Creative writing as a "spike"

I’m currently a sophomore in high school, and I’d really like to enter the high school writing scene. The problem: I’m not good at it, I don’t know how to get better, and I don’t know where to start. A lot of problems, actually.

I’ve been writing some poetry and some creative nonfiction in the past month, and also submitting my pieces to lit mags. It’s been rejection after rejection, but I guess I’m not that put off by it–I know my writing isn’t good. Contest and lit mags don’t give you any sort of feedback on your pieces, so how do you go about getting better? How do I know what’s working, what’s not, and where to improve?

There are so many opportunities that I’ve found the high school creative writing world offers–internships, readerships, editor positions, etc–and I’d love to get involved, but I think the barrier is that my own writing skills aren’t strong enough.

Great to hear you’re interested in creative writing! Try not to be discouraged by rejections from lit mags - you’re in the majority there, it’s hard to get published. Is there a teacher in your English dept who you find approachable? You could let them know you’re interested in improving your writing and ask if they’d be willing to give you some advice.

If it’s an option, community colleges offer writing courses and as a high school student you could either audit or get a discount on your tuition for a course. You might also check at your local library and online for local writing opportunities.

Good luck and don’t give up. Developing good writing skills will pay you back throughout your life.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gretasolomon/2018/08/09/why-mastering-writing-skills-can-help-future-proof-your-career/#6d0d79c95831

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reasons-why-writing-remai_b_12701380

Check out your local library. There are books on writing. Stephen King, for example, wrote one called “On Writing”.

A local course would be great for feedback. But two key elements are: write every day and learn to self-edit.

And beware the quest for “spike.” It misleads a lot of kids.

Agree with @lookingforward. Pursue the writing if it’s a genuine interest - or it won’t end up being any kind of a “spike.” Good writing can lot of time and effort and your heart needs to be in it to excel.

  1. See if your HS has a creative writing course. if not, see if there is an adult education course.
  2. Start local. See if you can write something creative for your HS newspaper.
  3. Talk to your english teacher about opportunities/feedback/how to pursue this…
  4. There are online communities that give you feedback about your writing.
  5. Journal every day