Creative Writing Masterclass 1: Ideas & Inspiration
Acclaimed Scottish writer Keith Gray begins a 5-part series on writing your first story, from initial ideas to final draft. All the information is at www.scottishbooktrust.com. Keith Gray’s latest novel is Ostrich Boys.
Tags: Creative, Ideas, Inspiration, Masterclass, Writing
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:35 am
@ madmethod21: And don’t forget you have more than just one side to you. You react different ways depending on your emotions. If you decide you want to create a very paranoid character then I’m sure you can “tap into” those instances you yourself felt paranoid about something & that should help you in developing your fictional character. It’s also good to pay attention to the paranoid tendencies of others to see how they react & then you choose the character’s reaction based on your objective.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:28 am
@ madmethod21: I used to be the same way but then I realized that I was good at putting myself in other people’s shoes. I often served as liaison b/c of this both in the work environment & in my personal life. If you are capable of understanding another’s perspective “seeing it from their pov” then you can create a fictional character. Most my characters are a collaboration of diff. people. I usually keep a “diary” for each character & see how they react to diff. situations.
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
Nice. Hey, my channel has many free lessons in writing, from plotting, to show and tell, to creating suspense. Just click my nick, and then browse my playlist. People say they’ve learned more from my videos than they ever did taking writing courses. That makes me feel good.
Feel free to post a video response of one of your videos.
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:36 am
A person can only write about what they know and I personally only write from the perspective of myself. All the stories I write are about my own experiences, though some I’ve altered. I have yet to create a fictional character completely unlike me. How can I do this when I only see the world through my eyes? Maybe I’m not creative enough I guess.
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Thanks Kieth for doing this video. It’s got some really good information for writers out there. It’s true what you say about inspiration. My advice to people is if you want to write read!
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:54 pm
The Stand by Stephan King is my favorite. Really inspiring.
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I want to be a writer fairly young, but it’s incredibly hard! Thanks very much for this, I’ve already written a novel, but I plan to write another.
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Hi there,
I’m trying to get into film but screen writing is my biggest worry. I’m so clad there are writing courses like this online. It’s a great resource.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Excellent novel.
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:26 pm
This was really interesting and I shall be taking a little notebook with me wherever I go from now on. I am an aspiring writer, so I shall be taking your advice very seriously
Even my partner got sucked into watching this video and he’s a graphic designer, not a writer!
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Or, better yet, study some plays.
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Try reading other English novels and see how the authors use language to narrate the story. =) It helps broaden your vocabulary and improve your grammar when writing. When I first started out, I had no idea how to use commas. (And English is my first language *rolls eyes*). So I read a book which I thoroughly enjoyed and noted how they used the commas.
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
There’s nothing wrong with getting ideas from other people’s work, but there’s a better way. Take a look at a program called Writers Block – Goodbye by Promptoria to draw endless new ideas from your own mind. There’s a demo you can download for free.
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:59 pm
I travel a lot on the train. This is where I do a lot of my hard writing and where I often meet up with characters I can add to my fiction. I just have a pen and notepad. When I get home it goes from my notepad to my computer and it is somewhat smoothed out. I too have a pet bird (singular in my case).
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:01 pm
I thought Ray Bradsbury was a good choice. He is one of my favourites. I thought his short story The Fireman was wonderful. The novel and the movie weren’t bad. If I was making a list I would throw in Robert. E, Howard and Terry Pratchett (why does writing have to be all serious doom and gloom anyway?) I grew up on Marvel Comics and Star Trek paperbacks.
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:08 pm
The Catcher In The Rye is probably my favorite book.
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Excellent video!
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
I’m going to be taking a creative writing course soon
I’m glad that writing has never been an occupation. Its the one thing that the government can’t bore you to tears in working everyday for the man.
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:43 pm
same here….
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:31 pm
How can one improve their writing? I would like to write my own screenplays but i`m having a bit difficulty with English. English is my second language, and It is not as strong as I would like to be. I have no trouble having conversations with others or writing short responses to people in form of emails, comments, etc, but i`m having trouble when it comes to writing something creative. I always lack words when i`m trying to describe action. What is the best way to improve my English writing?
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:15 pm
in no order my favourite books have got to be -birdsong by sebasien Faulks -englebey also by seb Faulks -1984 George Orwell Catcher in the Rhye -Hobbit – all Lord of rings
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 pm
id love to be a writer one day, it seems like a nice life to have, but my writing skill and experience are a little lacking.
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Publish A Book! This is good stuff,you have talent.
If you want to do a book, contact gurdonboybooks@yahoo
We seek good book ideas, we finance, our staff can write it
if you don’t have time too, we do all publishing related work
to have YOUR IDEA on the market selling in 4 weeks.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:35 pm
I meet him he came to my skool:)
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:57 pm
i’m recently in creative writing class and the advice you have given is quite useful.
i like the inspirations you chosen but i would like to share mine:
2 books:
Holes
The Catcher In The Rye (kind of cliche i know)
1 movie:
clerks