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Think about your favorite book or poem. What do you like about it?
Fig 1. All novels, short stories, and poems are examples of creative writing, along with many other kinds of books.
Every novel you've ever read or studied was an example of creative writing, which is what this article is all about! We'll look at the different types of creative writing, examples of each, and some prompts and topics that can inspire your creative writing.
By the end of this article, you'll be a pro in all things creative writing!
Types of Creative Writing
Let's start at the very beginning: what are the different types of creative writing?
In literature, there are four key types of creative writing:
Fiction (novels and short stories)
Creative non-fiction
Scriptwriting (plays, films, and TV shows)
Each of these creative writing forms has its own styles and conventions that make them unique and interesting.
Most pieces of fiction have a plot, characters, sense of setting, themes, and a decided narrator or narrative perspective. An example of a work of fiction is F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
Creative non-fiction can vary widely but generally has a sense of setting, some characters (even if these characters are real rather than fictional), figurative and descriptive language, and some sort of plot or purpose. A common example of creative non-fiction is travel writing, such as Bill Bryson's The Road to Little Dribbling.
Poetry has numerous conventions, including lines and stanzas, rhyme, rhythm, and meter; however, not all types of poetry will have all of these. For instance, prose poetry might not rhyme or have a traditional stanza format. Poetry tends to make use of figurative language and other literary devices quite extensively. A poetry example is Langston Hughes' Harlem.
Scriptwriting can vary a lot as well, depending on what type of production the script is intended for (stage, TV, film, etc.). Still, it generally requires a plot, sense of setting, tone, characters, as well as corresponding language styles, stage directions, and signposting. Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is an example of scriptwriting.
Other Creative Writing Types
Literary works are not the only writing forms that can be classed as creative. Some others that often use creative writing include:
Speeches
Blogs
Advertising
Essays
Journal entries
Letters and emails
Imagine how boring these forms of writing would be if they didn't have a creative element to them! It is possible to write for a specific purpose (e.g., a political speech) and still be engaging and creative with your language choices.
Can you think of a time when you wrote something for a particular reason (such as an essay or presentation for a class) but tried to make it entertaining as well as factual and informative?
Creative Writing Examples
We'll now look at some examples of creative writing. For simplicity's sake, we'll focus on the four main types of creative writing.
Fiction
The Great Gatsby is a fictional novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. Here's an excerpt:
The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music, and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier by the minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word.' 1
-F.S. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925
Fitzgerald uses the first-person narrator of Nick to tell the story of the novel and as such, we see the events and relationships in the novel through Nick's eyes.
The novel follows a plot, explores different themes (such as The American Dream, love, power, and class disparity), and has a strong sense of setting, which we see in the excerpt above.
Fitzgerald also uses a lot of figurative language, such as anthropomorphism. Examples include describing the earth as 'lurching' and laughter as 'spilling' and 'tipping'. There are also many descriptive adjectives ('brighter', 'yellow cocktail music' 'cheerful').
Anthropomorphism is when human characteristics, traits, or behaviors are given to non-human entities. It is a type of figurative language.
Fitzgerald's language is very emotive, and his creative use of descriptions and comparisons makes the writing all the more engaging.
Creative Non-Fiction
Travel writing is a common form of creative non-fiction, and we'll use Bill Bryson's The Road to Little Dribbling as an example. This book is just one of Bryson's many travel guides and was written in 2015.
The village center is much changed too. Nearly all that I remember fondly is gone. The Tudor Rose, the world's most endearingly terrible restaurant, where all the food was black or dark brown, except the peas, which were a pale grey, has long since departed and is missed by me, if no one else.' 2
-B. Bryson, The Road to Little Dribbling, 2015
This travel book is non-fictional, as it is Bryson's own account of his travels across England, but it is still creatively written rather than fact being his only focus. Bryson himself is the 'main character' in the book, and the other characters are the people he interacted with during his travels.
The book's plot is his adventure across England, and the purpose is to entertain and inform, as Bryson provides factual information and creative storytelling.
Throughout the book, he creates a sense of setting by describing the places he visited in great detail. In the excerpt above, we see an example of this detail in how he describes the Tudor Rose as 'the world's most endearingly terrible restaurant'. This line includes hyperbole and juxtaposition, making the description humorous and effective.
Hyperbole refers to extreme exaggeration used to emphasize something. For example, the Tudor Rose probably wasn't literally the most terrible restaurant 'in the world', but using this phrase emphasizes how bad Bryson thought it was.
Juxtaposition is when two things with contrasting meanings are placed together for effect. In the above example, we see 'endearingly terrible'. These words mean very different things, but when put together, they create an altogether new image.
Fig 2. Travel writing is an example of creative non-fiction.
