughout the course (If you do not have one of your own) EXERCISE 1 - PROMPTS ● Autobiographical - a true or semi-true account of a personal story ● Social Consciousness - story about a social issue that is important to you ● Fish out of water - a story in which your main character gets in over their head ● Time - a story that takes place over the course of a short time frame, no longer than one day ● Animals - a story about, featuring, or having anything at all to do with animals Key Point Make it personal Even if your story is not about you or anything that happened to you, how can you write it as a story that only you could tell? CREATIVE WRITING WHY DO WE WRITE? What are we doing when we write? Key Elements of Good Writing ● Express an idea ● Communicate a message ● Create a reflection of yourself and your world view Reasons to practice creative writing ● Passion and interest - both in the subject matter as well as the act of writing itself ● You have stories you want to tell ● You have worldviews or experiences you want to share Reasons NOT to practice creative writing ● Fame or Acclaim ● Money ● View audience as a means to a personal end Why do we tell stories? ● Storytelling is part of human nature ● Reflection of different lives, times, worldviews and perspectives ● Connects us and helps us relate to others ● Entertains us ● Makes sense of the world around us Knowing this, what kind of stories do you want to tell? Some rhetorical questions to get you thinking... Questions What perspective can you offer that nobody else can? Why do you want to tell the story or stories that you want to tell? What is the best means of telling your story? CREATIVE WRITING GRAMMAR A General Overview And for all of our benefit, only a general overview... ● An understanding of grammar is arguably more important than anything in any good form of creative writing ● Foundation of all good writing, essential for communication. ● Seldom used properly ● Without a grasp of the basics, you will struggle with all of your writing Notable Rule Breakers ● James Joyce: Punctuation ○ Ulysses - Final chapter is 24,209 words. Punctuation is used only twice. (2 periods. 1 comma) ● Jane Austen: Double Negative ○ From Emma - “She owned that, considering every thing, she was not absolutely without inclination for the party.” ● Shakespeare: End w/ preposition ○ From The Tempest - “We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” Why is it okay? ● James Joyce: Punctuation ○ ● Represent stream of consciousness Jane Austen: Double Negative ○ Highlight the pretentiousness of her characters’ worlds by making things overly convoluted ● Shakespeare: End with a preposition ○ Sometimes it just sounds better It’s not uncommon in literature... But grammar rule breakers can only do so because they know the rules. They purposefully bend them to accentuate different points, ideas or messages in their writing. When is it not okay? ● Some mistakes simply mark a lack of understanding and result in bad writing. ● Common examples: ○ Apostrophes ■ Its vs It’s ○ Their, They’re, There Your, You’re Then, Than ○ Misplaced Modifiers ■ Adjectives & Adverbs ■ Bob came home and made a sandwich exhausted. CREATIVE WRITING STORYTELLING Elements of Story (Regardless of genre or medium) ● Character ● Conflict ● Plot ● Setting ● Theme Character Character ● What makes a strong character? ○ Desire ○ Need ○ Weakness ○ Arc ○ Three-dimensionality ■ Physical ■ Psychological ■ Sociological Character ● Why these qualities? ○ Human Nature ○ Qualities we resonate with and possess ○ Essential in crafting strong characters in fiction and nonfiction alike Character ● Protagonist ○ Main character of your story ○ Drives your story forward ○ Story follows your protagonist in the effort to reach a goal ○ Your protagonist will have the most significant character arc ○ Source of other critical story elements Character ● Antagonist ○ The primary opponent your protagonist faces ○ Stands in the way of your protagonist reaching their goal ○ Brings out the best and worst qualities of your protagonist ○ Drives the conflict of your story ○ Is a fully realized character Character ● Supporting Characters ○ Characters who support your protagonist or antagonist ○ Must serve a role in the story ○ Must help your protagonist or antagonist grow ○ Should have an arc, desire and need of their own Character - Harry Potter ● Desire ○ To go to Hogwarts and learn how to become a wizard ● Need ○ To become a hero and defeat Voldemort ● Weakness ○ Youth / inexperience ○ Loss of parents ● Arc ○ Young apprentice to master wizard and hero ● Three-dimensionality Character ● Conclusion ● Make sure your characters… ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● Struggle Learn Grow Change Are necessary to your story Characters carry your story Conflict Conflict ● Without conflict there is no drama. Without drama there is no story. ● Great stories increase drama throughout the story. ● This makes it more challenging for your protagonist to achieve their goals. ● If your characters easily get what they want, the story will fall flat. Conflict ● Use conflict to build your story. ● Don’t reveal everything your character will be up against all at once. ● Let it unfold naturally to keep your reader engaged. ● Let it push your protagonist to their limits. Sources of Conflict ● Person vs Person ○ ● Person vs Nature ○ ● Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Person vs Self ○ Ulysses by James Joyce Key Point Sources of Conflict A good story can contain some or all sources of conflict, but cannot contain none Plot Plot ● Character and Conflict are ESSENTIAL in plot ● A plot is NOT simply a storyline ● PLOT is a sequence of events driven by cause and effect ● The sequence will drive your story, characters and conflict forward Plot = Structure ● Consider PLOT as the STRUCTURE of your story. ○ Story is comprised of the beats within your story ● Consisting of POINTS in a story that build the conflict and progress your character along in their journey ● Beginning, middle and end Plot Beginning, Middle and End ● BEGINNING (or, ACT ONE) ○ Establish: ■ Characters ■ Story ■ Setting ○ End with a PLOT POINT ● MIDDLE (or, ACT TWO) ○ Rising Action ■ Plot builds ■ Conflict increases ○ End with a NEW PLOT POINT ● END (or, ACT THREE) ○ Climax and Resolution Setting Setting ● Place ● Time ● Backdrop for your story ● Major implications on the mood, tone and overall feel of the story you’re telling Setting Examples ● Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - Fictional world and real world ● Misery by Stephen King - Contained environment ● Pride and Prejudice - 19th century, high society England ● Ulysses by James Joyce - Real world Dublin, 1904 ● Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - Mississippi River Theme Theme ● In simplest sense, the central idea or points of the story. ● Think of theme as one word: love, grief, betrayal, identity, etc. ● Related to but separate from from your story’s PREMISE, or worldview. ● Major implications on the mood, tone and overall feel of the story you’re telling Theme ● A story can have multiple themes that are explored, but all should be connected to the premise. ● Considerations for theme: ○ Common and cross-cultural ideas or points-of-view. ○ Should explore from different perspectives. ○ Never stated explicitly. Key Point Point of View Amongst all of the story elements, as the author you must have a point of view. How do all of these work together? Let’s examine how... ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Character Conflict Plot Setting Point of view and Theme Work together to form a cohesive story in... The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Some Background ● Published in 1926 ● Depiction of America and the American Dream in the jazz age ● Received positive critical reviews ● Did not sell well ● Re-examined after his death ● Became a success The Great Gatsby CHARACTERS ● Nick Carraway ○ First person narrator ○ Gatsby’s neighbor ○ Optimistic at story’s beginning ○ Optimism fades as story progresses The Great Gatsby CHARACTERS ● Jay Gatsby ○ Millionaire ○ Mysterious ○ In love with Daisy. Throws large parties in hopes she will attend The Great Gatsby CHARACTERS ● Daisy Buchanan ○ Socialite from Kentucky ○ Married to Tom Buchanan ○ Had a previous relationship with Gatsby The Great Gatsby CHARACTERS ● Tom Buchanan ○ Daisy’s husband from Chicago ○ Former football star ○ Strong, imposing, arrogant The Great Gatsby ● CONFLICT ○ Nick befriends Gatsby ○ Gatsby loves Daisy ○ Daisy is married to Tom The Great Gatsby PLOT ● BEGINNING ○ Nick moves to West Egg next to Gatsby’s house. ○ Meets with Daisy in East Egg. ○ Gets invited to one of Gatsby’s parties. ○ Meets Gatsby. The Great Gatsby PLOT ● MIDDLE ○ Nick learns about Gatsby’s past. ○ Gatsby uses Nick to meet with Daisy. ○ Tom confronts Gatsby. ○ Gatsby demands Daisy admits she never loved Tom. The Great Gatsby PLOT ● MIDDLE ○ Tom reveals that Gatsby is a bootlegger. ○ Gatsby drives Daisy home. ○ Their car strikes and kills a woman. The Great