Skip to main content

Writing Tips: Lists Help in Creative Writing

A list of items, which you can build with keywords relevant to any context, can be a great aid in your writing. A list is not necessarily facts; it’s just a few keywords (words, ideas, thoughts, technologies, applications, services, names, companies, articles, websites, objects, clothes, cuisines, feelings, expressions, clichés, etc.) The list can be endless containing many items.

How Does a List Help?

In creative writing, lists can be a great help. It’s a way of brainstorming. Whenever you come across an idea, you should add it to the relevant list. Let’s imagine you are writing a story about a Chinese woman, who found herself stranded in a US city street after thieves stole her things and left. Her skill in English is not up to the mark, and she hadn’t memorized her contact’s address.

To successfully write this situation, create a list each for the items she had in her luggage, the places she had in her itinerary, the ideas as to what her plan would be in the US, and the government agencies and organizations she can approach for help.

Now, try writing the scene. You will find that your research has become a lot simpler. You only have to pick out the appropriate keyword from the list and research it further. Thoughts are simpler and your writing gets finished in half time.

Creating Lists

List building is part of the research. But, all you do here is list a few things that may have influence in your writing. You should not limit yourself to one list of all keywords, but create as many lists as you want, with relevant keywords.

Create a list for each of your character, chapter, scene, etc.

Creating list associated with each point of development of your plot helps you fight the writer’s block as well. If you have a number of ideas by which you can move your plot forward, enlist them. Refer to these whenever you have any plot development problem. Sometimes, you may casually get some great ideas. Put them down in a list so that you can refer to them when you are actually sitting down to write.

How to Put Down Lists

The best way to put down your lists is using your word processor; just create some independent word files as a bulleted list. Otherwise, you can create lists on your diary, allotting a page for each list. However, using the word processor, the list updating can be quite easier.

To jot down the casual ideas you get, keep a notepad always. Keep it below your pillow with a pencil, and jot down any idea you get during the night. This way, you needn’t be afraid of losing any great ideas you come across when you are awoken by a nightmare.

What to List and What Not to

When you create lists, it’s important to know what exactly to list. You don’t want to make your lists overly complex by listing all relevant and irrelevant things, you think, may add to the list. This can make your list huge and unmanageable.

Only list those items, which are relevant. The smaller the list, the better it is. You should create several lists associated with each character and scene you have in mind and link the related lists together. This way, you can remove a lot of redundancy.

Conclusion

List creation is a great way to organize your research information. This way, you can list all your relevant keywords under appropriate topic headings. In this way, you can easily research any of the items further. List building is important not only for fiction, but also for non-fiction.

Copyright © Lenin Nair 2008

Comments

  1. Thanks for the tips. I'm going through writer's block and your post is helping. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi thanks for the comment. I appreciate it.

    Lenin

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've been trying to write unique content for my usenet tutorials site but I've had a tough time. This article has helped me tremendously!

    Issac

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi, I find all your stuff pretty helpful. I am trying to write my first blog, I believe it is a "Must" to do it, as I want my story to be known. I want truth to be told. I appreciate your help, pls keep up the good work and maybe give a small visit to my blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think lists are a great way to brainstorm and know the direction your story is going. In fact a list and very similar to writing an outline for your plot. I've never thought to write outlines or lists for your characters, but that's a great way to remember what's what if you step away from your writing for awhile.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated very strictly

Popular posts from this blog

Power of Short Sentences

Post dedicated to Thomas Hardy (see History Today below). There are monster sentences like the one you encounter as the first paragraph of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens . One of my friends, whom I am getting equipped for his IELTS ( what is this? ), told me that the examination recommends long sentences. In writing classes also, I guess it’s longer sentences most tutors promote. But indubitably shorter sentences are more powerful . We will see why. Take a long sentence for instance: Tom Cruise, one of the finest actors in the whole world, is perhaps the most powerful celebrity to exist ever according to Time Magazine, but many people still dispute this fact and point out that there are more powerful and popular actors than Cruise, though they were unsuccessful in providing the total number of fans, who liked the films of those actors. This is a long sentence and it is very confusing . Though it has a logical construction and conveys a meaning, it falters in many occasions and seems

Creative Writing: Crafting Characters With Emotional Appeal in Mind

When you read the greatest fiction works ever, have you ever asked what was so compelling about them that you not only kept reading it, but you ended up reading all other major works of the writer? It may well be because the writer touched your emotional quotient quite a bit. Every reader has a unique taste . Some like to read suspense thrillers , some tender love stories, and some others dark horror and bloodshed stories . That’s why there are all sorts of genres out there. When a writer gives you what exactly you want, you will keep reading. Here we come to the emotional appeal. Character Imperfection Perfect characters may not always be the upshot of a writer’s deliberation. It may well be due to ignorance . Usually the upcoming writers take it for granted that if they create perfect characters, they will be able to garner a bigger audience . It is not true. You have to ask yourself what a character would do in a particular situation. Perfect characters—perfect gunmen, perfect

Another Tiny List of Confusables

Earlier, you may remember we published a list of confusable words . Here we are again, with such a list of words. Abjure/Adjure: Abjure means "to formally renounce (give up) something" such as a position. Adjure on the other hand means 'to appeal to' or 'solemnly order'. The governor decided to abjure his position due to political pressure. Normally, adjuring to the subordinates doesn't give many results. Amount/Number: Use amount when you have uncountable subject. Use number when it is countable. The amount of love one gets depends on the number of friends one has. Appraise/Apprise: Appraise is the word applied to quantitative evaluation of something. Apprise means 'communicate' or 'inform'. Appraising diamonds is the work of an expert. Joe apprised me of the schedule of events. Attorney/Lawyer/Solicitor: These terms are highly misinterpreted and confused by many people. Let me clarify. In the US, an attorney is any member