I got butterflies in my belly when the lady in the pics you’re seeing reached out to me after seeing a post that I made on X. She was interested in my interview. As you know this opportunity don’t come easy and I’m happy that today, I got someone as intelligent and well-articulated as Sharona to throw lights on how to start creative writing.
Without further ado let’s get to know…
Sharona Kenwrick is a creative writer type who enjoys yoga flows under the moon, playing guitar badly, meditating, alternative music, and all the other clichés that help to characterise this identity.
As such, she is currently working on a musically themed collection of short stories, It’ll End In Tears.
How to start creative writing
Can you share what inspired you to blend music with literary fiction in your short stories?
Creatively speaking, music and literary fiction are what I love most. So much so, that in the past I’ve found myself paralyzed between the two. As in, I’d find myself pulled between these special interests, in a sort of perpetual loop of being inspired by one and then distracted by the other – unable to focus long enough to master the levels that I aspired to.
And the upshot was that I’d usually end up sulking and doing neither. It wasn’t until I learned to let go and allow myself to do one when I was trying to do the other that I discovered the joys and benefits of marrying music and literature, and subsequently my collection of short stories, It’ll End in Tears came about.
What was your journey like in finding your unique voice in creative writing?
I’m not so sure that I have one, and I’m okay with that. It’s a little like my hand writing. I never know which style I’ll get until my pen hits the paper. My cursive inconsistency used to trouble me – having no default font – but these days I find it more exciting than I do a projection of identity. Like a font with no name.
Although, it wasn’t always that way. At the start of my writing journey, I tied myself up in knots trying to create one unique voice, and I’d see any divergence of style as a failure to generate this kind of writer’s brand. Because there are formulas to each genre of writing, I’ve since discovered how freeing it is to be able to explore the different kinds.
Just like music, experimental musicians from John Coltrane to Björk, Broadcast, and Aphex Twin, and the Art Rock bands pushing definitions of genre – from Bowie, Radiohead to King Gizzard – I found it all here. The same outfits, just experimenting with different styles. I would say that’s my approach to writing now.
I suppose there are inherent nuances that I bring to my pieces, but I wouldn’t say it was a strong voice that had, like a signature tone. I do envy writers that have that ability though, a sort of standardization of their product. It seems to lend a ubiquitous sense of credence to the author, too, and I also tend to stick to reading writers that have that unique voice as I know what I’m getting. But for myself, I find it quite restrictive. And inauthentic when it doesn’t come naturally.
How do you balance musical elements with narrative structure in your stories?
Quite literally, is the answer. Before I started my latest story collection, I was going through a short phase that lasted several long years, where I just couldn’t write anything I was happy with. I’d pretty much given up trying. But the positive side of giving up writing was that I started to become excited by other stuff in my creative time.
I started to knit, crochet and learn the guitar, properly this time. I moved into learning music theory – which felt to me like a new dimension – and my brain went into overdrive.
I was having these lucid dreams about intervals and I became obsessed with the idea of reoccurring patterns between notes, feelings and words. I drew obvious comparisons in the composition process, like rhythm and melody, of words belonging to musical palettes and scales. I even once attempted a piece of microtonal writing, although it didn’t work out the way I planned.
All of these ideas seemed like epiphanies during the night, but as the fever lifted and I drank my coffee the next morning, none of it made sense anymore. I realized it was just my dormant ramblings.
But what it did do is inspire me to write a piece called Mother’s Little Helper about a teenage girl who inherits an old guitar and its minor chords. Then the more I listened to music, the more I wrote. The two became interlinked and I’d have a notepad ready when listening.
I wrote inter-textual pieces, either explicit liner notes on the song, or stories of mythologies around music genre and the archetypal fans. Goth, Post Punk, Shoegaze, Riot Grrl, Funk, and Blues. Which also turned out to be a helpful process in creating characters with genre-typical starter packs. Before I knew it, I had a long list of potential characters to explore and subvert, which materialized into a collection of stories.