Gatsby PLOT ● END ○ Gatsby reveals to Nick that Daisy was driving but he will take the fall. ○ Tom tells the woman’s husband about Gatsby. ○ The man kills Gatsby and then himself. The Great Gatsby PLOT ● END ○ Very few people attend Gatsby’s funeral. ○ Nick returns to the midwest, but not before returning to Gatsby’s mansion to look at the light across the bay at Daisy’s. The Great Gatsby SETTING ● East and West Egg ● New York City ● High Society ● Valley of ashes The Great Gatsby PRIMARY THEMES ● American Dream ○ Disillusionment ○ Falsehoods ● Class Disparities ○ Gatsby’s achievement of wealth and success ● Gender Roles and Expectations ● Love and Loss EXERCISE 2 Why are you telling the story you wish to tell? Why now? What kind of characters will inhabit your story? What kind of themes or ideas will your story explore? What is the best means of having your story told? CREATIVE WRITING FICTION VS NONFICTION FICTION VS NONFICTION ● Fiction: Writing not based on true stories, people and/or events. ● Nonfiction: Writing based on true stories, people and/or events. ● Wide array of writing falls under each category. FICTION ● Novels ● Novellas ● Short Stories ● Playwriting ● Screenwriting ● Poetry ● Podcast GENRE VS LITERARY FICTION Why it matters and also why it doesn’t... GENRE FICTION ● Popular Fiction that falls into a specific fiction genre. ● Appeals to fans of a certain genre. ● Popular Genres include: ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Crime Fantasy Romance Sci-Fi Western Horror Historical Fiction GENRE FICTION AUTHORS (an incredibly non-comprehensive list) ● ● ● ● ● Horror ○ Stephen King Fantasy ○ J.K. Rowling ○ J.R.R. Tolkien ○ Neil Gaiman Crime ○ Agatha Christie Sci-Fi ○ Frank Herbert ○ Margaret Atwood Western ○ Cormac McCarthy LITERARY FICTION ● More vague than genre fiction. ● Doesn’t necessarily fit into genre norms. ● Often character driven, thought-provoking, and socially, culturally and/or politically oriented. ● Doesn’t follow a formula. ○ Nothing should strictly follow a “formula” but we’ll consider it this way for the sake of clarity. LITERARY FICTION AUTHORS (another incredibly non-comprehensive list) ● F. Scott Fitzgerald ● Jane Austen ● James Joyce ● Mark Twain ● The Bronte Sisters ● Joan Didion ● David Foster Wallace Why it matters... ● Can help you define yourself as a writer. ● Can help you identify different elements of storytelling from writers you admire. ● Makes you think about your own interests and stories you want to tell. ● Can help you find a home for your work. Why it doesn’t matter... ● Can be too limiting as a writer. ● You don’t have to be one thing or the other. ● Plenty of great authors do both. ● Good writing is good writing. CREATIVE NONFICTION ● Memoir ● Biography / Autobiography ● Nonfiction books ● Essays ● Journalism ● Inspiration / Self-help ● Plays ● Screenplays ● Podcasts ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION Like fiction… ● ● ● ● ● ● Scenes Dialogue Character and Story arcs Point of view Theme Commitment to truth ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION SCENES ● Build the story through specific moments. ● Show the story, don’t tell. ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION DIALOGUE ● Develop characters and story. ● Even if you don’t know what was really said, utilize your research to give insight to characters. ● The above does not apply to journalism. ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION STORY & CHARACTER ARCS ● Make sure the story has a beginning, middle and end. ● Story needs to develop as any work of fiction would. ● Characters need to move the story forward and develop along with with it. ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION POINT OF VIEW ● Utilize your own unique perspective on the story you’re telling to influence the way you tell it. ● Make your connection to the story felt through the way you tell it. ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION THEME ● What is your story about? ● What can we learn from the real life events being portrayed in your story? ● What connects this story to relevant human experiences - and thus connects with your audience? ELEMENTS OF NONFICTION COMMITMENT TO TRUTH ● Fact checking ● Research ● Don’t exaggerate ● Stay true to your story FATHER TIME by David Sedaris FATHER TIME LITERARY DEVICES EMPLOYED ● SCENES ● DIALOGUE ● CHARACTER & STORY DEVELOPMENT ● THEMES ● POINT OF VIEW ● COMMITMENT TO TRUTH FATHER TIME SCENES ● Scenes build the story ○ Receiving news ○ Visiting the home ○ At his home ○ Together with his family FATHER TIME DIALOGUE ● Highlights characters ● Adds humor ● Builds story ● Puts the reader in the moment FATHER TIME STORY AND CHARACTER ARCS ● Characters carry the story ● Characters change as a result of the situation ● The use of characters and moments build upon themes FATHER TIME THEMES ● Time ● Aging ● Existentialism ● Loneliness FATHER TIME POINT OF VIEW ● Style unique to David Sedaris ● Themes emerge under the style of writing ● Strong sense of voice ● Strong sense of perspective FATHER TIME COMMITMENT TO TRUTH ● Personal subject matter ● Perception of real life events ● Selects events relevant to the story being told EXERCISE 3 Begin to think on your story elements Don’t work it all out yet Begin Brainstorming Carry a notebook with you CREATIVE WRITING FINDING YOUR MEDIUM What medium is right for your story? ● Fiction or Nonfiction ● Short or Longform ● How should your story be told? How do you find your specialty? ● Genre Fiction. Literary Fiction. Non Fiction. ● What do you like to read? ● You do not have to lock yourself into one specific form of writing. CREATIVE WRITING STYLE What is a writer’s style? ● How you use the key elements of creative writing to convey your ideas and tell your story. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Point of view Narration Theme Characters Setting Plot What is a writer’s style? ● SYNTAX: The way words and phrases are arranged to form sentences. ● How you choose to arrange words and sentence structure will affect your style. ● As will figurative language, such as similes and metaphors and sound devices, such as alliteration or onomatopoeia. What is a writer’s style? This is how you will set the tone, feel and overall impression of the story you’re telling. What is a writer’s style? ● How? ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Understanding of grammar Strong point of view Firm sense of story Pay attention to other styles Practice Key Point Story must underlie Style Otherwise you have style without substance - which is not good writing. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory From Death in the Afternoon: “If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows, and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.” The Sun Also Rises ● The initial draft of the story opens with ‘This is a story about a lady’. ● Goes on to detail the life of Lady Brett Ashley in expository paragraphs - information later revealed throughout the course of the story. ● Most of the first two chapters cut at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s insistence. The Sun Also Rises Finished draft opens with: “Robert Cohn was once middleweight boxing champion of Princeton. Do not think that I am very much impressed by that as a boxing title, but it meant a lot to Cohn.” The Sun Also Rises ● The difference? ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Ambiguous Introduces point of view Goes right into story Story reveals itself naturally Maintains tight, succinct writing throughout this novel and all other writing Final thoughts on style ● Every author has a different style. ● Your style should be a reflection of you as a writer. ● Do not simply imitate a style you admire. ● Style is something that is found over time more than it is something that is decided upon. CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS PART 1: General Overview What is ‘Process’? ● How you, as the writer, go about writing a story from start to finish ○ From formulation of an idea to a revised and completed draft ● Process will be different for everyone ● There are some elements process that should be part of any good Routine ● What does this mean? Consistency. But... ● You can allow yourself to take a day off. ○ ○ One person may do their best work going at it for 8 hours a day 7 days a week. Some may do three twelve hour days in a row then stop for four days to recuperate Routine ● Hold yourself accountable. ● Know what is right for you. ● Routine is essential. Writing Every Day ● Doesn’t have to be your project ● Practice ● Let yourself fail Explore the Possibilities of your Story ● Free Association writing ● References and comps ● Research ● Ask yourself questions your reader might ask Key Point “The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt” -Sylvia Plath What will your process be? ● Know yourself. ● Know your story. ● Know your goals. CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS PART 2: The Outline Why Outline? ● Essential part of any writing