Creative

Writing 101
By: Ana Patricia Don

Creative Writing
- is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or
non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal
professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms
of literature. Works which fall into this category include
novels, epics, short stories, and poems. Writing for the
screen and stage, screenwriting and playwriting
respectively, typically have their own programs of study,
but fit under the creative writing category as well.
- is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts,
feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey
- is a style where you focus on thoughts and emotions instead
of just passing along knowledge (that's called non-fiction).

Here are some types of creative writing

that you might run into:
Autobiography or
Memoir
Biography
Children's Literature
Creative Nonfiction
Derivative Fiction
Journal
Novellas and Novels
Novelisation

Playwriting

Poetry
Screenwriting
Short Stories
Travelogue
Young Adult
Literature

Types of
Creative Writing

Creative writing encompasses a wide array

of writing types. Everything from poetic
works to works of nonfiction can be found
in the creative writing genre. The style of
creative writing focuses on writing from
emotions and thoughts rather than just
giving information. Any writing that expresses
emotions or expresses free thinking falls into
the category of creative writing.

Poetry, Limericks and Song

Among the most simple form of creative writing types
are poetry, limericks and song. Poetry comes in all forms
including rhyming, non-rhyming and sonnet form. Other
forms of poetry include free-form poetry, ballads,
couplets and epic poems. Limericks are a creative-writing
type that is written like a poem but with very strict
guidelines. A limerick is a five-line poem that has
humorous, witty or even obscene intent. Songs that we
listen to every day on the radio, television and on CDs
once started out as a creative-writing piece. Songs also
follow guidelines, although they are less strict than a
limerick. Most songs include verses, chorus and refrains
to keep the listener entertained.

Flash Fiction, Micro-Fiction and Fan Fiction

Flash fiction, which also goes by the names micro-fiction
and fan fiction, is a type of creative writing that is shorter
than short stories run. A fictional story is a whole story that
is told between 250 words and 2,000 words. The best
examples of flash fiction tell the story in as little words as
possible, yet give a complete picture of the story. Ernest
Hemingway is among the many authors who have done
flash fiction as creative writing throughout history.

Free-Form and Journaling

Creative writing comes from simple thoughts and emotions that the
writer is feeling or thinking before she places pen to paper. Free-form
writing is a common type of creative writing taught in creative-writing
classes. A time is set for 15 minutes to a half an hour, and the writer
must write on the paper. There should be no fear or censorship as the
thoughts and feelings are transferred to the paper. Many writers use
this practice to ease writer's block and also to keep thoughts and ideas
fresh. Journaling is another type of creative writing similar to freeform, except that it is about you instead of just random thoughts,
although those can be placed in a journal also. Journaling does not
have to be linear with a beginning, middle and end, which sometimes
helps writers gain clarity and insight about personal experiences .

Novels, Novellas and Short Stories

Creative writing is most commonly known in fiction form
when it is written as a novel, novella or short story.
Novels are stories that have a beginning, middle and end.
Novels are usually thousands of words long. Many novels
are considered creative writing--even some that are
nonfiction. Memoirs, autobiographies and genre stories
are all considered novels. Novellas are like a novel, but
are shorter in length yet longer than short stories. Short
stories are usually in a word count of 1,000 to 7,500
words. Many places consider writing under 20,000 words
to be in the short-story category of creative writing.
Anything less than 1,000 words falls into the flash fiction
category.

Scripts and More

Creative writing can also be found in theater, television
and even on the radio. Writers who specialize in script
writing or screen plays write the way a play or movie
should be performed or acted out. Actors use these scripts
when auditioning for parts, and then study them to
remember their lines. Ads, jingles and radio dialogues are
considered types of creative writing. Many writers
specialize in certain fields of this type of creative writing.
Soap operas, television dramas and even big theatrical
plays will all have a creative writer at the heart of the
show or play.

Thank you for

Listening! :)