Creative Writing

University of Alhadera

1.). Introducing creative Writing:

How do you introduce creative writing?

Introduction to Creative Writing is a hands-on, interactive exploration of

nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, and fiction. Students will read examples from

each genre and discuss the craft elements demonstrated in each text. We

will then go on to try our own hand at drafting and revising essays, poems, plays,

and prose.

The 5 Types of Writing Styles and Why You Should Master Each

 Narrative Writing. Narrative writing is storytelling at its most basic: it's all about

sharing something that happens to a character. ...

 Descriptive Writing. ...

 Persuasive Writing. ...

 Expository Writing. ...

 Creative Writing.

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  What are the four types of creative writing?

 The primary four forms of creative writing are fiction, non-fiction, poetry,

and screenwriting. Writers will use a mixture of creative elements and

techniques to tell a story or evoke feelings in the reader. The main

elements used include: Character development.

2.). What is Creative Writing?

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.

3.). Why teaching Creative Writing?

Creative writing allows young writers to explore made-up worlds and

experiment with new writing skills. It can also give them healthy outlets to

navigate their emotions, learn more about the world and themselves, and share

these explorations with their peers, friends, and families.

What are 5 important benefits of creative writing?

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 Imagination. Creative writing boosts your imagination as you create new worlds,

situations and characters in your work. ...

 Empathy. ...

 Better Thought Clarification. ...

 Broader Vocabulary. ...

 Critical Review.

WHY LEARN CREATIVE WRITING?

By Sean Glatch | June 7, 2020 | 5

Why learn creative writing? Truthfully, creative writing is one of the most

misunderstood disciplines in the 21st century. When people think of a creative

writing course, they often imagine a group of lofty, out-of-touch people who wear

argyle sweater vests and have unproductive conversations about abstract concepts.

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth: the best writing classes

remain engaged with the real world, and the skills gained in a creative writing

course apply to nearly every facet of daily life.

If you’re wondering whether it’s worth picking up a course in fiction,

nonfiction, or poetry, we have five reasons to learn creative writing. But first, let’s

talk about what actually happens in a creative writing course.

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THE BASICS OF A WRITING WORKSHOP

Whether you’re enrolled in a poetry, fiction, or nonfiction writing class, you can

expect the following writing process – at least in a quality writing course like the

ones at [Link].

 Weekly prompts and writing exercises to sharpen the precision and

necessity of each word you use.

 Constructive critiques from a community of writers who are each growing

their writing skills alongside you.

 A creative space to explore new ideas, experiment with language, and

arrange words in new and exciting ways.

 Focused writing instruction from a master of the craft.

The benefits of creative writing come from engaging with the course material, the

writing prompts, and the other class members. These elements help you become a

better writer, both in creative realms and in everyday life. How? No matter what

form of writing, a creative writing class pushes you to connect ideas and create

effective narratives using the best words – and that skill translates into real world

success.

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THE BENEFITS OF CREATIVE WRITING

1. WHY LEARN CREATIVE WRITING: IMPROVED SELF-

EXPRESSION

Improving your writing skills leads to stronger communication. When you

practice finding the right word in a story or poem, you engage the same parts of

your brain that are active in everyday writing and speaking. A creative writing

course subconsciously turns you into a more effective communicator.

The importance of precise language and self-advocacy translates well into

both interpersonal relationships and working environments. Take it from this

expert on how writing and self-advocacy results in career and leadership success.

2. WHY LEARN CREATIVE WRITING: JOB SUCCESS

This brings us to our next point: great writing leads to job success. Of course, your

boss probably isn’t expecting you to write emails in the form of a short story or a

sonnet – though if they are expecting this, you have a pretty cool boss.

In reality, almost every job requires some sort of written work, whether

that’s simple written communication or something more elaborate, like publishing

data or marketing materials. In a creative writing class, you practice the style and

grammar rules necessary for effective writing, both within the realms of literature

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and in career-related writing. Sharpening your writing and creativity skills might

just land you your next promotion.

3. WHY LEARN CREATIVE WRITING: IMPROVED

THINKING SKILLS

Strong writing leads to strong thinking. No matter what type of writing you

pursue, learning how to write is another form of learning how to think.

