Creative essays are the most interesting and uninhibited type of essay there is. It teaches you to stretch your imagination, and sometimes, even your instructor asks you to submit an essay on a creative topic.
But most often, you are stuck with empty sheets of paper waiting for you to write something. The interesting bit is the instructor did not even limit the subject area. You have total control over what you will write.
However, it is not as easy as it sounds. You need to write your essay, and there are possibly two ways to do that; either get a buy essays online or get your ideas together and write the essay.
And today, we have collected and put together some tips that will make your creative essay writing easier. So, let’s break the process into three parts: The preparation, the writing part, and the post-writing part.
The Preparation
Think about your topic.
An essay on a creative topic does not limit you from some topics. In fact, you can write about anything you wish. However, you want to pick an interesting and illuminating topic.
Like art, it could be on anything, for example, your dog. The key is to be as creative and interesting as you can be and still capture all the details as they should be. And when writing your topic, consider using catchy phrases, for example, The Adventures of a Feline Friend, to describe your dog.
Another common tactic is to start writing on a shocking piece of revelation. This throws the reader straight into the action. You can build up this event throughout the rest of the story.
For example, if you are writing about a traumatizing accident you were in, start your first paragraph with you being in the hospital. Then follow up by explaining this event.
Pick a topic completely natural to you.
Essays on creative topics are not like other topics. You just can’t write the entire essay from research. So pick a topic that is natural to you, like a part of your life or your friend’s. Also, topics you are interested in.
This could be in history, an influential person, or something that happened to you. A topic that relates to you will have you interested enough quite a lot about it or will give you the enthusiasm to research it.
So that means you should avoid a topic that you are not marginally interested in because it will show in your work. Nonetheless, you will lack depth, and a convincing amount of details, and the essay will seem flat to readers.
Read related topics.
Now that you have decided on a topic, don’t start writing blindly. You want to see how other people have crafted their creative essays. There are many ways to read more related material;
- Create and maintain a reading habit. Mostly novels and short stories. While they are not exactly essays, they have one thing in common with creative essays: creativity.
Good authors know how to introduce and describe characters, they know how to tell a story, and most of all, they know how to tie events and the characters together in the story. By reading their books, you get to see how this is done. Wouldn’t it be amazing to replicate their methods for your essay?
- Read creative essays by others. They could be students or published authors. One thing you will learn is how to creatively craft your own article.
Record ideas for your topic.
Sometimes while writing, your train of thought just stops. Suddenly you cannot think of anything to write, or you keep trying, and nothing seems interesting enough to write.
To avoid that, write down ideas as they occur to you. Keep a journal with you at most times. It does not have to be a book that could be bulky to carry around. Most phones do come with a notebook feature.
You can use that to jot down those quick ideas before they disappear from your brain. Even if that idea occurs in the middle of the night. Furthermore, it will save you time when you are writing your creative essay. You will be surprised at how quickly and easily it flows.
Think about your audience.
In addition to the other tips, consider your audience and what you want to do with your creative essay.
By this, we mean that if your creative essay is meant to entertain – do you want it to be humorous, sad, or just educative? Your tone will impact how readers will perceive your essay.
Another thing to consider is the type of audience, that is, the readers who will mostly read your essay. If your essay is meant for class, your instructor and fellow students will read your essay.
Also, does your language match the academic environment? Have you used special words and phrases that can only be understood by some and not by others? You will have to think out all these before you start writing.
Also, get your style right. Some people are good at writing in the formal style, and others have a more informal style. Figure out what yours is and write accordingly.
Outline your essay.
This is the most important step. It is a bad idea to start writing before you have created an outline. An outline helps you arrange your ideas in a way that flows. It also helps you keep track of your sources and main ideas.
An outline will also help you keep track of how much you have written. College essays usually have a required length in terms of word count.
Moreover, with an outline, you can define the structure of your essay. All essays have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. There are many ways this could be formatted. The ‘introduction’ is where you introduce your main idea and characters. Next is the ‘body’, where the topic or idea peaks. Lastly, there is the ‘conclusion’ where things in the story face a natural wrap.
Now that we have worked through the preparation stage, let’s now work on actually writing your essay.
The Writing Stage
Add some details.
