Out of all of the decisions I’ve made for my course selection I think taking a creative writing class has made my writing more fluid and more engaging.
I took creative writing on a recommendation from a senior last year. She told me how creative writing helped her writing as a journalist and would help me in my career too.
So, taking her advice I decided to take the plunge and picked the course for my winter semester of 2021. Then COVID-19 hit and cancelled all classes. I knew the experience I would be getting online wouldn’t be the same as in-person classes but I was still excited for the upcoming year.
Here’s what I learned so far from taking a creative writing class.
It’s not like your high school writing class.
When I went to my first creative writing class I felt like it would be like one of those high school English classes where you were forced to write “creatively.” Instantly I felt some sort of dread but I realized after taking this class my writing would never be the same (because of the next reason).
Passionate writing
My high school self and my college self are two different people. I believe when you get older you can find better ways to express yourself within your writing. Even if you have no experience in expressing yourself, the prompts that are given to you in class help you find that. In my creative writing class, we were given prompts like “write an eulogy to someone who meant a lot to you”, “write a poem about love”, or “write a memory from your childhood.’
Prompts like these helped to open my mind and allowed me to express myself creatively. Obviously, when you start you’re not going to be the best at it, but that’s where practice comes into the mix.
Practice really does make perfect
The first writing prompt really was a disaster, but after the semester I noticed how more expressive and longer my stories got. To the point, I even wrote a short story using one tiny prompt. Even if you think that you won’t need to write creatively in your future, you actually do. You use it in your emails, in text messages, and learning and honing the skill of creative writing lets you express yourself to others. It can even be a way to let yourself out emotionally and allow you to write cool stories.
As a future journalist, I know creative writing will add a little spice into my stories, and I know it’s not just needed for journalism students. Taking this course can help you in so many aspects of writing and may even spark a new interest within you!
So Ryerson students, take that ENG 505 class next time.