how do I start the creative writing journey?
"There’s no easy formula for creating great fiction, but a fundamental knowledge of writing craft is [...] what will allow your talent to blossom" -- Gotham Writers' Workshop
SUMMARY
I’m teaching myself creative writing from Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction and thought I’d share what I learn along the way. If you’ve ever wanted to write fiction but didn’t know how to start, feel free to follow along and try it yourself too!1
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The last few pieces I published on my Substack were more on the non-fiction, informative side, so I wanted to try my hand at some creative writing.2
My whole life I’ve loved reading fiction, a lot more than reading non-fiction, but sitting down to express a made-up narrative voice is so much harder than writing essays. Even though I have the idea and world-building finished in my head, I don’t really know how to execute it.3
I’ve never taken creative writing classes before, and I don’t have much time these days,4 so I decided I will read this book Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction to practice some techniques before attempting to write the story that’s in my mind.5
Although I’m likely to feel embarrassed about my amateur writing, I would still like to share my process of learning, so please bear with me as I publish some of my works-in-progress and feel free to offer ideas or suggestions on how I can improve. And if you’re interested in trying some creative writing yourself, it would be nice to have some companions on this journey together :)
The book mentions that it references this short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver quite often. I read it first and it’s quite good, though I can’t fully verbalize why just yet. I think the murkiness of the narrator’s character, and then the suspense of meeting his wife’s blind friend, and the ending where they share an intimate moment, all contribute to the interesting storytelling of the piece.
I’m sure that the writing book will give more concrete explanations for the short story, and if you’re following along, it might be a good idea to read it first too. I haven’t started the book yet so I’ll save the techniques I learn for future posts.
What prompted all of this was reading the novel The Luminaries (2013) by Eleanor Catton.6
Last year, I had seen on a list that Eleanor Catton had won an award for her most recent book Birnam Wood (2023), and when I come across a modern novelist I haven’t heard of before, I usually start by reading their debut novel because, based on personal observations and experiences, it’s usually some of their best writing.
I’ve found it to be the opposite for non-fiction writers, where usually the more practice they have, the better their writing gets. I think the difference is that I consider fiction to be more like art, so it should be more expressive from the heart, whereas non-fiction is more educational, so it should be more communicative from the head.
The Luminaries is a dense novel set in 1866 New Zealand with multiple storylines happening at the same time that all converge at the end of the book. It won the 2013 Booker Prize and, to this day, is the longest book to have ever won and Eleanor Catton is the youngest author to have won the prize (28 years old at the time).
I generally liked the story and think the novel was deserving of the prize. I think it’s the first book I’ve read by a Kiwi author, and I learned a little bit about the melting pot of cultures that makes New Zealand what it is today. There were a lot of characters and each of them had their own storyline, which made me think about how she came up with them — are they based on real people she knows? Did she create them just for the story? Are they different versions of who she is?
One thing I noticed was that the story was a little too well-crafted to the point that it didn’t feel realistic or relatable enough. It made me think about how novelists come up with complex characters and plots, and I wanted to learn about and practice some creative writing so I can tell some fun stories as well.
Overall reminder to self: raw talent + strategic thinking can produce incredible work, but art should be the higher priority when it comes to creativity and it can easily be sacrificed through overthinking.
Thank you for reading the first edition of munchies! I hope it gave you something new to think about.
I created a Google form where you can share ideas or feedback. If you read “Cathedral”, I’d love to hear what you thought ~
I will refer back to the creative writing journey regularly but not for every post.
Actually, my mom has always pushed me to do some creative writing, but I never took the advice seriously which I chalk up to my rebelliousness of being the oldest daughter of 3 girls. Sorry mom!
It says a lot about modern society that when I was a kid, I found creative writing to be way easier than essay-writing, while it’s the opposite now. It’s kind of sad but not surprising.
After almost a year, Jack and I finally got a daytime helper to come hang out with Lyor for half a day, 3x a week, which gives us some time to work on other things we find meaningful. Neither of us work full-time so saving money has been a big priority, and now we think it’s finally time to get some help.
Following a textbook is easier than following online video courses because of the low time commitment, and I can reference it anytime and for any duration, whereas for videos, I need to set aside uninterrupted time to watch them, which is very difficult with an infant.
While I’ve been full-time parenting, there’s not much time for other hobbies, but while I was breastfeeding or have some time for myself, I read books because I’d be doomscrolling too much otherwise. It also helps me feel somewhat productive, which I recently realized is a good coping mechanism for my mental health.
Maybe you should teach me English writing and I teach you Chinese one LOL