The Creative Writing Technique No One Talks About

by | creative writing

There is no one way to write more creative stories. However, there IS a creative writing technique that I use to write with more ease and creativity. This method has also helped many writers in my writing programs go from struggling to get words on paper to looking like this:

Some people call my approach to drafting stories the “mosaic method”. It means exactly what it sounds like – creating a whole story from small fragments, just like mosaics are constructed from tiny pieces of broken glass or stone.

The mosaic method is a way to turn a story upside down and see its many possibilities. 

Listen in as I walk you through the entire technique in this video.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

 

  • How to catch snowflakes – and I don’t mean the crystal ones. 
  • What is the mosaic method for writers?
  • How to avoid large-scale overwhelm when drafting your story.
  • Why the mosaic method is an easier way to write.
  • How to get from a bunch of fragments to something that resembles a story. 
  • Examples of what a mosaic essay looks like

 

Resources Featured In ‘The Creative Writing Technique No One Talks About’:

 

 

Your key takeaways from ‘How To Write More Creative Stories’.

 

If you’ve tuned into my other videos about writing more creative stories, you know that I compare the experience of writing from your intuition (or subconscious or creative brain) to catching snowflakes.

Snowflakes are those tiny bits of inspiration that come to you while you’re going about your day. 

  • A dialogue fragment or a complete sentence that pops in your head. 
  • A dream you had that wants to make its way into your story. 
  • The perfect metaphor that comes to you when you are out for a walk.

I keep a notebook to catch these story fragments and use mind maps to generate more memories, images, and inspiration related to my story idea.

Those fragments are my starting point for personal essays. I develop the ones that have energy or potential, and then I write into them more in-depth. Those fragments become key scenes or parts of a story like beads strung on a chain.

 

What Is The Mosaic Method And Why It Is A Useful Creative Writing Technique?

 

Some people call my approach to drafting stories the “mosaic method”. It means exactly what it sounds like – creating a whole story from small fragments, just like mosaics are constructed from tiny pieces of broken glass or stone.

Mosaic method is perfect for creative writers who:

  • are stuck and need a different way into their story.
  • are struggling with “large scale overwhelm”.
  • naturally, think and write this way – intuitive writers, highly creative writers, sensitive writers, and some writers with neurodivergent minds have told me this method works for them.

The reason I think the mosaic method is an easier way to write is that you’re breaking a story down into small, manageable parts. It’s a writing technique that nurtures creativity and innovation by forcing you to find a different way into your story. 

My high school art teacher used to tell us when we were stuck to turn our paintings upside down. It allowed us to see our works in progress with fresh eyes. I think the mosaic method is a way to turn a story upside down and see its many possibilities. 

If you’ve never tried using the Mosaic method, you may be wondering how to get from a bunch of fragments to something that resembles a story. 

What works for me is to find a structure that can serve as a container for my gathered story fragments. A short memoir written in this way is known as “mosaic essays”. In literary circles, narratives that come together “piece by piece” in segments are called lyric or collage essays.

Typically mosaic essays don’t rely on a traditional narrative arc, nor do they proceed chronologically. One of the fun things about mosaic essays is they can jump forward and backward in time. A unifying theme or idea holds them together in the absence of chronology.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle is an example of a mosaic memoir written in fragments. 

 

More examples of what a Mosaic essay looks like.

 

Example 1: A Good Metaphor for Something 

Example 2: An Atmospheric Pressure

Example 3: Learning to See 

 

A recap on how I would write a personal essay using the mosaic method.

 

  1. Catch fragments in a notebook and write into the ones with potential for exploration.
  2. Generate more fragments using a mind map you can work with.
  3. Arrange your collection of sections into a mosaic essay

 

Tip: Although you don’t need to write chronologically or proceed linearly, I suggest you choose a fragment that will make an intriguing opening and a strong ending.

The mosaic or lyric essay is the PERFECT story structure for creative writers whose process, like mine, is much more intuitive than logical.

Ready to write powerful stories with 1:1 feedback on your work? Get on the waitlist for the Spark Your Story Intensive!

 

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