What is Creative Writing?

Also known as 'the art of making things up,' creative writing is

a vital part of modern society.
Traditionally referred to as literature,creative writingis an
art of sorts - the art of making things up. It's writing done in a
way that is not academic or technical but still attracts an
audience.
Though the definition is rather loose, creative writing can for
the most part be considered any writing that is original and
self-expressive.
The purpose

The purpose of creative writing is to both entertain

and share human experience, like love or loss.
Writers attempt to get at a truth about humanity
through poetics and storytelling.
If you'd like to try your hand at creative writing, just
keep in mind that whether you are trying to express
a feeling or a thought, the first step is to use your
imagination.
Types of creative writing include:

Poetry
Plays
Movie and television scripts
Fiction (novels, novellas, and short stories)
Songs
Speeches
Memoirs
Personal essays
 Asyou can see, some nonfiction types of writing
can also be considered creative writing.
Memoirs and personal essays, for example, can be
written creatively to inform your readers about
your life in an expressive way.
Because these types are written in first person, it's
easier for them to be creative.
 Techniques used in creative writing
include: Anecdotes
Character Metaphors and
development similes
Plot development Figures of speech
Vivid setting Imaginative language
Underlying theme Emotional appeal
Point of view Heavy description
Dialogue
 Key Differences

In creative writing the most of the part is self-created, although the idea might be inspired
but in technical writing the facts are to be obliged and the note is delivered from leading
on what previously other greats have concluded.
Most commonly, the creative writing is for general audience or for masses but technical
writing is for specific audience.
The creative writing entertains people as it has poetry or some illustrations or another
idea, whereas the technical writing causes boredom as it follows the strong pattern based
on facts and is just to transfer the information to the audience.
In technical writing the specialized vocabulary, such like scientific terms and other are
used while in creative writing, one can go with slang or evocative phrases or even
something which can be perceived well by the audience.
Humor, satire might be the useful essences in creative writing but such thoughts or ideas
have no link with the technical writing.
 Imaginative Writing vs. Academic
Writing

Creativewriting is different to academic writing.

Writing for websites is different to writing for
newspaper columns.
Journal
entries are different to writing press
releases on behalf of a brand. Writing purposes
do vary. Its important that when undertaking
any writing you have a firm grasp on this
concept.
Lets look at the fundamental
differences between academic and
creative writing.

The Principal Difference

Style is the chief difference between academic and creative writing.
Creative writing need not adhere to any specific style parameters.
Academic writing is different.
Academic writing needs to be structured and executed adhering to a
series of guidelines.
Indeed, so stringent are these guidelines that academic institutions
include these guidelines as part of their curriculum.
 One kind of writing academic writing is rigid, procedural,
purposed purely to convey knowledge, data and information. Its
orderly, organized and follows a formula. It is necessary. It can be
dull. Anyone can master it. Everyone should master it.
The other kind of writing creative writing is inspired, artistic and
entertains with word pictures, concepts and deep meaning. It is
enjoyable to read. It touches us while teaching us. Its an art form.
Its not necessary to learn, but a joy to those who do.
Academic writing will earn you As, creative writing may get you
published. Academic writing must be taught, but rarely is; creative
writing is optional, but is almost always the focus of writing
 Overall,
creative writing allows for more personal
expression whereas academic/scholarly writing
aims to explore an idea, argument, or concept.
Academic writing requires more factual evidence
for support, and presents challenges such as the
pressure of time.
They each have their own purpose
Sensory Details in Writing:
Definition & Examples

Thewriter's ability to
create a gripping and
memorable story has
much to do with
engaging our five
senses.
 Sensory Details Definition

Sensory detailsinclude sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

Writers employ the five senses to engage a reader's interest. If you
want your writing to jump off the page, then bring your reader into
the world you are creating. When describing a past event, try and
remember what you saw, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted,
then incorporate that into your writing.
Sensory details are used in any great story, literary or not. Think
about your favorite movie or video game. What types of sounds
and images are used? What do your favorite characters taste,
smell, and touch? Without sensory details, stories would fail to
come to life.
 When sensory details are used, your readers can
personally experience whatever you're trying to describe,
reminding them of their own experiences, giving your
writing auniversalfeel. A universal quality is conveyed
when the writer is able to personally connect with the
readers.
Another note about sensory details: there is no one sense
that's more important than another. It all depends on the
scene you're trying to create. However,imagery, the
sight sense, is a common feature in vivid writing.
Let's look at sensory details in
action. Compare the following two
passages describing a trip to the
grocery store.
Here's a passage without sensory details:
'I went to the store and bought some flowers. Then
I headed to the meat department. Later I realized I
forgot to buy bread.

