CREATIVE WRITING HAND-OUT
CREATIVE WRITING- is any writing that goes outside the bounds of
Example #2
•
John Keats’ “To the Autumn” is an ode rich with auditory
imagery examples. In the last five lines of his ode he says:
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.
•
“Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.”
•
The function of imagery in literature is to generate a
vibrant and graphic presentation of a scene that appeals to
as many of the reader’s senses as possible.
TECHNICAL WRITING – is a type of writing where the author is
writing about a particular subject that requires direction, instruction,
and explanation.
I. POETRY- derives from a variant of the Greek term, poiesis,
"making")
is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic
qualities of language.
THE ELEMENTS OF POETRY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
SPEAKER- is the person who is addressing the reader.
CONTENT- is the subject of the poem.
THEME- is the meaning of the poem – the main idea that the
poet is trying to communicate.
-may be stated directly or it may be implied.
SHAPE AND FORM-predictable patterns of rhyme, rhythm, linelength and stanza construction.
TONE- is the feeling that the poet creates and that the reader
senses through the poet’s choice of words, rhythm, rhyme,
style and structure. *Note: the tone will create a mood
IMAGERY- refers to the “pictures” which we perceive with our
mind’s eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and through which we
experience the “duplicate world” created by poetic language.
-evokes the meaning and truth of human
experiences not in abstract terms, as in philosophy, but in
more perceptible and tangible forms.
is associated with mental pictures.
7.
DICTION- refers to the choice of words and style of expression
that an author makes and uses in a work of literature.
Elements of Diction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Types of Diction
1.
2.
3.
4.
Visual
Auditory
Olfactory
Gustatory
Tactile
Read the following examples of imagery carefully:
Formal
Informal
Colloquial
Slang and Poetic
Here are more examples of different diction choices based
on formality:
•
“Could you be so kind as to pass me the milk?”
Vs. “Give me that!”
•
“I regret to inform you that that is not the case.”
Vs. “You’re wrong!”
•
“It is a pleasure to see you again! How are you
today?” Vs. “Hey, what’s up?”
•
“I’m a bit upset,” Vs. “I’m so pissed off.”
•
“I would be delighted!” Vs. “Sure, why not?”
•
“I’ll do it right away, sir,” Vs. “Yeah, just a sec.”
Types of Imagery
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Vocabulary
Tone
Register
Syntax
Connotation
Denotation
Figurative language
8.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE/ FIGURES OF SPEECHis a word or phrase using figurative language—language
that has other meaning than its normal definition.
•
It was dark and dim in the forest. – The words “dark” and
“dim” are visual images.
•
The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. –
“Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing
or auditory sense.
-
make up a huge portion of the English language, making it
more creative, more expressive, and just more interesting.
A.
•
He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. – “whiff” and
“aroma” evoke our sense of smell or olfactory sense.
B.
•
The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric. – The idea of
“soft” in this example appeals to our sense of touch or
tactile sense.
•
The fresh and juicy orange is very cold and sweet. – “
juicy” and “sweet” when associated with oranges have an
effect on our sense of taste or gustatory sense.
Metaphor- used to make comparisons between unrelated
things or ideas. Example: The “peak of her career,”
Idiom- is a common phrase with a figurative meaning.
- is a common way of saying that two tasks can be
completed in the same amount of time or same place.
Proverb- is a short, commonplace saying that is universally
understood in today’s language and used to express
general truths. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a popular
example.
Simile - is a very common figure of speech that uses the
words “like” and “as” to compare two things that are not
related by definition.
Oxymoron is when you use two words together that have
contradictory meanings. Some common examples include
small crowd, definitely possible, old news, little giant,
deafening silence, sound of silence, freezing in the sun,
burning in the rain, and so on.
Metonymy- is a word or phrase that is used to represent
something related to bigger meaning. For example, fleets
are sometimes described as being “thirty sails strong,”
meaning thirty.
Imagery Examples in Literature
Example #1
•
Imagery of light and darkness is repeated many times in
Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Consider an example
from Act I, Scene V:
•
“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear;”
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
Irony is when a word or phrase’s literal meaning is the
opposite of its figurative meaning.
Alliteration – Repeating consonant sound right next to
each other which create a melodic effect.
Onomatopoeia – is a word that sounds like what it means.
Synecdoche – using a part of something to represent the
whole.
Litotes - is a double negative to create a positive
statement.
Hyperbole – exaggerated statement or claims not meant
to be taken literally.
KINDS OF LYRIC POETRY
a.
b.
c.
Ode- is a dignified and elaborately structured lyric poem
praising and glorifying an individual, commemorating an
event, or describing nature intellectually rather than
emotionally.
Elegy- is a lyric poem, written in elegiac couplets, that
