Creative writers develop stories from deep imagination. Their narratives take readers to fantasy worlds with interesting characters. The purpose of research in creative writing is to improve story quality. Writers enhance the authenticity of their texts. Research helps them develop well-rounded characters. The authors enhance cultural appreciation and understanding. 

The research approach depends on the goal of the story. The author may conduct interviews, read books, or use online resources. The writer should balance research and creativity. You should include useful details and cite sources. Read on to learn why research is important in creative writing.

Read: How To Write An Autobiography, A Biography And Memoir

Why research is important in creative writing

Creative writers build worlds from imagination. This world requires good and bad characters. You could be creating fiction, poetry, or nonfiction. The purpose of research is to make the world look real. Research adds depth to your story. It enhances credibility and authenticity. 

You may collect large volumes of data when conducting research in fiction. You must protect your data to avoid losses. Creating backups on the cloud is a good action for data safety. Cloud storage avails your data anytime you need it. You can access it from any device with ease. You may want to archive your files and folders to save space. This ensures your data is compressed and put together. RAR is a popular format for archiving files. You might need an RAR to zip converter when archiving for a Mac. This software helps to convert RAR to ZIP on Mac. Compressing files helps encrypt your data. This process improves the security of your files. 

You could easily develop writer’s block when building a fantasy world. Research in fiction breaks the block and attracts creativity. Your understanding of the narrative increases. Getting ideas from different sources stretches your creativity. 

You discover points to support your arguments. Research as a fiction story writer ensures accuracy. You discover knowledge to help you complete your narrative. Stay organized during research and gather notes. You can use the notes as your point of reference. They are useful for citations. 

Different research methods for a fiction story writer

A fiction story writer creates stories by introducing imaginary characters. The story can be a book, play, or novel. The writer develops the story plot and scene. They introduce characters and create their roles. The purpose of research in the story is for plot realism. 

Research in fiction enhances dialogue authenticity. It improves thematic depth and audience engagement. Several essential points can help develop authentic historical fiction. Different research methods help authors succeed.

Identify your goals

Goals define the problem you want to solve. They explain the scope of the problem or narrative. Scope means the direction you will take and the depth you will go. You may define goals in one sentence or several paragraphs. They help you learn why research is important in writing. Create a guide to help you identify your historical fiction research goals. 

• Write the main focus of your research in fiction
• Breakdown the focus into manageable goals
• Write your research question
• Write your research methods
• Write the research activities you will engage in
• Use the SMART formula to write your goals

Use online resources

Online resources are extensive and detailed. You only need to know your purpose of research. Understand where to get the right data for your narrative. You may visit public databases or the national archives. Search from book publishing sites, school databases, and blogs.

Conduct field research

Field research relies on qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher targets people to gather information from them. You may conduct surveys or case studies. Do qualitative interviews or research. You may observe things as they unfold in different scenarios. Consolidate your data and process it.

Visit physical libraries

The purpose of research is to collect as much information as possible. Libraries contain vast amounts of books. You can get creative narratives dated several centuries ago. Identify the right books to read to collect data. Practice research and learn to take notes. You can extend your research knowledge if you apply to writing contests and other opportunities.

Techniques for writing to specific audiences

Your target audience defines the people you want to write to. These are the people you believe will enjoy your story most. You may opt to write to the youth, women, men, or a general audience. The challenging part comes when deciding who to write to.

It might be hard to decide what to write to them. Many creative writers experience writer’s block at this point. This is where research comes in. With research, you can write stories that appeal to readers. Your narrative will be entertaining. When choosing an audience, consider these points.

• Think what the probable age of the readers will be.
• Imagine what their education level might be.
• Think about their buying power and economic status.
• Understand their values, norms, culture, and environment.
• What preferences will a similar audience have 20 or more years later? 

These points form one part of the fiction writing journey. Many more aspects come into play as you prepare. Before you begin your research, define your genre. Since you already know your audience, decide the genre they prefer. You may write romance, comedy, fantasy, and more.

Decide whether you want a short story, video, or podcast. Your audience may prefer text-only fiction. Next, imagine the world you want to create. It can be a haunted or mineral-rich land. You may choose an alien-filled land or a paradise. Once ready, imagine the characters.

These are individuals or creatures that perfectly fit into the world. Create character descriptions and begin to build your story. You may follow a linear format. Your other option is to keep going forward and backward. What is most important is keeping a smooth flow.

Without research, your story may lack depth. It may lack authenticity and believability. Invest in research to expand your story. Identify your sources and create your research plan. Many reasons make research important in creative writing.

The purpose of research in creative writing 

People often perceive creative writing as pure imagination. This argument could be true but up to some point. Pure imagination helps creative writers to focus on originality. The work of historical fiction can substantially benefit from research. This is why research is important for a fiction story writer. Different research areas make creative writing better.

The purpose of research in character development

The power of your narrative is tied to character development. It is what drives your story to stir emotion in readers. There are different reasons why research is important in character development. 

• Help understand people and psychology. Psychology helps writers create characters that drive emotions. You may develop a character full of fear and stress. You can also develop a character full of courage.

• Understand identity and perception. Character behavior changes based on age or gender. Sexual orientation matters when presenting characters. The purpose of research is to help you understand these differences.

• Learn ethics and morals. One of the reasons why research is important is to learn ethics and morals. The audience you are writing to is driven by certain ethics. Their morals could be religion or culture-based. Your narrative should value your audience’s morals.

Why research is important in professional development

Most creative writers start as novices. They become professionals through practice and research. As a fiction story writer, you must continuously learn. The purpose of research is for skill development. Different research methods can help you develop your skills.

You may begin by researching publications. Read different publications to understand the current trends. Read creative writing and publishing guidelines. Read stories from publication agents. They help you learn what people want. New freelance writers can use this approach to develop their skills.

You may attend workshops and different writing seminars. These events can be useful for research. You will meet with many writers in different fields. You can get guidance from experts. The events provide you with networking opportunities. They are useful for enhancing your skills.

Create authenticity in your story

Creative writers write different types of narratives. They present characters with bodily sensations. Authenticity in fiction includes culture, geography, and history. You must ensure you present accurate stories. Research helps you understand and visualize the setting. Regardless of the narrative type, your story must be authentic.

If it is historical fiction, it must be historically accurate. Make sure the scenes and settings are historically right. Understand the clothing of the time and types of houses. Understand the society and government of the time. Research helps you know how to present your characters. This includes clothing, language, buildings, and gadgets.

The role of research is to help understand the culture. It lets you learn the culture of the time. This prevents you from wrong cultural representation. Research also allows writers to learn geography. The geography of the place could be hilly, flat, or desert, You can perfectly describe geographical details through research.

Why research is important in developing authentic dialogue

The world has more than 7,000 languages. People around the world use over 300 writing systems. Language is dynamic and keeps developing. Dialects change depending on regions. One generation may pronounce words differently from another.

Generations may borrow words due to cultural interactions. For example, the 16th century generation spoke different English. Generation Alpha speaks differently from the Millennials. These are reasons why research is important in creative writing.

It helps you present authentic dialogues to your readers.  Research in fiction lets you learn regional dialogues. Some works of fiction require industry-specific language. Using such language helps readers believe you. They believe the characters you present before them.

Research lets you learn how language has changed historically. If your characters are historical, the language must be historical too. Creating authentic dialogues makes your narrative believable. Pay attention to dialect, phrases, speech, and time. 

Literary technique development

Literary technique refers to the style writers present their narratives. At times, a writer may use metaphors or allusions. You may opt to use hyperboles or imagery. Whether you use simile, symbolism, or analogy, the technique must be presented correctly. 

Your narrative structure guides your audience. Introduce characters and conflicts systematically. Be creative when developing your main points. You may create tension, suspense, or surprise. But, resolve it in the end or leave your readers in suspense.

Point of view is another useful literary technique. You may opt for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th point of view. Research allows you to learn how each point of view affects readers. The main idea behind the point of view is to present emotions. It lets readers participate in your story.