Now, does this pull you in? Of course it doesn't. There's nothing to bring
you into the writer's world.
 Read this revised version with the
addition of sensory details:

'Upon entering the grocery store, I headed directly for the flower
department, where I spotted yellow tulips. As I tenderly rested the
tulips in my rusty shopping cart, I caught a whiff of minty dried
eucalyptus, so I added the fragrant forest green bouquet of
eucalyptus to my cart. While heading for the meat department, I
smelled the stench of seafood, which made my appetite disappear.

See how the extra details made that scene come to life?
 Writingwith the senses is an important part of writing
well. Adjectives bring writing to life and pull the reader
into the text and help activate his or her imagination.
Sensory details help the reader feel like he or she was
there and create a more intimate connection to the
narrator or writer and a greater understanding of the text.
Adjectives help set mood and tone in the text and help
establish a strong voice.
Language use in Creative Writing
I. What is Imagery?

Imagery is language used by poets,

novelists and other writers to create images
in the mind of the reader.
Imagery includesfigurativeand
metaphorical language toimprovethe
readers experience through their senses.
II. Examples ofImagery

Example 1
Imagery usingvisuals:
The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in
beautiful and varied constellations which were sprinkled across the
astronomical landscape.

In this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth

with color (black as ever, bright), shape (varied constellations), and
pattern (sprinkled).
Example 2
Imagery using sounds:

Silencewas broken by the peal of piano keys as Shannon

began practicing her concerto.

Here, auditory imagery breaks silence with the beautiful sound

of piano keys.
Example3

Imagery usingscent:
She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus wafting through
the air, its tropical smell a reminder that she was on
vacation in a beautiful place.

The scent of hibiscus helps describe a scene which is relaxing, warm,

and welcoming.
Example4
Imagery using taste:
The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of
bittersweet chocolate and slightly sweet but salty
caramel blended together on her tongue.

Thanks to an in-depth description of the candys various flavors, the reader

can almost experience the deliciousness directly.
Example5
Imagery usingtouch:
Afterthe long run, he collapsed in the grass with tired
and burning muscles. The grass tickled his skin and
sweat cooled on his brow.

In this example, imagery is used to describe the feeling of

strained muscles, grasss tickle, and sweat cooling on skin.
 a. Visual Imagery

Visualimagery describes what we see: comic book images,

paintings, or images directly experienced through the
narrators eyes. Visual imagery may include:
Color,such as: burnt red, bright orange, dull yellow, verdant green,
and Robins egg blue.
Shapes, such as: square, circular, tubular, rectangular, and conical.
Size,such as: miniscule, tiny, small, medium-sized, large, and
gigantic.
Pattern, such as: polka-dotted, striped, zig-zagged, jagged, and
straight.
 b. Auditory Imagery

Auditoryimagery describes what we hear, from music to

noise to pure silence. Auditory imagery may include:
Enjoyable sounds, such as: beautiful music, birdsong, and the
voices of a chorus.
Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the sound of a broom moving
across the floor, and the sound of broken glass shattering on the
hard floor.
The lack of noise, describing a peaceful calm or eerie silence.
 c. Olfactory Imagery

Olfactory
imagery describes what we smell. Olfactory
imagery may include:
Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing food and drink, and
blooming flowers.
Odors, such as rotting trash, body odors, or a stinky wet dog.
 d. Gustatory Imagery

Gustatoryimagery describes what we taste.

