(Favorite Kind of) Soup for the Young Writer's Creativity
When we hosted our first workshops this summer, we weren't expecting that they would be providing anything groundbreakingly new or inspiring about creativity- we were simply hoping. And following our events, we'd like to think that there were at least a few students who walked out writers or inspired to pursue whatever artistic interest they may have.
We also performed some diagnostics in asking students some basic questions and gauging their responses; our queries included whether or not they considered creative writing a real art, or fun in some form. And while students knew what they had signed up for, a surprising few really felt comfortable with calling creative writing "art", and even fewer felt comfortable with materializing some form of the creative process. Of course, we were able to inject some form of fun into the art and understanding the process through a few activities that can easily be replicated right at home!
1) ABSTRACT ART
Spend more time staring at abstract art! Well, not staring per se, but having a good talk about what you see. The joy in seeing things comes not from being politically correct or heading to the painter's Wikipedia page or exclusive interview to find out what they were actually thinking, but in being as outlandish as possible. But remember, the benefit here is hearing from others, so make it a point to share the experience every once in a while! An added perspective gives each artist a new added depth to their work, so it's all in the name of insightfulness in our thinking!
2) PERSONAS
Creative writing, if pursued in the right ways, can be fun and entertaining rather than boring and conventional. The trick is to make the experience different from your everyday essay writing! For parents, a great way to encourage creative writing in your students is to let them know that creative writing really has no boundaries- limitations of perfect grammar, specific length, and formulaic plot may apply to academic writing but certainly not to creative writing! Poetry is a popular starting point- make wriitng in verse fun by giving them twists on various prompts, like adding words to the poem or revolving the verses around a particular lyric in a popular song. Another great way to involve oneself, especially with creative narrative writing, is to adopt different personas or include different characters! Use random adjective generators or idea wheels (a DIY for another day very soon!) to craft the character's internal and external characteristics (INTERNALLY ________________ but EXTERNALLY _____________, insert random adjective in the blanks).
Using these methods is a great way to encourage students' creativity and explore the theme of the month (and our workshops). If you utilize these ideas in your works, send it in to get published! We love to see our readers' work! And finally, KEEP POSTED TO OUR WEBSITE for more information about our workshops! We're hosting more in the weeks to come, and we'd love to have you attend!