Poetry
There are many great and well-known American poets whose poetry illustrates the conventions of creative writing. Here's an example from Langston Hughes' poem Harlem, written in 1951:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode? 3
-L. Hughes, Harlem, 1951
All poetry is a form of creative writing. In this example, we see some common conventions of poetry, such as the poem's structure, and its rhyme scheme (although not all kinds of poetry follow a rhyme scheme).
Hughes uses figurative language consistently throughout the poem, and we can see five examples of similes, which is quite a lot for such a short poem. In some ways, the whole poem is an example of figurative language as it is all describing a 'dream deferred'. This creative use of language also evokes many striking images in the reader's mind.
'Dream deferred' refers to the collective hopes and aspirations e of black people in America during the 40s and up to the time the poem was published. The similes Hughes uses in the poem (e.g., 'like a raisin in the sun', 'like a heavy load') illustrate the uncertainty and tension felt by black people at the time.
There are also multiple examples of enjambment, which creates an almost melodic effect when you read the poem.
Enjambment is when a line of a poem runs over onto the next line. If a line starts with a new sentence and ends with a period, it is not an example of enjambment.
Scriptwriting
Scriptwriting can take several forms, such as film scripts or scripts for television, but for this example, we'll look at scriptwriting for the stage. This is an excerpt from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, written in 1959:
LINDA (hearing Willy outside the bedroom, calls with some trepidation): Willy!
WILLY: It's all right. I came back.
LINDA: Why? What happened? (Slight pause.) Did something happen, Willy?
WILLY: No, nothing happened.
LINDA: You didn't smash the car, did you?
WILLY (with casual irritation): I said nothing happened. Didn't you hear me? 4
-A. Miller, Death of a Salesman, 1959
The script for Death of a Salesman is an example of fiction as it is not based on a real story or person. We immediately get a glimpse into the characters' lives, and there is no narrator like there would be in a novel or short story. Instead, we see some stage directions in the excerpt, which give us more information about the manner and tone of voice used by the characters.
The stage directions also give us a sense of setting as we are told that Linda hears Willy 'outside the bedroom'. This suggests that this portion of the play will happen in their bedroom.
This is only the play's opening, but Miller has already created a sense of plot by building tension in Willy and Linda's interaction.
Creative Writing Prompts
Now that you've learned a bit more about creative writing and have seen examples of each type of creative writing, here are some prompts to consider for your writing.
A character is exploring an abandoned building and walks into an empty room, only to discover signs that there has recently been a person living in the room. What do they find? What are their thoughts? Do they encounter the other person?
Imagine a love story. Easy right? Now try to write one without any of the usual love story clichés or tropes. Your story does not have to be about romantic love.
Write a journal entry of a person who has been stranded on a boat without power that has drifted out to see. How long has this person been on the boat? What sorts of experiences have they had? What are their feelings?
Fig 3. Thinking about different scenarios, no matter how far-fetched they might seem to us, is a great way to spark inspiration for creative writing.
Creative Writing Topics
If you want to practice your creative writing but don't feel like following a prompt, you might want to try writing about a whole topic rather than a specific idea. Here are some more general topics to get you started on your creative writing journey:
A deserted beach
A childhood memory
100 years in the future
The animal kingdom
The mysteries of space
Cooking something new
A Halloween party
Creative Writing - Key Takeaways
- There are four key types of creative writing: fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and scriptwriting.
- Each type of creative writing has its own conventions and features.
- Most creative writing revolves around some sort of characters, setting, plot, or theme.
- Figurative language and descriptive language are commonly used in creative writing.
- Examples of writing such as emails, letters, speeches, and advertisements are also creative writing.
References
- F.S. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, 1925
- B. Bryson, The Road to Little Dribbling, 2015
- L. Hughes, Harlem, The Collected Works of Langston Hughes, 2002
- A. Miller, Death of a Salesman, 1959
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Frequently Asked Questions about Creative Writing
How do you define creative writing?
Creative writing is any kind of writing that tells a story in an engaging and creative way. Creative writing comes in several forms and tends to use a lot of descriptive and figurative language for emphasis.
What are the 4 forms of creative writing?
The four key forms of creative writing are:
Fiction (novels and short stories)
Creative non-fiction
Poetry
Scriptwriting (plays, films, and TV shows)
What are some other examples of creative writing?
Some other examples of creative writing include:
Speeches
Blogs
Advertising
Essays
Journal entries
Letters and emails
How do I start creative writing?
You do not require any special writing skills to start creative writing. You do need to have a good idea for a story (you need to know what you're going to write about), and you need to ensure that your writing is interesting and engaging so that the reader remains intrigued.
Is creative writing hard?
Creative writing does not need to be difficult. Some people are more naturally creative than others which does help, however, as long as you can tell a story in an engaging and amusing way, you'll be able to do some great creative writing. Creative writing should be fun!
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