Introduction to Creative Writing

Introduction to Creative WritingElements to be aware of:

Two main types:

Descriptive of moment/experience in a persons life or A storyBoth need the same elements but will be developed slightly differently

Elements:

1. StructureBeginningMiddleEndFor a story this is called the PLOT and usually has a crisis or problem that needs to be solved. For a description this would just be where the writer starts describing the object or scene and may not have a particular conclusion. There would be no linked series of actions or events.

Setting

The writing must occur in some place

in some particular time or historical moment

Creating the detailIt is important to establish this immediately and naturallyUse of sounds/smells/visual detail can be an original and immediate way to begin the story.

Eg. Popcorn smells suggest the movies

What would the following smells suggest?Incense

Fresh coffee

Chlorine

Seaweed

SoundsWhere would you be if you heard the following?

Establishing Character

Most stories have people. Rather than telling, show.a)What can you tell from this first sentence?

As soon as he was sure he could no longer be seen from the front door he kicked viciously at the dog snuffling around his ankles.

The reader is involved by predicting ideas from the writers details.b) Read this; Only three buttons remained on the grimy black coat and the sleeves were fraying at the cuffs but Bill treasured its warmth. Who is Bill? What is his situation? Is there enough information?

Now read this:

Only three buttons remained on the grimy black coat and the sleeves were fraying at the cuffs but Bill treasured its warmth. The air-raid siren blew yet again but he felt safe huddled with the other kids in the underground station.What has changed/ become clearer in your understanding? What do you think about the setting? And what do you assume about the character?

Character continued

The nature of the people in the story should become obvious by means of their actions ( movements and mannerisms included) ;their dress (can show social class or attitude); the setting (work or home) and the emotional aspects of thoughts and feelings.

Some characters : what can you tell about these?1.

Describe her character.2.

What do we know? How do we know this?

Language useHow a character speaks can reveal a number of thingsMake any dialogue appropriate for character for example, a three year old will not use words like psychologically interesting

What do you know about someone who says:

Wassup?Gday, guv.Sixty years ago, he was baptised here in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace. As parents and grandparents, we feel great pride in seeing our family make their own unique contributions to society. No worries bro if it looks a bit munted, shell be right.

Make your words suited to the audience Look at these two sentences: The cat purred. It licked its lips. The sleek feline stretched in delicious contentment

Can you identify the differences?

Obviously aimed at different target audiences can you suggest who?

Make your words interesting/ original/ contain imagery

The moon is a golf ball hit high in the night sky. The moon sails across the sky like a ghostly galleon.

Which one is the cliche?What is the rule with cliches?Try to make an original description of stars in a night sky.

Tasks:Write five sentence description of a place at night just after the sun has gone down.

Now five sentences to describe a sunrise.

Share with a neighbourAn example of the after sunset description by a brilliant writerThen the darkness deepened, and came out from behind the trees and bushes, and up through the fields, and the shadows lengthened and joined together; and I thought it looked like water, coming up through the ground, and rising slowly up like the sea. (p. 269) Atwood, M. (1997). Alias Grace. London: Virago.

An example of the sunrise description by the same writerAtwood, M. (1997). Alias Grace. London: Virago.The first grey light began gathering faintly, and then as the light built the mountains began to form themselves, retaining the dark of night in their bulk. The fog that clung to the peaks lifted and lost the shapes of the mountains and dissipated in the warmth of the morning. In the pasture the forms of trees remained drawn in dew on the grass beneath them. (p. 48) Frazier, C. (1997). Cold Mountain. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press. Dissipated means scattered, disappeared, moved away

Create some variety with vocabulary choicesEg You can say He walked but it can be more interesting and informative to say: He staggered or he strode, or he limped.

BUT BUT BUTBEWARE of overdoing this. Sometimes simple is better. For instance this sort of thing is to be avoided at all costs. DO NOT DO THIS:

Hello, she sighedWhy, hello, he whispered back.Where have you been? she murmured.I cant tell you, he responded.Why not? she screeched, angry now.I just cant! he shouted.

Sentence Structures.

It is important to use a variety of different types:Short: I feel sick Long : Many days have passed since the war began but nothing has been done.

starting with a phrase: In the cave, they sheltered from the rain.starting with a clause: Although I am only 12, I am a member of the New Zealand Chess Club joining two simple sentences together: My friend who lives next door has a dog.

Avoid the obvious subject, verb, object style.

The boy lived in the red house. The boys name was John. John had a red bicycle and a black dog. John was fourteen. John was four years older than I. I thought he was wonderful.Try the following using the above sentences:Join two or three sentencesStart a sentence with a phraseChange one sentence into an adjective and noun only.

Use different sentence typesA question: What to do?A Command: Go now!A list: I love sunshine, sea and ice-cream.Repetition: Never, never, never do that again.Balance: A time to laugh, a time to cry.Parallelism: We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

RememberSHOW DONT TELL MAKE IT INTERESTING USE THE SENSESADD DETAILSUSE VARIETYCONCENTRATE IDEAS AND MEANING be brief but meaningful rather than wordy and boring.MAKE IT REAL