Point of view lets readers view characters based on personalities. They imagine their weak and strong points. Point of view also helps you to choose literary devices. You may choose diction, allusion, syncope, and many more. The use of different literary techniques strengthens your story. Different phrases, tones, and points of view evoke moods. They create insights and ideas in the mind of the reader.

The purpose of research in audience engagement

Every writer of fiction desires people to read his books. The story structure and presentation attract or repel readers. Audience preferences change based on demographics. Readers in different generations have differing reading preferences.

If you are targeting a certain group, demographic research can help. It helps you understand readers based on sex, age, and race. You learn people’s social economics and other important statistics. This lets you write resonating literature for your audiences.

Research is useful for learning market trends. Narratives keep changing all the time. The modern generation may prefer audio-visual books. Research empowers you to learn how to get feedback from readers. You may use surveys, social media, or reviews.

To sum it up on Research in Creative Writing – Looking into the future of creative writing

Creative writing has undergone many developments. Its demand changes based on generational changes. Technological changes affect fiction writing too. AI powers the modern world. This technology is reshaping the future of creative writing. Machines and apps today use AI to create stories.

Audiences want visual-based content instead of texts. Many writing applications help create error-free stories. Writers are already using automation to streamline writing workflows. Data is helping writers understand audience behavior. They are using analytics tools to learn trends.

AI is evolving quickly which is hastening human creativity. Soon, new technological trends will arise. Based on forecasts, creative writing is headed into a shift. Writers might use AI-generated fiction more than ever. The purpose of research in writing may change significantly.

Creative writers need to be ahead and informed. They need to learn the trends as they change. They must keep learning why research is important all the time. Staying updated with current technologies will help. Learning the trends will help writers stay ahead. They will create narratives that resonate with modern generations.

The post Significance of Research in Creative Writing appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Budding writers often wonder how to write a story. Not just a story, but a good story that everyone remembers and recommends. The world is full of stories, so you have to work hard at yours to make it outstanding. So if you often wonder how to create a story, you have come to the right place. 

Prolific writer, Charles Opara in his article, offers writers a step-by-step guide on how to write a good story. This guide will help you figure out how to  create the best story you possibly can. It will also show you how to overcome certain challenges that writers face such as unproductivity nnd writers’ block.

Ready to learn? Let’s read on.

How To Write A Story Like A Literary Great (Story Writing Tips + Examples)

It is almost impossible to learn how to write a story without first understanding the concept of the story. So let’s start by describing or defining a story.

What is a story? 

When you think of a story, think of a necklace. Or a string of pearls. The entire string is the narrative. Simply put, it is the fiction-writing mode in which the narrator communicates directly to the reader.

The pearl, in other words, is the description. It usually contains the scenes. (Recall, the four rhetorical modes of discourse: narration, description, exposition, and argumentation.)  

Scene vs. Narrative And Why They Matter In Storytelling and Story Writing

The scenes paint a picture and they usually describe places, things, or characters. Consider the piece of string between two adjacent pearls.

In story writing, scenes move at a fast pace. The events that happen in this part are not detailed, and for that reason, advance much quicker.

Here, the writer wishes to inform the reader that this or that occurred, or that time has passed (events that take place between one scene and the next) albeit summarily. Without this vital part it would be difficult to follow the story, difficult to tell what stage the story is in.

While the pearls handle the significant events the writer wishes to share in detail, the string hides details of events the writer does not wish to bother the reader with. I’m sure you’ll agree that the pearls are the beauty of the necklace, the reason why we buy it. And so it is with fiction.

A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Write A Good Story.

When writing a story, even if you must sacrifice the plot (that thing that connects all your scenes) you can’t write a good fiction without at least a scene, which would most likely feature a character in a setting.

If you try, the outcome will be something aimed at informing the reader (rather than transporting him to a different time and place) like a story outline, a skeletal account, or plot points. And this is not good.

People read fiction mainly to be entertained, and it’s hard to entertain them when they do not feel drawn to your story.

While creating a story, it is important to note that  scenes are the building blocks of an entertaining story. There is no better way to make readers feel emotions like joy, anger, disgust, lust, horror, sorrow, tension, excitement and the rest than putting them in a scene with your characters.

Learn to move your story forward: How to keep your readers au fait

The renowned German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, who died in 1956, used narrators or narrative figures to fill the missing action in his plays. Today, the use of narrators before a scene opens has become a feature in epic dramas.

These narrators tell us the action that is not played out for us by the actors, the action that we missed between the last scene and the next.

Figure Out What Makes Up A Good Story

• A good story is a collection of scenes connected by a narrative. In other words, it has description and narration.
• Sometimes, a story can have just one scene.
• A good work of fiction can never be just the narrative. (That would be the story outline or the synopsis, which is different from the sample chapters we send to publishers and literary agents).
• The narration that doesn’t occur within a scene, often giving a sketchy account, is meant to help the reader follow the sequence of events in the story. We will refer to this as the narrative.

Master The Parts Or Elements Of A Story

The plot, the story goal, the theme, the characters, the conflict and the setting, especially the opening and final scenes, are six things you need to determine before you begin to write your story.

If you are clear on these, then, only your writing can let you down. Before I learned how to write a story, I used to be one of those people who didn’t plan my plot right up till the end before I started to write.

This meant I never knew how my story would pan out until I had reached the very last scene nor did I know how my characters would develop.

My theme was often a mystery to me. Which is why I often had to redraft my stories, many times — too many times. Sometimes having to make major changes to the story.

To forestall against this, develop the habit of working with and working through a story plan that includes the six elements of fiction. By story plan, I mean a skeletal framework on what you want to write about. A story plan is a vital step to writing a good story.

The elements of fiction (expressed as parts of the figurative story necklace)

Going back to our metaphor of the necklace, let’s appreciate the various elements of fiction better. We find the plot coursing through the whole necklace. Having the same dynamics as fluid, it moves much faster in the narrow string and much slower in the pearl.

As I’ve already said, the beads would be that part of the story where characters perform actions.  The part where your characters and their conflicts unfold, allowing you to form an opinion about them, an opinion not (explicitly) defined for you by the author’s narrative (as we see in the string), allowing you to experience or visualize a character or a setting (through sensory images). The string would be that part that takes you to a scene.

Or, you could say, the events mentioned in summary so the reader can follow the story better (e.g. the passage of time). Looking at the necklace more closely, you’ll notice a repeating pattern in the beads (there usually is, in a good necklace.) This pattern is the theme. There’s one part of the string I still haven’t talked about. The clip.

So, what element of fiction do you think the clip of the necklace represents? Here’s a clue: it’s something that keeps the necklace firmly around your neck. It’s that thing that brings all your elements together. Can you guess? Pause from reading and take a minute to think about it.

The Clip And Its Role In Helping You Learning How To Write A Story.

Without the clip would the necklace stay around your neck? No. It would fall off. So the clip is very important. In fact, without it, there will be no point of owning a necklace; its aim is defeated as you can’t wear it.

If you just carry it in the palm of your hand, no one will see it like it ought to be seen, no one will appreciate it. So what is that which plays the role of a clip in a good story?

It is the thematic statement. The theme has two parts: a concept and a statement. The thematic concept is the design or pattern that we see in the beads while the thematic statement is the clip at the end of the necklace that allows it to be worn. The thematic concept is commonly referred to as the theme.

While there isn’t a common name for the thematic statement, to my knowledge, my guess for its more generic term would be the story goal. (The story goal is different from the character goal, please take note.)

Story goals have to do with the morals or the lessons stories try to teach. The thematic statement is the salient message/idea/point that the reader gets from the story. And what determines this is usually how the story is resolved. So you will not be entirely wrong if you called the clip the resolution.

Decide On What The Point Of Your Story Will Be.

When a story lacks a thematic statement then it is  not a good story because it is all plot and no purpose, a collection of different events (different actions described within a setting) that have nothing binding them together, nothing to make you appreciate why the writer took the trouble to tell them. Many readers consider these type of stories a waste of time.

 What Makes A Good Story?

Most times, as writers, we focus on the art of writing, neglecting the art of storytelling or story-crafting. A lot of us are good writers, but some of us have trouble telling a good story.

