Teaching Creative
Writing
Rafiah Mudassir
Farhana Farhat Asif
SPELT 2010
Warm-Up Writing
Task:
Create something with the lump
of clay on your desk.
When you are finished, take
about 10 minutes to write what
you created and why.
Questions for Discussion
• Look at the ceramic jar. What steps
would you need to go through to create
something like this from a lump of clay?
• How do you think this is similar to
writing an essay?
Some Basic Knowledge
About Creative Writing
Why Do We
Write
Purpose
Communicate with each other
Record information
Enhance oral development
Reinforce vocabulary and Language
structure
 Present ideas, information and
feelings
Demonstrate ones creativity and
critical thinking
Inform ,influence and entertain
The Writing Process
Activate knowledge
Take in information
Generate Ideas
Organize/Reorganize
Publish
The Writing Process
g
n
i
t
ec
l
f
Re
Polishing
Revising
Pre-Writing
Drafting
Editing
What do we need to teach ?
Using the basic conventions of
English
Presenting Information Ideas
and feelings coherently and
clearly
Stages Of Writing
In Primary School learners go
through four stages of writing to
develop their writing skill.
Copying
Guided writing
Controlled Writing
Independent Writing
Development
through Task
of writing skills
Based Activities
Have a context
Have a purpose
Involve learners in thinking and doing
Learners draw up their own framework
of knowledge and skills.
Purposeful activities lead to a product.
Approaches to writing
Parallel Writing
Modeled writing
Shared and Interactive Writing
Process Writing
Experiential Writing
Creative Writing …….etc
Creativity And
Creative Writing
What Is Creative Writing
Definition:
Creative Writing expresses the writers
thoughts and feeling in an imaginative
often unique and poetic way. Creative
writing is guided more by the writers
need to express feelings and ideas than
by the restrictive demands of factual
and logical progression of expository
writing
What Is Creativity
Definitions:
Ability to produce original ideas.
The result of a complex of
cognitive skills, abilities,
personality factors ,motivation
and strategies.
Elements Of Creativity
Fluency
 Flexibility
Originality
Elaboration
Visualization
Lateral Thinking
Define Problems
Teachers’ can develop learners
creativity by:
Choose Interesting topics.
Go beyond given information
Give time to think
Reward creative efforts
Value their creative attributes
Teach them creative thinking
techniques
Create a climate conducive to
creativity
Conducive Environment for
developing learners creativity
Provide challenges
Appreciate individuality
Encourage open discussion
Absence of conflicts
Allow time to think
Encourage confidence and willingness
to take risk
Appreciate and support ideas
Respect the novel and unusual
Strategies For Creative
Writing 1
Activity Sheet
Three Minute Fast Write:
Write anything that you can
remember from the Hare and the
Tortoise.
1,2,3 ……...go !!!!!!!
The Tortoise And The Hare
hare tortoise slow grass white lazy stupid clever Sunny
run competition sleep hot tired sad cry
surprised happy cry wake-up sunny unhappy sleep
Setting .
Who when where
Event
Green tortoise
White rabbit
Grass hot sunny
Running
competition
Swimming
competition
Problems
Slow fast lazy
Stupid clever
sleep hot tired
work hard
a long time
Cant swim clever
Jump easy proud
find a bridge
enjoying
Resolutions
Wake-up win
lose happy
unhappy
Surprised cry
Arrive first
rest laugh
silly proud
Three Minute Fast Write
+
Transformation
=
A new version of a story
Why Use Fast Write
A daily fluency exercise.
First thought on a starting point
are usually the most powerful and
original ones.
Helps students get started on an
assignment
Remember: at this stage accuracy is not emphasized
Thematic Tree
Start with a theme
Reflect on the theme
Develop sub themes
Brainstorm relevant themes
Theme : My House
Rooms in my house
Things to put in each room
Things to do in each room
My House
1 Living room
1 Kitchen
3 Bedrooms
2 Toilets
1Dining room
Now write about the dream house
How many rooms do you want
Besides the living room, bedroom,
washroom, drawing room dining room
do you want any other rooms
 What do you want to put in those
rooms.
