Types of Writing...and Thinking

Creative Thinking

One thing I love about writing is the thinking part of it.

I love to escape from everyday life and go deep into my thoughts. I suppose that's why I love running so much. After around mile 6, my mind starts to think about stories and my body just takes over with the running part.

So what does it mean to think creatively?


Types of Writing

You've seen the types of writing listed before:

To inform

To persuade

To explain

To entertain

What brings most writers back to the blank paper or screen is the element of surprising the reader with something new they haven't seen or thought of before. Explain something new, describe a new place, inform them of something you've learned, persuade them to see or do something they hadn't thought of before...all this and more!

It begins with asking a question. Try asking, the "what if" questions of the readers:

What if your car could talk? What would it say?

What if Hitler had been captured by American soldiers?

What if air conditioning had never been invented?

What if cars ran on air and not gasoline?

What if a newborn baby could talk to its parents?

What if aliens from another planet landed in your backyard?

And there are a million more "what if''s" that bring the writer back to the blank page time and time again.


Exploring the Possibilities

What I intend to discuss with my writing students is the joy of taking a topic...any topic...and exploring the possibilities with that topic.

Analyzing it, finding that one part of the topic that hasn't been discussed before can be as fun as scientific discovery if presented the right way.

Writing is...

I had to stop this weekend and think back to why I love to write. The overwhelming task of preparing a classroom, gradebook, assessments, and lessons began to suck all the joy out of my plans for this year.

I allowed my joy to be stolen.

So many times this can happen with writers.

But I remembered why I love to write:  It's FUN!

I have so many stories I want to share with others. I want to learn how to use words more efficiently and creatively, and I want to discover more interesting facts about a topic.


That's it! That's why I write.  Now let the journey begin...




Your turn:  What helps you remember why you love to write? What do you do to help you think more creatively?


Blessings,
Ruth