What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply
convey information.

Creative writing is writing that expresses the writers thoughts and feelings in an imaginative, often unique, and poetic
way.
(Sil.org What is Creative Writing?)

Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see all around us. In the end, writers will
write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.
(Don DeLillo)

Writing of any sort is hard, but rewarding work youll gain a huge amount of satisfaction from a finished piece. Being
creative can also be difficult and challenging at times, but immensely fun.

Popular Types of Creative Writing

What You Should Read and Write
What are the popular types of creative writing that you can write? Examples of creative writing are everywherein
newspapers, magazine, or on the Web. Popular types of creative writing include poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Here is a brief explanation of each:

Poetry
What is it? There are many different types of poetry, including traditional, modern, and contemporary poetry.
Essentially, a poem is written in verse, based on line and stanzas. The poet uses literary devices, such as simile,
metaphor, and imagery to write about a subject, with the intention of evoking an emotional response and
communicating deep meaning to the reader.
Fiction
What is fiction? It is a fictional story. The story is about made up a setting, characters, plot, and conflict. A typical story
begins with an exposition in which the inciting incident occurs, the setting is described, and the protagonist is
introduced. The story includes a conflict that the protagonist must overcome. The story includes a climax or turning
point. And the story includes resolution, where by the author ties up loose ends and answers any unanswered questions
raised earlier in the story.
There are several genres, including popular fiction and literary fiction. Genre fiction is a term for fictional works (novels
and short stories) written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans
already familiar with that genre. Examples include romance, mystery, and science fiction.

Literary fiction is a term used to distinguish serious fiction or works that claim to have literary merit. It focuses more on
writing style and character development than narrative and plot development. It is also associated with those criteria
used to in defining eligibility for literary awards.

You can write three types of fiction: a short story, novella, or novel.

The short story can be read in a single-sitting. It is shorter than a novel or novella. Most contemporary short stories are
between 1,000 and 20, 000 words.

The novellais longer than a short story and shorter than a novel. According to Creative Writing by Culin Bulman, it is
between 25,000 and 40,000 words in length. Examples: Truman Capotes Breakfast at Tiffanys, Joseph Conrads The
Heart of Darkness, Ernest Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea, George Orwells Animal Farm.
Unlike the short story or novella, most novels are 300 to 400 pages or 100,000 to 175,000 words. Some novels are
longer. For instance, Don Quixote is 700 pages, and Ulysses is 783 pages.

Creative Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction is the most read type of creative writing. It is writing about real people and real events. It is writing
that is based on good research and the tenants of reportage. It is writing that uses the elements of fiction, such as
setting, plot, and characterization to tell a true story or write about a real person. It is writing that uses literary devices
such as simile, metaphor, and imagery.
Popular types of creative nonfiction include the personal essay, memoir, essay, article, and biography.
Elements of Creative Writing
Character
Point of View
Plot
Setting
Dialogue (fiction)
Style (fiction)
Theme and Motif
5 Elements of Creativity in Writing

Writing consists of several elements. Narratives that express thoughts, emotions and experiences in an imaginative way
are considered creative writing. Writing classifications include creative fiction (poems, short stories, novels, screenplays)
as well as creative nonfiction (journals, essays, biographies, memoirs, autobiographies). Although creative writers are
given a certain degree of artistic license, they follow some basic guidelines.

Character
Any fictional output requires well-developed, believable central characters because they are the ones who lay
down the context and plot of a story. Often, memorable personalities will even outshine the plot. A novel writer,
therefore, must know her characters thoroughly so that she can engage readers by making them like,
sympathize or identify with the protagonist, or other characters within a story.

Point of View
The creative writer must also choose what mode of narration to use to tell the story. Writing from the first
person "I" is common, but not exclusive to journal entries and memoirs. In many instances, authors employ
point of view as a literary device to convey the plot. In Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film "Rashomon" and William
Faulkner's 1929 novel "The Sound and the Fury," multiple characters presented multiple points of view to tell a
single event.

Plot
There is no story without a plot. It answers the question, "What is this about?" Creative writers use different
mechanisms to tell the beginning, the middle and the end of the story. One of the elements is considered the
"hook," an event designed to grab the reader's attention; "conflict," where a character's struggle with himself or
an external force or problem is presented; and "resolution," or how the conflict is sorted out or how the story
concludes.

Time and Place
The setting where the story occurs is often essential to understanding its plot. These elements also contribute to
the mood and add depth to the piece. In "The Last Leaf," author O. Henry gives a vivid and detailed description
of the wintry, poor surroundings, giving readers a better understanding of how it is in New York City for a
struggling artist or what it's like to be ill during wintertime.

How to Come up With Ideas for Creative Writing
Writers of fiction, poetry, TV and movie scripts, song lyrics, and even advertisements, rely on their ability to come up
with ideas and put them into words. Consistently coming up with ideas for creative writing can be challenging, but there
are ways to stimulate your creativity and avoid writer's block. The following steps present some of these methods for
generating creative writing ideas.

