Creative Writing - Creative Writing Techniques PDF

**CREATIVE WRITING** [Fiction and Its Elements] **Fiction** is a term used to describe an imaginative work of prose, either a folktale, a myth, a novel, a short story or a novella. It is the creation of the writer\'s imagination, or simply an imagined story - not true. **Folktales**- are types of...

**CREATIVE WRITING** [Fiction and Its Elements] **Fiction** is a term used to describe an imaginative work of prose, either a folktale, a myth, a novel, a short story or a novella. It is the creation of the writer\'s imagination, or simply an imagined story - not true. **Folktales**- are types of narrative prose literature found in the oral traditions of the world. These are passed orally from generations to generations. **Myth-** is a narrative tale involving gods and goddesses, it also describes practices and some explains certain phenomena. **Novel-** is an extended fictitious prose narrative which consists of 50,000 words or more. Novel deals with human character in a social condition, man as a social being. **Short story-** is fictional narrative that deals with a single incident that can be read at one sitting. **[The Elements of Fiction]** **A. Character/s.** This element refers to a representation of a human being or any other creatures the course of the story. **Types of Character** 1. **Protagonist**- is the main character in a novel, play or in a story. The protagonist is also referred as the hero of the work. Ex. Frodo Baggins 2. **Antagonist**- is a character in a story who deceives, frustrates or works against the main character or the protagonist. Ex. Sauron 3. **Flat Character-** is a character who is the same kind of person at the end of the story as he/she was at the beginning. Ex. Gollum 4. **Dynamic Character-** is a character who undergoes a permanent change in the aspect of his/her personality or outlook. Ex. Aladdin 5. **Tragic hero/Tragic figure**- is a protagonist who comes to a bad end as a result of his own behaviour, usually caused by personality disorder. Ex. Romeo 6. **Anti-hero**- is a protagonist character who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero. Ex. Pathetic Captain Jack Sparrow **B. Point-of-View.** Point of view is the perspective from which the story or work is told. Point -of-view is also defined as the eyes and mind through which the reader views the unfolding of events. It tells through whose eyes we are seeing the story and as well reveals the attitude of the writer toward the character. **Types of Point of View** 1\. **First Person POV**. This is used when the narrator is a character of the story This point of view is identifiable by the use of the pronoun \"I.\" **2. Second Person POV**. This is the rarest narrative voice in literature. The narrator refers the reader as \"you\". **3. Third Person POV.** This happens when the narrator does not take part in the story. **Objective POV**- is often referred to as Dramatic point of view because the story is narrated by the author as if he is a mere spectator of events. A narrator tells a story without describing any of the character\'s thoughts, opinions, or feelings. **Third person limited**- the narrator can relate to what is in the minds of only a select few characters. Limited means that the POV is limited to only one character and that the narrator only knows what that character knows. **Third person omniscient**- the narrator can render information from anywhere, including the thoughts and feelings of any characters. (not a character in the story) **C. Plot.** This refers to the series or sequence of e vents that give a story its meaning and effect. It is built around the events that take place within a definite period. This is what happens to the characters found in the work. **Types of Plot Structure** - **Exposition** is the introductory part that creates the tone, gives the setting and introduces the character and other necessary facts in understanding the work. - **Rising Action** contains several events to make the story more interesting, in this part of the story the characters have encountered problems. - **Climax** is the suspenseful part of the story. The character needs to face the problem and the need to make a decision. - **Falling Action** is the part of the plot where the character has already made a decision about handling the problem and the story is coming closer to the end. - **Resolution/Denouement** is the final unravelling of a plot; the living solution of a mystery can explanation or outcome. **Denouement** is the untying of the knot of intrigue, involving not only satisfactory outcome of the main situation but an explanation of all the secrets and misunderstandings connected with the plot of complication. 1. **Linear Plot** consists of events that have clever beginning, middle and end The story unfolds in chronological manner, meaning it is told in the order they happened. 2. **Episodic/Modular** is also called chronological structure, but -- changed. It is consist of a series of loosely related incidents, usually of chapter length tied together by a common theme and/or characters. This works best when the writer wishes to explore the personalities of the character, nature of their existence and the era 3. **Traditional Parts**. This presents the events of a story in a non-chronological order. Gustav Freyiag divided the plot into five essential parts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution or denouement. **D. Setting and Atmosphere-** is the story's time and place. 1. **Locale**. This includes country, region; province or city. 2. **Time of year.** Time of year includes the seasons, together with holidays, such as Christmas. 3. **Mood and atmosphere.** Characters and events are influenced by weather, temperature and other tangible factors, which in turn affects the mood and atmosphere of a scene 4. **Social, political, cultural environment.** The social era of a story often influences character's values, social and family roles and sensibilities which in turn describes and affect the setting of the story. **E. Conflict**- is a problem or obstacle encountered by the character within the story. Conflict creates tension and interest in a story by adding doubt as to the outcome. **Types of Conflict** 1. **Man against himself.** The character is experiencing inner struggle or the character is in conflict with himself. 2. **Man against man**. Shows two characters pitted or in clash against each other. One character is against another. 3. **Man against society.** The character is against a group of people or the society itself. 4. **Man against nature.** Character has to deal with natural disasters. 5. **Man against culture.** Character realizes that the customs, tradition and practices that he/she must get accustomed to are unacceptable and against his own belief.  6. **Man against supernatural beings.** The hero/protagonist faces extraordinary creature such as gods or monsters before he can achieve his goal. 7. **Man against to technology/machinery.** Focuses on a person or group of people fighting to overcome unemotional and unsympathetic machinery that believes it no longer requires humanity. **F. Irony**- is a literary device referring to how a person, situation, statement, or circumstance is not as it would seem to be. It is the exact opposite of what appears to be. Irony is discrepancy between expectation and reality. **Forms of Irony** 1. **Verbal irony.** This is when one states one thing while meaning another. Verbal irony is often sarcastic 2. **Situational irony.** It refers to a situation features a discrepancy between what is expected are that is being actualized. 3. **Dramatic irony.** The reader is aware of something important, which characters in the story are not aware of. **G. Theme-** is the meaning or concept left to the readers after reading a piece of fiction. A theme usually depicts and unifies the central topic of the story. It gives the reader a deeper significance of the work to people's day to day lives. *Moral/lesson of the story is not the theme of the story. Theme is the author's way of sharing ideas, perceptions, and feelings with readers, and it may be directly stated or it may only be implied. [The theme unifies the concept of the story. It must adhere to the following requirements:]* 1. **Mood/Tone** **Mood** is a literary element that elicits certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions. Mood pertains to the atmosphere of a literary piece, as it creates an emotional setting that surrounds the readers. 2. **Foreshadowing** A literary device used by authors to hint certain plot development that perhaps will come to be later in the story. It is the presentation of material in a work in such a way that later/future events are prepared for. 3. **. Symbolism and Motif** **The Modes of Fiction** 1. **Dialogue-** is the talk between your characters. Dialogue and thought has three purposes, first, they reveal something about the character. Second, they build tension. Third, they help advance the story 2. **Thought-** talk to himself on his head. 3. **Action-** is a driving force of your narrative. 4. **Description-** are those deep sensory images the writer wants the reader to experience. (sets the mood and scene) 5. **Exposition-** refers to the details the narrator gives about a character. Exposition les readers about the important elements of the story or characters.