What tips would you give to beginners on how to start creative writing?
Start creative writing. Ha!
How would you recommend beginners leverage their personal passions, like music, when learning how to start creative writing?
But honestly, I’d really say I learned the most practical things from writing podcasts and reading. When I find a story I love, I enjoy listening to the author give their best account of the process. Reading it again afterwards – allowing their process to unfold – sort of deconstructs the magic into its components. I like doing that a lot.
What challenges did you face when you first learned how to start creative writing, and how did you overcome them?
Financial and mental health challenges have played their part. Writing and studying, whilst earning a living and existing has been tough in the past, but I’d say the main barriers were to do with seeking perfection.
Around the time I started to write fiction, I got this small tattoo of the story circle – The Hero’s Journey – on my forearm. And I got this tattoo precisely so that one day, I’d be stuck with the choice of either being a writer with a writer’s tattoo, or having to explain that I once had this misguided delusion of becoming a writer when I was younger, and I swore to myself that I’d never be the latter.
So, my ego took another battering over my writing hiatus, what with my permanent reminder. It was a frustrating place to exist between desperately yearning to create something specific, but not being fully equipped to do the kind of work necessary. I was still throwing about the title of writer, but never actively engaging in the thing I spoke so much about. It got to the point where I realized, I’d have to let go or just write. I took me making peace with not being a writer to do it.
After the block finally lifted, I noticed it was because I’d stopped trying to write the perfect story and allowed my creativity to go anywhere. I started churning out whatever came to mind, and I even shared my drafts with other humans. I was lucky enough to get some brilliant feedback with superb insight, and my belief in It’ll End In Tears grew.
What role does character development play in your music-themed short stories?
Both everything and nothing. By design, my characters generally tend to stagnate and have a very real lack of development. Repetitive archetypes and behaviors are what interest me most about people. But just as generalized stereotypes of musical subcultures interest me in their stagnation, so too does the wider development of societal change. I hope to capture that in my overall collection in the connecting of stories and their didactic development.
Can you explain your creative process for beginners on how to start creative writing, particularly when involving music?
Like I say, listening to music helps me with the initial process of inspiration. But I’ve found that having set creative processes is also helpful, it’s just that I think processes are very individualized. My notes are pretty chaotic, sometimes scattered into more than one notepad, but just getting ideas down is a good thing. Then, I have other writer friends that I’ve seen be hugely successful by drafting outlines, spreadsheets or diagrams. I also like to sketch sometimes, and occasionally draw little scenes of the story I want to create. A kind of visualization of the story aesthetic. But generally, chaotic, scattered notes work fine for me.
How do you keep your creative writing engaging for readers, especially when weaving in complex themes like music?
I don’t know that I can vouch for my writing being engaging, but I do try to achieve this with several methods. I reread from the perspective of others, or I even hit play on the ”Read Aloud” function to hear my piece like an audio book. The artificial voice highlights the grammatical structure, as the errors don’t get disguised by tone, or my own idea of what I think the story sounds like.
I think trying to write what you’d like to read helps with producing good content, too. The kind of stuff you really enjoy comes off as more authentic and that in itself is usually engaging. Besides, as I have to remind myself often, writing can be fun!
Let’s wrap up
It’s was a pleasure having Sharona Kenwrick share her insights on how to start creative writing. Her journey, from the struggles of balancing music and literature to discovering a unique voice that embraces variety, offers valuable lessons for aspiring writers. Sharona’s approach to integrating musical elements with narrative structure showcases how personal passions can enhance creative writing.
You’ll agree that her tips on leveraging interests, embracing imperfection, and learning through community and feedback can provide a practical roadmap for beginners. Remember, starting creative writing is about allowing yourself to explore, experiment, and enjoy the process.
Thus, to help you forge your path as a creative writer, I would implore you take a look at this article 25 steps on how to become a better writer immediately. Click here! Want to meet Sharona on X click here? Above all I wish you all the best!
