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When I first set out on the task of making a creative writing curriculum for The Mover, I stocked up my library on recommended books and blogs on writing advice to properly flesh this textbook out. In the end, though, I found that I was highlighting whole pages and failing to paraphrase already-succinct advice. In the words of my favorite satellites, these works’ final forms are already perfect.
Here, you’ll find resources on how to hone your tools in creative writing. This includes a grammar guide, a writing handbook, an introduction to video essays, and a curt reminder. Use them at your own discretion.
Io Carpiso
Editor-in-Chief
Staff 2020-2022
Foreword
Foreword
As someone who loves creative writing, I found that the classroom wasn’t the best place to learn it. Sure, you’ll learn the elements of a story, the Freytag’s Pyramid, and the basics of writing a narrative but not the finer details. They don’t tell you how to establish the rhythm of the words. They don’t talk about how dialogue works. They forget entirely the purpose of a paragraph, least of all how to make a compelling subplot.
As a student of the craft myself, I can’t say I’m about to impart the knowledge of writing the next best classic upon ye. But what I do have are tools that can strengthen your foundations as a writer. These aren’t step-by-step guides because writing isn’t mathematics. It’s music. It’s technical arts. It’s based on intuition, instinct, and muscle memory. To know how to build a chair, one must first know how to use a screwdriver. That is the case with writing.
For the Proud Writer
For the Proud Writer
Although no person is the same, I do believe that there is a universal pride when it comes to artists. Deep down, I believe that artists are proud of their craft. And that means, on some level, they are arrogant.
For the Proud Writer who believes that they know all they need to write, I beg you to reconsider and lower your walls so that what advice can be had in this piece be beaten into your head. There is nothing wrong with seeking help and wanting to be better is not a sin. Cast away that adjective and simply be a Writer. Do what Writers, arguably, do best: observe and take notes.
Elements of Style, by William Strunck and E.B. White
Elements of Style, by William Strunck and E.B. White
The first resource I have to offer is by far the most boring one and is the most important: grammar.
As someone who’s been an editor and beta-reader for most of her life, I’ve seen many stories fall flat because of the abuse of commas, misuse of quotation marks, and the domination of sentence fragments. As I’ve said before, while the classroom doesn’t teach you creative writing proper, it teaches you how to write properly. Take the advice.
Elements of Style was the first book I’ve ever read on the writing craft. It’s a miracle it didn’t put me off the topic entirely. It’s dry, straightforward, and simple. It tells you why you shouldn’t lean on the passive voice, how to punctuate your sentences, the machinations behind paragraphs, and more.
You must be asking why I’d offer such a monstrously authoritarian book in a craft that depends so much on self-expression. That’s because you can’t express yourself properly if you don’t know how to write properly. You’d probably rebut that breaking the rules is fair game, but how do you know which rules to break? What’s more, why are you breaking them? As the author of the next resource says, when breaking the rules of language in writing, know why you are breaking them.
For your sake, I found a shortened version of it here, but if you have the time, you may check out this longer one.
Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story (Revised 1998 Edition), by Ursula K. Le Guin
Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story (Revised 1998 Edition), by Ursula K. Le Guin
Steering the Craft is a non-fiction guidebook for storytellers written by a renowned science fiction and fantasy author, so you know that Le Guin walks the talk. It was a joy to read because Le Guin tricks you into forgetting that you’re holding an exercise book: it’s written conversationally before slapping you hard in the face with technical writing advice. The best part is that it’s only about one hundred pages long, so it’s great for writers on a busy schedule.
Each short but comprehensive chapter focuses on a specific topic and element of storytelling and includes examples from (the Western) literary canon with annotations from the author. Let me just say that I adore how Le Guin shows off in this book. If you look closely, you’ll notice that she’s following the rules she’s setting in a chapter. She practices what she preaches right before your eyes and it’s a detail that made reading the book more enjoyable for me — it’s the writer’s version of an easter egg.
That aside, at the end of each chapter is a set of exercises that you may do on your own time. These exercises challenge you to try new things or study the habits you fall onto so that you may better understand who you are as a writer. Also, writing is a use-it-or-lose-it skill. You have to sharpen your blade with practice and this book allows you to do just that.
For me, though, the most important thing about this book is that it reminds you that the art of writing is really, truly an art. It’s something noble and what you’re doing matters, and Le Guin doesn’t let you forget that.
Lessons From the Screenplay (and other video essayists)
Lessons From the Screenplay (and other video essayists)
Topics like themes, motifs, and framing are things that can’t easily be taught by a textbook but can be observed through dissection. Lessons From the Screenplay is a YouTube channel that discusses movies and the storytelling behind them. They peel back and analyze specific details about storytelling that you can steal and make your own.
I find that watching video essays on media or fandoms that you enjoy really allows you to dive deep into the elements of storytelling while also increasing your appreciation in storytelling in general. As a practitioner of a craft, it pays to study it through. And speaking about studying…
Consume & Study
Consume & Study
The best resource I have for writers is this: everything.
The best teacher you have is the media you read, watch, and listen to. As you watch a movie, ask yourself why you’re invested in the plot, what makes these characters compelling. When you’re watching a series, question whether the continuity or consistency between episodes makes sense or not. Take a break from the book you’re reading and admire the phrases used by the author or recognize the rhythm the author is setting using their sentences. Diversify the media you consume and look into radio shows, podcasts, hypertext novels, and webcomics. Study, learn, and emulate.
There is storytelling everywhere. There is so much to be learned in a page or a minute.
Stephen King wrote an exercise in his own writing guide-slash-memoir, On Writing. He asks you to take a book from your shelf and hold it in your hand and feel the weight of it. Realize how many pages it is, how many paragraphs, how many words. Crack the book open down the middle and study the way those paragraphs are formed and shaped, the alternating pattern of short and long sentences, how dialogue is written, the way the author describes things, the sizes of the margins. And just with that short, quick study, you may better learn how a novel is made and what a story looks like.
"You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."
"You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."
- Stephen King, On Writing
Conclusion
Conclusion
Every writer is different and inspiration comes from everywhere. Nevertheless, it’s never a bad thing to go back to basics, look inwards, and learn about how you can become a better writer. Now that you’re equipped with your own grammatical almanac, field guide, and reminders to explore and experiment, learn which rules to follow and which to break. Study what you can and debate them after. Write a story and get in trouble.
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