So scared of creative writing I can't even start

I'm doing gcses this summer - revision is going well for all of them except english language. I physically cannot creative write without feeling like a failure, it sounding awfully trash, or just not being able to put pen to paper as I have no ideas. I'm fine with all the other aspects in the gcse but I need a 7 in english lang (which I can't get without creative writing) to do economics a-level at my school, which I really want to do. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to get better? I'd talk to my teacher/ friends but I hate admitting I need help and would probably start sobbing lol

Reply 1

Clairetheteacher

7

My daughter signed up for online English with Barbara - First Rate Tutors. She does Sunday online group classes for English language and does Literature too. She is amazing… models how to answer papers and how to write for fiction and non fiction papers. Highly recommend. Sunday classes are running now… inexpensive too.

Reply 2

VaBook7

OP

11

Original post by Clairetheteacher

My daughter signed up for online English with Barbara - First Rate Tutors. She does Sunday online group classes for English language and does Literature too. She is amazing… models how to answer papers and how to write for fiction and non fiction papers. Highly recommend. Sunday classes are running now… inexpensive too.

thanks but I'm not really in the position to pay for tutoring/ would not be available then :smile:

Reply 3

Clairetheteacher

7

Original post by VaBook7

thanks but I'm not really in the position to pay for tutoring/ would not be available then :smile:

It’s £10 a Sunday session I think.. it’s a zoom group lesson and excellent. Have a look on YouTube for lots of Barbara’s videos for free … First Rate Tutors

Reply 4

Elecruhawk

2

I used to feel exactly like you when I was preparing for my English Language IGCSE exam last year which is totally understandable because stress and expectations usually create a lot of anxiety which can decrease our productivity. What I did was to read books everyday to ensure that ideas for stories would stay in my head. To cope with hopelessness you can try meditation exercises including deep breathing techniques to get a clearer mind. To make English Language look easier, a brilliant method that my friend calls 'hypnosis' which was basically repeating encouraging phrases in front of the mirror for a few minutes to sugar-coat the difficulty. However, I only achieved an A in the exam because I did not revise enough past papers to understand structural techniques for the long essays. I wish you the best of luck in your exams 🙂 .

Reply 5

CCCU Courses

Official Rep

7

Original post by VaBook7

I'm doing gcses this summer - revision is going well for all of them except english language. I physically cannot creative write without feeling like a failure, it sounding awfully trash, or just not being able to put pen to paper as I have no ideas. I'm fine with all the other aspects in the gcse but I need a 7 in english lang (which I can't get without creative writing) to do economics a-level at my school, which I really want to do. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to get better? I'd talk to my teacher/ friends but I hate admitting I need help and would probably start sobbing lol

Hi,

Creative writing can be a little scary, you are putting yourself out there as an artist for others to see (even if it is for a GCSE). Feeling like an impostor with writing is common; even the greatest of writers feels like they are impostors!

How to find ideas for stories can seem daunting. A great way to overcome this is to understand the basic structure of a story. Watch your favorite film and see how the story moves; sometimes the end of a story starts the beginning of a new one. Consider what your main character wants, how what they want is out of reach and how they get it, or do they fail? Place them in a setting that is a hurdle and put characters there who will help and hinder.

A good story can be about grand adventures, and that adventure could be as simple as getting out of bed!

I sometimes take a situation I have experienced and use that, and change the characters, maybe into cats! Have you seen the film Flow? It's a very human story told via animals.

Two of the books that helped me through my BA and MA in Creative Writing (two of many!) are as follows:

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

This is a short novel of vignettes. The descriptions are wonderful, especially how Cisneros describes the hair of her family and how that sums up their personalities.
Worth a read and take notes of the style of storytelling, how it moves the story along and doesn't linger.

Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them by John Yorke.

A great book on how it all works! Lots to pick up from this book. Suffice to say, this book can help you get those stories straight.

Both books are easy reads. Good luck with your studies!

Liz ✒️

So scared of creative writing I can't even start

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