That might seem like a bold claim, so think about it this way. Without

language, our thoughts wouldn’t have form. We might not need language to think

“I’m hungry” or “I like cats,” but when it comes to more abstract concepts,

language is key. How would you think about things like justice, revenge, or

equality without the words to express them?

When you hone in on your ability to find choice, specific words, and when

you work on the skills of effective storytelling and rhetoric, you improve your

ability to think in general. Good writing yields great thinking!

4. WHY LEARN CREATIVE WRITING: EMPATHY

Reading and writing both rely on empathy, especially when it comes to

being an effective workshop participant. When we read and write stories, we

situate ourselves in the shoes of other people; when we read and write poetry, we

let language navigate us through emotion.

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 The importance of creative writing relies on empathy. We practice empathy

whenever we listen to another person’s life story, when someone tells us about

their day, and when we sit down with a client or work partner. When we write, we

practice the ability to listen as well as to speak, making us more effective

communicators and more compassionate human beings.

5. WHY LEARN CREATIVE WRITING: IT’S FUN!

In case you’re not convinced that a writing course is right for you, let’s clarify one

more fact: creative writing is fun. Whether you’re in a fiction writing course,

starting a memoir, crafting a poem, or writing for the silver screen, you’re creating

new worlds and characters. In the sandbox of literature, you’re in control, and

when you invest yourself into the craft of writing, something beautiful emerges.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVE WRITING

Simply put, creative writing helps us preserve our humanity. What better

medium to explore the human experience?

To learn creative writing, like any art form, requires compassion,

contemplation, and curiosity. Writers preserve the world as they observe it in

stories and poetry, and they imagine a better world by creating it in their works.

Through the decades, literature has explored society’s profound changes.

Literary eons like the Naturalist movement and the Beat poets responded to the

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increase in Western Industrialization. Confessional poets like Virginia Woolf

helped transform poetry into a medium for emotional exploration and excavation.

And, genre movements like the cyberpunk writers of science fiction helped

popularize the idea of an “information economy.”

Thus, the importance of creative writing lies in its ability to describe the

world through an honest and unfiltered lens. Anyone who engages in creative

writing, no matter the genre or style, helps us explore the human experience, share

new ideas, and advocate for a better society. Whether you write your stories for

yourself or share them with a wide audience, creative writing makes the world a

better place.

JOBS FOR CREATIVE WRITERS

Because creative writing isn’t a STEM discipline, many people don’t think that

learning it will help their job prospects. Why learn creative writing if it doesn’t

make any money?

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Creative writing skills are much

sought after on resumes, since both creativity and the ability to write are soft skills

in decline. Additionally, if you’re considering a career change—or ready to start

one!—these are some popular jobs for creative writers.

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COPYWRITER

 Average Starting Salary: $51,000

 Demand: High

 Skills needed: creativity, grammar, timeliness

Copywriters help companies put their branding into words. A copywriter might

write emails, blogs, website content, or ad copy that encompasses the company’s

voice and purpose. Copywriting requires you to write in a mix of styles and forms,

flexing your writing muscles in new and exciting ways.

GRANT WRITER

 Average Starting Salary: $50,000

 Demand: High

 Skills needed: storytelling, research, argumentation

Nonprofits and research facilities rely on local and national grants to fund their

projects. Grant writers help secure that funding, writing engaging grants that tell

the organization’s story in an engaging, tailored, and convincing way. Creative

writers will enjoy the opportunity to tell a meaningful story and create positive

community change through this career.

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COMMUNICATIONS/PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALIST

 Average Starting Salary: $51,000

 Demand: High

 Skills needed: creativity, communications, social media

A communications specialist helps drive a company’s image through various

social channels. They may help create a positive narrative for their company

through blogs, journalist outreach, social media, and other public-facing avenues.

Much like copywriting, a PR specialist helps weave an effective story for a

company.

NOVELIST

 Average Starting Salary: $55,000

 Demand: Medium/High

 Skills needed: creativity, storytelling, organization, self-

reliance

The dream job for many writers is to write and sell books. Being a novelist is an

admirable career choice—and also requires the most work. Not only do you have

to write your stories, but you also have to market yourself in the literary industry

and maintain a social presence so that publishers and readers actually read your

work. It’s a tough business, but also incredibly rewarding!

