The Starter’s Guide to Creative Writing
“I’ve always wanted to write. Where do I begin?”
If that’s the question you’ve been asking yourself, this guide is for you.
Creative writing is the craft of telling stories.
Whether you dream of writing a novel, a children’s book, a memoir, or short stories, it all begins with the same desire: to create something that captures a reader’s imagination.
Unlike business writing, academic writing or journalism, creative writing isn’t primarily about explaining information or reporting facts. It’s about using imagination, emotion and language to entertain, move, surprise or inspire a reader.
One thing we’ve learned is that storytelling isn’t a mysterious gift possessed by a lucky few. It’s something that can be learned through practice, guidance and constructive feedback.
Some people go on to publish books. Others write stories for their grandchildren. Some finally finish the novel they’ve been thinking about for years. Others simply rediscover the pleasure of writing. Success as a writer means different things to different people.
This guide brings together the questions we’ve been answering for years. What exactly is creative writing? Can anyone learn? What should I write first? What does it take to become a good writer? How do I become a better writer? What mistakes do beginners make?
Wherever you’re starting from, we hope this guide gives you the confidence to take the first step – and enjoy every step that follows.
What is creative writing?
Creative writing is the craft of telling stories.
Unlike business writing, academic writing or journalism, creative writing isn’t primarily about explaining information or reporting facts. It’s about using imagination, emotion and language to entertain, move, surprise or inspire a reader.
Creative writing comes in many forms. It includes novels, short stories, children’s books, memoir, flash fiction and more. Some writers create imaginary worlds. Others draw on real people and experiences. What they all have in common is the desire to engage readers through storytelling.
Creative writing combines imagination with practical skills – creating believable characters, writing natural dialogue, building tension, shaping a story and choosing the right words to make readers care.
Many people think creative writing is simply a matter of inspiration. Inspiration certainly helps, but good writing also depends on understanding how stories work and developing the skills to tell them well.
The good news is that those skills can be learned.
Can anyone learn to write?
Yes
Many people end up with successful careers as full-time authors. But we acknowledge that not everyone will become a bestselling author. Maybe you just love the idea of writing. Anyone who is prepared to learn, practise and keep improving can become a better writer.
Many people assume that successful writers were simply born with a special gift. While some people may have a natural flair for storytelling, the skills that make writing engaging – creating believable characters, writing convincing dialogue, building suspense, structuring a story and editing with purpose – can all be learned.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle isn’t a lack of talent. It’s a lack of confidence.
We’ve met countless people who believed they weren’t creative enough, didn’t have the right background, or had simply left it too late to start writing. More often than not, they were wrong. Once they began learning and giving themselves permission to write, their confidence grew alongside their skills.
Good writers aren’t the people who never make mistakes. They’re the people who keep learning, keep writing and keep improving.
So the real question isn’t whether you can learn to write. It’s what you’d like to write – and why.
What should I write first?
You should write the kind of story that excites you enough to keep writing.
The type of writing you choose is often shaped by what first inspired you. You might want to tell a family story, create unforgettable characters, write for your grandchildren, explore imaginary worlds or simply enjoy the creative challenge of putting ideas into words.
You don’t have to decide your writing future on day one. Someone who dreams of writing a novel may fall in love with writing a memoir. A writer who starts with short stories may eventually tackle a full-length novel. Others discover that writing for children is their passion.
The important thing isn’t choosing the “perfect” genre from day one. It’s choosing one that inspires you to begin.
Explore different types of creative writing
What does it take to become a good writer?
The most important thing a writer needs isn’t talent. It’s the willingness to keep learning.
Becoming a good writer doesn’t happen overnight. It comes with practice, curiosity and learning the right skills and frameworks, so you’re not picking up bad habits or taking advice from people who don’t truly know what they’re doing.
As your confidence grows, so do your writing skills. You’ll learn how to create believable characters, write natural dialogue, shape a compelling story and edit your work with purpose. But those skills aren’t the starting point. They develop naturally as you continue to write, learn and grow.
Good writers aren’t defined by how quickly they improve. They’re defined by the fact that they keep improving.
How do I become a better writer?
There are many ways to become a better writer.
You can read books, watch videos, listen to podcasts, join writing groups, enter competitions and, most importantly, keep writing. Every one of those can help you improve.
The challenge isn’t finding information. There has never been more writing advice available than there is today.
The challenge is knowing what matters most.
A well-designed creative writing course doesn’t simply teach writing. It distills decades of experience into a clear learning pathway. It brings together the questions aspiring writers ask most often, the mistakes they commonly make, the lessons that matter most and the techniques that have stood the test of time.
