What is creative writing?

As the name suggests, creative writing is a form of writing that

goes beyond the traditional realms of normal, professional,
academic or technical forms of writing.
Instead, it encompasses a number of different genres and styles
across a whole range of fields of both fictional and non-fiction
writing; storytelling, playwriting, poetry, prose, journalistic, and
more.
Though the definition can be quite vague, creative writing can, for
the most part, be considered as any type of writing that is original
and expressive of oneself. Typically, it can be identified by an
emphasis on narrative craft, focusing on elements such as
character development, narrative and plot, infusing its structure
with imagination, invention and story.
In this sense, creative writing can technically be considered any
writing of contemporary, original composition – it’s bound by no
standard conventions and uses a whole range of elements in its
craft.
In an academic setting, creative writing is typically divided into
fiction, poetry, or scriptwriting classes, with a focus on writing in
an original style, not defined by pre-existing structures and
genres.

What are the different types of creative

writing?
Creative writing comes in many forms, encompassing a number of
genres and styles. There are lots of different types of creative
writing, which can be categorised as fiction or non-fiction. Some
of the most popular being:
 Biographies
 Fiction: novels, novellas, short stories, etc.
 Speeches
 Poetry and spoken word
 Playwriting/scriptwriting
 Personal essays
 Speeches

What makes a good piece of creative

writing?
 First and foremost, it’s important to note that there is no pre-
defined description of what it means to create a ‘good’ piece of
creative writing. As the very name suggests, creative writing is an
imaginative process, created by the individual with all their quirks
and personalities.
Creative writing doesn’t fit one set genre and therefore there will
never be an umbrella definition to describe the ‘perfect’ piece.
Just think about a Gothic short story and then compare it to the
features of a great Romantic poem – the two are so very different
– it wouldn’t be unfair to judge them together.
However, with that being said, there are a few general principles
that you can follow to make your creative writing as strong as it
can be – by making it as authentic and true to you as possible:
 Know your audience – All great stories begin with a target
audience in mind – because it’s exactly what you need to know
in order to really tailor your writing and connect with
them. Therefore, any creative writer should begin their writing
by plotting out exactly who they want to read their work. Once
you have this in mind, your writing will naturally begin to take
direction and flow in a way that seems appropriate to your
audience.
 Write what you know – Quite often, the best stories are those
which we can connect to and relate in one or another way to
our own lives. Or, they’re stories which seem so authentic that
you could imagine it to be about the writer’s own life. Now, this
doesn’t mean that you quite literally have to write about your
life, but drawing on knowledge you have about different
elements of our lives to give your story some authenticity and
more believability.
 Creativity is key – Creativity is one of the most important
elements of creative writing. It’s what sets you apart from other
pieces of writing in your genre. Of course, this doesn’t demand
that you write a tale about a totally fantastical and mythical
world with unique creatures – but simply use your creativity to
think a little outside the box and put a unique twist on things;
using literary devices like metaphors, alliteration, and varied
sentence structure to make your work unique and interesting.
 Push your imagination – One of the great things about
creative writing is that there is no definition or rules on ‘how’ to
write. It’s a much more subjective genre, and one which relies
heavily on your own interpretations. Therefore, you should push
your imagination to the limits to see what the end result could
be. Some of the most interesting pieces of literature are
 thought-provoking or make us question the writing or world
around us – where could your story take us?
 Plot a loose story arc – Despite the loose bounds of creative
writing, it is still advisable to plot a loose story arc for any piece
of literature you create. Story arcs are critical at giving your
writing direction and purpose, helping you to write the whole
piece at a good pace, without writing any superfluous content
or ‘waffle.’ Follow your story arc, and your writing will have a
strong structure, pace and direction – keeping your readers
more engaged.

What are some techniques used in creative

writing?
To make their writing stand out, writers often employ several
creative writing techniques and literary devices, including:
 Character development – The process of creating a well-
rounded, realistic character with depth, personality, and clear
goals or motivations.
 Plot development – The story of your piece of writing – how it
develops, unfolds, and moves along in time.
 Point of view – The perspective from which a narrative is told.
It indicates who is telling the story and how the information is
conveyed to the reader. Quite often writers will play with the
point of view of the central character or protagonist to trick the
reader and twist their perspective.
 Dialogue – Refers to the speech and conversations characters
use to speak to one another. Dialogue and the language
choices a character makes can be pivotal in helping define their
personality.
 Literary devices – Such as metaphors, similes and alliteration
to make creative writing more imaginative and descriptive.
These are used in a myriad of ways by writers to make their
writing more vivid, interesting and engaging.

Source:
Genres of Writing – How To Distinguish
Between Them
A Short Guide to the Genres of Writing
There are as many types of genres in writing as there are books, movies, and other
publications. For example, in the literary world, writing might either be fiction or non-
fiction and it is likely to fall into one of the major literary genres, such as:

 Comedy
 Drama
 Horror
 Realism
 Romance
 Satire
 Tragedy
 Thriller
 Fantasy
Of course, as you begin to develop your literary work, it is possible that these genres
might begin to branch out into ‘sub-genres’ such crime, fairy-tale, and folklore. Or,
they might cross over into another genre all together, creating a mix of genres like
‘dramady’ or ‘romcoms’.