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 REASONS TO LEARN CREATIVE WRITING: FINDING

A WRITING COMMUNITY

Finally, creative writing communities make the writing struggle worth it.

The relationships you foster with other creative writers can last a lifetime, as no

other group of people has the same appreciation for the written word. Creative

writing communities create transformative experiences and encourage growth in

your writing; if there’s one reason to study creative writing craft, it’s the

friendships you make in the process.

You don’t need a class to start writing, but it’s never a waste of time to

learn the tools of the trade. Creative writing requires the skills that can help you in

everyday life, and a creative writing course can help.

At [Link], we believe that creative writing can transform both

individual lives and the world at large. See the importance of creative writing for

4.). What are five basic forms of creative writing?

The 5 Types of Writing Styles and Why You Should Master Each

 Narrative Writing: Narrative writing is storytelling at its most basic: it's all about

sharing something that happens to a character. ...

 Descriptive Writing. ...

 Persuasive Writing. ...
 Expository Writing. ...
 Creative Writing.

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 5.). Patterns of Creative Writing:

Techniques used in creative writing include:

 Character development.

 Plot development.

 Vivid setting.

 Underlying theme.

 Point of view.

 Dialogue.

 Anecdotes.

 Metaphors and similes.

6.). Composition & Creative Writing:

Composition is housed in “Foundations,” or the basics of general

education, while creative writing is part of the creative arts collegium, which

houses other artistic disciplines such as music and performance.

7.). Processes of Creative Writing:

The Writing Process

 Step 1: Prewriting. Think and Decide. Make sure you understand your
assignment. ...
 Step 2: Research (if needed) Search. List places where you can find
information. ...
 Step 3: Drafting. Write. ...
 Step 4: Revising. Make it Better. ...
 Step 5: Editing and Proofreading. Make it Correct.

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 *** Note: some other creative writers says that: There are 7 stages of the

EEF's = (The Education Endowment Foundation) writing process: Planning,

Drafting, Sharing, Evaluating, Revising, Editing and Publishing .

8.). How to write short story?

The Top 10 Tips For Writing Great Short Stories

1. Understand that a short story is not the same as a novel. ...

2. Start as close to the end as possible. ...

3. Keep up the pace. ...

4. Keep the number of characters small. ...

5. Give the reader someone to root for. ...

6. Create conflict! ...

7. Suggest a backstory but don't elaborate. ...

8. Appeal to the five senses.

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9.). Beginnings & endings:

Beginnings

&

Endings

 The beginning of your story will hook your readers. If a story starts

off and is boring, why would anyone want to keep reading? Similarly,

if your ending is weak, your reader will leave your story with a sour

feeling.

 Start in the middle of things (in media res). There should be an

ongoing situation already in place before the opening of your story.

 There should be a crisis and a character introduced immediately (ask

yourself: who is doing what?)

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Some ways to begin:

1. Introduce a character

2. Give us a place/describe a setting

3. Raise a question

4. Present a crisis

What is the function of a strong opening?

1. It entices and engages the reader and sets the tone for the whole

story

2. It creates expectations for you reader

3. Remember: nothing is wasted, nothing is random

Some tips:

 Appeal to the senses

 Show a need or motive or want

 Present action

 Use an object that is, or will become, symbolic

 Have a character description

 A thought (think of the opening of Pride and Prejudice)

 Prepare your reader for what’s to come

 It’s the point of entry for your story, it must lead to something

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 Endings

They should fit with your beginning in some way. Remember to end strong:

nothing’s worse than reading a good story that has an ending that makes

you regret reading it!

Types of Endings

 Circular: repeats the opening, reflects the beginning in a way. Ex-

open with a death, end with a death

 Matching: opens with an image or idea and then ends with that

image or idea changing or being used in some way

 Surprise: ends in an unexpected way, but there are hints of what will

happen placed throughout the story that become clearer after the

ending

 Trick: similar to a surprise ending, but there are no hints along the

way. Something completely unexpected happens without any

warning

 Summary: ends with the narrator telling the reader what happens to

the characters. Jane Austen did this in her novels

 Open: there is no closure; the reader does not know what happens to

the characters

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 WRITING EXERCISES

1. Imagine an idea for a story. Write only the beginning and the ending. Try

to have your ending be circular.