expresses sorrow or lamentation, usually for one who has
died.
Sonnet is a short poem with fourteen lines, usually written
in iambic pentameter.
Rhyming Patterns for Sonnets
1. Italian or Petrarchan has two stanzas: the first of
eight lines is called octave and has the rhyme-scheme
abba abba; the second of six lines is called the sestet
and has the rhyme cdecde or cdcdcd.
2. Spenserian sonnet, developed by Edmund Spenser,
has three quatrains and a heroic couplet, in iambic
pentameter with rhymes ababbcbccdcdee.
3. The English sonnet, developed by Shakespeare, has
three quatrains and a heroic couplet, in iambic
pentameter with rhymes ababcdcdefefgg.
d.
e.
Song is a lyric poem which is set to music. All songs have a
strong beat created largely through the 3R’s: rhythm,
rhyme, and repetition.
Simple Lyric- is a short poem expressing the poet’s
thought, feeling, or emotion.
Short Poems
1. Tanaga is a type of Filipino poem, consisting of four lines
with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end
of each line --- that is to say a 7-7-7-7 Syllabic verse, with
an AABB rhyme scheme as in this example.
2.
Diona - is a type of Filipino poem, consisting of three lines
with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end
of each line --- that is to say a 7-7-7 Syllabic verse, with an
AAA rhyme scheme as in this example.
3.
Haiku –is a simple kind of poem with 17 syllables, 5-7-5.
4.
Tanka - Japanese poem consisting of five lines, the first
and third of which have five syllables and the other seven,
5-7-5-7-7
II. WRITING FICTION
Fiction writing is the composition of non-factual prose texts
- often is produced as a story meant to entertain or convey
an author's point of view.
Examples: short story, novel, novella, screenplay, or drama
Ways of Writing Fiction:
•
Figure out the basic setting and plot.
•
Decide what point of view (POV) you want your story to
use.
•
Outline your story.
•
Start writing.
•
Approach your writing in chunks.
•
Read dialogue aloud as you write it.
•
Keep the action plausible.
•
Take a break.
Elements of Fiction
1. CHARACTER- beings who inhabit our stories.
Types of Character
A. Main Character (Protagonist)
Is the hero in the story
Appears in the story from the start to the end.
Is the one who fights with the situations and
antagonist characters.
Is the one who takes the story to the happy
ending
Example: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, which
shows the heroic characteristics of a boy who
faces the evils and threats against his life and still
strongly maintains the good virtues and saves
others’ lives in difficult situations.
B. Antagonist
Is the character opposing the protagonist
Plays against the heroic character and tries to
stop him by posing threats to his and others’
lives.
Example: Lord Voldemort, the main antagonist
character in the Harry Potter series by J.K.
Rowling, who killed Harry Potter’s parents. He
also tries to kill Harry Potter in all parts of the
series.
C. Static or Flat Character
Are not an eye-catching part of the story, but still
play an important role in the flow and help the
main character in his or her intention.
It doesn’t have the strong characteristics or
doesn’t reveal much about the self.
Stays static throughout the story and feels the
gap in the storyline.
Example: Mr. Filch in the Harry Potter Series. He
is the care taker of the Hogwarts school of
magic. He is flat character because of his role of
finding the students who break the rules of the
school.
D. Changing or Dynamic Character
Opposite of the flat character
Plays a role that develops and changes during
the events in the story
Example: Neville Longbottom, who converts
himself from a simple student of the school to a
leader of the students in a fight against the evil
character Lord Voldemort.
E. Confidante Character
Is whom the main character can trust on and it
ultimately helps develop his heroic
characteristics.
Supports the development of the main
character.
Can be a person or an animal like a pet or any
other object.
Example: Draco Malfoy who highlights and even
helps make the good qualities and other virtues
of Harry Potter stronger by being coward and
nasty.
F. Stock Characters
Are of no much value in the story.
Usually stereotypical and are conventionally
used repeatedly in the stories of a particular
type.
Are like any guy found in the stories who just
take the space but doesn’t have any impact on
the plot.
Just come and go and are generally not
recognized by the readers.
Example: Professor McGonagall who is a
teacher and seeks the students to follow the
rules strictly. Her appearance is like that of a
typical teacher with a conventional style of
talking and has stereotypical manners.
G. Round Character
Contributes the most in making the story
interesting and keeps the reader confused about
the person’s actual nature.p
-
Acts subtly and changes in the face of conflict
Example: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger,
Ronal Weasley in the Harry Potter’s series.
Ginny Weasley and Severus Snape
H.
-
-
-
I.
-
allows the reader access to the character’s inner
thoughts and reactions to the events occurring.
2. First Person Plural
is extremely uncommon in novels, as it uses “we”
as the primary pronoun.
This implies a group of people narrating the story
at once.
3. Second Person
using the “you” pronoun to narrate the story.
either implies that the narrator is actually an “I”
trying to separate himself or herself from the
events that he or she is narrating, or allows the
reader to identify with the central character.
4. Third Person
uses “he” and “she” as the pronouns to refer to different
characters, and provides the greatest amount of flexibility
for the author.
Two main possibilities for the third person point
of view

