Creative Writing

Ms. Putri
mscahyaniputri@unmas.ac.id
Can you define what
is creative writing?
Creative Original

Writing Creative

Express oneself

Evoke readers' emotion

Communicating a theme
 The Definition of Creative Writing

Creative writing is a form of writing that goes beyond the traditional

realms of normal, professional, academic or technical forms of writing. It

can be considered as any type of writing that is original and expressive

of oneself. It also 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.

The Definition of Creative Writing

Creative writing is an art of making things up. It's writing done in a

way that is not academic or technical but still attracts audience. It

can be considered of any writing that is original and self-expressive.

It is meant to evoke emotion in a reader by communicating a theme.

The theme is the central meaning the work communicates.

What do you know
about theme in
creative writing?
 Love
Theme
Faith

Courage

Family

Friendship
 Theme
Theme can be broad The more specific your theme,
or specific. the more focused your story.

A story can have more than one theme, and a single theme can
be explained in multiple ways. It is not explicitly stated within the
story itself, but it can become apparent as the story unfolds.
 How to Choose a Theme

A theme shouldn't be random.

Choose a theme that is meaningful to you.

Choose a theme based on how interesting you think it will be for

your readers.

A good theme has depth and meaningful value.

 Famous Examples of Disney Movies
and Their Themes

Mulan: girls / women can do battle as honorably as boys / men

Pinocchio: dishonesty leads to trouble

Cinderella: kindness and inner beauty are rewarded

The Little Mermaid: love often requires choices and sacrifices

The story is about a shark that terrorizes a
beach community and the men tasked with
killing the shark. But the film’s themes
include humanity’s desire to control
nature, tradition vs. innovation, and how
potential profit can drive people in power
to make dangerous, even fatal, decisions.
What are the types
of fiction creative
writing?
 Novels
Types of
Fiction Short Stories

Creative Writing
Poetry

Plays & TV scripts

Screenplays
 Novels originated in the eighteenth
century. A novel is a fictional story that’s
generally told in 60,000 to 100,000 words,
though they can be as short as 40,000
words or go beyond 100,000.

Novels
 Stories that are too short to be novels, but
can’t accurately be called short stories, are
often referred to as novellas. Generally, a
story between 10,000 and 40,000 words is
considered a novella. You might also run
into the term “novelette,” which is used to
refer to stories that clock in between 7,500
and 19,000 words.

Novella & Novelette

 Poetry can be hard to define because as a
genre, it’s so open-ended. A poem doesn’t
have to be any specific length. It doesn’t
have to rhyme. There are many different
kinds of poems from cultures all over the
world, like sonnets, haikus, sestinas, blank
verse, limericks, and free verse.

Poetry
 Plays are meant to be performed on stage.
Screenplays are meant to be made into
films, and TV scripts are meant to be made
into television programs. Scripts for videos
produced for other platforms fit into this
category as well.

Plays, Screenplays & TV Scripts

 Plays, Screenplays & TV Scripts

Plays, TV scripts, and screenplays tell stories that evoke

emotion and express themes. The difference is that they’re
meant to be performed rather than read and as such, they
tend to rely much more on dialogue because they don’t have
the luxury of lengthy descriptive passages. But scriptwriters
have more than just dialogue to work with; writing a play or
script also involves writing stage or scene directions.
 Essays
Types of
Autobiography
Non-Fiction
Creative Writing Narrative Journalism

Narrative History

Personal Essay
What makes a good
piece of creative
writing?
 What makes a good piece of creative writing?

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.
 What makes a good piece of creative writing?

Write what you know

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.
 What makes a good piece of creative writing?

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, and
varied sentence structure to make your work unique.
 What makes a good piece of creative writing?

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?
 What makes a good piece of creative writing?

