study notes

What is Creative Writing?

• Creative writing is any form of writing which is written with the creativity of mind
• It includes fiction writing, poetry writing, creative nonfiction writing and more.
• The purpose is to express something, whether it be feelings, thoughts, or emotions.
• It is written to entertain or educate someone, to spread awareness about something or
someone or to express one’s thoughts.

Basic Types of Writing

1. Creative writing/Imaginative writing

• is fiction—poetry, short stories, plays, and novels
• written to entertain and educate.
• has so many genres and sub-genres
• follows a given set of rules, and sometimes throws caution to the winds and
breaks all of them.
2. Technical writing
• conveys specific information about a technical subject to a specific audience
for a specific purpose
• wholly written to inform and sometimes to trigger the person reading into
making an action
• not written to entertain
• has its own set of rules, conventions, do’s and don’ts.
3. Expressive writing
• is a subjective response to a personal experience—journals and diaries
• is personal and emotional writing without regard to form or other writing
conventions like spelling, punctuation and verb agreement
• pays more attention to feelings than the events, memories, objects, or people
in the contents of a narrative.

4. Expository writing
• presents reasons, explanations, or steps in a process
• “exposes” a topic analytically and objectively, such as news reports
• the goal is to explain or reveal knowledge

5. Persuasive writing
• encourages careful word choice, the development of logical arguments, and a
cohesive summary
• goal is to change attitudes or motivate to action.
 6. Academic writing
• refers to a style of expression that researchers use to define the intellectual
boundaries of their disciplines and their specific areas of expertise
• include a formal tone, use of the third-person rather than first-person
perspective (usually), a clear focus on the research problem under
investigation, and precise word choice

What are Sensory Details?

Sensory details include sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Writers employ the five
senses to engage a reader's interest.

There are five senses and hence, there are five sensory details that can be utilized.

1. Visual- appeals to or represents the sense of sight

2. Tactile/Kinesthetic-appeals to or represents the sense of touch
3. Auditory-appeals to or represents the sense of sound
4. Gustatory- appeals to or represents the sense of taste
5. Olfactory- appeals to or represents the sense of smell

What is Imagery?

• Imagery is all of the pictures and sensations a piece of writing conjures up in

the mind.
• is the key to literature—especially poetry
• Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions, and
ideas in such a way that it appeals to physical senses.
• The word “imagery” is associated with mental pictures

• The function of imagery in literature is to generate a vibrant and graphic

presentation of a scene that appeals to as many of the reader’s senses
• aids the reader’s imagination to envision the characters and scenes in the
literary piece clearly
• examples of imagery:

1. It was dark and dim in the forest.

The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images.
2. The children were screaming and shouting in the fields.
“Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing, or auditory
sense.
 3. He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee.
“Whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of smell, or olfactory sense.
4. The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric.
The idea of “soft” in this example appeals to our sense of touch, or tactile
sense.
5. The fresh and juicy orange is very cold and sweet.
“Juicy” and “sweet” – when associated with oranges – have an effect on
our sense of taste, or gustatory sense.

Figures of speech

• A figure of speech is a phrase or word having different meanings than its

literal meanings
• is not only used to embellish the language, but also cause a moment of
excitement when reading
• provides emphasis, clarity or freshness to expression
• strengthens the creative expression and description along with making the
language more graphic, pointed and vivid.

Types of figures of Speech

Simile

Simile is a comparison using like or as. It usually compares two unlike objects.

My heart is like a singing bird

Heart is compared to singing bird.

Metaphor

It is a comparison, but does NOT use like or as to make the comparison. It is usually
comparing two unlike objects or things, which may have some common qualities.

My brother is a little tornado devastating the entire nursery.

Brother and tornado are being compared.

Personification

It occurs when a writer gives human traits to non-human or inanimate objects.

The tree is dancing with the wind.

 The tree is given human trait which is the ability to dance.

Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses extreme exaggeration. It exaggerates to lay emphasis on a certain

quality or feature. It stirs up emotions among the readers, these emotions could be about
happiness, romance, inspiration, laughter or sadness.

