Practical Creative Writing

I’ve been working with Spry for almost a year now, and it’s really starting to hit me what sheer mass of creative talent there is out there.

I love reading your submissions (the damn near hundreds of them), and while some of them are weird, some are funny, and some heartbreaking, each submission seems to reserve a special attention for form and craft.

At my school, the writing program focuses mostly on the more practical technical and business writing, or journalism (though I’ve certainly got that novel I’ve been workin’ on).

But I’m finding that whether it be producing copy, drafting essays, developing user documents, or researching journalism pieces, there are skills you learn as a creative writer that can positively influence your other writing, as well. Coherent plot structure, clear and concise language, and woven narratives are valuable techniques in any form of writing.

So writers, if you hold a day job unrelated to creative writing, how do you use your talents in your professional life?

-Mark-Anthony Lewis

Considered by some to be the greatest wizard of modern times, Mark-Anthony Lewis is particularly proud of his parents’ appearance on Soul Train in 1986, discovering of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood, and having successfully been left-handed for his entire life. Mark-Anthony enjoys pumpkin whoopee pies and Awful Awfuls (though they really should be called Awfully Awfullys). Find him on Tumblr or follow him on Twitter @M_Lewis.