When your writing is up to par, and you’re still having trouble getting your stories accepted for publication, it’s time for you to master the art of storytelling.

Storytelling is what takes your writing from raw sentences to real entertainment. It is like the glaze on a ceramic sculpture that makes it look finished.

If writing is artistic expression, storytelling is artistic direction. The two are like hand and glove. And like hand and glove, they can be separated.

Storytelling: How Story Writing Works.

Begin by asking yourself what the story you want to write is about. Can you say it in one sentence (called an elevator pitch, a premise, or a logline)?

Whenever you’re trying to figure out what a story is really about, look for the internal conflict. When you ask people what a story is about, most make the mistake of telling you the plot of the story.

Well, it’s not the plot. It’s the theme. And it ought to be so because, when you consider our story necklace metaphor, you’ll see that the theme gives the necklace beautiful patterns; it adds value to it. So it’s all about the theme when trying to decide on the worth of the necklace.

If the necklace is supposed to be a thing of beauty, then, it’s all about the patterns on it. If you can summarize the story you want to write in one sentence and make it include the theme, then, that’s it. That’s what it’s about.

The Two Types Of Conflict.

In a good story, there are usually two types of conflicts: the external one and the internal one.

Why? Because a well-developed story makes us appreciate a character’s inner turmoil, his emotional/ psychological struggle, and in the end, it says something about life. Stories with internal conflicts are deep. When you think of a good story to write, remember that conflicts are important.

They paint pictures about the human condition, the human struggle, the human mind, the human character, the human virtue, the human resilience, and more.  Ultimately, their resolution by characters who show humanities (even if they are aliens) gives your story its meaning, gives it an underlying message, a lesson that can be framed into one sentence called the thematic statement.

The Six Elements of Fiction.

• Plot
• Theme
• Setting
• Character
• Conflict
• Style

Things like, Point of View and Voice, Tone and many others fall under Style.

The plot

The plot is what happens in your story. It usually revolves around an external conflict.

For example, a man takes the bus home from work after his car breaks down.

The external conflict is all that stands in the way of his trying to get home. The need to get home is the character’s goal. It’s a combination of his car breaking down and all the setbacks he encounters on his way home.

The Theme And It Helps You Create A Stronger Story.

The theme is what your sub-story (your deeper, underlying story) is about. And it revolves around your internal conflict.

A man refuses to let his wife give him a ride back home when his car breaks down.

Why does he refuse his wife’s favour?

Because he’s still mad at her for cheating on him with the school coach, his best friend. They’ve already resolved this matter, but he still wants to give her a hard time over it.

So the internal conflict is the emotions he’s still dealing with surrounding his wife’s unfaithfulness, now that he has knowledge of it.

The theme here is infidelity, or dealing with unfaithfulness, the unfaithfulness of a spouse.

Let’s say our story opens with our protagonist trying to start his car. He gets a call from his wife. He tells her he’s having car trouble and turns down her offer to pick him up.

The rest of the scenes in the story detail the things the man sees on his bus trip, and the discomfort and culture shock he has as a result (he has never taken the bus in his life).

While all this is going on, his thoughts flashback to how he learned of his wife’s affair (exposition) and we understand better the phone conversation he had with her in the beginning, why she said something about him wanting to still punish her.

Our example is taken from a short story called The Bus by Brock Clarke. Most of the scenes take place in the bus so it seems the story is about a bus trip, but it’s not.

The internal conflict hints at what the story is really about.

The story is not about a dreadful bus ride. The bus ride is what happens in the story. That is the plot. The story is about a man trying to punish his wife for an affair she had with his best friend by turning down her offer of a ride home from work.

 I know this from the internal conflict. The theme will tell you what the story is about and it usually revolves around an internal conflict.

The Role Of Conflict, Plot, and Theme When Figuring Out How To Write A Story.

You can see that the conflict (both external and internal) is a distinct element of fiction, distinguishable from the plot and the theme. Plot and Theme usually revolve around conflicts. Plot is what happens in a bid to resolve some external conflict. Theme is the idea and the message that the internal conflict brings to our attention.

Do you now see why you should decide what your conflicts will be before you start to type your story? It helps you decide on what will happen in your story and what your story will be about, helps you decide on the plot and the theme.

What happens when a story has more than one external conflict?

Sometimes a story may have several external conflicts and several internal conflicts. But it should have one major internal conflict. If you have two or more internal conflicts, you could end up telling two or more stories instead of one.

That’s not a crime per se, but it is a little too much, from an aesthetic point of view, if you ask me. From an artistic perspective, I don’t advise this. Better for you to break up your story into several chapters and have one theme for each chapter. Or if you’re writing a TV series, have one theme for each episode.

Since the point of a story revolves around an internal conflict, having two internal conflicts would cause some confusion.

(Note that one internal conflict can lead to several external conflicts and not the other way around, not normally. You don’t want your readers to grapple with too many life lessons in one chapter or episode because it would water down or dilute the impact of your piece.)

From our story, our male protagonist could get off the bus and be chased by muggers. This would result in a new external conflict, one that takes place outside the bus: he now wants to escape muggers (the first was getting through an unbearable bus ride home), but it’s still one plot: a man’s effort to get back home after his car broke down (now having two parts: the bus trip and the chase).

When a story has several themes

A story can have several themes. A theme is an idea that the story revolves around. And it is usually rooted in an internal conflict. Several ideas could revolve around one internal conflict. A story can have several themes but it should make a statement about just one (the central theme). From our example, one idea could be unfaithfulness or infidelity. Another could be, resentfulness.

The theme: concept and statement

Earlier, I said the theme is both the idea (concept) and the message (statement) your story carries. If you have an internal conflict, you already have an idea for the theme. What remains now is what statement you make about it. Your theme is not complete unless your story says something about it. And you make it say what you want by how you end your story.

Oh

Determine The Thematic Concept Of The Story.

So, what do you think is the thematic concept of our story example?

How about, ‘Resentfulness vs. truly forgiving’? Begrudging vs. Letting go. What about, ‘the things we put ourselves through to make a point’?

Our ending determines what our thematic statement says.

If the bus trip turns out to be an experience our protagonist wishes he had not undergone, then, the thematic statement would be,

‘Resentfulness after reconciliation leads to regret’?

Or, ‘It doesn’t pay to still begrudge those who have told us they are sorry’.

Or, ‘Refusing to let old wounds heal begets new pains’.

Character and Setting Plays A Good Role In Story Writing.

The other elements of fiction, Character and Setting, are self-explanatory. I won’t go into them. I’ll just say, depending on the length of your story, you ought to devote a certain amount of words to character development and setting. In flash fiction, character development is either omitted completely or done in very few words.

Style

The last is Style, also called ‘writing style‘ or ‘narrative style’. It’s all about the technique you deploy in your narration. You should decide on what style to use after crafting your story, before you sit down to write it. And so it should also be one of your pre-considerations. Style is your art of writing, or your literary expression. It includes things like POV choice, Voice, Tone, Diction and more. It’s very broad.

How To Write a Story Using Diegesis and Mimesis

From our metaphor of a story, some could argue that the string tells more than it shows, and the pearl, a metaphor for a scene (and since scenes are heavy on description), shows more than it tells.

Showing and telling, telling and showing. Aren’t we, as writers, all too familiar with the terms?

The more technical terms would be Diegesis (telling) and Mimesis (showing). They are both style choices.

Diegesis

In diegesis, the narrator tells the story. The narrator presents the actions (and sometimes thoughts) of the characters to the readers or audience. Diegetic elements are part of the fictional world (“part of the story”), as opposed to non-diegetic elements which are stylistic elements of how the narrator tells the story (“part of the storytelling”).

In Diegesis, there is a filter to the action, a narrative filter that gives us a sense of an authorial presence.

We are made even more aware of this presence by the writer’s voice, especially if he or she speaks in a non-standard dialect. Remember the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett? There are many more examples.

Mimesis

Mimesis is imitative representation of the real world in art and literature. It’s understood as a form of realism in literature.

