Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of

normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an

emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes or with various
traditions of poetry and poetics.
Definition: Creative writing is writing that expresses the writer's thoughts and feelings in an imaginative,
often unique, and poetic way. Creative writing is guided more by the writer's need to express feelings and
ideas than by restrictive demands of factual and logical progression of expository writing.

Characteristics of imaginative writing:

1. Clarity: It doesn’t confuse people. (This sounds so obvious, but you’d be surprised at the number of
writers who think they have to be clever or coy or literary which just leaves the reader in the dark.)
2. Form: It has a beginning, a middle and an ending. The beginning draws readers in and the ending is
satisfying. This holds true for fiction, memoir, personal essays, autobiographies, and stories for kids.
Occasionally a writer who’s a genius ignores this, but most of us aren’t geniuses and can’t ignore it.
3. Emotion: It’s emotionally charged and the reader cares what happens to the protagonist. We either cry
or laugh or are scared or feel something.
4. Meaning and connection: It’s about people or situations the reader can connect to. Either a story we
enter into with the author for entertainment, or a subject or emotion that we too are dealing with or want to
learn about, or can find humor in. It is not a story about the author gazing at his or her belly button. In
some way the writing connects to the rest of the world.
5. Language: The author cares deeply about words and their power. No overblown adjectives or adverbs
(and only those absolutely necessary for information.)No flabby clichés. The author loves language and
hones and rewrites every sentence.

Form:
* Short stories
* Poems
* Letters to self (future/past)
* Letters to others
* Scripts
* Diary entries
* Interior monologues
* Prologues/Epilogues
* Speeches
* Autobiography, etc.

Have you clearly shown:

o Topic – what you are writing about
o Tone – how your writing sounds (consistent throughout writing)
o Structure and Features– what the form you’ve chosen should look like and contain
o Message – what you want to say
o Purpose – why you want to say it
o Audience – who do you say it
o Language – how you want to say it

CREATIVE/IMAGINATIVE WRITING -provides an array of opportunities for creative written

expression: poetry, short fiction, vignette, autobiography, dramatic and screen writing are
included. Daily journal writing and a multi-genre creative research project are required.

Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular subject
that requires direction, instruction, or explanation. This style of writing has a very different
purpose and different characteristics than other writing styles such as creative writing,
academic writing or business writing.

Uses for Technical Writing

Technical writing is straightforward, easy to understand explanations and/or instructions
dealing with a particular subject. It is an efficient and clear way of explaining something and
how it works.
The subject of technical writing can either be:
 Tangible - Something that can be seen or touched, such as a computer or software
program, or information on how to assemble a piece of furniture.
 Abstract - Something that involved a series of steps that aren't related to a tangible
object. One example of this might be steps required to complete an office process.
Some examples of technical writing include:
 Instruction manuals
 Policy manuals
 Process manuals
 User manuals
 Reports of analysis
 Instructions for assembling a product
 A summarization of a long report that highlights and shortens the most important
elements

Tips for Good Technical Writing

Regardless of the type of document which is written, technical writing requires the writer to
follow the properties of knowing their audience, writing in a clear, non-personal style and
doing extensive research on the topic. By including these properties, the writer can create
clear instructions and explanations for the reader.
 Know your audience. An expert in the field will understand certain abbreviations,
acronyms, and lingo that directly applies to such a field. The novice will not understand in
the same manner and, therefore, every detail must be explained and spelled out for them.
 Use an impersonal style. Write from a third person perspective, like a teacher instructing a
student. Any opinions should be omitted.
 The writing should be straightforward, to the point, and as simple as possible to make sure
the reader understands the process or instruction. This at times may appear as simply a
list of steps to take to achieve the desired goal or may be a short or lengthy explanation of a
concept or abstract idea.
 Know how to research. Gather information from a number of sources, understand the
information gathered so that it can be analyzed thoroughly, and then put the information
into an easy to understand format to instruct those who read it. The more inexperienced
your audience, the more information you will need to gather and explain.
 Be thorough in description and provide enough detail to make your points; but, you also
have to consider that you need to use an economy of words so that you do not bore your
reader with gratuitous details.
A good technical writer can make a difficult task easy and can quickly explain a complex piece
of information.