Instead of piecing together hundreds of disconnected ideas, you learn the right things at the right time, with each lesson building naturally on the one before it. That means spending less time wondering what to learn next, less time trying to reconcile conflicting advice, and more time doing what really matters: writing.
A good course doesn’t remove the work. It removes all of the guesswork.
What mistakes do beginners make?
The biggest mistakes beginners make usually have very little to do with writing.
They’re often mistakes in the way they think about writing.
Waiting until they’re “ready”.
Many aspiring writers spend years waiting for the right idea, the right time or the confidence to begin. The truth is, most writers never feel completely ready. They simply decide to start.
Trying to write a perfect first draft.
A first draft isn’t meant to be perfect. It’s where you discover the story. The shaping, refining and polishing come later.
Comparing themselves to published authors.
It’s easy to compare your first chapter with a novel that’s been edited, revised and polished many times over. A fairer comparison is with another writer’s first draft – something readers almost never see. But rest assured that if you work on your craft, your writing will end up being the shiny, polished version one day!
Trying to learn everything before they begin.
Writing isn’t something you master before you start. It’s something you learn by doing. Every story teaches you something the previous one couldn’t.
Giving up too soon.
Progress as a writer doesn’t usually arrive all at once. It builds through small improvements, week by week, and if you keep going there often comes a point where you look back and realise how far you’ve come.
Perhaps the biggest misconception of all is that good writers don’t make mistakes.
In reality, they make them every day. The difference is that they treat mistakes as part of the learning process, not as a reason to stop.
Do I need a creative writing course?
No. You don’t need to do a creative writing course to become a writer.
People have been telling stories for thousands of years without setting foot in a classroom. You can learn by reading, writing, experimenting, making mistakes and working things out for yourself. Many writers have done that.
But a good creative writing course can make an enormous difference to how you learn – and save you a lot of time going down the wrong path.
One of the hardest things about learning on your own is knowing what you don’t know. There’s an extraordinary amount of writing advice available, but that doesn’t necessarily make learning easier. Advice can be fragmented, contradictory or simply irrelevant.
A well-designed course has already done much of that sorting for you. It distils years of knowledge and experience into a coherent sequence, so you’re learning the things that matter, in an order that makes sense. You begin to understand not just what makes writing work, but why.
There’s another important benefit: feedback. Writing is unusual because you can spend months working on something without knowing how another reader will experience it. Constructive feedback from a professional tutor can show you what is already working, where a reader is losing interest or becoming confused, and what you might do differently.
A course can also give you something that’s surprisingly difficult to create on your own: momentum. There are lessons to complete, exercises to try, other writers learning alongside you and a reason to keep going when life would otherwise get in the way.
So no, you don’t need a creative writing course.
But if you want to learn more efficiently, receive useful feedback and replace some of the trial and error with structured learning, a good course can save you an extraordinary amount of time. You’ll also reach your goals faster.
How do I choose a good creative writing course?
Start by looking at who created it and who will be teaching you.
Writing experience matters, but so does teaching experience. Look for courses taught by people who understand writing deeply and know how to explain it clearly, identify what isn’t working and help writers improve.
Next, look closely at what the course actually teaches. A good course should have a clear structure, with each lesson building logically on what came before. You shouldn’t simply come away with a collection of interesting tips. You should understand more about how writing works and be able to apply what you’ve learned to your own work.
Feedback can also be enormously valuable. There’s a limit to what you can learn about your writing by looking at it yourself. Thoughtful feedback from an experienced writer or teacher can help you recognise strengths and weaknesses that are difficult to see when you’re too close to the work.
Then look at what previous students say. Don’t just look for praise. Look for detail. Do students explain what they learned, how their writing changed or what they went on to achieve? Specific experiences tell you far more than a page full of five-star ratings.
It’s also worth looking at the organisation behind the course. How long has it been teaching writers? How many people has it taught? Do students return for further courses? Have former students gone on to publish books or build writing careers? A long record of successful students is difficult to manufacture.
A good creative writing course should leave you with more than information. It should leave you a better writer than when you began.
Where do I begin?
If you’re new to creative writing and you’re not sure where to begin, we recommend doing a creative writing course.
A good introductory course will teach you the key elements of creative writing in a logical order and give you the opportunity to practise what you’re learning.
At the Australian Writers’ Centre, we recommend Creative Writing Stage 1.
The course covers characters, dialogue, point of view, scenes, plot and structure. You don’t need any previous experience, and you don’t need to have a novel planned or even know what you’d like to write.
You’ll also receive constructive feedback on your writing, so you can see what you’re doing well and where you can improve.
By the end of the course, you’ll understand much more about how stories work and have a much better idea of what you’d like to write next.
Creative Writing Stage 1 is where we recommend you start. Good luck and happy writing!