Dissect The Diegesis vs. Mimesis

Mimesis shows rather than tells, by means of action that is enacted. Diegesis is the telling of a story by a narrator. The narrator may speak as a particular character, or may be the invisible narrator, or even the all-knowing narrator who speaks from “outside” in the form of commenting on the action or the characters. In Diegesis, there’s a filter to the action. In Mimesis, there’s none.

I’m sure you’ll agree that the decision to write with or without a filter is a style choice. So you see, it’s not accurate to say that showing occurs in the beads and telling occurs in the string because it’s a style choice.

A story can be diegetically told, with no aspect of Mimesis. Your writing style pervades all aspects of your story and can be seen in every part of the necklace, both string and bead. The only thing we can be certain of is that the plot moves at a faster pace in the string than in the bead.

Writing is art expression; storytelling is art direction

A good writer is not necessarily a good storyteller and vice versa. Writing is a literary expression; storytelling is literary direction. Some writers do one better than the other.

Think of the other five elements (outside style) as all the things that will make you a good storyteller, a good story crafter while style is everything you need to apply to your writing that will make you a good writer.

To learn how to write a story, learn to create a story plan.

If I’m asked what makes a good story, I would tell them it’s a story that deploys the six elements of fiction (plot, theme, conflict, setting, character and style).

If you want to write better stories, create a story plan that looks something like this:

• Plot Summary (in one or two sentences)
• Theme (in one word)
• Concept of theme (in more than one word)
• Statement of theme (in one sentence)
• Setting (place and time period e.g. present-day, 1994, medieval times.)
• Characters (List all your characters with their relationship to the protagonist or their relevance to the story in brackets.)
• Conflict
• External
• Internal
• Style
• POV
• Voice
• Tone

(You can add other aspects of style not on this list). You can create a story plan before you start writing your story, or after the story has been written. The story plan is supposed to help you figure out ways to plu plot holes and to develop your characters.

Conclusion On How To Write A Story Like A Literary Great.

Good story writing is not as easy as accomplished writers make it seem. But you can write good stories if you choose your scenes, characters and themes wisely. And pay attention to the narrative techniques in your story.

Have you learned the ins and outs of writing a story? Please share your tips with us in the comments section. We want to learn more on how to write a story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Opara is a Nigerian-born author who writes suspense, speculative fiction, and short stories, who is about to publish a collection of short stories. He is a programmer with a passion for groundbreaking technologies. His creative mind enjoys the logic involved in writing stories and programs. In 2015, his horror short “It Happened” was shortlisted for the Awele Creative Trust Prize and in 2017, another story ‘Baby-girl’ was long-listed for the Quramo National Prize in his country. His stories have appeared in Ambit, Flash Fiction Press, and Zoetic Press.

twitter handle: Charles Opara@OparaCc

The post How To Write A Story Like A Literary Great (Story Writing Tips + Examples) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Converting image to Excel spreadsheets is valuable for writers and other professionals as it helps them work more efficiently with data, maintain data integrity, and present information in a structured and organized manner.

In this article, we will consider how converting image to excel spreadsheet is crucial for text organizing.

In today’s data-driven era, the ability for writers to manage and organize the textual information is paramount. 

No doubt text files, presentation slides, and spreadsheets have long been the one-stop solution for this purpose. 

What happens if you get the text data in an image format? This is where the transforming JPG images into editable Excel spreadsheets becomes crucial.

Read: How to get freelance writing jobs

Give a read to this context for exploring the significance of image to spreadsheet conversion and also its other applications.

The Challenge of Text in Images

The Prevalence of Image Text

Most images contain textual information that ranges from scanned documents to photographs of whiteboards. 

You can find that these images patently contain critical data that is otherwise seen as challenging to access and manipulate. 

The Limitations of Image Text

Text packed within images comes with several limitations. It’s not easily accessible, searchable, or editable without specialized tools. 

This is where extracting and storing this text into a versatile and organized format like MS Excel spreadsheet makes perfect sense. 

Understanding the JPG Format

JPG or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is a widely used format for certain concerns. 

It works highly efficiently for compressing photographic images while keeping the maintained quality. However, when you embed text within a JPEG image, it always keeps locked within the image. 

The Versatility of Excel Spreadsheets

We refer to Microsoft Excel as a versatile format for data organization. This spreadsheet format provides you with a powerful feature that assists to manipulate and structure textual data. 

It makes a MS Excel spreadsheet format a prime choice for transforming and organizing text from images. 

The Transformation Process

Converting JPG to Excel spreadsheets indulges with OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, which scans, recognizes, extracts, and transforms the data into editable text. 

You can find that this text extraction bridges the gap between the visual information packed within JPG and the Excel spreadsheet. 

Applications of Converting JPG to Excel

Data Entry and Management

Data entry and management is the most common application for transforming JPG to Excel spreadsheet format. 

For instance, a business that gets the printed forms or simple physical invoices can digitize the contained information seamlessly. 

With the assistance of conversion from the contained text into editable MS Excel spreadsheet, you can automate data entry process and even streamline according to certain aspects.

Digitizing Old Records

You can find that most organizations have stacks of old documents that are mostly packed within hard copy or image form. 

Transforming these image files to actionable MS Excel spreadsheet enables the preservation and easy retrieval of the existing data. 

Handling Business Cards

In this digital era, we most probably exchange different business cards that are loaded with vital contact information. 

Simply take a photo of these cards and convert them into MS Excel. This ensures easy database creation and also the integration with contact management software. 

Academic Research

Most often, researchers encountered the text data within photos such as diagrams, manuscripts, or handwritten notes. 

By transforming these JPG images to Excel, they can easily and efficiently catalog and analyze their findings. 

Easing Collaboration

Exporting JPG to Excel makes perfect sense regarding collaborating on projects where the textual data is involved. 

Team members can readily sort, organize, and store the data in an easy to navigate digital format. 

Extracting Tables and Charts

When it comes to reports and research papers, images with tables and charts are the most common attribute. 

Converting them to editable MS Excel sheets makes it highly possible to manipulate and even analyze the data with full ease. 

Tools and Methods for Converting Image to Excel

Dedicated OCR Software

There are innumerable dedicated OCR-based software sources available around the internet for converting photos to excel spreadsheets. 

They are most often packed with advanced features for proper and accurate text recognition, this makes them perfect for professional use. 

Online OCR Services

You can fetch online OCR services from the internet to quickly and easily turn your existing images into excel files. 

Users can start using this website that takes a matter of seconds for saving JPG as Excel spreadsheet format. 

Built-In OCR Features

There are some image scanning devices and certain software come-up with built-in OCR functions. This enables swift conversions from scanned documents to MS Excel spreadsheet. 

Manual Entry

Manual intervention for image to excel conversion is a preferred choice when accuracy is critical. 

Although this process consumes bulk time and effort, still it ensures precise outcomes. 

The Importance of Accuracy

Swift and accurate JPG file to Excel spreadsheet conversion is a vital choice for meaningful and reliable data organization. 

Inaccurate OCR processes can lead to errors and misinterpretations. They may have certain consequences for businesses, research, and data analysis aspects. 

Future Developments in OCR Technology

Thanks to the continuous advancement in OCR technology, this makes image to excel conversions more accurate and efficient. 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are now being integrated into Optical Character Recognition systems for improving the scans and reducing errors. 

Finally, on Converting Image to Excel Spreadsheet 

Transforming JPG to Excel spreadsheets is an immensely important process for better text management in this digital age. 

You can find that this conversion enables information retrieval, data entry, and efficient collaboration for certain concerns. 

The post Converting Image to Excel Spreadsheet is Crucial for Text Organizing appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Serious poets want to be better writers of poetry. Also, they want to learn how to edit poetry.

Many poets understand that editing is as important as the actual writing. It’s your opportunity to examine and refine your work into a better and more developed piece worthy of awards. It makes sense to learn how to edit poetry. Who knows where your reputation as a poetry editor might take you?

Editing can seem daunting, and it’s also quite exciting. So take some time to experiment and find the techniques and processes that best work for you and your poetry.  Yes, you’ll have to learn to edit your poems first.

