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What is Creative Writing?

Part I | II | III | IV

by Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.

Write for Knowledge

The act of writing can also help us peel back layers of meaning -- as well as create meaning. The following passage explores the topic of language acquisition.

Is language innate in humans? I say, at least in part, that it is. We can say that if a major component of language-grammar-is innate, then language itself should be as well. "Complex language is universal because children actually reinvent it, generation after generation," says Pinker. Based on this, I will examine several cases of spontaneous grammar formation by children. If children are capable of creating grammar without any instruction, then such grammar might pre-exist in their brains. -- Charles Rozakis

"How can I know what I think before I write it?" a student once asked me. Good question! Fortunately, creative writing is a great way to probe ideas before you commit yourself to one position. As the paragraph above shows, you can write to discover something rather than assert it. Your ideas develop as you write.

Although the writer is making a case for language being inborn rather than acquired, he has not committed himself to making a sustained argument. Instead, we get the sense that the writer is thinking aloud. You can tell from the phrases "at least in part," the preposition "if," and the word "might" that the writer is testing a hypothesis.

Writing for knowledge is like free association. That's because you're exploring ideas as you write. The example here is tightly-woven, but it is perfectly OK to let your mind wander on different tangents to see what emerges. Actually, in some instances it might be preferable to explore rather than lock yourself into a position! Don't be afraid to pick up one thread and let another dangle -- or go back and pick up that loose one as you write in this mode.

Creative writing is so flexible that it actually encourages writers to experiment with form, strategy, and approaches. You can pick a writing pattern that has worked for you in the past, or try an entirely new one. This is implied in one of the words we use for a common writing form: the essay. The word essay comes from the French word essayer, which means "to try." As you write, you are trying to find new avenues to explore, new things to discover. By providing an opportunity to try and test new ideas instead of proving concepts that are already accepted, writing for knowledge opens up vast new creative vistas.

Write to Report Information

Want to spread the news? The written word has been used for centuries to keep people informed. What information does the following passage report?

Butterflies in My Stomach
In Japan, gourmets relish aquatic fly larvae sautéed in sugar and soy sauce. Venezuelans feast on fresh fire-roasted tarantulas. Many South Africans adore fried termites with cornmeal porridge. Merchants in Cambodia sell cooked cicadas by the bagful. Diners cut off the wings and legs before eating them. People in Bali remove the wings from dragonflies and boil the bodies in coconut milk and garlic. Insect cuisine may not be standard food in the U.S., but Miguel Vilar notes in Science World that 80 percent of the world's population savors bugs, either as staples of their everyday diet or as rare delicacies. Entomophany (consuming insects intentionally) has yet to catch on in America and Europe. -- Laurie Rozakis

Sometimes we think that all creative writing is soft, such as love poetry and self-revelatory essays. In fact, creative writing can be very specific, as this example shows. It's part of an essay I wrote to report the popularity of eating insects.

Much of the writing you do everyday involves stating facts. This type of writing is every bit as creative as diaries, journals, letters, and poems. When you write to report information, you are sorting data -- details-- and selecting the specific bits and pieces that best convey the information. This data falls into three categories: facts, opinions, and inferences. Let's distinguish among them:

TYPES OF SUPPORT - Fact
DEFINITION - information that can be verified by a reliable source (such as an encyclopedia, almanac, or web site) or through direct observation

TYPES OF SUPPORT - Opinion
DEFINITION - belief or assumption. The opinion may be something you alone believe or be held by many people

TYPES OF SUPPORT - Inference
TYPES OF SUPPORT - conclusions drawn from facts

Here are some examples:

TYPES OF SUPPORT - Fact
EXAMPLE - For every 100 pounds of feed, farmers can raise 10 pounds of beef. Using the same amount of feed, farmers can raise 45 pounds of crickets.

TYPES OF SUPPORT - Opinion
EXAMPLE - With the mushrooming human population around the world and the prospect of diminishing livestock and fish, insects may be our best hope of feeding everyone.

TYPES OF SUPPORT - Inference
EXAMPLE - People find bugs unappealing because of their appearance.

More on this later!

Part I - What Is Creative Writing?
Part II - Write for Self-Discovery
Part III - Write for Knowledge
Part IV - Write to Evaluate Something >>>

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