Creative Writing Course with Blogchatter:My learnings

Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS)

6 years ago

Did you ever take a creative writing course? I wouldn’t have either, if not for the Blogchatter creative writing course launched this year.

I did my schooling from a convent school in Calcutta, till class ten. The next two years were at a bigger school with better results academically. I cherish my experiences at both. But all my writing skills I dedicate to my Carmel School and the teachers who taught me.

When you are thinking about becoming a Doctor , the last thing you would want to learn is grammar. But one interesting thing about the Madhyamik exams(class ten exam in West Bengal), back then was, your total score mattered. If you didn’t score well in the languages, history, and geography, you couldn’t do well.

What helped me to study?

1)I just love reading anything. So first time reading grammar books and literature is not a problem. The problem is revising.

2) For this, I used a trick I learned from a friend. Just write,

I love English

on the first page of your English Book. Looking at it every day will help make your mind more likely to stop the overwhelm of learning many subjects together.

All the subjects you learn at school may seem useless. But you never know what the future holds. I am happy to tell you that my writing career started after my medical career and for this, I draw on everything I learned and learn every day.

As a writer, the world is your oyster, your research library and your audience. What you write, will resonate with some but not all. But if you are someone like me, who listens to their own tune in their head, you only write for people like you.

As Seth Godin says in his new book On Marketing

[bctt tweet=”People like us, do things like this! Seth Godin (This is Marketing)” username=”misra_amrita”]

When Blogchatter shared their idea of giving Bloggers in India a chance to get certified, I was ready. I love learning. Things which help me write better are more fun than most challenges.

What do I plan to learn through this creative writing course?

I have no degree in formal writing, except medical content writing. When I write nonfiction its important to make it relatable, readable and scannable. These are things Yoast helps me with. But one important thing Yoast or Grammarly can’t help is, with creative writing in nonfiction. They can help polish my writing, but can’t really guide. This is where Blogchatter creative writing course can help you.

I think creative writing e-course will help me focus on the storytelling part. Nonfiction need not be boring if storytelling is a part of it. It will make my writing more readable. According to Yoast readability is a big ranking factor.

What makes writing readable?

Fluidity, simplicity and an ability to generate empathy. I hope to make my writing more insightful. Writing in any form is creative. Scientific articles, journals, book reports, and more serious academic writing, needs a protocol. But if it’s your blog , your nonfiction book, what do you do? Will you be high handed and pompous or make your readers want to dive deep?

[bctt tweet=”Fluidity, simplicity and an ability to generate empathy. #Healthwealthbridge” username=”misra_amrita”]

What I learned from Aditya Sinha

Don’t make nonfiction boring. Most of the time fact is stranger than fiction
Research well.
Government websites will give a lot of data for nonfiction research.
The truth is a strange beast and depends on who is reading it.
Answer the why in nonfiction.
Emphasis on causation will help in the primary goal of the nonfiction book.
The chronological narrative may help in a certain category of nonfiction.
Interviews and research helps to make a nonfiction book come together in many cases

Golden nuggets:

Ministry of statistics and program implementation for data-related research in India
Read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery for understanding the beauty of simplicity.

Creative writing for a nonfiction

What I learned from Samarpita Sen’s Instagram Live on editing

Editing starts with the author. You need to do your own editing first, before sending to a professional.
Developmental editing costs more and rightly so.
Final proofreading cannot be skipped.
It’s better to talk to your editor, than text them. A phone call works better than just texts.
Make your writing crisper, before sending for editing. Total word count makes the cost of editing higher.
Nonfiction editing needs subject matter knowledge and fact-checking. So choose the editor carefully.

I was reading the book, This is Marketing by Seth Godin. Never in the wildest dreams in my childhood or adulthood did I have any interest in marketing. But blogging makes understanding marketing important. Thats where Seth’s style of creative writing in nonfiction so perfect.

He drives home the point, without lecturing. He shares anecdotes, examples, weird analogies and you understand. Creative writing is that. It draws the reader into the writer’s home. They chat and nod together with a total understanding of all that, which makes little sense to others. If you think your writing is too simple to be creative, you are mistaken. The beauty of creative writing is in its simplicity, its ability to make sense.

This is what I aim to learn and practice with the Creative writing course. Writing this for the Love of Blogging.

Editing tips with Kanchana Banerjee

Don’t take rejection to heart.
Editors help shape the story.
Beta readers may or may not be helpful if they are friends.
Developmental editing is important.

Golden Nugget: As a writer, write every day. Editing can come afterward.

The session with Neel Anand on Instagram

Contemporize the thought process while writing mythological fiction
Use all emotions while writing.
Remember the viewpoint of a character. Tweak but don’t make radical changes as that affects acceptance.

Golden Nugget: Screenwriting is good money.

Marketing your Book: Session by Kiran Manral:

In this IG live Kiran Manral shared her tips for marketing the book. Work on your blog, social media skills, go live, be real and don’t stop.

She cleared one important question that lurks in my mind. Should I stick to a niche or try different niches? If you are having fun experimenting, there’s no harm in writing about a varied things. Just be careful about your branding. Thats important too.

Golden nuggets from a session with Kiran Manral:

Have fun with your book promos. If you are bored, your audience will be too!
You are a writer you are supposed to write creative copy for social media too.Don’t be repetitive. Thats the best way to kill all interest. Make it quirky, inspire curiosity and don’t take your self too seriously.

[bctt tweet=”The beauty of creative writing is in its simplicity, its ability to make sense. #Healthwealthbridge” username=”misra_amrita”]

Listen to my experience with Blogchatter