process, no matter what you’re working on. ● See your story come together for the first time. Why Outline? ● Ensure all of the right pieces are there and in the right places. ● Put everything you’ve done so far into a cohesive narrative. Key Point Outlining is recommended but not necessary How you choose to go about writing your story is ultimately up to you. Plot your Story ● Elements of storytelling ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Character Conflict Plot Setting Point of view Theme ● How do we put all of these together? ● Write out all of the story beats you need to hit. ○ Can be as simple as a bullet point list. Plot your Story We will build these bullet points into the foundation for your story Orchestrate your Characters ● Story beats are written out. Let’s look at characters. ○ ○ ○ Does each character have an arc and/or point of view? Is every character necessary? Are there moments missing in your characters’ development? Orchestrate your Characters ● Seeing the story come together helps you see how the characters serve the story. ● Adjust as necessary. Deliver your Message ● Creative writing is communicating a message or idea. ● What message is your story conveying? ○ ○ ○ Is it missing the mark? What can make it more clear? Is it too on the nose? Deliver your Message ● Elements of good writing: ○ ○ ○ Foreshadowing Revelations Character Arcs ● Do all fit into the story you are piecing together? Key Point Know your ending When you have a firm grasp on your ending, it will be easier to build your story because you know exactly what it is building to. Writing your Synopsis ● You should see your story roughly taking shape. ● It could be helpful to write out a short synopsis of your story ○ No more than a couple of paragraphs. Writing your Synopsis ● View as a very rough sketch of your story. ○ Back of a book or DVD case. ● Helps you get a sense of the story beyond the main bullet points. Building your Story ● All of the elements are in place. ● You have a rough picture of the story you’re telling. ● Now it’s time to piece it together as an outline. Building your Story ● How you want to write your outline is up to you. ● My recommendation: Write a couple sentences for each scene of your story. ● You know it by now, so keep it concise. Building your Story ● A short descriptor of each scene will give you a sense of: ○ How your story builds ○ How it flows ○ Its pacing ○ The effectiveness of your essential story elements Key Point For Outlines - J.K. Rowling “I always have a basic plot outline, but I like to leave some things to be decided while I write.” - J.K. Rowling Key Point Against Outlines - Stephen King “The thing is, I don’t outline, I don’t have whole plots in my head in advance. So I’m really happy if I know what’s going to happen tomorrow, which I do, as a matter of fact, I know what’s going to happen in the novel I’m working on. And that’s enough.” - Stephen King EXERCISE 4 Crafting your Outline Using what we just learned, take your time to build your story and craft your outline, your way. Then, we’ll be ready to write our first draft. CREATIVE WRITING PROCESS PART 3: Writing the First Draft How to begin… ● Don’t fear the blinking cursor on the blank page! ● You have all the elements. ● You have your outline. ● You’re ready to write your first draft. ● Some tips… Tips for writing your first draft... ● Don’t edit as you go. ● Write in a distraction free environment. ● Learn to write anywhere. ● Always carry a notebook with you. ● Accept that your first draft will be far from perfect. Key Point “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” - Terry Pratchett EXERCISE 5 Write your First Draft! You have everything you need. Take your time. Enjoy the process. (or try to) Then we can look at editing. CREATIVE WRITING EDITING YOUR WORK Goals of Editing ● Correction ● Concision ● Improvement Key Elements of Self Editing ● Aesthetics ○ Presentation ○ Formatting ○ Grammar ● First Impression ● Show don’t tell ● Assessment of your goals ● Strengthen where necessary Aesthetics ● Presentation ● Formatting ○ Double-spaced ○ Numbered pages ○ Paragraphs indented five spaces ○ Legible font ● Grammar First Impression ● Does your story start strong? ○ The beginning of your story can establish a scene. ○ Introduce character and conflict. ○ Raise questions for the reader. First Impression ● Don’t begin with back story. ○ Place your reader in the present moment. Show don’t tell ● Play out your story in your reader’s mind. ○ Imagery ○ Strong verbs ○ Specific details ○ Don’t underestimate your audience Show don’t tell ● Joe really loved Mary. ● Joe wrote Mary a letter every single day, never finding himself at a loss for words while expressing his profound admiration. Show don’t tell ● This being said, avoid ‘stage direction’. ○ Convey only necessary information. ● Bill stood up from his seat, put both feet on the floor, and stepped one foot in front of the other across the room until he reached the front door, through which he exited. ● Bill exited through the front door. Assessment of goals ● Are your story elements there? ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● Character Conflict Plot Setting Point of view Theme Do they work the way you want them to? Assessment of goals ● Does your story communicate what you wanted to communicate? ● If not, what is missing? Strengthen when necessary ● ACTIVE VS PASSIVE VOICE ○ Avoid “was” and “were” type of words. ○ Put your reader in the moment, even if it happened in the past ● Mary was weirded out by all of Joe’s letters. ● Joe’s barrage of letters shook Mary to her core. ● Put the subject first Strengthen when necessary ● HOW DOES IT READ? ○ Read it aloud ● AVOID ADVERBS WHERE NECESSARY ○ Use stronger and more precise nouns and verbs ○ Adverbs assist nouns and verbs that don’t quite work ● SPELL CHECK ○ Your computer’s spell-check won’t catch everything Strengthen when necessary ● GET A SECOND OPINION ○ Let trusted friends and family members read your work ○ Use feedback as you see fit Key Point Writing is Rewriting There is no set number of revisions a writer needs to do in order to complete a manuscript. Keep working until it’s exactly where you want it to be. Bonus Tip! Give yourself some time off between completing your first draft and editing it. EXERCISE 6 Edit your First Draft! You know the questions to ask yourself. You know what will make a strong story. Go make your writing as strong as it can be. CREATIVE WRITING FINDING A HOME FOR YOUR WORK Methods for getting your work out there ● Get a literary agent ● Self publishing ● Submitting to literary magazines and journals ● Other recommendations Getting an Agent ● Have a polished manuscript ● Have the intention to continue writing ● Know yourself and your writing style Getting an Agent ● Do your research ○ ○ ● Which authors do you feel your writing is most in line with? Who are their agents? Compile a list Getting an Agent ● Send a query letter ○ ○ ○ ● An introductory letter sent to an agent. Tell them about yourself and your manuscript See if they would be interested in representing your story and assisting in getting it published Most commonly done via email, not snail mail Getting an Agent ● A good query letter... ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Is personalized Mentions relevant connections Pitches your story in a succinct and compelling way Reflects your voice and personality Is free of grammatical errors and typos Is concise and to the point Getting an Agent ● A bad query letter... ○ ○ ○ Is too casual Is over-long Does not reflect your ability to write well Getting an Agent ● It will not be easy. ● But it will also never be impossible. Self Publishing ● Independently publish your book on different platforms without the use of an agent or publishing house. ● A quick online search will show you available platforms for self publishing your book. Self Publishing ● The upsides of self-publishing… ○ Creative Control ○ Bypass the traditional methods and big publishers ○ Higher royalty rates ○ Get your name out there Self Publishing ● The downsides… ○ Less visibility, unless you already have a large following ○ Upfront costs ○ Lack of professional support ○ Distribution Key Point Independent Publishers It’s worth looking into independent publishers that will accept manuscripts from authors without an agent. Just do your research to make sure they’re legitimate. Submitting to Literary Journals and Magazines ● Great for short story and essay writers ● No agent required ● Submissions are free Submitting to Literary Journals and Magazines ● Do your research ○ Know what material the magazine or journal publishes ○ Find specialized journals that match your writing style ○ Don’t just go for the big names ○ Be persistent Other Recommendations ● Read ● Write ● Research ● Create a website CREATIVE WRITING CONCLUSION Final Thoughts on Creative Writing ● You will improve the more you write ● No writer is an overnight success ● Push boundaries and try something new ● Be okay with rejection ● Do it because you love it Thank You!