Here’s a guide on how to edit poetry. This guide includes poetry editing strategies guaranteed to help you become a great poetry editor. One strategy is to use poem editing tools like AI PoemGenerator to help you create and edit poems in a blink of an eye.

Take a Break From The Poem. 

Writing poetry can be difficult and consuming. After completing your poem, take a break from the creative process. Let your brain relax. Reapproach your poem with a fresh mind. You want to be able to read the line with fresh eyes.

This technique works when you’re editing your own poem and when you’re editing another writer’s poetry.

You’ll do a better job of assessing and editing the poem more objectively if you implement this technique.

Save the First Draft Of The Poem.

One of the reasons editing can feel intimidating is because of the idea that you’re “killing your darlings.”

Keep your unedited first draft, so the poetry editing process doesn’t feel like you’re cutting and discarding your own precious lines of poetry.

If your poem is typed, it can be helpful to print it out. Your unedited draft will remain on your computer, and editing is often easier when you physically highlight and make notes on the poem.

This way, instead of killing your darlings, you’re still letting them hang around, and the unused ones can be used in other poems.

In addition, your edits will be reversible, and you can compare your unedited and edited versions for even more improvements. All the best poetry editors use this strategy. It’s a good tactic for anyone who’s still learning how to edit poetry.

Read your Poem Like a Reader Would.

Read your poem in its entirety. Don’t make edits or think about adjustments. Let yourself enjoy the words and experience your poem like a reader would. After a complete read, note down your immediate thoughts and impressions. 

• Do any words or lines feel strange? 
• Which parts could use reinforcement? 
• Do some areas seem choppy or cramped? 

Think about the reader’s perspective. 

• Is the writing clear or confusing? 
• Is the theme or message of your poem coming across?

It can also be helpful to read your poem aloud so you can pick up on how it sounds. 

• How is the rhythm and flow? Is your writing eloquent enough?

Reading through your poem and breaking down what exactly needs to be fixed will result in more productive and efficient editing. Now you’re prepared to make your first level of edits.

Enhance the Style

After making the first round of adjustments, begin focusing on style edits. The style of a poem is all the choices that are made to create the poem’s meaning. Coleridge’s The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is a good example of a well edited poem.

This can range from literary devices to punctuation to rhythm to mood. Examine your style elements and how they contribute to the poem; they should enhance your writing and complement the themes and meaning of your poem.

That being said, you should also make sure that your poem isn’t crowded with style elements. Poetry is a form that operates by the “less is more” policy, so sometimes it can be helpful to remove excess.

• Does your style complement your poem?
• What elements could be enhanced to contribute to a more developed piece?
• What elements could be taken out to clear unnecessary crowding and confusion?

Assess the Language Of The Poem.

Carefully study your word choice. Every word should be contributing to the theme, structure, and rhythm of your poem. Also examine your diction and what it is implying. 

• Does the diction match your theme and style? 
• Are there ways to maximize the effect?
• What is one way to revise for word choice?
• Is this poem good enough for oral reading?

This is a good time to take out your thesaurus and experiment with word choice. Also, poetry usually isn’t as word-heavy as other forms of writing. Keep that in mind while editing; it’s better to remove unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Additionally, make sure you are beginning and ending with powerful lines for a stronger poem and greater impact.

Reorder and Restructure

Once you’ve done all your writing-based edits, give your poem another read. Assess the order and structure of your poem. Experiment with different stanza and line orders to find which sounds and flows the best. This will help you to learn how to edit poetry.

Poetry also involves an aesthetic element; try altering your lines to make your poem look better on the page. If your poem is typed up, a helpful tip is to change the font.

Your brain gets accustomed to observing the same text; changing the font will let you assess it with fresh eyes and assess the structure better. As a bonus, grammar and spelling errors are easier to detect with a font change.

• Can your stanzas be reordered to flow better and make a better poem?
• Could your lines be rearranged within the individual stanzas to emphasize meaning?
• Could your lines be shortened, lengthened, or combined to create a better structure?

Ask Others for Feedback

After you’ve made all your edits, it can be helpful to ask others for their suggestions. Share your poems with trusted friends, family, or other writers and ask them for feedback.

A good practice is to ask others what they think the poem is about. You may get some interesting poetry analyses that can indicate whether your poem is being understood the way you want it to or not.

Keep in mind that you get to decide what to do with the feedback you receive. If you found it insightful you could use it to do another level of edits. You could also choose not to act upon the feedback; it’s your poem, edit it as you see fit. 

You can also seek feedback on the behalf of the writer whose poem you’re editing. The feedback you’ll get will help you do a better job of editing the poem. With time, you’ll figure out everything you need to learn about how to edit poetry.

Rewrite Your Poetry.

Every poet has heard this saying, ‘the first draft is always trash.’

While editing a poem, be prepared to revise some lines. Writing experts advice poets to edit until your poem says what you want it to say. Writing experts advice poets to edit until your poem says what you want it to say before getting it published.

Edit the poem until it sings. If you’re still learning how to edit poetry, don’t be in a haste to rewrite ‘imperfect’ sentences. Be careful to avoid editing out the writer’s voice. Strike a balance between maintaining the writer’s voice and improving the lines of the poem.

Read The Poem Out Loud.

After a few rounds of revision, read the poem aloud. This will help you to spot errors you might have missed.

Read the poem to a small audience, and listen to their opinion. Good poems are often good for oral reading.

Also, ask yourself if you’re satisfied with the edited poem. If you aren’t, revise the part that require some improvement.

Congratulations on completing your poem, if you feel satisfied with the completed poem!

If you aren’t happy with the finished work, no worries! You can always return to the editing process and write as many drafts as you need.

Use A Grammar And Spell Checker Like Every Good Poem Editor.

Every poet who’s still figuring out how to write a poem must use a grammar checker or a spell checker. This will go a long way to help you to correct small grammatical and spelling errors.

Wrap Up On How To Edit Poetry.

Poetry editing isn’t a small feat. It requires a lot of writing and reading, as well as a ot of practicing. You have to learn to take a break from the poem with the aim of backing back to the poem with fresh eyes. Other strategies include:

• rewriting the poem
• Getting feedback from seasoned poetry critics or writers
• Restructure your poem
• Read the poem aloud to yourself and them to a small group of cohorts.
• Using a grammar checker
• Take a break from the poem.
• Using a thesaurus or a dictionary. 

It’s standard practice for every editor to use a dictionary or a thesaurus. This ensures that only the apt and concise words make it into the final draft.

While figuring out how to edit a poem, strive to choose the best words in the poem you’re editing. Many editor poets often wonder, “what is one way to revise for word choice?” My answer: revise awkward-sounding lines and use a thesaurus or a dictionary.

Did you ever have to actively learn how to revise a poem? What lessons have you learned from your experience? Please share your story in the comments section below. There are thousands of poets who want to learn how to edit a poem.

You can find more poetry writing tips in this article.

The post How To Edit Poetry: A Guide On How To Become One Of The Best Poem Editors In The World. appeared first on Creative Writing News.

What is a story arc? Does it mean the same thing as narrative arc or plot arc? These are questions many budding and professional writers often ask. And they are very important questions too. Storytelling arcs help to make great stories memorable and outstanding.

In this article, Charles Opara will give apt narrative arc definitions. Then, he’ll dissect a sample story that has a clear story arc. What’s more, he’ll explain the difference between a character arc and a narrative arc. You’ll also get bonus tips on how to create the arc of a story in a narrative 

Ready to learn about arcs in stories? Read on.

The Story Arc Also Known As The Narrative Arc.

When many writers get a story idea, the last thing they think about is the narrative arc. But the story arc is one out of many techniques that keeps the reader hooked.

Before we learn how to create a story arc, let’s define a narrative arc.

What is a narrative arc?

The story arc or narrative arc or dramatic arc is the path a story follows. It gives a story a definite form, one with a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

The concept of narrative arc as we know it today was created by Gustav Freytag, a German novelist and playwright who closely analyzed ancient Greek writing, along with William Shakespeare’s five-act plays.

