10.4–Creative Writing: A Brief Note
James Francis, Jr.
Creative writing is all about invention: world-building, characterization, unique dialogue, story pacing, traditional vs. innovative narrative structure, and personal style for the author. Although many new and working writers revere the work of recognized, published authors, the goal is to establish your own voice in the field. Inspiration can veer close to imitation if a writer finds themself copying techniques—story structure, wording, setting, etc.—that another author has already established as their own without making any effort to distinguish between the two styles.
Similar to constructing an instructions handout, writing a researched report, and composing a literary analysis, developing a creative writing piece—poetry, prose, stage play, and even film—can be aided by reviewing sample materials, but the work should avoid resembling an impersonation of another’s intellectual property. Experiment with different writing strategies, techniques, and forms to discover what methods work best for what you want to accomplish with the writing. Focus on form and content with regard to your intended audience and get creative!
Using sample materials effectively takes a lot more consideration than we often think about when viewing and reading them. Always keep in mind that these materials are meant to help get us started in creating our own documents, to give us ideas to develop unique to the assignment, and to act as a bridge to connect how form and content rely upon each other to resonant with the intended audience.
Seek the guidance of your instructor for any clarification needs about how to use the sample materials in your course. You might also utilize helpful services like the University Writing Center to develop your documents from their inception to their completion with the aid of a writing tutor and/or access the Writing & Speaking Guides to review handouts, podcasts, and videos to self-assist the specific needs of your document-creation.
Attribution:
Francis Jr., James. “Using Sample Documents Effectively: Creative Writing: A Brief Note.” In Surface and Subtext: Literature, Research, Writing. 3rd ed. Edited by Claire Carly-Miles, Sarah LeMire, Kathy Christie Anders, Nicole Hagstrom-Schmidt, R. Paul Cooper, and Matt McKinney. College Station: Texas A&M University, 2024. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
