At the end of the unit, it is expected that you can produce short paragraphs or

vignettes using imagery, diction, figures of speech, and specific experiences.

Lesson 1: Creative Writing vs. Technical and Academic Writing

When you think of creative writing, what comes into your mind? Complete the
semantic web by providing the words or phrases that you associate with creative writing.

Creative
Writing

In this lesson, creative writing will be compared with other forms of writing such as
technical and academic writing, in order for you to understand what creative writing is.

Creative Writing
You might have heard it called different things.
Traditionally 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. Though the definition is rather loose, creative
writing can for the most part be considered any writing that
is original and self-expressive.
 Some authorities define creative writing as a form of artistic expression, draws on the
imagination to convey meaning through the use of imagery, narrative and drama. This genre
includes poetry, fiction (novels, short stories), scripts, screen plays, and creative non-fiction.

The purpose of creative writing is to both entertain and share human experience, like
love or loss. Writers attempt to get at a truth about humanity through poetics and storytelling.

If you would 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.

Academic Writing
Academic writing is clear, concise, focussed,
structured and backed up by evidence. Its purpose is to aid
the reader’s understanding. It has a formal tone and style,
but it is not complex and does not require the use of long
sentences and complicated vocabulary.

Each subject discipline will have certain writing conventions, vocabulary and types of
discourse that you will become familiar with over the course of your degree. However, there
are some general characteristics of academic writing that are relevant across all disciplines.

Academic writing is planned and focused. This means that this type of writing
answers the question and demonstrates an understanding of the subject. Also, it is
considered structured since it is coherent, written in a logical order, and brings together
related points and material. Furthermore, academic writing is evidenced because it
demonstrates knowledge of the subject area, supports opinions and arguments with
evidence, and is referenced accurately. Finally, academic writing is formal in tone and style
since it uses appropriate language and tenses, and is clear, concise and balanced.

Technical Writing
Technical writing is linked to the processes. It involves a
step by step explanation of a procedure so that anyone can
understand it.

From business letters to the product descriptions and

editorial letters, it conveys the technical information such as
engineering and scientific studies in the easiest way possible.

Technical writing is entirely goal-oriented and it talks about different ways by which
the desired goal can be achieved. It targets any person who needs to know the task followed
by a particular organization.

In a technical writing, the writer includes the points such as goals, strategies, benefits
etc.; hence, it exhibits a well-organized pattern. Technical writing comes under the category
of formal writing. This implies that it follows a specific set of guidelines and the tone of writing
remains serious. Hence, you can’t use slang terms or jargons in technical.