Can anyone give me good advice about writing poetry/short stories?

Question

Is it wise to splash out on a creative writing course?Is it worth it?Or is it better to just do it on my own?

Answer 1

The answer is probably not to splash out on a course straight away.

There again as a writer who has remained stubbornly unpublished, perhaps I am not the best person to advise!

Although I suggest that the first steps to becomeing a good writer is to become a good reader. Not only enjoying the works of the great and the good, but to be able to analyse what they are saying and how they are getting the messages across.

By reading widely, you will discover there are some little tricks and wrinkles in developing striking stories or punchy poems.

Then, like the true greats in every field there is practice. The more you practice, the better you get.

The internet does offer up a wonderful selection of sites where you can place your stories and get them read by other writers of differing degrees of skill and experience. By allowing mutual reviews of eachothers work, you will learn how best to structure your work and how to improve it.

Above all though, write what you want to write and what you enjoy. Take pleasure in it, revel in every noun, adjective and verb. Make sure that the emotions that bubble inside you flow to the page and that pleasure will always remain with you.

I wish you many, many happy hours developing your craft, your style and your voice. Who knows, I could be in the queue hoping that you will sign my copy of your great masterpiece.

Answer 2

I say lash out. Get your feet wet. Write! Write! Write! Whether good, bad, or indifferent...just write.

If you feel confident enough in the things that you write (which we are usually our own worst critics)...submit to some publications (and watch for publishing rights on your stories or poems so it doesn't come back to bite you).

The more you write, the more your creative side will start to flow (and yes, at times, ebb as well...but you roll with it). Even a diamond in the rough is a beautiful thing...and as it is worked, it comes to shine.

Taking courses or classes will show you the 'ins and outs' on style, format...all the fun funky things that go along with writing...and of course that could be a wonderful bit of knowledge to take away and use to incorporate what's inside your head, to what hits the page. Some people are just naturals for writing, and some take some work...but the journey is all a great discovery.

I've been writing for 25 years as an outlet. Poems, short stories...whatever clogs my head, I put it on paper and save it. At some point, I thumb through it, and maybe revise or revamp it some, and it's done well for me. Granted, I'm not some accomplished novelist or anything, but satisfactorily have had a few small triumphs published.

Still, I believe...write. Just get it down. Get it out. Get it on paper. Let your creative insides bleed to the page...you'll see pretty quickly how wonderful it can be. And the courses, will help hone what it is that it sounds you may want to achieve.

Best of luck and cheers!

Answer 3

I write poetry and stories myself!
The main mistake people make is that they think they have to write something in one sitting! This is not the case! Some of my poems, i write in an hour because i have the idea and the juices are flowing - other pieces i have come back to over few weeks!
I keep a little leather book with me and write ideas i get on the go! Just write when you feel like it!
I think classes are good from the viewpoint of getting a bit of muse etc however they can be rigid too - you can't write on demand!
If you have a bebo account you should check out the authors tab - actually if you don't have a bebo account you can still browse different peoples! It might give you a bit of inspiration!
I give you the link to mine http://light-my-muse.bebo.com

Answer 4

Creative Writing course will help, especially if there is room for self-peer critique. How open are you to others making suggestions to improve your work?
But more than a course, you need to have something to say, a story in your head that needs to be told, or a phrase that you can build-upon to create a poem.
One big piece of advice though, try not to be "worthy" or preach a moral, that never works unless you are someone like C S Lewis, just have something good to say, an exciting story with characters people will care about.
All the best!

Answer 5

Short stories need a real good ending - there is nothing more in them. Go through your writing many times and cut out all the words you can do without. I would never do a course for I think it dumbs your creativity. Pick up your mouse and write and get pleasure from doing so and one day you will find somone wants to buy the stuff. Good Luck - do it

Answer 6

I think that writing poetry and short stories requires a creative course as you need to know, what you are basing your stories on, whether it be for kids or adults, and the areas of your writing. Some people go for fiction, some do not, so you need to portray and combine the two in your creative writing courses as you cannot go this on our own. Good luck on your researches and nights of unsleep.

Answer 7

Start by writing small articles and poems for magazines and then develop it from there. Read lots of different fiction to get an idea of style and use your own life experience in the work. Once you have some main ideas in mind go on a writer's weekend course and get some constructive info.

Answer 8

It is always good to take up a course in something we aren't very sure (if it is available). On the other hand, you can do it on your own too. It will take a little more work, that's all. It means spending time doing research and asking questions to learn the pro & cons of writing. That is not impossible. With the existence of internet (the great storeroom of informations), you can learn almost anything. If you are willing, do intensive research online, you can find massive informations on writing just like what I did.

Here is a quick link from my bookmark, to one site I found to be very useful. They provide a lot of good informations and links to many sites related to writing. Check out the link to reference site, in particular.

http://www.forwriters.com

Note: English is not my native language. I learned a lot from the above site. Hope it will be useful for you too. If you want to read my writings you can checkout my site:

http://www.mydreamjournal.com

P.s. Wish you good luck.

Answer 9

Thr course will help you to form your thoughts in a more professional way and to structure them more effectively, but the best way to create is to find your muse. You need to draw on personal experiences for your writing, and to be feeling what you write as you write it.

Get yourself in the right mood with music or a particular kind of food; or read something else you've written previously. This can help the inspiration flow.

Answer 10

If you need some more skills then sure take a course. The main thing though is just to write, write, write. Even if it's crap just keep writing. The number one reason people never become successful writers is they just can get their words down on a page.