Creative Writing
Comments(5) It has always been a strong desire of mine to write fiction. Until my later years of high school I wrote quite a lot, even managing to complete a story of a few hundred pages in Year 10. It took about a year to type out on an electric typewriter, in between studying for school.
Since then, I have always thought I would come back to writing and envisioned myself becoming a writer later in life. There has also always been an element of fear that I would not come back to writing and thus would not fulfil one of my biggest dreams.
Last night I began an 8-week creative writing course through Sydney Community College. It was very exciting meeting other people with the same interest and hearing the variety of reasons that people want to write and decided to join the class. The teacher, Dean, is very well-read and interested to hear everyone’s “story”. He has a dry sense of humour as well which I find amusing.
I anticipate the class is going to be a big motivating force. Last night we were introduced to the idea that it is useful to write regularly, no matter how insignificant the subject matter – starting with a manageable timeframe eg 10 minutes per day. In time, writing will become a habit, if not an addiction! There were many other pearls of wisdom imparted during the class and I began to understand that writing is not easy work and I took courage from the stories of many writers who have struggled before.
I woke early this morning before it was light with my mind tossing about ideas for the piece we have been assigned for next week. The jumping-off topic is ‘Why I Write’. We can compose it in any genre and in fact, we can write on any topic we choose. We will read 500-600 words of our piece in class which is a little daunting but is also, I recognise, a small but important step towards finding our writing “voices”.
Ruth, this is really neat. I am glad you are following your dreams and soon they will take flight. I hope to take up a course one day on writing too. It is truly creative and have no boundaries. None whatsoever! It even reminds me of the time when I had watched the movie “Finding Forrester” so inspiring, so touching. all the best and I hope you will talk more about the lesson in your writing course and i do look forward to some inputs from you.
you always were a writer, Ruth…..remember Gemma????
Yes I do remember that, Rose and do you believe I still have it with the original cover drawn in coloured pencils! Very funny – 1 typed page per chapter. I told Gemma, my flatmate, about it and she wants to see it. I’ll have to dig it out.
I’m actually quite surprised that you haven’t had a book published yet. I always enjoyed reading your work. I have been trying to finish a book that I started in 2001. I have the ideas, I know where the story’s going but I never have any time. When I do have a spare moment, I’m not always feeling creative. In the meantime I have written a number fo short stories and a children’s story. I think writing has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Sean’s book is with the publishers at the moment and we’re hoping for a favourable outcome. The recent kidnapping of the 3 week old baby in Melbourne and the media discussion that followed about the child’s father, provides a timely background for the publication of Sean’s book.
That’s great that you’ve written some stuff already. I like your writing too – always good characters and interesting ways of describing things. Our teacher talks a lot about just writing when you do get the time even if you don’t feel creative – about anything at all and in any style, a diary or whatever and then it becomes a habit. He has given us heaps of interesting quotes from writers. I don’t know who said it but one went something like: Writing isn’t difficult – it’s just a matter of sitting down with pen and paper until beads of blood form on your forehead. People in the class write in all different ways – some are just starting out. One girl is writing comedy and another wants to write a play. Some have written about family, one wrote a poem on the vagaries of the 433 Bus in Sydney and heaps of other stuff. It’s really interesting. Like you say, I think writing has always been part of my life too.