: Re: Are there good tips on being a better *creative* writer? I'm a student at Case, and while we of course have an English department, it seems the only kind of writing classes/courses available

@Cody1607638

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Sure there are :) Here's some resources I've found to be extremely helpful:

Orson Scott Card's Character and Viewpoint is one of the best creative writing books I've read. He talks about character creation and "interrogating" you character for detail and color; about coming up with story concepts with "why," "how," and "what might go wrong" questions; about how and when to convey "boring" detail, and lots of other great stuff. It's the most insightful and inspiring books on writing that I've had the pleasure to come across; I really cannot recommend it highly enough.
Jim Van Pelt teaches creative writing, and he's got a great blog over at LiveJournal. He's particularly good at simple exercises for constructing plots - like his plot daisies or his seven-sentence stories. Very worthwhile.
Mette Ivie Harrison has great advice on what makes stories work, about strong romantic relationships, and about the importance of dedication and persistence. You can read her column at IGMS, and/or her LiveJournal (where she also gives a unique take on some other interesting subjects). She writes about writing in a frank, practical, down-to-earth manner which I find both refreshing and helpful.

Also, there's a cool site addressing all kinds of questions about fiction-writing right over here :P

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