Part 3 of The Creative Writing Crash Course.

If you are just joining us, you can read the introduction to our little Creative Writing Crash Course and then start with Part 1 of this series.

I also wanted to mention again the fact that these creative writing exercises are not solely for the purpose of your blog. These relate to just about any writing project you might have. So, don’t feel confined to your blog when using these lessons…branch out!

1. Don’t beat around the bush (aka Just come right out and say it)

Ask This:
Is my audience lost? Am I lost? Why are we lost? Am I getting the message out within the first sentence or two or am I holding back?

Know This:
If your audience isn’t drawn in by the first sentence or two, you will more than likely lose them. No, you don’t need to get your entire message out in the first paragraph, but you need to get enough of it out that your reader knows what and why they are reading.

Do This:
Randomly pick one of your posts. First of all, look at the title. If it were on another blog, would you stop to read a post with the same title you chose? Why or why not? Now, look at the first 3 sentences. Is there at least a hint of your message there? Would someone reading it be able to give a good definition of what your post was about or would they totally miss the mark?

2. Repeat with a purpose.

Ask This:
Is there a phrase I can repeat throughout my writing to drive home my point?

Know This:
I recently attended a Crisis Pregnancy Center benefit where JJ Jasper was the keynote speaker. He told a story about taking his children to the circus shortly after Cooper died and how the children wanted to ride the elephant (by the way, this is precisely what we did after Emily’s death…took the children to the circus AND rode the elephant). JJ apparently balked at the $8 per rider price until his daughter reminded him over and over again, “Dad, it’s an elephant.” He referred back to those 4 words several times during his brief speech, but there was a purpose in his repetition. As he closed his time with us, he used those 4 words to motivate people to give to a worthy cause like the Crisis Pregnancy Center because “Folks, it’s a baby.” He took the four words his daughter uttered and turned them into a way to drive home his message. This was repetition with a purpose.

The Bible is replete with repetitions of key points. Why not try this literary tool yourself?

Do This:
Try writing a post using a repetitive phrase. Be careful to avoid OVERusing it, but you will find that repetition can provide poignancy and beauty to your posts if used well.

Here is an example from my post “This Time Last Year“.

3. Be sincere.

Ask This:
Am I passionate about what I write? Do I truly care what my reader takes away from it?

Know This:
We’ve already explored who you really are in Part 2-A, but even if you are real with your audience you can still manage to be insincere. Sincerity is when you really want your reader to take something away from what you’ve written. It’s when you truly care what the person reading finds within your words. It means you care deeply about what you are writing and you want to share that passion with your reader. Yes, it means you are opening yourself up, but beautiful writing begins when you bare your soul.

Do This:
This is an exercise I did in acting class years ago. It just helps you to find the emotion and passion behind things. It is not meant to teach you sincerity (as that is not something that can be taught), but it is meant to teach you to reach deeper within yourself to understand what events God has placed in your life and how those events have affected you and your world. If this is too intense for your blog, feel free to write your list privately. You are also welcome to only do a partial list. I do not want anyone writing something they are uncomfortable sharing.

For each of the emotions listed below, give a brief description from your own life as to where you draw the deepest expression of that emotion. What is the story behind that deep expression?:

1. Love
2. Anger
3. Sadness
4. Surprise
5. Joy

Here is my list:

1. Love – My husband and I have been married for 13 years and have been through a lot…2 deployments, the loss of a child, the loss of a parent, many moves and job changes. I love him dearly and fiercely.

2. Anger – private story

3. Sadness – The loss of my 7 month old daughter.

4. Surprise – Finding out I was pregnant with our 4th child. I believed it was difficult for me to get pregnant and here I was pregnant just 6 months after delivering my last child!

5. Joy – Each of the births of my children has brought me such joy, but my own rebirth in becoming a follower of Christ is the number one event I draw joy from.

Today’s Final Assignment:
Now it’s time to begin creating! Besides working on your topic post, begin using what you’ve learned in the last 3 lessons to write other posts. Choose topics you know and hold dear. Try different methods of grabbing your reader’s attention. Keep evaluating what you are writing, ask others to evaluate with you. Are you seeing improvement? Are you feeling more satisfied with what you write? Keep working at it!

Link up your answers to this lesson and any other blog posts you’ve done that you’d like others to take a look at! (Separate links for each post, please. )

Links to other posts in this series:
Introduction
Part 1 – The Message
Part 2 – Grab Their Attention & Keep It (A)
THIS POST IS PART 3 -
GRAB THEIR ATTENTION & KEEP
IT (B)
Part 4 – Choose Your Words Wisely (A)
Part 5 – Choose Your Words Wisely (B)
Part 6 – Wrapping It Up