Creative Writing

Over the next several weeks we will be

learning how to write fictional stories.

Contrary to what some of you may believe,
there are standards that you can learn and
correct ways to write good fiction.

Why Do People Write Fiction?

They grew up around storytellers. It is part of

their family culture (Smith 128).

Writing haunts themthe art of the craft provokes

them (Wallace 140-141).

It is fun (Wallace 142).

Works Cited
Blythe, Will. Ed. Why I Write Fiction: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction. New York:

Little, Brown and Co., 1998.

Why Write?
To satisfy a basic, fundamental need. The

same reason kids draw pictures. (Gaitskill 155).

To give form to the things we can sense but not
see (Gaitskill 156).
To feel important, in the simplest egotistical
sense (Gaitskill 158).

Works Cited
Blythe, Will. Ed. Why I Write Fiction: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction. New York:

Little, Brown and Co., 1998.

Why Write?
To reveal and to restore things that I feel

might be ignored or disregarded (Gaitskill

159).
To communicate (Gaitskill 160).

Works Cited
Blythe, Will. Ed. Why I Write Fiction: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction. New York:

Little, Brown and Co., 1998.

Why Write?
Much of what I write is sad. But because

of that tender sadness, I also feel humility

and joy and love. Its strange because much
of what I write about does not seem loving.
But to write makes me feel love (Gaitskill
163).

Works Cited
Blythe, Will. Ed. Why I Write Fiction: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction. New York:

Little, Brown and Co., 1998.

Why Write?
I cant do much of anything, except write.

I have no jump shot. I cant balance my

checkbooks. Small machinery puzzles me.
I have no nose for news. Cooking bores
me (Chiarella 182).
Works Cited
Blythe, Will. Ed. Why I Write Fiction: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction. New York:

Little, Brown and Co., 1998.

Descriptive Language
To write effective fiction, you must use descriptive

language. The more concrete you can be in

describing, the better your fiction. BE SPECIFIC!
Compare the following:
She sat down to breakfast.
She plopped down on the hard wooden chair; she

looked down at her breakfast: grayish eggs, burned

toast, and water.

Characters
You need to try to create interesting

characters. In order to do this, you must

know them very well. In fact, if you dont
know the color of their toothbrush, what
they do when they get mad, or what they
think of their grandmother, you probably
dont have a fully developed character.

Characters
You have a few things to consider when

selecting a name for your characters.

Dont pick a long name.
Pick a name that fits your character.
Dont pick a name because it is your
favorite.

Characters
Characters can be classified as flat or round.
The deeper qualities in round characters are

those that make the character more realistic,

and meaningful. These characters come
ALIVE!
Every thing a character does is motivated by
something. You (the writer) must know the
characters motivation!

Characters
Characters should be developed with

enough depth and logic to make them

believable.
To be an effective writer, you need to
convince your readers that your fictional
characters could exist! A characters
actions also must be believable.

Plot
You will also need to think about creating

an interesting plot. Your story must have a

beginning, a middle and an end. You need
to have a problem as well as a solution.
This is often talked about in terms of
conflict, rising action, climax, falling action
and resolution.

Plot
A dull story is like a dull meal at a restaurant.

Patrons dont complain, but they dont come

back (Minot 28).
You need to create tension. Do this by
creating conflict.
You need to make your reader curious about
what will happen next!.
You need to create suspense.

Plot
BE SUBTLE WHEN CREATING CONFLICT!
Dont be overly dramatic. Dont try to shock your

reader by creating a sad or tragic event. Sad and

tragic events usually come across as not
believable!
Dealing with a tragic car crash, a serious illness,
family problems and going to jail are too major for
an effective short story. Subtle is better!!!

Plot
Your character must change in some way

before the end of your story. If your

character doesnt change, there is no point
to writing their story.
Your characters change can be subtle--they
might have a new sense of hope, a new
respect for their mom, etc.

Conflict
Conflict refers to whatever causes the

central tension in a story.

People verses people
People verses society
People verses nature
People verses themselves

Resolution
The resolution must fit the plot.
You cant drop a completely random ending

on your reader.
You must have a conflict, believable
characters, a series of events that go
together with dramatic effect, and then a
realistic resolution. (Piece of cake!)

Dialogue
Dialogue is essential to a fiction story.
Dialogue tags are used to help the reader know

who is talking. (he said/she said)

Descriptive dialogue tags help the reader know
who is talking and add description. (Excellent
work, Mrs. Garrison said, flipping through the
students stories.)

Dialogue
Dont use - she hissed - she laughed - he

groaned. It calls to much attention to you as

the creator of the fiction, and it slows down
your dialogue.
You may use - he yelled - she whispered - I
screamed. These are fine, because they can
be performed with words. But, descriptive
dialogue tags are really the best!

Dialogue
It is also important to vary your dialogue.

Try to use a combination of tagless

dialogue, descriptive tags and simple tags
Dont use a long tag if you already have
long dialogue.

Getting Started
I have found that an excellent way to get started

on a story is to develop a fictional character.

Think a lot about what the character likes and
dislikes. What is their greatest fear? Often times,
a story will develop from there.
You may have an issue that you feel strongly
about. Sometime this can develop into a story or
plot.

Creative Writing
Start thinking about your character/conflict.