The Power of Words
Creative writing has been around since the time we could first put a chisel to a stone tablet and carve out glyphs, wedges, and runes and people have been writing about the ocean for probably just as long. And why not? The ocean makes for both a great protagonist and the perfect setting. It has all the elements one needs to craft a compelling tale – danger, suspense, romance, mystery, comedy, adventure and, depending on your genre, can bring a reader to the edge of their seat or the edge of despair.
Much like filmmaking, creative writing has the power to change minds, behaviors, and even the course of history. And the beauty of writing – creative or otherwise – is that all you need is a pen and paper (yes, we know about computers) to start so there is virtually no barrier to entry. Unlike some other more specialized and less well-known pursuits that we discuss throughout this website, creative writing does not need much of an introduction. And unlike some of these other areas, to become a writer, you do not necessarily need to follow the well-worn path of high school to college to graduate school to employment. In fact, some of the most popular and best-selling authors of all time never went to college or ever took an official writing course. Some even might say that being spared the constraints and conventions of formal training is precisely what allowed them to be successful. Of course, we are not encouraging anyone to forgo schooling and we firmly believe that most of us could benefit from at least some writing instruction and guidance. But nor are we necessarily encouraging you to major in creative writing if you do decide to pursue higher education. Our belief is that you should learn about what interests you. If that’s creative writing, then great. But if it is oceanography or ceramics or mathematics, then that’s great too.
Now there is nothing that says you have to receive guidance via the traditional methods. There is an abundance of video tutorials, online classes, and self-help books that can help you along the way. To this end, we have compiled an extensive array of material to help aspiring writers hone their craft. That’s not much different than we have done for every other field of study we address, but instead of discussing the specific areas you could pursue, we are going to focus on how to best use the material provided. In other words, we are assuming that, unlike say, virology or integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, which may indeed need some explanation, we all know the difference between a short story, a novel, and a poem.
To learn more about creative writing and to access Ocean Connect’s wide range of educational and career resources, please visit our Creative Writing snapshot.