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?
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Character development
Character development is the process and execution of creating a fully
rounded, complex, and lifelike character within your fictional writing with the
purpose of making readers invested in them and their life or journey. When
writing a story, character development is essential. A well-developed
character needs a full backstory, personality traits reflective of it, realistic
actions and emotions, highly relatable to the average reader and as complex
as a real person.
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Character development

Your characters, especially your primary protagonists and antagonists, can

make or break your story. Characters that are believable, realistic, and
likable can turn even an average story into something enjoyable. Characters
that are dull, flat, or unrealistic can turn the best story arc into a one-star
review every time.
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Protagonist

The protagonist of a story is its main character, who has the sympathy and
support of the audience. This character tends to be involved in or affected by
most of the choices or conflicts that arise in the narrative. A protagonist can
be present in any form of art that contains characters and a story: novels,
films, poems, dramas, operas, etc. Most stories contain one protagonist.
 Snow White is the protagonist of Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Harry Potter is the protagonist of Harry

Potter Novels.
 Protagonist

01 02 03 04
Villain Supporting
Hero Antihero
Protagonist Protagonist

Further reading:
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/protagonist
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Antagonist

An antagonist is usually a character who opposes the protagonist (or main

character) of a story, but the antagonist can also be a group of characters,
institution, or force against which the protagonist must contend. Not all
stories that have a protagonist necessarily have an antagonist, but an
antagonist can't exist without a protagonist.
 The Queen is the antagonist of Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Voldemort is the antagonist of Harry

Potter Novels.
 Antagonist

01 02 03 04 05
Villain Hero Group Non-human Internal
Antagonist Antagonist antagonists antagonist Antagonist

Further reading:
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/antagonist
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Plot Development

The development of a story’s plot is one of the most important aspects of

storytelling. A well-written plot introduces readers to believable characters
and events. The characters’ interactions with the events and plot will make
readers more likely to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story. Plot also helps
build the reader’s impression of the characters.
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Plot Development

In addition to helping readers understand the characters’ motivations, plot

development is essential for building a strong sense of reader identification.
A plot development is the key to capturing readers’ attention and keeping
them interested in your story. The process of plot development in creative
writing involves laying out an outline for a storywhich helps writers organize
their thoughts and give a sense of direction to their work.
 Freytag's Pyramid
Gustav Freytag was a 19th century litrary critic (186) who proposed that
Shakespeare's play (all of which are divided into 5 major sections) follow this
plan as regards the development of their plots.
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

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. Dialogues can be part of a story, a
play or a movie. Dialogues can be just a sentence, two or three lines or even a
short paragraph. Be very careful with the tense used in the dialogue.
 What is the format of dialogue writing?

The basic structure and format of a dialogue is as follows;

1) Dialogues are to be placed within quotation marks; 2) Every speaker gets a
new paragraph; 3) Dialogues are to be placed within quotation marks; 4) The
name of the character is followed by a colon and then the dialogue within
quotes is written; 5) If dialogue tags are used, use a comma after it if it comes
in the beginning, a comma before and after if it comes in the middle and
place it immediately after the quotation marks if it comes at the end.
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Literary devices
Literary devices are tools and techniques that a writer uses when crafting
their story that make the writing go beyond the literal meaning of the words
on the page. These techniques take the story beyond the basics of beginning,
middle, and end, to the more complex and satisfying levels of mood, flavor,
narrative, and meaning.

Further reading:
https://7esl.com/literary-devices/
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Literary devices

A literary device is essentially a technique used by a writer which adds

substance or an effect to the text they are writing. It is used to help the
reader create a more detailed image of what is happening within the writing
and is employed often in various types of written work. These can include
works of fiction, poetry, song and non-fiction pieces amongst others.
 What are some techniques used in creative writing?

Literary devices

They are a great way to assist the reader in gaining a deeper understanding
of what is being said in the writing and are also used as a way to emphasise a
point or to make it more clear. Many literary devices are put in place in order
to convey certain information, especially if the writer wishes to do so in a
more creative fashion, therefore making the text much more appealing and
interesting to the reader.
Grab a pencil or computer and...

Happy
Writing!