My younger sister cried rivers of tears when I left for college.

This is an exaggeration because a person could not cry rivers of tears.

Literary Devices

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant. There should be at least two
repetitions in a row.

Examples:

1. Death, drugs, and Duterte dilemma.

2. Betty bought butter but the butter was bitter.
3. She sells seashells at the seashore.

Onomatopoeia is the imitation of natural sounds in word form. These words help us
form mental pictures, or visualize, things, people, or places that are described. Sometimes a
word names a thing or action by copying the sound.

Examples:

1. The clock went tick tock.

2. Beat! Beat! Drums-blow! Bugles! Blow!
3. Screech!

Assonance is a form of poetic structure which focuses on the repetition of vowel

sounds.

Examples:

1. The pig in a wig did a jig.

2. The cat sat on the mat.
3. Kite and bike; cake and bake.

Symbolism occurs when one thing stands for or represents something else.
Example:

1. Dove -peace
2. Owl -wisdom
3. Rock -strength

Diction

Diction refers to the choice of words and style of expression that an author makes
and uses in a work of literature. Diction can have a great effect on the tone of a piece of
literature, and how readers perceive the characters.

One of the primary things that diction does is establish whether a work is formal or
informal. Choosing more elevated words will establish a formality to the piece of literature,
while choosing slang will make it informal. For example, consider the difference between “I
am much obliged to you, sir” and “Thanks a bunch, buddy!” The former expression of
gratitude sounds much more formal than the latter, and both would sound out of place if
used in the wrong situation.

Significance of Diction in Literature

Authors make conscious and unconscious word choices all the time when writing
literature, just as we do when speaking to one another. The diction in a piece establishes
many different aspects of how we read the work of literature, from its formality to its tone
even to the type of story we are reading.

Effective diction is shaped by words that are clear, concrete, and exact. Good writers
avoid words like pretty, nice, and bad because the words are not specific enough. Instead,
good writers rely on words that invoke a specific effect in order to bring the reader into the
event being described.

Examples:

A coat isn’t torn; it is tattered.

The United States Army does not want revenge; it is thirsting for
revenge.

A door does not shut; it thuds.

 Diction

1. High or Formal Diction usually contains language that creates and elevated tone. It is free
of slang, idioms, colloquialisms, and contractions. It often contains polysyllabic words,

sophisticated syntax, and elegant word choice.

2. Neutral Diction uses standard language and vocabulary without elaborate words and may
include contractions.

3. Informal or Low Diction is the language of everyday use. It is relaxed and conversational.
It often includes common and simple words, idioms, slang, jargon and contractions.

Other Types of Diction

1. Slang refers to a group of recently coined or invented words often used in informal
situations. Slang words often come and go quickly, passing in and out of usage
within months or years.
Examples:
Emo, frenemy, flawsome, staycation, bromance
Inappropriate: When the faculty realized the university’s new budget had no funds
designated for AIDS research, they got ticked off and sent a petition
to the board.
Appropriate: When the faculty realized that the university’s new budget had no funds
designated for AIDS research, they became incensed and sent
petition to the board.

2. Colloquial expressions are nonstandard, often regional ways of using language

appropriate to informal or conversational speech and writing.
Examples:
Anyhow, gotcha, gramps, stats, info

Poetry

 Poetry is a term for many literary forms through which man has given rhythmic
expression to his most imaginative and intense perception of himself and the
universe. It gives concentrated imaginative utterance to experience in words so
 chosen and arrange that they create an intense emotional response through the union
of theme, language, sound, and rhythm.

 Elements of Poetry

 Rhythm is the most fundamental, technical element of poetry. Rhythm is the flow of
the beat in a poem. It gives poetry a musical feel. It can be fast or slow, depending on
mood and subject of poem

 Meter and Line are types of number of rhythmic units in a line.

 Sound structure is the rhyme.

 Stanza Any recurrent grouping of two or more lines of poem in terms of length,
meter and usually rhyme scheme.

 Imagery is a verbal representation of a sensory experience or of an object that can be

known by one or more of the senses.