2. Do the same exercise from above, only this time try to create a surprise

ending. List what sort of hints you would have placed along the way to

accomplish a surprise (and not a trick) ending.

10.). The story Verb Tenses:

What are the tenses in a story?

 Conditional.

 Future Tense.

 Past perfect simple.

 Past Simple.

 Past tense.

 Present Continuous.

 Present perfect progressive.

 Present perfect simple.

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 Sample Short Horror Story

David turned his head and spat off the front porch. It had been a long day. It

was good to be home.

He turned the key, his brain releasing a little squirt of dopamine at the familiar

sound of the coming relaxation, and waited on the next of the two sounds he

heard every day at [Link] Scruff banging against the door.

There was no banging, though. No panting, either. Nothing at all to signify to

dog even knew he was there. After a decade of driveway-key-door-dog, it was

easy to notice the silence. He shouldered the door open, failing to compensate

for Scruff’s missing weight, and stumbled over the threshold. More silence.

“David?”

There was a sound he noticed. He hadn’t seen Linda’s car when he pulled in,

but he supposed he could have missed it.

“It’s me,” he said, making his way towards the back of the small house they

shared. “How are you?”

“Good.” Linda’s voice made him feel a little better. The missing dog still

nagged at him. “Where’s Scruff?”

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“Down here,” Linda said. “He followed me downstairs to do the laundry.”

David froze with his hand an inch away from the doorknob. Scruff never went

downstairs. Heck, Linda never did either, at least not since—

Not since they moved the washing machine upstairs.

“Linda? Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Her response was quick and sounded unusually defensive.

“You sure?”

“Yes, hon.” A little softer this time, but still not right.

David eased his hand toward the doorknob.

“Can you help me?” Her voice sounded clipped again. “I have a lot of cl—

stuff to carry, and I can’t get to the door.”

You’re being stupid, Davey.

The voice in his head was full of contempt, but he couldn’t shake his fear. Had

she just not noticed what she’d said? What else would she be carrying?

“Hon?”

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 The irritation of having to ask a third time certainly sounded normal. Dave

turned the knob and opened the door.

He didn’t have enough time to see exactly what waited on him, but it wasn’t

Linda. It absolutely was not Linda.

11.). Time Links:

How do you write time in creative writing?

Rules:

1. Lowercase a.m. and p.m. and always use periods.

2. Lowercase noon and midnight.
3. Do not use 12 noon or 12 midnight (redundant). Use noon or midnight.
4. Do not use 12 p.m. or 12 a.m. Use noon or midnight.
5. Do not use 8 a.m. in the morning (redundant) Use 8 a.m.
6. Do not use o'clock with a.m. or p.m.

12.). Adding variety & interest:

Sentence variety can be introduced to the beginning of sentences

by starting a sentence with an adverb, starting a sentence with a
prepositional phrase, or by inverting the subject and verb. Combine ideas,
using modifiers, relative clauses, or appositives, to achieve sentence variety.

Adding sentence variety to prose can give it life and rhythm. Too many
sentences with the same structure and length can grow monotonous for readers.
Varying sentence style and structure can also reduce repetition and add
emphasis.

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13.). Practice writing short stories:

Sample Short Literary Story

Donny smoothed his hands over his suit for the millionth time. The cigarette

was almost gone. He’d have to go in soon.

It killed him. It had killed him when he got the call about the funeral. Killed

him on the flight there. Killed him while he waited for the single bag he packed

for his short stay in Indiana. Killed him as the rental car rumbled up streets he

hadn’t seen in a decade but knew like the back of his hand.

He could handle the body, he supposed. Some forgotten cousin. A sad thing,

but nothing worth coming home over—had one’s father not twisted one’s arm,

financially speaking. Work out west was hard to find. The old man was rich. It

was a natural arrangement, of course—none of the thirtysomethings he knew

could survive out there without accomplished parents—but not one without its

inconveniences.