Academic writing refers to a style of expression that researchers use to define the intellectual boundaries
of their disciplines and their specific areas of expertise. Characteristics of academic writing include a
formal tone, use of the third-person rather than first-person perspective (usually), a clear focus on the
research problem under investigation, and precise word choice. Like specialist languages adopted in
other professions, such as, law or medicine, academic writing is designed to convey agreed meaning
about complex ideas or concepts for a group of scholarly experts.
Importance of Good Academic Writing
The accepted form of academic writing in the social sciences can vary considerable depending on the
methodological framework and the intended audience. However, most college-level research papers
require careful attention to the following stylistic elements:

I. The Big Picture

Unlike fiction or journalistic writing, the overall structure of academic writing is formal and logical. It
must be cohesive and possess a logically organized flow of ideas; this means that the various parts
are connected to form a unified whole. There should be narrative links between sentences and
paragraphs so that the reader is able to follow your argument. The introduction should include a
description of how the rest of the paper is organized and all sources are properly cited throughout the
paper.

II. The Tone

The overall tone refers to the attitude conveyed in a piece of writing. Throughout your paper, it is
important that you present the arguments of others fairly and with an appropriate narrative tone.
When presenting a position or argument that you disagree with, describe this argument accurately
and without loaded or biased language. In academic writing, the author is expected to investigate the
research problem from an authoritative point of view. You should, therefore, state the strengths of
your arguments confidently, using language that is neutral, not confrontational or dismissive.

III. Diction
Diction refers to the choice of words you use. Awareness of the words you use is important because
words that have almost the same denotation [dictionary definition] can have very different
connotations [implied meanings]. This is particularly true in academic writing because words and
terminology can evolve a nuanced meaning that describes a particular idea, concept, or phenomenon
derived from the epistemological culture of that discipline [e.g., the concept of rational choice in
political science]. Therefore, use concrete words [not general] that convey a specific meaning. If this
cannot be done without confusing the reader, then you need to explain what you mean within the
context of how that word or phrase is used within a discipline.

IV. The Language

The investigation of research problems in the social sciences is often complex and multi-dimensional.
Therefore, it is important that you use unambiguous language. Well-structured paragraphs and clear
topic sentences enable a reader to follow your line of thinking without difficulty. Your language should
be concise, formal, and express precisely what you want it to mean. Do not use vague expressions
that are not specific or precise enough for the reader to derive exact meaning ["they," "we," "people,"
"the organization," etc.], abbreviations like 'i.e.' ["in other words"], 'e.g.' ["for example"], or 'a.k.a.'
["also known as"], and the use of unspecific determinate words ["super,"very," "incredible," "huge,"
etc.].

V. Punctuation
Scholars rely on precise words and language to establish the narrative tone of their work and,
therefore, punctuation marks are used very deliberately. For example, exclamation points are rarely
used to express a heightened tone because it can come across as unsophisticated or over-excited.
Dashes should be limited to the insertion of an explanatory comment in a sentence, while hyphens
should be limited to connecting prefixes to words [e.g., multi-disciplinary] or when forming compound
phrases [e.g., commander-in-chief]. Finally, understand that semi-colons represent a pause that is
longer than a comma, but shorter than a period in a sentence. In general, there are four grammatical
uses of semi-colons: when a second clause expands or explains the first clause; to describe a
sequence of actions or different aspects of the same topic; placed before clauses which begin with
"nevertheless", "therefore", "even so," and "for instance”; and, to mark off a series of phrases or
clauses which contain commas. If you are not confident about when to use semi-colons [and most of
the time, they are not required for proper punctuation], rewrite using shorter sentences or revise the
paragraph.

VI. Academic Conventions

Citing sources in the body of your paper and providing a list of references as either footnotes or
endnotes is a very important aspect of academic writing. It is essential to always acknowledge the
source of any ideas, research findings, data, or quoted text that you have used in your paper as a
defense against allegations of plagiarism. The scholarly convention of citing sources is also important
because it allows the reader to identify the materials [print or online] you used so they can
independently verify your findings and conclusions. Examples of other academic conventions to follow
include the appropriate use of headings and subheadings, properly spelling out acronyms when first
used in the text, avoiding slang or colloquial language, avoiding emotive language or unsupported
declarative statements, avoiding contractions, and using first person and second person pronouns only
when necessary.

VII. Evidence-Based Reasoning

Assignments often ask you to express your own point of view about the research problem. However,
what is valued in academic writing is that opinions are based on what is often termed, evidence-based
reasoning, a sound understanding of the pertinent body of knowledge and academic debates that exist
within, and often external to, your discipline. You need to support your opinion with evidence from
scholarly sources. It should be an objective stance presented as a logical argument. The quality of
your evidence will determine the strength of your argument. The challenge is to convince the reader of
the validity of your opinion through a well-documented, coherent, and logically structured piece of
writing. This is particularly important when proposing solutions to problems or delineating
recommended courses of action.

