Creative Writing Notes

Creative Writing vs. Technical Writing

  • Creative writing goes beyond normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature.
  • Writing is a complex process with various forms depending on purpose and content.
  • Creative writing uses language in imaginative and bold ways to express thoughts, feelings, and emotions rather than simply conveying information.

Traits of Creative Writing

  • Written to capture attention.
  • Aims to entertain and arouse feelings in the reader.
  • Technical writing educates with factual information presented logically.

Types of Creative Writing

  • Journals: Gratitude, dream, or goals journals.
  • Diaries: Chronicles of daily events.
  • Essays: Personal, descriptive, and persuasive essays.
  • Fiction: Prose or narrative fiction including novels, short stories, myths, parables, romances, and epics.
  • Poetry: Relies on imagery, figurative language, and sound.
  • Memoir: Personal account with narrow themes and specific topics.
  • Vignette: Brief, evocative description, account, or episode.
  • Song Lyrics: Merges writing with music.
  • Drama: Literary works designed for performance.
  • Blog: Content displayed on the web.
  • Creative Nonfiction: Contains imaginary situations and characters similar to real life.

Imagery

  • Associated with mental pictures, but more complex.
  • Example: "It was dark and dim in the forest" (visual image).
  • Example: "The children were screaming and shouting in the field" (sense of hearing, auditory sense).

Figure of Speech

  • Any intentional deviation from literal statement or common usage that emphasizes, clarifies, or embellishes language.

Simile

  • Comparison using "as" or "like."
  • Examples:
    • "Life is like a game."
    • "Your love is like the sun."
    • "Your lips are red as roses."

Metaphor

  • Comparison without "as" or "like."
  • Examples:
    • "Life is a game."
    • "Your lips are roses."
    • "Life is a rosary full of mystery."

Irony

  • Statement where the opposite is meant.
  • Examples:
    • "For Brutus is an honorable man."
    • "You are so lovely today; you look like a Christmas tree."

Climax

  • Arrangement of words or ideas in ascending order of importance.
  • Examples:
    • "I came. I saw. I conquered."
    • "We came, we sang; we felt in love."

Hyperbole

  • Exaggeration for literary effect.
  • Examples:
    • "Cowards die a thousand times."
    • "The orphaned child cried an ocean of tears."

Litotes

  • Understatement for literary effect.
  • Examples:
    • "He is no fool."
    • "She is not pretty that she attracts many men."

Pun

  • Play on words for humorous effect.
  • Example: "House's everything for all Filipinos."

Alliteration

  • Repetition of initial letter or sound in successive words.
  • Examples:
    • "Pedro Paterno picked a pack of pad paper."
    • "She shall sell seashells along the seashore."

Onomatopoeia

  • Use of word to indicate a sound.
  • Example: "In the field, birds chirp, cows moo, dogs bark, cats meow."

Parallelism

  • Use of grammatically same or similar components in a sentence.
  • Examples:
    • "Like father, like son."
    • "Easy come, easy go."
    • "Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe."

Diction

  • Determined by the choice of words by a speaker or writer.
  • Separates good writing from bad writing.

Types of Diction

Formal Diction
  • Used in formal situations like press conferences and presentations.
Informal Diction
  • Uses informal words and conversation, such as writing or talking to friends.
Colloquial Diction
  • Uses words common in everyday speech, which may vary by region.
  • Examples:
    • "She was hotter than a hen on a July Sunday." (Southern colloquialism)
    • "My neighbor is wicked smart!" (New England colloquialism)
    • "You betcha I'm watchin' the big game." (Midwest colloquialism)
Slang Diction
  • Uses newly coined or impolite words.
  • Slang words are creative phrases that evolve over time and spotlight cultural experiences.

Examples of Slang

American Slang
  • Break a Leg = Good luck
  • Hot = Attractive
  • Cheesy = Cheap or tacky
  • Dead = Empty, quiet, or sad
  • Hold your horses = Wait a moment
  • Hooked = Addicted
Australian Slang
  • (Examples not provided in the transcript)
British Slang
  • Chuffed = Pleased, happy
  • Mate = A friend
  • Tosh = Nonsense
  • Gander = Take a look
  • Gutted = Sad, disappointed
  • Cheeky = Disrespectful
English Slang
  • Dude = guy
  • Croak = to die
  • Gig = Job or work
  • Ball = a good time
  • Airhead = dumb person
  • Cushy = comfortably easy
  • Kicks = shoes
  • Eyeball = look at, look over
  • Dynamite = awesome or great
  • Dough = Money or cash
  • Rocking = great, awesome
  • Swag = swagger, self-confidence
  • Hot = attractive
  • Grand = a thousand dollars
  • Sick = cool
  • Idiot Box = the television
  • Kick back = relax
  • Joint = a bar or a pub
  • Go Bananas = go crazy
  • Nuts = crazy, mad
  • Pissed off = very annoyed

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation

  • The literal meaning of a word.
  • Example: Home = where you live

Connotation

  • Feelings or emotions associated with a word.
  • Goes beyond the actual meaning and invokes a feeling.
  • Example: "Julia Roberts was a knockout in that red dress" (connotation implies she looked stunning).