Creative writing is probably one of the hardest types of writing, but definitely has its rewards. You are faced with making your story come alive, skillfully weaving your tale, integrating conflict, drama and suspense that keeps your reader enthusiastically turning the pages. While most types of commercial writing are geared to marketing and sales, the objective of creative writing is to entertain and hopefully, to be thought provoking, allowing your reader to form their own conclusions. You require a protagonist and antagonist. You need to balance settings, perfecting the show-don’t-tell, with effectual dialogue that clearly and consistently reflects each character’s personality. If you choose one creative writing idea from your list each day, you will see marvelous improvements in your writing.

So as to get better with your skills, a range of creative writing ideas is essential. You can use short, but demanding writing exercises to keep your writing fresh and your mind loose. There can be no holes in the details, where an issue is brought up and then never resolved. Classic authors, whose work is still read decades and even centuries later, all, mastered each one of these aspects of the creative writing process. Here we have five creative writing ideas that are of a generic nature, which you can use over and over. Your subject changes with each iteration, so this list is virtually infinite.

1. Settings: Postcards, photographs, and prints of landscapes, or simply what you see outside your window are all candidates for this creative writing idea. Set the mood the picture evokes in your imagination. This exercise is perfect for developing your show-don’t tell skills. Rather than a technical description, write a narrative that describes the feeling of the setting. In place of saying, ‘the sky is a deep blue, filled with stars’, something like ‘the intense night sky swirls in a dizzying mix of blue, with stars in the heavens reminding me of the night my grandfather died …’ draws the reader into that moment. For example, you’ve chosen a Van Gogh print, ‘Starry Night’.

2. Objects: look around your home. Any object will do. Describe its physical look in detail. Does that hat have a history? Let’s say you choose black leather, broad-brimmed hat, with a band of leather strung with silver conchas. Where and why did you buy it? Or is it a persona thing? Do you use it as a rain hat when you go for a walk? Give that hat a life.

3. Slants on rants: Choose a specific area, such as drilling for oil in the Alaskan wildlife refuge. Everybody has a rant in them. Let’s say you’re fed up with the neglect of the environment. Develop a slant and go to town! For example, tell your story from the perspective of the crash on an exacting species of animal, or the land, or humanity in general.

4. Slice of life pieces: How did you handle the situation? You just went to the grocery store and a rude shopper ran over your heel with their grocery cart, without so much as an ‘excuse me’. There are no less than a half dozen takes to be developed here. Exploit them all.

5. Character development: This creative writing idea is one of the most difficult for most writers. Write a short story with this person as the central character. Again, show, don’t tell. Think of someone you know who is both interesting and possessed of a distinctive personality. This exercise also helps you develop skills in dialogue. This person’s actions, interactions, manner of speaking and how they address the conflict all help paint a picture in your reader’s mind.

When you have written a chiefly winning piece, pass it by some of the creative writing forums for a critique. Just these five creative writing ideas can offer months of daily exercises. You’ll soon find significant improvements in your writing skills, as well as an emerging, unique style that is all yours.