Limited
-the reader is privy only to one main
character’s thoughts. In this way, it is
similar to the first person singular point
of view, since the focus stays tightly on
one character.

Omniscient
-allows the author to delve into the
thoughts of any character, making
the narrator seem godlike.
-
Archetypal Characters
Have the original characters based on which
other characters develop within the story.
Has its origin in the word “archein” in the
Ancient Greek Literature and it means “original”.
Help create different characters with sub-types
and different combinations of characteristics.
-
2.
Evil Character or Villain
Can have similar characteristics to those of an
antagonist, but he or she acts actively with more
intensity to harm the protagonist or the main
characters and others.
Does everything to create life-threatening
situations for the hero in the story.
An evil-minded character who doesn’t always
work against the hero but often creates a
harmful situation for the society, country or even
for the world.
Example: Lord Voldemort who acts as a
powerful enemy and creates grave situations for
the main and other characters throughout the
series.
-
PLOT is what happens in the story, the series of events.
This happened, then this happened, then this happened.


Linear plot consist of a series of events that
have a clear beginning, middle and end. The
story unfolds in a chronological order, which
means they are told in the order they
happened. Two or more plots that occur at the
same time, and intersect throughout,
particularly at the climax.
Parallel plots, which is when a narrative
features more than one plot, with both of these
carrying equal importance and sometimes
merging at the end.
Primary Elements of a Plot

Exposition or Introduction- is the beginning of the
story, where characters and setting are established.
The conflict or main problem is introduced as well.

Rising Action- occurs when a series of events build up
to the conflict. The main characters are established by
the time the rising action of a plot occurs, and at the
same time, events begin to get complicated. It is
during this part of a story that excitement, tension, or
crisis is encountered.

Climax- is the main point of the plot, there is a
turning point of the story. This is meant to be the
moment of highest interest and emotion, leaving the
reader wondering what is going to happen next.

Falling Action- is the winding up of the story, occurs
when events and complications begin to resolve. The
result of the actions of the main characters are put
forward.

Resolution-is the conclusion, is the end of a story,
which may occur with either a happy or a tragic
ending.
3.
SETTING - is where your story takes place.
4.
POINT-OF-VIEW – is the perspective from which the story
is narrated.
Types of Point of View
1. First Person Singular
uses the “I” pronoun to refer to the narrator.
usually the protagonist of the story.
5.
STYLE- is like a fingerprint, no two are alike. A function of
diction, syntax, and voice, style tends to emerge from how
you write rather than from a concerted effort to control it.
6.
THEME- refers to “The Big Ideas” that bubble up from
what you’ve written. Is your story about Betrayal, Love,
Friendship, Justice, Family, Honor, Violence, Hypocrisy?
You may have a theme in mind when you sit at the
keyboard but, like it or not, readers will carve their own
idea of theme out of what you write. And that’s as it
should be.
7.
LITERARY DEVICE- are the true tools of the writer.
INTERTEXTUALITY- The complex interrelationship between a text
and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of
the text.
8. Irony
Several types of irony in literature:
•
verbal irony- is the contrast between what is said and
what is meant: In other words, sarcasm.
•
dramatic irony- is the contrast between what the
character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know
to be true.
•
situational irony- is the contrast between what happens
and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate).
Literary device
A literary or linguistic technique that produces a specific
effect, esp. a figure of speech, narrative style, or plot
mechanism.
Refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole
text.
Literary Genre
Category of literary composition; genres may be
determined by literary techniques, tone, content, or even
(as in the case of fiction) length.
8. MOTIF- is A recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of
literature.
9. SENSORY EXPERIENCE
-is The apprehension of an object, thought, or emotion
through the senses; active participation in events or
activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or
skill.
10. SYMBOLISM- is a character, an action, a setting, or an object
representing something else can be a symbol.
Vignette (vinyet)- is a small impressionistic scene, an illustration, a
descriptive passage, a short essay, a fiction, or nonfiction work
focusing on one particular moment or giving impression about an
idea, character, setting, mood, aspect or an object.
•
is a critical tool in both creative fiction and creative
nonfiction because it adds depth and support to a piece of
literature.
•
is a powerful descriptive device that can bring insight
about a setting, character, or idea that adds to the overall
understanding of a story.
Example:
•
The room ,was warm and stuffy, but in a comforting way.
It had the heavy but pleasing odor of musty books and old
upholstery, with an overall air of ash and cedar from the
fire that was always burning low the stone hearth,
crackling and spitting quietly. There was a patchwork
blanket resting over the side of the sunken but cozy couch,
its squares tattered by the love and wear of time. A
wooden clock ticked reliably on the wall.
Free Verse
- Is a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from
the limitations of regular meter and does not rhyme with fixed
forms.
•
Have no regular meter or rhythm.
•
They do not follow a proper rhyme scheme; these poems
do not have any set rules.
Typography
- are the differences between different styles of text that create
distinct appearances.
GENRE-CROSSING TEXT
Cross-genre text refers to works of fiction that blend or
combine elements, themes, and structures from more
than one genre.