3. What is Creative Writing?
ⶠAlso known as 'the art of making things up,' creative writing is a vital
part of modern society.
ⶠTraditionally referred to as literature, creative writing is 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.
ⶠThough the definition is rather loose, creative writing can for the most
part be considered any writing that is original and self-expressive.
4. The purposeâŠ
â¶The purpose of creative writing is to both entertain and
share human experience, like love or loss.
â¶Writers attempt to get at a truth about humanity through
poetics and storytelling.
ⶠIf 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.
5. Types of creative writing include:
ⶠPoetry
ⶠPlays
ⶠMovie and television scripts
ⶠFiction (novels, novellas, and short stories)
ⶠSongs
ⶠSpeeches
ⶠMemoirs
ⶠPersonal essays
6. â¶As you can see, some nonfiction types of writing can also
be considered creative writing.
â¶Memoirs and personal essays, for example, can be written
creatively to inform your readers about your life in an
expressive way.
â¶Because these types are written in first person, it's easier
for them to be creative.
7. Techniques used in creative writing
include:
â¶Character development
â¶Plot development
â¶Vivid setting
â¶Underlying theme
â¶Point of view
â¶Dialogue
â¶Anecdotes
â¶Metaphors and similes
â¶Figures of speech
â¶Imaginative language
â¶Emotional appeal
â¶Heavy description
8.
9. Key Differences
ⶠIn 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.
ⶠMost commonly, the creative writing is for general audience or for masses but technical writing is for
specific audience.
ⶠThe 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.
ⶠIn 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.
ⶠHumor, satire might be the useful essences in creative writing but such thoughts or ideas have no link
with the technical writing.
10. Imaginative Writing vs. Academic Writing
â¶Creative writing is different to academic writing. Writing
for websites is different to writing for newspaper
columns.
â¶Journal entries are different to writing press releases on
behalf of a brand. Writing purposes do vary. Itâs
important that when undertaking any writing you have a
firm grasp on this concept.
11. Letâs look at the fundamental differences
between academic and creative writing.
ⶠThe Principal Difference
ⶠStyle is the chief difference between academic and creative writing.
ⶠCreative writing need not adhere to any specific style parameters.Academic
writing is different.
â¶Academic writing needs to be structured and executed adhering to a series of
guidelines.
â¶Indeed, so stringent are these guidelines that academic institutions include
these guidelines as part of their curriculum.
12. ⶠOne kind of writing â academic writing â is rigid, procedural, purposed purely
to convey knowledge, data and information. Itâs orderly, organized and follows
a formula. It is necessary. It can be dull. Anyone can master it. Everyone
should master it.
ⶠThe other kind of writing â creative writing â is inspired, artistic and entertains
with word pictures, concepts and deep meaning. It is enjoyable to read. It
touches us while teaching us. Itâs an art form. Itâs not necessary to learn, but a
joy to those who do.
ⶠAcademic writing will earn you Aâs, 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 curricula.
13. â¶Overall, creative writing allows for more personal
expression whereas academic/scholarly writing aims to
explore an idea, argument, or concept.
â¶Academic writing requires more factual evidence for
support, and presents challenges such as the pressure
of time.
â¶They each have their own purpose
14. Sensory Details in Writing: Definition &
Examples
â¶The writer's ability to create
a gripping and memorable
story has much to do with
engaging our five senses.
15. Sensory Details Definition
ⶠSensory details include 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.
ⶠSensory 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.
16. â¶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 a universal feel. A
universal quality is conveyed when the writer is able to personally
connect with the readers.
ⶠAnother 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.
17. Let's look at sensory details in action.
Compare the following two passages
describing a trip to the grocery store.
ⶠHere's a passage without sensory details:
â¶'I went to the store and bought some flowers. Then I
headed to the meat department. Later I realized I forgot to
buy bread.â
â¶Now, does this pull you in? Of course it doesn't. There's nothing to bring you into
the writer's world.
18. Read this revised version with the addition
of sensory details:
ⶠ'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.â
ⶠSee how the extra details made that scene come to life?
19. ⶠWriting with 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.
â¶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.
21. I. What is Imagery?
â¶Imagery is language used by poets, novelists
and other writers to create images in the mind of
the reader.
â¶Imagery includes figurative and metaphorical
language to improve the readerâs experience
through their senses.
22. II. Examples of Imagery
Example 1
ⶠImagery using visuals:
ⶠThe night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in beautiful and
varied constellations which were sprinkled across the astronomical
landscape.
ⶠIn this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth with color
(black as ever, bright), shape (varied constellations), and pattern (sprinkled).
23. Example 2
ⶠImagery using sounds:
ⶠSilence was broken by the peal of piano keys as Shannon began
practicing her concerto.
ⶠHere, auditory imagery breaks silence with the beautiful sound of piano
keys.
24. Example 3
ⶠImagery using scent:
â¶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.
ⶠThe scent of hibiscus helps describe a scene which is relaxing, warm, and
welcoming.
25. Example 4
ⶠImagery using taste:
â¶The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of bittersweet
chocolate and slightly sweet but salty caramel blended
together on her tongue.
ⶠThanks to an in-depth description of the candyâs various flavors, the reader can almost
experience the deliciousness directly.
26. Example 5
ⶠImagery using touch:
â¶After the long run, he collapsed in the grass with tired and
burning muscles. The grass tickled his skin and sweat
cooled on his brow.