When the classification of writing changes, so does the list of possible different
types of writing genres. Take professional writing, for example. You aren’t likely to
encounter romance or fantasy in a piece of professional correspondence. However,
you might see documentation such as:

 Abstract
 Book Review
 Commentary
 Critique
 Cover Letter
 Email
 Memo
 Journal
 Profile
 Proposal

In short, a “genre” makes use of unique features that will differentiate it from other
genres or types of writing. It is up to you as the writer to ensure that you clearly
understand the formal and type of writing that is expected in your particular situation.

Genres of Writing – Where to Start?

If you have any experience with the popular movie streaming service Netflix the odds
are good that you have a basic answer to the question of ‘what’s a genre.’ As eluded
to in earlier paragraphs, “genre” refers to the form that your writing will take. Most
often, genre is determined by not only the purpose of the writing but also by the
audience who the work is being created for.

For example, if you are preparing for a stand-up comedy routine, you might write a
comedy script. If you need to tell members of a club or organization that you will be
hosting a fundraiser, you might decide to write a memo. In the case of business or
professional writing, you should anticipate some exceptions in formality based on the
genre of writing you choose.

The more formal the purpose of the writing, the more formal the genre should be.

How to Identify Genre

The criteria of genre is largely determined by its specific need. For instance, a
‘shopping list’ is a genre created out of the need to remember the items on your
grocery list while you visit the local supermarket. Typically, grocery lists are a set
form of writing, concise and to the point and most often in list format.

The key takeaway here is that genre will almost always be determined by the needs
and expectations of the audience. This is why it is so vital to clearly understand what
information your audience will need and what you want them to be able to get out of
your writing. All of this information will be used to determine which genre is best
suited for your written work.

That said, there will be occasions where your genre might be set for you. For
instance, you might be asked to write a paper in a pre-determined genre and then it
will become necessary to figure out how the criteria of a specific genre should be
applied and what information should be included and why.

Earlier we discussed literary genres and their subclassifications, other forms of

writing have ‘common genres’ too. For example, as students learning how to write,
you might encounter six common types of writing genres. They are ‘descriptive
writing’, ‘expository writing’, ‘journals and letters’, ‘narrative writing’, ‘persuasive
writing’ and ‘poetry writing.’ The chart below explains the differences.

Genre Purpose Activities

In this genre of writing, you · Comparisons

might take note of things
like metaphors and similes · Descriptive sentences
Descriptive Writing
and use these sensory
details to make your writing · Poems
more objective.

In this genre, it is common · Essays

to collect and synthesize
information. This type of · Directions
Expository Writing
writing is often objective –
reports are the most · Reports
frequently seen medium.
· Summaries
 Here you might either write
· E-mail
to yourself or to someone
else. This type of writing is · Blogs
Journals and Letters personal and less formal
than any of the other · Letters
genres. You may share
news, ideas or take notes. · Personal journals

The genre may involve

sharing of stories, writing
· Personal narratives
stories about personal
Narrative Writing events and creating new · Story sharing
stories. These will include a
beginning, a middle and an · Story scripts
end.

· Book and movie reviews.

Persuasion refers to the · Letters to the editor

ability to convince someone
Persuasive Writing
to see things from your · Letters
specific vantagepoint.
· Essays

· Advertisements

This genre focuses on

· Poems
creating imagery with
Poetry Writing words, using rhymes and · Haiku
other stylistic devices to
create poems.

If you are looking for a more in-depth explanation of any of the above-mentioned
genres, take a look at this article.

Social Media: Social media is the newest genre in business writing, and has
become increasingly prevalent in world of business communication. If you are ever
asked to assist with maintaining commercial social media accounts, it is important to
understand how each platform works. For example, Twitter has a 140-character limit,
so the information you share will need to be concise and external links should be
carefully considered prior to adding them.
Writing for social media is typically more informal than most other types of business
writing, however, it still requires that you know your audience and that you are able
to communicate with them on the same level. For example, are you sharing
information for coworkers?

Potential customers? Students? Consider who you are speaking to and on what level
you should speak to them. You might find it helpful to browse other social media
posts to develop a firmer understanding of how the most popular social sharing
platforms can be used to reach target audiences.

The different types of writing genres will change depending on the nature of the
written work itself. As can be expected, the genres that are suitable for things like
play scripts, novels, poems and other forms of creative writing aren’t likely to be the
same ones that are suitable for business or professional writing, trade journals,
product manuals or even guide books.

The most important thing to factor in when deciding what genre to deploy in your
writing (unless a genre has been assigned to you) is the audience that you are
writing for and the purpose of your writing. There are occasions where it might be
beneficial to add elements of comedy or realism to your writing, but there are also
times and situations where it is likely more in your best interest to adopt a more
formal and professional approach.

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