“You got this, Donny.” He checked his reflection in a corner of the window and

decided to do away with the sunglasses. “Big tears. Big tears. Big tears.”

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They came pretty easily. He’d do the head-down thing, for sure, the sorry-for-

not-staying-dad-I’m-on-a-filming-schedule thing too. His dad would never ask

when he could see Donny’s latest appearance, because he was too smart and

too caring to ask difficult questions. But the understanding would be there,

staring Donny in the face every time he cashed another check.

“You got this.”

He still couldn’t make himself walk towards the door.

Here he was, a professional friggin’ actor, and he couldn’t whip up some tears

at a family member’s funeral. He smashed his fists against his thigh. The extra

pain provided by the Indiana cold gave him an idea. He brought his right hand

up, pulled himself out of the window’s view, and slapped himself in the face.

Hard. Again.

The tears flowed easily, then.

Into the funeral home. His cheeks still stung from the slaps. His tears made it

worse. He felt like a gigantic idiot. The family, or the few that remained this far

into the service, all turned from their front row seats to look.

None of their smiles looked real. He returned one just as fake.

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Then, dad stood. Richard Bolt, the brake king of the Midwest, receiving his

actor son back home. He didn’t raise his arms for a hug, so Donny lowered his.

Three more steps. Two more. One. Still no arms. No smile, either. Only a quick

admonition before he turned:

“Your cheek is red.”

Sample Short Love Story

It was very hard for Sam to keep from screaming at the unfairness of it all.

She had been working at the newspaper for years. She wasn't always the best

writer, and she certainly could have been a bit more social with the rest of the

office staff, but she was good at her job, and she had become invaluable to the

editor. Derek had always valued her opinion for what it was, and he trusted her

more than anyone else at the paper.

But that was before Christine.

Christine slammed into the newsroom like a Category 5 hurricane. She tore

down everything Sam had worked so hard to build and left a trail of destruction

in her wake. Within her first month, she'd managed to get four good reporters

fired, and at least a few others were on the chopping block.

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And Derek seemed to love her immediately.

It didn't matter to him that Sam had given the paper everything or that he used

to trust her implicitly. When Christine winked, complimented him, and broke

things off with her fiancé to “get to know him better,” all of that went out the

window. It was like Caesar and Cleopatra all over again.

She demanded Sam's resignation two weeks later.

It was sheer luck that Christine wasn't in a position to influence hiring. No

matter how much she complained about Sam's work, she couldn't get her way.

And then came the last straw: Derek promoted Christine to the job Sam had

been promised, and that was it. A carefully crafted letter of resignation made its

way to her direct supervisor's desk.

Truth be told, Sam still wasn’t sure whether it was the right decision. But she’d

given her two weeks’ notice, and her desk would have to be cleared out by

then. She had to focus on that.

When she walked back into the office that Wednesday night, there he was. She

had hoped that today would be the day he’d decide he didn’t have to work until

all hours and let her clear out her desk in peace. But Derek, who always seemed

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to have a sixth sense about her, picked his head up the second she made it

across the room.

There wasn't much left: a calendar, a mug, a few notebooks, and a well-worn

chemistry textbook lined the box she brought for her things. He at least had the

decency to let her finish packing before calling her over.

This wasn't going to end well, and she knew it.

“Are you okay?” he asked once she was settled into the uncomfortable chair

across from him. She nodded mutely, and he cleared his throat.

“Good. I, uh...you'll have to forgive the lack of professionalism here, but...”

She tilted her head. “But what?” she asked graciously, wondering briefly if he

knew how thin a line he was treading. His eyes fixed on her, and it was like she

was seeing the Derek of three months ago. She couldn’t breathe.

“Please don't go,” he blurted. She blinked, working hard to keep face blank. He

leaned over the desk theatrically, and it was hard for Sam to keep from smiling.

Whenever he pulled that move, she couldn’t help but think Derek looked a bit

like Cary Grant.

“I don't know why you're leaving, but we need you here. You're the best writer

at the paper. And I need your advice. Please stay.”