ⶠIn this example, imagery is used to describe the feeling of strained
muscles, grassâs tickle, and sweat cooling on skin.
27.
28. a. Visual Imagery
ⶠVisual imagery describes what we see: comic book images,
paintings, or images directly experienced through the narratorâs
eyes. Visual imagery may include:
â¶Color, such as: burnt red, bright orange, dull yellow, verdant green, and
Robinâs egg blue.
ⶠShapes, such as: square, circular, tubular, rectangular, and conical.
ⶠSize, such as: miniscule, tiny, small, medium-sized, large, and gigantic.
ⶠPattern, such as: polka-dotted, striped, zig-zagged, jagged, and straight.
29. b. Auditory Imagery
â¶Auditory imagery describes what we hear, from music to noise to
pure silence. Auditory imagery may include:
â¶Enjoyable sounds, such as: beautiful music, birdsong, and the voices of a
chorus.
â¶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.
ⶠThe lack of noise, describing a peaceful calm or eerie silence.
30. c. Olfactory Imagery
â¶Olfactory imagery describes what we smell. Olfactory imagery
may include:
â¶Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing food and drink, and blooming
flowers.
ⶠOdors, such as rotting trash, body odors, or a stinky wet dog.
31. d. Gustatory Imagery
â¶Gustatory imagery describes what we taste. Gustatory
imagery can include:
â¶Sweetness, such as candies, cookies, and desserts.
â¶Sourness, bitterness, and tartness, such as lemons and limes.
â¶Saltiness, such as pretzels, French fries, and pepperonis.
â¶Spiciness, such as salsas and curries.
â¶Savoriness, such as a steak dinner or thick soup.
32. e. Tactile Imagery
â¶Lastly, tactile imagery describes what we feel or touch. Tactile
imagery includes:
ⶠTemperature, such as bitter cold, humidity, mildness, and stifling heat.
ⶠTexture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, and smooth.
â¶Touch, such as hand-holding, oneâs in the grass, or the feeling of
starched fabric on oneâs skin.
ⶠMovement, such as burning muscles from exertion, swimming in cold
water, or kicking a soccer ball.
33. IV. The Importance of Using Imagery
ⶠBecause we experience life through our senses, a strong composition
should appeal to them through the use of imagery.
ⶠDescriptive imagery launches the reader into the experience of a warm
spring day, scorching hot summer, crisp fall, or harsh winter.
ⶠIt allows readers to directly sympathize with characters and narrators as
they imagine having the same sense experiences.
ⶠImagery commonly helps build compelling poetry, convincing narratives,
vivid plays, well-designed film sets, and descriptive songs.
34. V. Imagery in Literature
â¶Imagery is found throughout literature in
poems, plays, stories, novels, and other
creative compositions.
35. Here are a few examples of imagery in
literature:
ⶠExample 1 Excerpt describing a fish:
his brown skin hung in strips
like ancient wallpaper,
and its pattern of darker brown
was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses
stained and lost through age.
36. ⶠThis excerpt from Elizabeth Bishopâs poem âThe Fishâ is brimming with
visual imagery.
ⶠIt beautifies and complicates the image of a fish that has just been caught.
ⶠYou can imagine the fish with tattered, dark brown skin âlike ancient
wallpaperâ covered in barnacles, lime deposits, and sea lice.
ⶠIn just a few lines, Bishop mentions many colors including brown, rose,
white, and green.
37. Example 2
ⶠA taste for the miniature was one aspect of an orderly spirit.
Another was a passion for secrets: in a prized varnished
cabinet, a secret drawer was opened by pushing against the
grain of a cleverly turned dovetail joint, and here she kept a diary
locked by a clasp, and a notebook written in a code of her own
invention. ⊠An old tin petty cash box was hidden under a
removable floorboard beneath her bed.
38. â¶In this excerpt from Ian McEwanâs novel Atonement, we can
almost feel the cabinet and its varnished texture or the joint that
is specifically in a dovetail shape.
â¶We can also imagine the clasp detailing on the diary and the tin
cash box thatâs hidden under a floorboard.
â¶Various items are described in-depth, so much so that the
reader can easily visualize them.
39. VI. Imagery in Pop Culture
â¶Imagery can be found throughout pop culture
in descriptive songs, colorful plays, and in
exciting movie and television scenes.
41. â¶Wes Anderson is known for his colorful,
imaginative, and vivid movie making. The
imagery in this film is filled with detail, action,
and excitement.
43. â¶Armstrongâs 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.
44. VII. Related Terms
Metaphor
ⶠMetaphor 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:
ⶠHer smiling face is the sun.
â¶His temper was a hurricane whipping through the school, scaring and amazing his
classmates.
ⶠWe were penguins standing in our black and white coats in the bitter cold.
45. Onomatopoeia
ⶠOnomatopoeia 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:
ⶠThe fire crackled and popped.
ⶠShe rudely slurped and gulped down her soup.
ⶠThe pigs happily oinked when the farmer gave them their slop to eat.
46. Personification
ⶠPersonification is another tool used for imagery. Personification provides
animals and objects with human-like characteristics. Here are a few
examples of personification as imagery:
ⶠThe wind whistled and hissed through the stormy night.
ⶠThe tired treeâs branches moaned in the gusts of wind.
ⶠThe ocean waves slapped the shore and whispered in a fizz as they withdrew again.