The Essential Tips That Can Make Your Prose Writing Creative

by Sarah Peter Contributor

One of the most common forms of writing is prose writing which is also called ‘ordinary writing’ as it is made up of sentences, phrases, and paragraphs without any rhyming structure. The opposite of prose is poetry where a person looks for words that have same rhythm and includes stanzas instead of long paragraphs.

Prose comes from a Latin word ‘prosa oratio’ which means straightforward, and prose is natural flow of speech commonly used in everyday life. The prose is used in both fiction and non-fiction writing, and there are four common types of prose that vary according to style and purpose.

1. Fictional prose

This is the most common type of prose which is widely used in novels, short stories, and usually include a plot, different characters, multiple scenes, and dialogues.

2. Non-fictional prose

Non-fictional prose is a piece of information that is based on true events, situations, and facts. Newspapers, textbooks, instruction manual, and novels based on true stories all come under nonfiction prose

3. Heroic prose

A literary work that is preserved either orally or by writing down is called heroic prose, and its popular example is a fable.

4. Prose poetry

The combination of prose and poetry can be done which includes rhythmic patterns. There are many novelists who like to begin their story with two or four-line verse

The main purpose of prose is to convey or deliver a thought, an idea, a piece of information, or a story. The story can be fictional or true, but prose is a way of communication that a writer can use to convey an intriguing story for the readers. Every person thinks differently and is free to express his/her thoughts and opinions using different words and expressions. Every person can write, but only few have a way with words and get the readers completely enthralled by their story. One of the main element of prose is conversation and dialogue that helps the reader to feel the story visually. The conversation between the characters helps the readers to connect with the story.

Writing meaningful prose that interests and intrigues the readers is quite challenging. The steps of creative prose writing include

· Make your prose fit your own style of writing

You should have your own flair and identity when it comes to writing. You may be inspired by many contemporary novelists and authors, but you should try to make your own mark. When you want to convey a distinctive and amazing story you should think about the voice of the narrator and how will it sound to the readers. The key elements you should consider of your narrator are

· The age of the narrator and particular way in which he speaks, and acts

· The background of the narrator and the childhood years that have influenced his/her character

· Is your main character a pessimist or an optimist and his views and values

· The time and setting of your story and the words and phrases you chose for the prose

· Be articulate and precise

Reading is a source for nearly everyone, and a person will only read your story if it’s to the point, has a continuous flow, and to which a person can easily connect. Many young and ambitious writers tend to use filler words to lengthen their story, but you need to filter and cut out the filler words. When you remove the unnecessary words then your prose has more clarity, and the reader would not be bored. You should try to find concise and exact words that can beautifully describe the scene. Being concise and selective in your description can make your prose more meaningful.

· Avoid getting monotonous

In prose writing, you have to be careful at both your selection and usage of words. Repeating the same words at end of every sentence makes your story monotonous, and the sentence also loses its grammatical structure. You can avoid dull writing by

· Varying rhythm and keeping the sentences short. The variety of words will keep the reader interested and engaged.

· Switching the syntax, as every sentence that is structured exactly the same would not be interesting for the readers.

· Find good vocabulary words to replace the weak words

The weak words commonly used in prose is called ‘qualifiers’ and include words such as ‘really’, ‘very’, and ‘extremely’. The qualifiers should be used occasionally and only when it would make an impact if the qualifier does not describe a word then you should keep the word itself and leave the qualifier. You could right ‘He was happy with his work’ instead of ‘he was very happy with his work’.

The one common mistake that many young writers do is use synonyms unnecessarily. A list of alternatives that you can use instead of weak qualifiers are

· Very cold- icy, frosty, chilly, freezing, and arctic.

· Very happy- ecstatic, overjoyed, delighted, excited, and elated

· Very sad- dejected, depressed, mournful, melancholic, and heartbroken

· Extremely angry- furious, outraged, exasperated, and bitter.

· Quite frightened- unnerved, fearful, petrified, and tentative.

· Replace vague scenes with thought-provoking imagery

The key for beautiful and engaging prose writing is delivering concise but thoughtful, and vivid imagery. The easy way to make your prose more intriguing is to increase the number of abstract nouns. You should have the art to convey specific imagery according to the need of your prose. You should develop your main character in the story by adding and elaborating the scenes.

· Avoid using clichés

Many struggling writers have a habit of using clichés, and many passionate readers can easily spot it. There are many words and phrases that have become clichéd, and you should avoid using them as the reader would know what you are implying at. The fact is you can use stereotype words, characters, and scenes but readers have already come across them several times, and they would not regard your style of writing.

· Mix your patterns and keep the reader engaged

Short and clipped sentences are good to keep the reader interested and remove the element of being boring. But too many short sentences are also not good as it would not describe the scene and plot, and the readers would also tend to be irritated. You should avoid using double adjectives when it comes to descriptive writing. Some of the key tips you need to consider are

· Description is good, but too much of it bores the readers. Do not describe every small thing

· Abstract nouns are good to develop the interest of readers but use them appropriately, or you would lose the reader.

· Emotional language is crucial to the success of a story, but constant use of it will also bore the reader.

· Add some little flashes of genius with short and eloquent phrases that a reader can relate and quote.

Author Bio:

Mary Adams has done Masters in Literature and spends her time teaching students on ways to improve their prose writing. She has published her own work and knows the mistakes that young writers tend to make.

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