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And there he was, giving her that look again—the one that always got him an

extra slice of cake at company gatherings, could probably get him out of prison,

and was very effective at melting a reporter’s heart. Sam felt her reasons for

leaving start drifting away. He needed her. And she had always been there for

him. How could she leave?

She felt the corners of her mouth turning up and forced them back down again.

No way could she cave now; she was right in the middle of packing up her

stuff! “What about Christine?”

Derek shook his head, sighing audibly. “Christine is…well, she’s something,

all right.” He locked his eyes on hers, and Sam felt herself unable to look away.

“But you have something that she just doesn’t.”

Sam furrowed her brow. “And what might that be?”

He ran a hand through his hair (his beautiful, perfect, full head of hair, Sam

thought in spite of herself), seemingly struggling for words. She waited, biting

her lip in anticipation.

Finally he spoke. “You’re kind. You’re funny. You’re incredibly talented but

so modest that hardly anyone knows how amazing you are, even though they

should. You keep to yourself, but you’re easy to talk to, and I know you’ll be

honest with me no matter what I ask. Basically, you’re one of very few people I
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look forward to seeing every day, and I would genuinely hate to see you go.”

By the end of his soliloquy, his face had gone red, and Sam noticed that he was

twisting his tie around in his hands—almost as if she were making him

nervous.

She smiled at the thought. And then she had an idea that was so crazy and out

of character for her she couldn’t believe it could have come out of her own

rational, analytical brain. But this is my last chance, really, she realized. If I

don’t do this now, I’ll never be able to.

So she blurted it out before she had too much time to convince herself it was a

horrible idea.

“If you’d hate it so much, prove it to me. Take me to dinner tonight. You can

give me more compliments,” she laughed, “and reasons you want me to stay.”

He opened his mouth, his lips forming the word “no,” then caught her eye again

and shut his mouth. Sam’s breath was stuck in her throat. She stared at him,

refusing to blink, until at last she heard the words she hadn’t known she was

waiting for.

“You know what? It’s a date.”

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14.). Advanced Punctuation Issues:

What are the punctuation issues?

Six categories of punctuation errors include missing, extraneous, misplaced,

excessive, incorrect, and inconsistent punctuation. Each of the following

sentences illustrate one of those errors in that order, accompanied by discussion

and revision.

What is the hardest punctuation to use?

The Comma

The hardest punctuation mark to use correctly is the comma, an infographic from

[Link] claims. That's because it has more rules and applications

than any other punctuation mark.

How do you punctuate creative writing?

Punctuation fills our writing with silent intonation. We pause, stop, emphasize,

or question using a comma, a period, an exclamation point or a question

mark. Correct punctuation adds clarity and precision to writing; it allows the

writer to stop, pause, or give emphasis to certain parts of the sentence.

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 What could be the impact of using improper punctuations in writing?

A wrongly used punctuation or a missing punctuation can change the entire

meaning of a sentence. Punctuation primarily helps to indicate the pauses and

the emphasis on certain ideas or thoughts that are discussed in the text

How do you solve punctuation problems?

What are the most common punctuation errors?

Based on comments and responses from our readers and listeners, here

are 11 common punctuation mistakes that irritate people the most:

 Misplaced apostrophes. ...

 Misusing “it's” ...
 Incorrect quotation marks. ...
 Putting periods in the wrong place. ...
 Putting commas in the wrong place. ...
 Using semicolons like commas.

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 7 Unusual Punctuation Marks You Never Knew Existed

1. Interrobang. We're starting off with a bang – an interrobang. ...

2. Asterism. In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern or a group of stars. ...

3. Percontation Point. ...

4. Irony Mark. ...

5. Conviction Point. ...

6. Doubt Point. ...

7. Hedera. ...

8. 7 Words You Didn't Know Originated From Names.

What is the most misused punctuation mark in creative writing?

Semicolon.

The most-frequently misused punctuation mark; it is sometimes used as a

replacement for a comma or even a colon. I hate semicolons – in my

writing, they're replaced by a dash or by breaking the thought into two

sentences.

The END

This was written by the Professor: {Dr. Kamal Oun}.

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