 Theme is the summarized statement containing the main thought or meaning of the
poem.

 Tone is the attitude you feel in it; the writer's attitude toward the subject or audience.
The tone in a poem of praise is approval. It can be playful, humorous, and regretful,
anything — and it can change as the poem goes along.

Form is the fitting together of lines of like structures and length that are tied to other lines by
end rhyme.
Couplet- 2 lines
Tercet- 3 lines
Quatrain- 4 lines
Quintet- 5 lines
Sestet- 6 lines
Septet- 7 lines
Octave- 8 lines

Rhymes, the most common sound device in poetry, are words that end with the same sound.
(sat, cat and bat). Rhyming sounds need not be spelled the same way. (deck, cheque).

– Most rhymes are found at the end of the lines, but there are some rhymes that are
found in the middle of the line. This is called Internal rhyme.
– Masculine Rhyme (single syllable)

– dame, same Love, Dove

– Feminine Rhyme (2 syllables)

– napping, tapping weather-heather

– Triple Rhyme (3 syllables)

– Victorious- glorious

– Eye rhyme- words may only look alike but sounds different

– dough-tough daughter-laughter

– Identical rhyme-words spelled differently but sound the same

– too-two rite-write

– Internal rhyme-rhyme occurs in one line

– Let’s beat the heat.

 KINDS OF POETRY

 NARRATIVE POETRY

 Ballad is a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas. Traditional ballads are
typically of unknown authorship, having been passed on orally from one generation
to the next.

 The meaning of EPIC is a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds
of a legendary or historical hero.

 Mahabharata-longest epic in the word

 Bi ag ni Lam ang-longest epic in the Philippines

 Hinilawod- epic of Panay

 METRICAL ROMANCES. A metrical romance, or chivalric romance, is a type of
narrative poem which. typically centers on courtly love, knights, and chivalric deeds.
Metrical romance is a kind of poetry dealing with the emotions or phase of life.

 DRAMATIC POETRY

 Dramatic poetry is a form of poetry that is written in verse and meant to be recited in
public or acted out. Dramatic poetry is often in the form of long speeches either to
another actor, the audience, or oneself by musing aloud.

 Dramatic poetry usually appears in four recognized types.

 soliloquy where a character muses to themselves about something troubling them

 dramatic monologue in which a character addresses someone else but reveals

something about themselves in the process

 character sketch where the playwright invites the audience to form an opinion on the
character delivering their lines

 dialogue between at least two characters.

 LYRIC POETRY

 A hymn is a lyric poem of devotion or reverence, typically written as a prayer

addressing a deity, deities, or personified subjects.

 Blank verse refers to poetry that does not rhyme but follows a regular meter,
most commonly iambic pentameter.

 Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual,

describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally.

 Elegy is a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.

 Sonnet is a 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy. Literally
a “little song,” the sonnet traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a
clarification or “turn” of thought in its concluding lines.
 Traditional vs contemporary

 A traditional poem is a poem that adheres to a definite verse structure or set of

characteristics. By contrast, the metrical and rhyme patterns associated
with traditional poems are typically absent from contemporary poetry.

Traditional or conventional

 Follows standard rules of grammar and syntax with a regular rhythm and rhyme
scheme.

 It is strict in form

 Sample: sonnet, ode, blank verse, ballad

Modern or contemporary

 Avoids rhyme and standard grammatical organization and seeks new ways of
expression

 Written in free verse

Experimental Texts in Poetry

– Line break is a poetic device which is used at the end of a line and the beginning of
the next line in a poem. Lines of poem are divided to show a change in metrical
pattern

– End-stopped lines

– Put a clear rhythmic break at the end of each line, often reinforced by a comma or
period

– She lived unknown, and few could know

– When Lucy ceased to be;

– But she is in her grave, and, oh,

– The difference to me!

Enjambment

Run on lines as they run into each other. The punctuation is on the next line.

Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit

Of that forbidden tree

Caesura

Latin word for cut

It is the natural pause in a verse

Alas! For days and month wasted

Alas if I but known the trials of life a little earlier