: Re: Can writing actually be creative? I've been pondering this a lot just now. After reading and learning about tropes online, rhetoric devices, and all relative things, it's come to my attention

@Gail2416123

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I find it interesting that Don Roble's answer above is the least insightful, yet has the most upvotes. I also find it a bit insulting to state that someone isn't a writer because they don't believe what you think makes them a writer; after all, the "outliers" can be and often are the ones who challenge "rules."

The truth is, all writing doesn't have to be creative; there are plenty of writers that don't even need to worry about these so-called "rules" because they could be technical writers, blog writers, etc.

The aforementioned writers don't really need to follow any "hardcoded" rules, and, subsequently, you don't have to either. Interestingly, as a writer, one of the best things (and possibly the worst things) is that writing is something you can't really become much better at, in my view. I believe people can improve grammar, wording, etc., but the immeasurable brilliance and uniqueness of a great story is something not fabricated solely from pre-defined "rules" or anything overviewed beforehand.

Like an artist paints a picture, surely we can see there is only an infinite amount of colors or patterns of anything, etc. Does that make something uncreative? Definitely not. Creativity is not measurable -- is not necessarily taught -- cannot necessarily be taught -- and isn't something everybody has well.

Some people can read all those "rules" or tropes or whatever, write for years, and they still may never write something very good (however defined) -- that's just how it is. Maybe fiction writing is something you can do marvelously well because you just are naturally good at putting words and symbolisms, ideas, and expressions together that captivate a good deal of people, but you do so without knowing, caring, or accepting the "rules." There's literally nothing wrong with that, after all. Would anyone shun someone who can do something exceptionally well if they claimed they never started from "rules?"

I think not many would. The point is, if you did it and you got good feedback, keep doing it and ignore the rules, because even without knowing the supposed "tricks of the trade" you still did well, right?

Well, keep doing it and try not to worry much. Creativity cannot be learned, so forcing yourself to learn a rule or set of formulated ideas will not assure you to be a good writer -- writing well as you do will.

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