Form First

One of the ironies of good writing is that you must first immerse yourself in form before you can free yourself of it. You must learn the basics first before you can develop creative style. You must learn the syntax of language and be able to write good, effective sentences and well developed paragraphs. You must be able to seamlessly string together words to present a coherent, meaningful message. To do this, you have to conform to structure and tradition until you have mastered it. Then, once this mastery has been achieved, you can work to free yourself from it. That means you can begin to develop your own style, take creative leaps, write in unusual and startling ways that stamp you as a unique writer. Once you can master a coherent message, you can work on creating a relevant message, one that resonates with readers and is unforgettable. But until you have mastered the form and function of language, your wings are clipped as a writer and you can't fly. Creativity is born of conformity. You can't free yourself from something you haven't yet achieved. So study the basics. Become a master of language before you launch into creative pursuits. Everything you have mastered in your writing apprenticeship will serve you well when you're taking that first solo flight with your new creative wings.