With your outline as a guide, start from where your story needs to start. Moreover, add some details. For example, you have introduced your dog as a character in your creative essay. What is the dog’s coat color? What kind of personality does he have? Give a small snippet of how your dog regularly behaves.
This way, the readers can picture the dog in their minds while reading. Additionally, describe your emotions and feelings regarding an event in your essay. Readers will be able to connect better with you as the author. You will find that many will commend you on your writing.
Intrigue
It may just be a creative essay for school, but you will still want to capture your reader’s attention. Wouldn’t you? So how do you make your story intriguing?
- Make your hook unusual. You want to keep the reader reading. One way to do this is to make your hook unique but vague. One that gives an idea but the only way a reader can find out the full details is if they keep reading.
- Use foreshadows. Foreshadowing is the art of dropping hints of what will happen soon. You don’t want to reveal too much too soon, but you also don’t want details or events appearing out of nowhere.
So leave a clue or detail, and when the full picture is revealed ahead, the reader can’t help but remember it and wonder how clever that was.
- Another easy way to intrigue readers is to create a sense of urgency. You can keep the action fast and throw in a few twists. The more urgent your essay sounds, the more the reader is on the edge of their seat.
Use Transition words.
Another tip for an essay on a creative topic is to use transition words. Also called linking words, they are used to connect different parts of a sentence or clause. Furthermore, they are used to argue out your case. They are mostly used in front of a new sentence, followed by a comma to show a connection with the previous sentence.
Transition words create a flow in your work. Besides that, they also prevent your essay from sounding disjointed. However, it is also possible to overuse transition words. To prevent that, just use clearer sentences whenever possible.
Mind your language.
Additionally, when writing your essay on a creative topic, mind how you write. Avoid using the wrong tone and style together. For example, if you are keeping things casual, even the tone should use easy casual words.
Moreover, keep your grammar consistent. Another thing to keep in mind is the words you use. String them together correctly and avoid big words. Most times, the people who will read your paper may not be native English speakers. This often makes them dismiss your essay because it taxes their understanding.
Rather, use simple common words correctly. Also, use the language you are supposed to correct. If it is English let it be proper English. Although, if you use a non-English word, include a short quick translation or explanation.
Avoid excessive direct quotations.
It is a creative essay. You do not need to find and quote words from other authors. You mostly see this in argumentative or analytical essays but not creative ones. Unless it does help with what you are trying to say, use your own words to explain scenarios, events, and emotions.
Used vivid words.
One more tip is to use vivid details. You know how you read a creative essay, and you can clearly picture the item or person described? That’s just one way. You can use personification. You can also use metaphors.
Do you want to know how else you can use vivid words? Use a Thesaurus. Use synonyms and antonyms of words to add style to your work. You can now explain the same points in an artier, flamboyant style. It is a little like adding spice.
Up to now, you have written your creative essay, but will it be submitted as it is? You are right, it will not. So now, let’s see how to do the post-writing process.
After the Writing Stage
Proofread and check your flow.
In addition to writing, one of the last tips is proofreading your essay. This way, you find the mistakes and correct them. Another reason you read through your work is to check to see if your tone and flow changed along the essay.
You may notice that you started perfect, and then as you went along, something changed. As such, you can note and make the necessary changes.
On top of that, having grammatical errors in your essay will simply not do. You might have an amazing essay, but your readers will keep getting confused and wondering what you want to say. So go through and correct any errors you find.
Get a second opinion.
It is difficult to see every mistake you have made in your work. So have a peer or your instructor read through your essay and help you correct things. Also, things may seem fine to you, but someone else will have to read and understand.
So that means that a second opinion will help you improve your essay.
Equivalently, you can use proofreading software that is now easier and even free to use. You can easily check for errors in grammar or tone in a matter of minutes. They can even suggest the kind of style you should use to better appeal to your audience.
Summing Up
You might have started off reading this article completely unaware of how to write your creative essay. But now we believe you can be a master at it. Remember, anyone can write excellent creative essays with time and practice. So, just follow the above tips, and start like a pro.
Bio: Charles Robbins is a professional writer. For the last several years, he has been drafting helpful blogs for writers. He is passionate about his content because besides it being fun, it is also a goal for him to put out amazing content that helps people.