creative-writing

Creative Writing — Principles & Interactive Guide

Skill based on the course Základy tvůrčího psaní (Creative Writing Fundamentals) by René Nekuda (creative writing instructor, 10+ years of experience). Extracted from 12 video lessons covering the foundations of the writing craft.

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1. Beginnings

The beginning is the reader's first contact with the story — it must function as the essence of the whole.

What a beginning must contain:

• Introduction of the main character
• Outline of the core problem/plot
• Setting (where and when the story takes place)
• A sufficient hook to make the reader want to continue

Key rule: There should be no superfluous information at the start. Every detail must relate to the story. If you're writing about a heroine's bravery, don't mention her favorite drink — unless it's relevant to the plot.

Tip: Beginnings don't have to be written first. It's often better to rewrite them after finishing the first draft, because only then is it clear what truly matters to the story.

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2. Clarity

The author knows what they want to say — but the reader doesn't. Don't assume the context in your head automatically transfers to the page.

Three rules of clarity:

1. Time gap — let the text sit before revision (a day, a week). Fresh eyes reveal gaps.
2. Read aloud — unclear passages are immediately exposed when read out loud.
3. Beta readers — an independent reader outside the family, ideally someone with at least some literary knowledge. "That's lovely, dear" from mom won't move you forward.

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3. Clichés

Clichés are overused phrases and images that work in a general sense — and precisely because of that, everyone uses them.

Examples of clichés:

• Descriptions: "eyes like sapphires", "deafening silence", "a weight lifted off her shoulders"
• Characters: the bookworm outsider with big glasses
• Situations: when the hero is sad, it starts raining

Rule: Avoid clichés in the narrator's voice. Replace generic descriptions with unique ones. Instead of "his knuckles turned white" find your own image.

Exception: Clichés are perfectly fine in dialogue and characters' thoughts — they add authenticity. Real people use clichés, so in dialogue they're authentic.

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4. Details — Generality vs. Uniqueness

Well-chosen details elevate text by several levels. Generality drags it down.

Bad: "Karel was short, walked slowly, bought a new car and it was red."

Good: "Karel was so short that at his favorite rum club downtown, his feet didn't reach the floor from the bar stools." — One detail reveals height, lifestyle, and favorite hangout.

Principle: An appropriate mix of uniqueness (for important things) and generality (for less important things) makes a good writer. Replace "car" with a specific model — a "Miata" shifts perception differently than "a used Civic from a lot."

Perspective changes detail: The same old tree in a park will be described differently by a schoolkid, a Japanese tourist, a police officer on patrol, or a person whose ancestor planted that tree.

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5. Characters — Hero and Antagonist

A story without characters doesn't exist. The main character carries everything important that happens.

The fundamental pair:

• Hero — doesn't have to be human (can be a plant, a talking chair, a creature). Defined by the ability to act.
• Antagonist — doesn't have to be human or even a character. It can be an island (Robinson Crusoe), loneliness, illness, a system, a promise.

This pair determines the story's direction. Changing the antagonist changes the entire plot:

• František on a deserted island vs. the island as antagonist → survival story
• František on a deserted island vs. loneliness as antagonist → psychological story
• František on a deserted island vs. illness as antagonist → story of hope

Literary examples: Frodo & the Ring, Harry Potter & Voldemort, Elizabeth Bennet & Pride (Darcy) & Prejudice.

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6. Conflicts

Conflicts are the engine of a story — they maintain attention, drive the plot forward, and deepen the reader's relationship with the hero (we get to know characters in crisis situations).

Types of conflict:

• External — obstacles, unpleasant surprises, problems, unexpected coincidences
• Internal (dilemma) — choosing between two paths (a short dangerous shortcut vs. a long safe road)

Intensity depends on genre:

• Women's magazine → the washing machine breaks down
• Literary fiction → deciding whether to have coffee or tea for breakfast
• Action story → encounter with a hitman

Rule: Most conflicts should relate to the fundamental hero–antagonist pair. A story without conflicts ("I had the best vacation ever, slept on a lounger the whole time") won't hold anyone's interest.

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7. Consistency

An area that can trip up even experienced authors — and readers won't forgive it.

Common mistakes:

• A character has blonde hair at the beginning, naturally red hair 50 pages later
• Renaming a character without explanation
• Violating the internal logic of your own world (fantasy/sci-fi)

Prevention: For longer texts, keep notes on characters' physical traits, world rules, and timeline. Editors at publishers focus on consistency first.

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8. Writer Type — Pantser vs. Plotter

Pantser: Sits down with an initial idea and lets it flow. Often doesn't know how the story ends. After finishing the first draft, needs extensive polishing, cutting, and rearranging.

Plotter: Plans ahead, fills in a pre-prepared framework. Revisions are easier and fewer.

Neither approach is better — it evens out in revisions. Some authors are pantsers for short stories but plotters for plays. Mysteries can't be written without planning.