Gustatory imagery can include:
Sweetness, such as candies, cookies, and desserts.
Sourness, bitterness, and tartness, such as lemons and
limes.
Saltiness,
such as pretzels, French fries, and
pepperonis.
Spiciness, such as salsas and curries.
Savoriness, such as a steak dinner or thick soup.
 e. Tactile Imagery

Lastly, tactile imagery describes what we feel or touch.

Tactile imagery includes:
Temperature, such as bitter cold, humidity, mildness, and
stifling heat.
Texture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, and smooth.
Touch, such as hand-holding, ones in the grass, or the feeling of
starched fabric on ones skin.
Movement, such as burning muscles from exertion, swimming in
cold water, or kicking a soccer ball.
IV. The Importance of Using
Imagery

Because we experience life through our senses, a strong

composition should appeal to them through the use of imagery.
Descriptive imagery launches the reader into the experience of a
warm spring day, scorching hot summer, crisp fall, or harsh
winter.
It allows readers to directly sympathize withcharactersand
narrators as they imagine having the same sense experiences.
Imagery commonly helps build compellingpoetry, convincing
narratives, vivid plays, well-designed film sets, and descriptive
songs.
V. Imagery in Literature

Imagery is found throughout literature

in poems, plays, stories, novels, and
other creative compositions.
Here are a few examples of imagery
in literature:

Example1 Excerpt describing a fish:

his brown skin hung in strips

like ancient wallpaper,
andits pattern of darker brown
was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses
stained and lost through age.
 This excerpt from Elizabeth Bishops poem The Fish is
brimming with visual imagery.
It beautifies and complicates the image of a fish that has just
been caught.
You can imagine the fish with tattered, dark brown skin like
ancient wallpaper covered in barnacles, lime deposits, and sea
lice.
In just a few lines, Bishop mentions many colors including brown,
rose, white, and green.
 Example2

A taste for the miniature was one aspect of an orderly

spirit. Another was a passion for secrets: in a
prizedvarnished cabinet,a secret drawer was opened by
pushing against the grain of a cleverlyturned dovetail
joint, and here she kepta diary locked by a clasp, and a
notebook written in a code of her own invention.
Anold tin petty cash box was hidden under a removable
floorboardbeneath her bed.
 Inthis excerpt from Ian McEwans novelAtonement, we
can almost feel the cabinet and its varnished texture or
the joint that is specifically in a dovetail shape.
We can also imagine the clasp detailing on the diary
and the tin cash box thats hidden under a floorboard.
Various itemsare described in-depth, so much so that
the reader can easily visualize them.
VI. Imagery in Pop Culture

Imagery can be found throughout pop

culture in descriptive songs, colorful
plays, and in exciting movie and
television scenes.
Example1
Wes AndersonsFantastic Mr. Fox:
Wes Anderson is known for his colorful,
imaginative, and vivid movie making. The
imagery in this film is filled with detail,
action, and excitement.
Example2: Louis Armstrongs
What a Wonderful World.
 Armstrongs classic song is an example of
simple yet beautiful imagery in song. For
instance, the colors are emphasized in the
green trees, red blooming roses, blue skies,
and white clouds from the bright day to the
dark night.
 VII. Related Terms

Metaphor
Metaphor is often used as a type of imagery. Specifically, metaphor is the direct
comparison of two distinct things. Here are a few examples of metaphor as
imagery:
Her smiling face is the sun.
His temper was a hurricane whipping through the school, scaring and
amazing his classmates.
We were penguins standing in our black and white coats in the bitter cold.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is also a common tool used for imagery.
Onomatopoeia is a form of auditory imagery in which the
word used sounds like the thing it describes. Here are a few
examples of onomatopoeia as imagery:
The fire crackled and popped.
She rudely slurped and gulped down her soup.
The pigs happily oinked when the farmer gave them their slop to eat.
Personification
Personification is another tool used for imagery. Personification
provides animals and objects with human-like characteristics.
Here are a few examples of personification as imagery:
The wind whistled and hissed through the stormy night.
The tired trees branches moaned in the gusts of wind.
The ocean waves slapped the shore and whispered in a fizz as they
withdrew again.