As the term suggests, when plotted on paper, a typical narrative arc forms the shape of a hill or pyramid.

Creative writing experts suggest that a typical story arc has five elements..  Understanding these elements will help you know what to focus on when trying to create a narrative arc in your story.

Here they are, arranged in the order in which they appear:

The Five Elements of a Story Arc

Exposition.

This is the reader’s introduction to the story. The exposition offers background information to prime the audience for the rest of the story, including introducing the main character(s) (the “who”), setting (the “where”), and circumstances or time period (the “when”).

Rising Action.

This is when conflict begins to ramp up. The rising action usually begins with what’s called an “inciting incident”—the triggering event that puts the main events of the story in motion. This is when the audience starts to see what your story is really about.

This element forces you to answer questions like, what visual representation describes the structural elements of your plot?

Climax.

This is the highest point of tension in your storyline, and often the point at which all the different subplots and characters converge. Typically, the climax requires the main character to face the truth or make an important choice.

Falling Action.

This is what happens as a result of the protagonist’s decision. During the falling action, the conflict gives way to resolution. Loose ends are tied up, and tension begins to dissipate.

Resolution.

Also known as a denouement, this is how your story ends. The resolution of a narrative arc isn’t always happy, but it does close the loop and show how the events of the story have changed the characters and the world around them.

How To Create A Narrative Arc (Examples and Tips).

I will demonstrate these 5 elements using excerpts from my horror short story piece: It Happened.

A Demonstration of the Five Elements of a Story Arc using the horror short story piece

‘It Happened’ by Charles Opara

Exposition (Opening)

It is official. My son is missing — if you believe the statement I made back at the station. I am in the backseat of a squad car, on a manhunt for the prime suspect in my son’s abduction, and we have just gone past the orphanage at Aladinma. Chuma, my first child, left home for Church to rehearse for a play his youth group plan to stage on Sunday and has not returned since. Look at the time. It is past nine. The police chief and I have spent the last forty-five minutes visiting some of Chuma’s friends in their homes and interrogating them. They all said the same thing: they last saw him at the rehearsal and do not know where he went after that.

The police chief is constantly on his phone, constantly talking to his boys, asking if they have made any progress. Every negative response he gets threatens to turn me into a nervous wreck.

Help me, Lord, before I lose my mind. I am a poor widow whose mite comes from her earnings as a nurse at a state-run clinic, one of the outstations for the proper reference hospitals in the city. I have no one else but you, Lord, and I thank you for revealing to me who my son’s abductor is. I speak of Ihemee, the destitute on our street. Would I even know his name if it were not for my son, whom he chose to befriend?

Chuma has been acting strange ever since we moved to Ikoku Avenue, almost three months ago. He has a knack for expressing ideas that could not possibly come from a nine-year-old. Like the time he asked me a riddle: “Grass eats dirt, cow eats grass, and man eats cow. What eats man?” I answered ‘nothing’, and he said, “Maggots. Maggots eat man. They turn him into dirt so the grass can eat.”

When Chuma became fascinated with setting traps for house rats — when I noticed he was a little too eager to take out the rubbish, every evening — I asked Uchendu, my second child, to follow him and see where he would take the trash. Uchendu came home to report that he had seen Chuma speaking with Ihemee at the dumpsite.

What? My son? Talking to that mad man? After I specifically warned him to steer clear of him? What sort of mind-control medicine is that homeless herbalist using on him? Ihemee, of all people! How can Chuma want to be friends with that disgusting thing? A tramp who could be carrying skin diseases yet unknown to man? Who might even be a runaway from a mental institution, and potentially dangerous?

Analysis Of The Opening (Exposition).

Notice the background information. I’m referring to the incidents that happened before we joined the story:

• Chuma’s relationship with Ihemee.
• Chuma not returning home after a rehearsal at church.
• The narrator calling the police. 
• The narrator and the police chief making house calls to inquire about the whereabouts of Chuma.
• The narrator going to the police station to give a report.
• The manhunt. The narrator and the police chief boarding a squad car that’s part of a convoy of two police vehicles on a search for the suspect.

We also learn a bit about the narrator.

She’s a nurse.

And two other characters, who are at the heart of the conflict: Chuma and Ihemee.

Rising Action.

The police chief gets off the phone and says to me, “My men have apprehended the suspect.”

“Praise God,” I chant. “Is my son with him? Have they found him?”

”Calm down, Madam. Your son is not with him, but we will find him. I assure you.”

He tells the driver to turn the car around and our convoy of two makes a U-turn. At one point, the other car’s headlight strikes me with a blinding haze of white that catches the tears welling up in my eyes.

If my premonition misses, my son is not in a black cellophane bag and Ihemee is not a ritualist looking for a human head while pretending to be shelter-challenged.

I keep my head turned towards my window, away from the police chief, and watch the dark shapes of trees as they fly by. A quick flash of light from a working streetlight ambushes me with my sad reflection.

Analysis Of The Rising Action.

The inciting incident is the phone call the police chief receives. It informs him that the suspect has been apprehended.

At this point, we start to get a sense of what the story is about.

Climax

At the shoulder of the hill, a putrid smell filled my lungs. But I was like a moth drawn to the strong light on the other side, I could not be denied. I crawled up the slope, taking my time. At the summit, I fell on my chest and slithered up and poked my head over the hill. The first thing that caught my eye was a bright furnace. And then a man. He was naked, stark naked. He looked like the driver of our bus. There was another man by the fire. He was tending to the flames with a long stick. I knew I had seen him somewhere before, on the bus, perhaps. Wasn’t he the one who sat closest to the door?

The first man dragged an equally unclothed body by the ankles—dead from all indications—out of a pile of human remains and laid it flat on its back. The corpse he had pulled out belonged to the woman who had offered me ukwa while we were waiting for the bus to fill up with passengers. The first man—who, in the glaze of firelight, I could now confirm was our driver—lowered himself on top of the woman’s corpse and assumed the missionary position. It was a sickening sight. I could not think of anything more depraved. I could not think at all. He belched. He puked all over her face. His vomitus poured and poured (bucket-loads of it) and as it did, his head lurched forward and he gurgled, “Bleeegh!”

His oral discharge seemed alive, the way it swirled over the woman’s face and then over the rest of her, soiling and unsoiling her body parts. Jesus! It was a swarm—of maggots. The driver coughed out the last ones. And then came… a long worm—no, a leech, the longest I had ever seen in my life. Maggots, leeches (and God knows what other vermin) turned the woman’s face into a hive. The last thing I saw, before slinking away, was of the driver licking the woman’s skull, slurping back the maggots, and exposing her soggy half-eaten face.

Analysis Of The Climax.

In this scene, the narrator faces a shocking truth: the men, she initially thought were rescuers, are scavengers, decay-feeding supernatural creatures.

Falling Action

Where am I?” I ask.

“In hospital,” Chuma says.

“How do you feel?” Ngozi asks, her eyes the pale red of someone who has been crying.

“Excuse me. That’s my job,” the strange face in the room says. She raises her stethoscope and slips it into her ears. “Now, if the rest of you will give me a moment, I will be done here.”

I feel the cold dab of her stethoscope on my chest and jerk back a little. 

“So it was all a dream,” I say. “Thank goodness. But what happened? Why am I here? Doctor, did you give me a hallucinogen? You can tell me. I’m a nurse.”

“Hold still.” She pulls down my lower eyelid and shines her retinoscope in my eye. She does the same with my other eye. “I did not,” she says. “Your bus had an accident and, for all we know, you are the only survivor.”  

No. She can’t be serious. “Noooo,” I scream, alarming the young woman leaning over me. 

Ada, whom Chuma is trying to prevent from clambering up into my bed, stops struggling and gapes at me for a brief moment before she opens her mouth wide and releases a bawl.

“Mummy, what is it?” Uchendu asks.

“She is still in shock,” the woman in white overall says to Uchendu. “Now, I want everyone to leave so that she can get some rest. She will feel much better after she sleeps it off.”

Analysis of the Falling Action.

Here, we see how the protagonist reacts to her realization in the climax. This action, which starts in the ‘Falling Action’ will lead to the resolution.