Read widely. Good writers are good readers. Not only can you keep abreast of trends in your writing specialty and see
examples of other writers' styles, but you can also find story ideas from what you read, whether in newspapers,
magazines, books, or online.
Reading a newspaper, news magazine, or news website on a regular basis can provide you with a steady stream
of story ideas in the form of news events. The TV shows in the "Law and Order" franchise based many of their
stories on recent headlines, and 1 theory on the origin of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" was that it mirrored the life of
King James I. You'll have to change some of the elements in the real story for your fictionalized versions.
Other works of fiction can serve as inspiration for your stories, as well. Scholars have cited the influence of the
Scandinavian legend of Amleth and the Roman tale of Brutus on "Hamlet." For more modern example, science
fiction author John Varley took the title of his time-travel story "Millennium" from a novel by fellow author Ben
Bova and used the titles of other science fiction novels for the chapters of his book.
You can also base a story or article idea on a quote. The classic "Star Trek" episode "The Conscience of the King,"
featuring the exposure of a former dictator, who had tried to atone for his past by leading an acting troupe,
takes its title from a line in "Hamlet": "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."
Imagine other outcomes for a real-life event. Take the elements of a news story, or something that happened to you or
someone you know and consider how things would have played out if circumstances had been different. For example, if
you remember talking your mother out of going to the grocery store after noticing ominous clouds on your way home
from school and shortly afterward taking cover when tornado sirens sounded, imagine how your life would have been
different if your mother had gone to the store and it was demolished by the tornado.
Imagine other outcomes for a real-life event. Take the elements of a news story, or something that happened to you or
someone you know and consider how things would have played out if circumstances had been different. For example, if
you remember talking your mother out of going to the grocery store after noticing ominous clouds on your way home
from school and shortly afterward taking cover when tornado sirens sounded, imagine how your life would have been
different if your mother had gone to the store and it was demolished by the tornado.
Brainstorm story ideas. You can brainstorm ideas in 1 of several ways:
For a fixed period of time. Set a timer for a period of 5 to 15 minutes, then write down as many story ideas as
you can think of before the timer sounds.
To a fixed amount. Challenge yourself to write down a large number of ideas, such as 50 to 100. Keep writing
ideas down until you've met your goal. You can also challenge yourself to write this many ideas for a fixed period
of time, provided you allot yourself a reasonable amount of time to do so.
Building on a randomly chosen element. Take the name of a person or place from the newspaper, the phone
book, or somewhere else and then imagine what he, she, or it would look like. Then, build a back story: for a
person, this would include line of work, friends, family, aspirations, and fears; for a place, this would be its
location, history, and the general nature of its inhabitants. Then, add an element of conflict, a problem that
plagues the person or happens in the place you've created. Build a story about what happens as a result.
Figuring out what led to a particular outcome. Envision a character with eyes bulging and blood vessels popping
in the throes of rage. Make a list of possible reasons why the character is so angry. Choose the most interesting
possibilities and flesh them out, defining the event that triggered the rage and the prior events that led to it.
Add more specifics to each step until you finally have the elements of a story.

Be sure to allow yourself enough time and put in enough effort to come up with a reasonable amount of
possible ideas. In most brainstorming sessions, the first 1/3 of the ideas you come up with will be your worst
ideas and the last 1/3 will be your best.
Whichever brainstorming method you use, don't stop along the way to evaluate the ideas you've generated until
your time is up or your goal is met. At that point, you can then review the lists you've made and pick out what
works best to you. You can also then identify any related ideas and see if they generate any additional ideas.
Try writing a different piece of work. If you're having trouble come up with an idea for a particular story, try working on
a different story, a different part of the story, or a different kind of writing altogether. Changing what you're working on
might free you up to come up with ideas for your original story.
Pretend you're telling the story to someone else. Instead of trying to write the story right away, act as though you're
talking to somebody else, either by carrying on a conversation in your head or by talking into a recording device.
Transcribe the results of that conversation onto the page.
Exercise. If you're feeling sluggish while struggling to come up with ideas, take a few minutes to get some physical
exercise, either by exercising for its own sake or by doing a household chore that requires some effort for a short period
of time. At the end of that time, you'll feel more alert and may be better able to think up ideas.
Nap. If exercising only makes you feel worse, perhaps you should instead take a nap. A short nap of 30 minutes or less
will be enough to give you a rest and may be enough to let an idea come to you. Longer naps of up to 90 minutes may
allow you to enter REM sleep and give you the opportunity to dream up a story idea.
According to his claims on the 25th anniversary of publishing his 1865 paper on the ring-like structure of
benzene, chemist Friedrich August Kekule claimed to have daydreamed seeing a snake grab its tail, which
inspired him to interpret his research as he did.
Get together with other writers. Spending time with other writers, either by participating in a writing group or by taking
a creative writing class, gives you the chance to bounce ideas off other people and draw support from them. Another
person's perspective may be enough to encourage you to accept the idea that's been kicking around in your head and
run with it, or you can trade story ideas you can't develop for ideas your fellow writers can't develop but that you can.
Log your experiences. Whether you call it a log, journal, or diary, recording your daily experiences with other people,
places, and events gives you a written resource to draw from whenever you need story ideas. The more detail you put in
your journal when writing down your experiences, the more detail you can take from them and put into your story,
enhancing its believability.
Use a story starter. Story starters, or story prompts, are pre-written scenarios or phrases you can use as jumping-off
points to create stories from. You can find story starters as exercises in writing classes, in writing group newsletters, or
online.
Tips
Keep a positive attitude while you're experiencing difficulty in coming up with story ideas. Writer's block only
becomes a lasting obstacle if you let it become one.
Use a dream. If you've recently had a dream and remember it, write some ideas of it down on a piece of paper
and jumble them all up to whatever you want it to be or whatever feels right to you, this should give you some
ideas to write a story in the future.
Allow yourself time to have some fun. Even though Isaac Asimov wrote 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, you don't
have to and even he found the time to attend nearby science fiction conventions, carry on correspondence
with friends, and flirt with women.