Key point: The first draft is never perfect — and that's okay. "We throw first drafts to the dogs." (Daniela Fischerová)

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9. Dialogue vs. Description

Two fundamental building blocks of prose with different properties.

Dialogue:

• Faster pace
• More vivid, dynamic
• Suited for action, confrontation, information reveals
• More popular in contemporary literature

Description:

• Slower pace
• More atmospheric, contemplative
• Suited for building setting, characterization, mood
• Dominant in earlier eras (Russian realism, fantasy)

The best texts combine both approaches. Alternating pace maintains the reader's attention.

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10. Description — The Art of Selection

You can never describe everything. From a window you see 20+ details — but overwhelming the reader isn't useful.

Rule: Select the best representative details and describe them well. The selection depends on the function of the description within the story:

• Describing a city panorama → rooftops, towers, horizon
• Describing street life → the neighbor who cooks naked
• Describing loneliness → empty street, silence

Technique: Details should reveal more than just what they describe — the character's personality, their history, emotional state, social standing.

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Guide — Interactive Workflow

This skill functions as a dialogue with the author, not a one-click text generator. The goal is to walk through the creative process together and build the text on the author's intent.

Step 1: Discover intent

Start with a conversation. Don't ask everything at once — lead a natural dialogue. Key questions:

• What do you want to write? (short story, chapter, essay, scene, full story?)
• Who is it for? (target audience, publication context, personal project?)
• What feeling/thought should the text leave in the reader?
• Do you have anything already? (outline, notes, existing text to rework, source material?)

If the author comes with a finished text → skip to Step 5 (revision). If they come with an outline/source material → skip to Step 3.

Step 2: Build the skeleton

Based on the author's intent, collaboratively define:

1. Hero — who are they, what do they want, what defines them (see section 5)
2. Antagonist/opposing force — what stands in the hero's way (doesn't have to be a person)
3. Main conflict — what's at stake (see section 6)
4. Setting and time period — where and when
5. Tone and pace — more dialogue-driven or descriptive? Fast or contemplative? (see section 9)

Present the author with a brief skeleton proposal (5–10 sentences) and let them react. Adjust based on feedback.

Step 3: Propose a first draft

Write with the awareness that the first version is always imperfect ("we throw first drafts to the dogs" — Fischerová). While writing, actively apply the principles:

• The beginning contains only what relates to the story (section 1)
• Details are specific, not generic (section 4)
• No clichés in the narrator's voice (section 3)
• Conflicts drive the plot (section 6)
• Pace alternates — dialogue for dynamics, description for atmosphere (sections 9, 10)

After writing, tell the author what choices you made and why. Offer alternatives where you had to decide between multiple approaches.

Step 4: Iterate with the author

The author reacts to the first draft. Common directions:

• "More dialogue / more description" → adjust the ratio, explain the impact on pace
• "The character doesn't feel right" → go back to the skeleton, refine motivations
• "It's too generic" → add specific details from the character's perspective (section 4)
• "This sounds like a cliché" → replace with an original image, offer 2–3 variants
• "I want a different ending" → adjust, but check consistency with the whole (section 7)

Repeat until the author is satisfied.

Step 5: Revision of existing text

If the author brings a finished text, review it through the lens of the principles and provide structured feedback:

1. Beginning — is there a hook? Is all information relevant?
2. Hero/antagonist — is it clear who is who? Is the antagonist strong enough?
3. Conflicts — are there enough? Do they relate to the main pair?
4. Details — find generic spots and suggest specific alternatives
5. Clichés — flag them, suggest original replacements
6. Clarity — is there something the author knows but the reader can't know? (section 2)
7. Consistency — check physical traits, names, world logic (section 7)
8. Pace — does the alternation of dialogue and description work?

Don't just serve a list of errors. For each point, show the specific place in the text and suggest a concrete fix or alternative.

Work modes

Adapt to what the author needs:

Author comes with...	Start from...
"Write me a story about X"	Step 1 — discover intent
An outline or idea	Step 2 — build skeleton
Source material (article, lecture, notes)	Step 1 — find out what they want to make from it, then Step 3
A finished text for review	Step 5 — revision
"Help me with this scene"	Step 3 — write, but ask about the context of the whole

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Principles — Quick Reference

Keep these in mind when writing and revising:

1. Beginning — no superfluous details, every piece of information relates to the story
2. Characters — define the hero and antagonist; the antagonist doesn't have to be a person
3. Conflicts — a story without conflicts doesn't work; conflicts relate to the hero/antagonist
4. Details — specific > generic; perspective changes the choice of details
5. Clichés — replace with original images in the narrator's voice; OK in dialogue
6. Clarity — the reader doesn't have the context from your head
7. Consistency — watch physical traits, names, world rules
8. Pace — alternate dialogue (fast) and description (slow)
9. Revision — the first draft is always imperfect, and that's normal