Resolution

“Confused, I watch the woman lift Ada into her arms, and shepherd my family out of the room. 

Chukwunna, lekwa nu mo, Father, see me-o, I repeat to myself each time I recall the accident, and the driver scavenging that passenger’s face. 

Before the woman can shut the door behind her, an impulse makes me say, “Chuma. I want to speak with Chuma.”

“Of course,” the doctor says and allows my son back into the room. 

Chuma bounds over to me and the woman pulls the door shut. He stands by my bed, waiting. He doesn’t know what to say. And for a while, neither do I.

“That thing Ihemee said to the police, the night Obasi went missing, did you understand it?” I ask, finally.

“Yes, Mummy.”

I blink to clear the tear-clouds from my eyes, my lips shuddering slightly.

“Mummy, what is it? Don’t cry. You’ll be okay. The doctor says you will,” Chuma says, switching to Igbo.

“How does Ihemee know what he knows?”

Chuma hesitates.

I reach out and touch his arm. “You can tell me. I won’t get angry. I promise.” 

“He is one of them. He is like Pastor Ikenna, but he is not bad like him. He doesn’t kill and bury children so he can eat them later. He only eats dead rats and the things he finds in the garbage. Mummy, Ihemee is my friend, and he can be your friend too, if you like.”

 End Of Story.

How Story Arcs Work.

Story arcs in contemporary drama often follow the pattern of bringing a character to a low point, removing the structures the character depends upon, and then forcing the character to find new strength without those structures.

In a story arc, the character undergoes substantial growth or change, which culminates in the denouement in the last third or quarter of a story.

What’s The Difference Between The Narrative Arc and The Plot Of A Story?

Plot refers to the individual events that make up your story. In other words, the plot is what happens.

Narrative arc, on the other hand, refers to the path or sequence of your plot, and how that series of events creates a flow and progression that keeps the reader engaged at each stage in the story.

What Is the Difference Between a Narrative Arc and a Character Arc?

If a narrative arc is the path of the overall story, a character arc is the path a specific character takes during that story.

The story arc is external, and happens to all of the characters, while a character arc is internal, and happens to one person.

A character arc usually involves a character overcoming an obstacle and changing the way they see the world. (Undergoes an internal change, if nothing else.)

When the narrative arc begins its descent down the pyramid into the falling action and resolution, the character arc has its moment to shine.

This is when a character experiences a turning point by:

• asking for help,
• learning a new skill,
• making a critical choice,
• and/or becoming more self-aware.

Typically, only major characters have character arcs, though minor characters can undergo this type of character development as well.

The character arc of the narrator in our sample story

From the story “It Happened”, the narrator’s character arc is her realization that Ihemee is not what she thinks, but something much worse,  something hard to believe.

She now knows that Ihemee is not insane and was speaking the truth when he accused the general overseer of the church she attends of being a cannibal. We don’t know how she’ll respond to this. But it can be inferred that a change has occurred within her, a change in the way she sees the world.

And this change results from her acceptance of the fact that men who feed by digesting their prey extracellularly exist.

Wrap On Narrative Arcs, Story Arcs, Character Arcs and Plot Arcs.

The story arc can be seen as a pyramid that shows the different changes that take place in a story. There are five elements of a narrative arc. And each element plays an important role in defining the clear arc of the story.

The narrative arc is different from a plot. A character arc differs from a narrative arc. With our aforementioned example, you can decipher what the differences are. And hopefully, you can write classic short stories the everyone will love.

Have you ever tried to decipher the narrative arc of your story? What did you learn from the process? 

Got more tips on creating a story arc? Please share in the comments section. We look forward to learning from you.

About the Author:

Charles Opara is a Nigerian-born author who writes suspense, speculative fiction, literary fiction and short stories. He is a programmer with a passion for groundbreaking technologies. His creative mind enjoys the logic involved in writing stories and programs, puzzles and problem-solving, basically. In 2015, his horror short “It Happened” was shortlisted for the Awele Creative Trust Prize and in 2017, another story ‘Baby-girl’ was long-listed for the Quramo National Prize in his country. His stories have appeared in Ambit, Flash Fiction Press, and Zoetic Press. He is about to publish a collection of short stories with Fomite Press called ‘How Hamisu Survived Bad Kidneys and a Bad Son-in-law’.

Twitter handle: Charles Opara@OparaCc

INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS

1. Fake It, Flash Fiction Press http://www.theflashfictionpress.org/2016/06/24/fake-it/
2. Fermenting, Zoetic Press, Non-Binary Review #7 The Woman in White
3. Broken Sleep, Ambit Magazine, Ambit 229 (19th July 2017) ISSN: 0002-6972 http://ambitmagazine.co.uk/issues/229

WRITING CREDITS 

1. ‘It Happened’ shortlisted for Awele Creative Writers’ Prize 2014
2. ‘The Dream’ longlisted for Fiction Desk’s Best Newcomer’s Prize 2015  
3. ‘Fermenting’ nominated for the Best of the Net (Zoetic Press 2016)
4. ‘Baby-girl’ longlisted for the Quramo National Short Story Prize 2017

The post Narrative Arc, Story Arc, Plot Arc and Character Arc (Definitions + Examples + Tips For Creating A Narrative Arc In Your Story) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Have you been struggling to write your personal statement or SOP? Reading some good statement of purpose examples and MFA personal statement samples can make your application season easier and less stressful. Also, it helps to read practical advice by professors who have sat on MFA in Creative Writing Admissions Committees, particularly professors who know what makes a good MFA personal statement.

This article will take you through the process of writing an SOP. Attached, herein, are 10 statement of purpose examples (or 10 MFA Personal Statement examples, if you like), contributed by writers who gained admission into fully-funded MFA in Creative Writing programs. We’ve also shared tips from creative writing professors on how to write a personal statement. 

The purpose of this article is to help you write a personal statement that will wow the admission committee members in the English, Literature and Creative Writing programs you’re applying to. 

What is a Statement of Purpose or a Personal Statement?

A statement of purpose, in the context of applying to a graduate writing program, tells an admission committee about who you are, what your work focuses on, why you are applying to their program, and what you will do in the future.

Writing a statement of purpose is akin to attending an audition or an interview or a workshop. You need to stamp your suitability and prospects as best as you can.

Owing to this, a statement of purpose or personal statement should do more than what it is called. It has to show your purpose.

Before you start the process of writing your graduate school essay, take note of the following:

Focus on your Interest.

Know what you are interested in as a creative person, or what your work focuses on. For example, if you are interested in Memoir writing, Travel writing, or Speculative Fiction, or Historical fiction or Ancient Greek poetry, you should be able to write a few words regarding your approach to that area. 

Many writers cannot really point a finger to what they are interested in because of their fecundity. And that’s okay.

In fact, writing tutor, Daniel Galef, with his untrammeled imagination wrote in his SOP:

“It’s difficult to describe what kind of fiction I write, because I’m not sure there is a kind of fiction I write. No two stories I’ve written have been alike. One of them is alike, but none of the others are.”

Research the Programs you are Applying to.

Read widely about the programs you are applying to and note your findings systematically. There is no escaping from this exercise because you need to know about the schools of your interest. In turn, that knowledge needs to reflect on the pages of your SOP.   

This will tell the admission committee that you care about their creative writing program and that your SOP is not generic.

For instance,

• Who is on the faculty of XYZ arts program?
• What are their specializations?
• Have the faculty members published any books or stories or poetry collections?
• If yes, what works have they published?
• What fascinates you about their English and creative writing program?
• What are their acceptance rates of this MFA or PhD in Creative Writing Program?
• How does their funding work? Does the MFA or PhD program provide full-funding for students who want to study creative writing? 
• How many years will it take to complete the MFA program? Do they allow students to run an MFA and PhD joint program?
• What is the workload like?
• Where are they located?
• What are your general thoughts of their Creative Writing program?

Knowing these will help you decide whether a grad school program is best for you.

This article has been broken into four parts with headings of no consequence.

