by Elena Selthun
It’s difficult to balance creative writing with life, school, and work. If you’re someone who once loved to write creatively and now finds it almost impossible to find the time or find the ability to care about creative writing amidst stressful academic writing, you’re not the only one. The transition from high school to college was a hard one for my creative writing. Suddenly, I felt like I had no free time and no space in my brain for “creative” ideas and stories. I stopped writing creatively, then couldn’t understand why I was more stressed and felt less confident in my writing in general. The key to keeping up the habit of creative writing is to view it as an exercise in imagination and catharsis, not futility. Creative writing shouldn’t be a chore, but at the same time, it’s a good idea to set aside time for it each day or a few times a week if possible. It’s important to have some kind of schedule for creative writing, especially if you have a busy life and other responsibilities which keep distracting you. If you’re the kind of person who likes making color-coded calendars, do that! If you’re the kind of person who prefers making endless to-do lists in your Notes app (guilty as charged), then do that! There is no wrong way to work creative writing into your life as long as it works for you. Figuring out what to write about can be another beast entirely, but your academic pursuits might actually help you with this rather than hurt you. Are you particularly interested in a subject you learned about or wrote an essay on? Maybe you took a UCOR about zombies and pop culture, a History course about the Ottoman Empire, or even a Physics course about astronomy. These could all be topics that factor into your creative writing if you’re at a loss for ideas — there doesn’t have to be a strict separation between your academic papers and your personal creative writing. It may even strengthen your academic work if you end up learning more about the topic! Sometimes, however, you might need that separation and creative writing can serve as an escape from stress and deadlines. Poetry can be a good way to enter the world of creative writing and keep up the habit without too much effort or time commitment. It can also be a great way to get your thoughts, emotions, and memories in order: writing short daily poems like haikus can be an easier alternative to keeping a daily journal. Similarly, you may find it helpful to keep a little notebook to jot down creative ideas as they strike you throughout the day (the Notes app works just as well for this). Taking a moment or two out of your day to observe the world around you thoughtfully is not only helpful for creative writing inspiration, it gives you a chance to briefly slow down in the whirlwind of university life. Practicing writing in any form will have positive effects on your writing as a whole, whether creative or academic. Just as importantly, it can both provide a much-needed escape from the daily grind and make you more thoughtful about the world around you as you engage with it in a new way. Like most things in college, it can be hard to find the time — but I promise you it’s worth it to try.
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January 2024
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