What do you want to do in those
rooms
Who do want to live with
Why Use Thematic Tree
Encourages students to think
of different perspectives
builds students' flexibility
generates more idea
Helps students’ structure their
writing
Multi-dimensional writing
 A car accident has occurred
injuring several people
 Teachers and students discuss
how it could have been averted
 Students imagine that they are
one of the following characters
and write an account
1. Driver
2. Passenger
3. Pedestrian
Activity Sheet
Imagine you are the
 Principal/Headmistress
 Librarian
 Head Girl/ Boy
 Teachers.
Write about any one particular
day.
……Other Examples
You are Papa Bear. Write
rules for Goldie Locks to help
her become a better girl.
 You are the King of the
forest. Write rules for
different animals to follow
Why Use Multi-dimensional
writing
Enables Students to view
things from different angles
Helps students to remain
focused when they write
Brainstorming and Mind
Mapping
Identify Problem/Task to be
done
Brainstorm solutions/steps
possibilities
Use mind map to arrange and
develop ideas
Brainstorming and Mind
Mapping
Put the word ‘Future’ on the board
Brainstorm words related to your
future
Now focus on your education family
and career
Group all the words under these
three sub themes and write a
composition
Example Map
Never stop
learning
Eventually
get a PhD
Learn to love
whatever work
I am doing
work
Instill a love
of education
in my children
Education
My future
family
Make them
a priority
Stay at home
while raising
children
Use the skills I
have learned in as
many ways as
possible
Raise healthy,
happy children
Stay close
to my
family
Why Use Brainstorming and
Mind Mapping
Brainstorming: Excellent way of
creating many new ideas
Helps students break out of their
thinking patterns into new ways of
looking at things.
Mind Map: Used for arranging and
developing ideas.
A good format for reviewing ideas
Strategies For Creative
Writing 2
Writing Stories.
Transformation
 Making an appeal
 Creating a new ending/ new
version to a story
Transformation
Making an appeal
Imagine you are the Troll.
Write why you are so fierce
to the goats.
I am fierce to the goats
because……………..
Transformation
Discuss with your friends why
do you think the troll was so
fierce to the goats.
Language Help
The goats were
naughty
Always hit the
Troll
Ate all the
grassland
Reasons
Goats ate all
the grass.
No more grass
land and trees
all the animals
hungry
Goats kicked Trolls Mother. She fell
into the river and died
No one to look after the troll.
Troll lonely and hungry
Hated the goats
Activity:Imagine you are….
Imagine you are the three goats.
Use your 5 senses to think and
write about how nice the
grassland is.
See
 Smell
 Touch
 Hear
 Taste
Sample
When I arrived at the grassland I
saw-----------. I smelt
----------- and it was
------------. I
touched---------. I could
hear---------- . Finally I ate
the grass and it
tasted------------ .
Character Empathy
 Write for the characters and express
how they feel. (letter, diary)
Examples:
 Write about the Baby Bears feeling
when he saw his broken chair. (letter)
 Write how Cinderella felt after
the Ball dance. (diary)
Imagination
IF…………
Create anew ending based on assumption
-If the little Billy Goat Gruff could not
cross the bridge-----Your turn. Create a new ending
1 2 3 GO………!!!!!
Language Help
Sample
Troll took Billy Home.
Billy was very hungry.
There was no food
so
Billy dies of
starvation
Troll took him
home
Troll and Billy
become
good friends.
Troll takes care of
Billy
Lived happily ever
after
New endings
The two brother goats could not find l
Little Billy
They were sad
They went back to the Bridge
The Brothers fought with the Troll
and brought Little Billy back home
Wish Fulfillment
Discuss Cinderella's dream.
What could it be.
Write about your own dreams
Thanks For Coming
Your Comments And
suggestions Are Valuable