VIII. Thesis-Driven
Academic writing is “thesis-driven,” meaning that the starting point is a particular perspective, idea, or
position applied to the chosen topic of investigation, such as, establishing, proving, or disproving
solutions to the research questions posed for the topic. Note that a problem statement without the
research questions does not qualify as academic writing because simply identifying the research
problem does not establish for the reader how you will contribute to solving the problem, what aspects
you believe are most critical, or suggest a method for gathering data to better understand the
problem.

IX. Complexity and Higher-Order Thinking

Academic writing addresses complex issues that require higher-order thinking skills applied to
understanding the research problem [e.g., critical, reflective, logical, and creative thinking as opposed
to, for example, descriptive or prescriptive thinking]. Higher-order thinking skills include cognitive
processes that are used to comprehend, solve problems, and express concepts or that describe
abstract ideas that cannot be easily acted out, pointed to, or shown with images. Think of your writing
this way: One of the most important attributes of a good teacher is the ability to explain complexity in
a way that is understandable and relatable to the topic being presented. This is also one of the main
functions of academic writing--examining and explaining the significance of complex ideas as clearly
as possible. As a writer, you must take on the role of a good teacher by summarizing a lot of complex
information into a well-organized synthesis of ideas, concepts, and recommendations that contribute
to a better understanding of the research problem.

What Is Journalistic Writing?

Not too long ago, in the pre-Internet days, people had limited options for accessing the news. Daily
news came in the form of newspapers or television news programs, while the less urgent stories
could be found in magazines or weekly newspaper supplements. Nowadays, we have instant 24/7
access to any type of news in any format, thanks to the Internet. Yet, while the ways in which people
consume the news have changed dramatically, the style and principles that guide journalistic writing
have remained largely unchanged.
Journalistic writing is the style of writing used to report news stories in newspapers, television
broadcasts, on radio and on the Internet. Unlike other styles of writing, which can be flexible and
casual, the characteristics of journalistic writing are pretty easy to spot. For instance, if you opened a
book to a chapter and set it next to a newspaper article, you'd probably notice that, unlike the book,
the article is written in short sentences and paragraphs and quickly gets to the point.
In addition to their brevity, news stories have a particular structure that is easily recognizable. The
big, bold headline, for example, is intended to grab readers' attention, while the first sentence or
paragraph lays out the story so the reader knows what to expect. These are the most common
elements of journalistic writing and, as you'll see, they have a lot to do with the function of journalism
in society.
Journalistic Writing is a style of prose used in reporting associated with newspapers, journals, and other
publications. The style has has subtleties that vary between different subjects and audiences, but the
most general style is referred to as News Style and is used in the front page section of newspapers.
The most important part of Journalistic Writing is dissemination of information. An article must relay the "5
W's" (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and often: How) as quickly as possible. In general this means that
every subsequent paragraph is of less significance than the previous one. The author's voice needs to be
almost nonexistent and speak of impartiality. To do so, an article should be "shown" rather than "told" by
the reporter. This is achieved by allowing the story be told almost exclusively by the sources. In general
this call for balance within an article means that slanted sources must be offset by their opposing
viewpoints. In newspaper writing this usually means that for every quote with an opinion, the reporter
ought to seek out one with a different opinion.
Journalistic articles are often characterized by their "angle." This refers to the way in which the
information relayed by the article is presented. If a story is a feature on an athlete, is the information told
by a description of one race? Does it give a historical account of how they came from difficult background
and worked hard to succeed? is the story about where the athlete's goals are for the future? Maybe the
story is interested in showing the side of the athlete not associated with their sport. These angles develop
while the reporter gathers information, usually they arise when quoting multiple individuals and a trend
becomes clear. The angle of a story is the wedge that allows a reader to break into the actual content.
A key part of any journalistic article is the opening: part of something called a "lead" or "lede." The lead
serves to capture a reader's interest and make them want to continue reading. This can be done with
shocking statistics, a vivid description of a scene, or an interesting detail. An interesting lead usually has
lots of detail and sentences of varying length. A good lead will determine if the rest of the article is read.
Articles must be relevant and have strong leads or they will be half-read. This is the reason that
journalists will place more important information in earlier paragraphs.
Articles usually have fairly abrupt endings. When all the information has been relayed, the reporter may
often close out an article with a few key facts or peripheral details. There is little room for sweeping
conclusions or surmising any meaning out of journalistic articles because that involves author voice in a
way not allowed by the style.