Description
Creative writing is a form of writing that goes beyond the traditional realms of normal, professional, academic or technical forms of writing. It encompasses a number of different genres and styles across a whole range of fields of both fictional and non-fiction writing; storytelling, playwriting, poetry, prose, journalistic, and more. Though the definition can be quite vague, creative writing can, for the most part, be considered as any type of writing that is original and expressive of oneself. Typically, it can be identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, focusing on elements such as character development, narrative and plot, infusing its structure with imagination, invention and story. In this sense, creative writing can technically be considered any writing of contemporary, original composition – it’s bound by no standard conventions and uses a whole range of elements in its craft.
In an academic setting, creative writing is typically divided into fiction, poetry, or scriptwriting classes, with a focus on writing in an original style, not defined by pre-existing structures and genres.
What are components of creative writing?
- Effective planning.
- Creativity / imagination.
- A ‘fluent’ and interesting writing style.
- Correct use of punctuation including the use of some ‘advanced’ types.
- Correct use of English grammar.
- Correct spellings.
- An extensive and interesting vocabulary.
- A well-structured piece of writing
What is the examiner looking for?
Examiners look for some creative flair, a unique work compared to the many other students that have answered the same question. Examiners is interested to see how a child has applied creative thinking to each of their school subjects. We help children better understand the mindset of the reader – or the examiner – so they can write a creative story that passes the test.
How do we prepare children?
We prepare children for school entrace tests. We focus on improving the process of creative writing by helping children to:
- Think and visualize freely to generate some creative ideas to base the story on.
- Decide the main character of the story.
- Define their personality traits.
- Keep their writing style simple, use concise language, and aim for a story development that’s easy-to-understand.
- Steer the story around one particular event so that the readers (or examiners) are not distracted.
- Keep it realistic.
- Reduce any complex langauge that let the story become lost in the details.