(Note: The headings mean nothing. They are just to stimulate understanding. You should not break your SOP into headings. Very few, if any, creative writing programs will be impressed with a segmented statement of purpose or personal statement.)

We’ll Call The First Part ‘The Open Window’

The initial part of your SOP should make a commanding entry with the essence of your being. It should offer little windows into you, and reveal profoundly what you are about as a person, and as a creative, taking into consideration where you are from.

This is that place you afford the admission committee a brief uncensored moment about your ‘who’. It should be so transparent that they can look through it and see your world.

One of the most transparent “window” statements I think I have heard about oneself is from Shane Patton in the movie ‘Lone Survivor’. At the tail end of his speech, Shane, while trying to join a band of war brothers, says with gusto,

”

Pardon the asterisks. Your SOP does not have to be Shane-Pattonesque. However, it has to have some art-mosphere. It must be written in a style and voice that are unique to you. However, your SOP should employ the ‘story approach’.

Important Questions These Statement Of Purpose Samples Address.

This guide will help you to address the following questions in your personal statement or letter of intent:

• What kind of a storyteller or poet are you?
• Where are you coming from?
• How has your socialization/environment/formative years/job experience informed the way you view the world?
• What are your motivations?
• Also, what feeds your imaginations?
• More importantly, what inspired you to start writing in the first place?
• What has sustained it? 

Here, Okwudili Nebolisa gives us a perfect window statement in this sample statement of purpose. Here’s how he opens his grad school essay:

It’s one of the most insightful MFA personal statement examples I’ve read in a while.

From the foregoing, Okwudili created a short background of himself and gave an idea why he had first chosen a path outside the art. It’s one detail many Creative Writing admission committees would be interested in.

He went further (though, not included in this article) to tell the committee how he found his way into the arms of poetry.

Here is another statement of purpose example that has a compelling window ‘personal’ statement:

Simply put, this MFA applicant talks about her approach to writing fiction, speaks of how it has become a tool in her hand against societal norms, mentions her writing influences, and states what draws her to them.

Note: You should be able to say who and what influences you, and clearly express the ways in which they do.

This sample statement of purpose opens with a vivid and memorable story.

Here’s another opening statement from another MFA personal statement example or letter of intent. It also exemplifies the important point I was trying to make. It says:

We’ll call the second part ‘the Briefcase’

Here, you supply the gist of your educational experience. You may add your professional interest and inform the admission committee about relevant activities you have been engaged with recently.

Assuming you work as a content writer/creator, how has it helped your craft? The same thing applies if you work in any other endeavor outside the literary sphere.

For example, an applicant says in this MFA in creative writing personal statement sample:

Note: Non-writing related jobs and experiences are important. Think about the many ways they can give you insight about your craft. They are worth the mention in the sense that they set you apart because of the experience you must have had, and add to what your craft can gain.

Here’s how a teacher explained her experience in her MFA statement of purpose example. It can also work in a teaching statement:

Going further, you may emphasize on your literary achievement and recognition here. Here’s another good example of a statement of purpose. Here’s how this MFAyer stated his/her literary achievement:

Note: you may say one or two things about your publishing history.

Let’s call the third part “the Knock”

You must exemplify clear-headedness here in talking about why you are seeking this degree now.

In one of the grad school statement of purpose examples we received , one MFA in Creative Writing applicant wrote:  

.

Another sample statement of purpose for an MFA in Creative Writing Application put it this way:

Write About Your Dreams, Hope and Intentions

Next is to inform the graduate committee on why you are knocking on their doors.

Are there members of the faculty you want to work with? If yes, state why. Is it something about their academic tradition or vision? Does the school’s location appeal to you? Or is it about their commitment to diversity?

You should end this part of the statement of purpose with an idea of the project you hope to write during your time on the program. This will inform the professors that you already have an idea of what kind of book your thesis will be.

It shows seriousness. Also it shows that you’re more likely to begin once you arrive. We have more statement of purpose examples to illustrate how this can be done in your MFA portfolio.

Note: Your intended project should contain the promise of presenting something fundamentally new and important to the literary world.

For example, in her statement of purpose, this MFA in Creative Writing applicant wrote:

Here’s an excerpt from another sample statement of purpose for a graduate school (MFA) application:

We’ll Call The Last Part The Telescope

Here you have to be futuristic. Talk about the big picture. What do you intend to do with the knowledge and network you would have acquired in the MFA program? 

Do you want to go on to teach creative writing professionally, (If yes, where do you have eyes one?) Do you want to start a publishing outfit or a literary magazine?

What other career plans do you have? Do you want to go back to your job? (If yes, how would the degree help in making you better at your job?)

Note: Ensure you close your grad school statement of purpose on a hopeful note. Show preparedness to start. Exude confidence. Express anticipation on getting in. 

Hopefully, these statement of purpose examples have given you a clear idea of what a successful personal statement looks like.

But that’s not all. Some MFA Admission Committee members have shared a couple of tips on Twitter. So we’ll share more of them alongside tips sent in by some generous past and current MFA students..

Tips For Writing A Good Statement of Purpose or Letter Of Intent .

If you’re applying to graduate creative writing programs, pay attention to your writing samples first. More on this later in this article. Be sure to craft your SOP with the following tips in mind.

There Are No Hard and Fast Rules To Writing An SOP.

There is no hard and fast rule in writing an SOP. Just ensure that yours is well-knit, with flowing ideas and a fantastic rhythm. Keep it organized and clear. Stick to the manuscript formatting guidelines. As with everything else, make your submissions error free.

Here’s what MFA Admission committee member has to say:

Now, on to our next point.

Ensure That Your Writing Samples and SOPs Are Creative, Well-written and Workshopped.

Your writing sample largely pre-determines the success of your SOP. The admission committee may not open your SOP if your samples aren’t any good.

So, ensure your writing samples matter and are on the verge of saying new things. The renowned writer and professor Alexander Chee had the following to say about writing samples:

If you’re eligible, you may apply to get feedback from volunteer MFAyers at the MFA App Review.

And if you’re lucky, the MFA App Review might match you with a reviewer who will send you more unique statement of purpose examples.

More from Elizabeth McCracken who, if you don’t already know, has been a longstanding member of the admission committee at the University of Texas’ MFA in Creative Writing program.

Be Original.

Resist the temptation to copy other writers’ personal statements or statement of purpose examples and samples you might find online.

Trust your story, your style and voice. The adcoms can tell when everyone sounds the same. And they don’t like it. Here’s a quote from Elizabeth McCracken’s Twitter page:

Consider Starting With a Story 

“While your personal statement can’t be wildly creative, it is important to show your storytelling skills if you want to get into a creative writing program,” advises Elyse Hauser.

“One way to do this is to open with a story, giving you a chance to “show, not tell” your writing abilities. This also helps your personal statement stand out from the rest. [Also] admissions staff are likely to keep reading a statement of purpose that has a unique and exciting beginning.” 

Don’t Be Afraid To Assert Yourself. In Your Statement Of Purpose.

MFA programs are avant-garde compared with other university grad school and undergrad programs so feel free to assert yourself even if you feel you are without the “right” credential and publishing history.

Another tip from Matt Bell Of making your statement of purpose stellar.

What you think serve as your ‘shortcomings’ can work for you if you stir them properly. It matters so much that you have the right motive and that you show promise. Do not play small. Play confident. 

More from Matt Bell.

Employ A Memorable Tone.

“The standard Personal Essay Voice, like the droning and soporific Poetry Reading Voice, is forgettable and undermines its own content,” says Daniel Galef. “Trying for a different tone is a gamble—nothing is so unfunny as someone trying to be funny and failing—but if you can pull it off it makes you stand out.”

Comply With The Creative Writing Program’s Submission Guidelines.

Check for specific information required by the English and creative writing program you are applying to and ensure you stay within the shores of their requirement.

Get Feedback From Current and Past Students.

It is important to get feedback from people who may be on writing programs or who have extensive knowledge of graduate school application processes.

A couple of MFA groups on Facebook offer beneficial company. For example, join the MFA Draft ’25 if you intend to apply this Fall. This Facebook group offers support and advice to anyone applying to get into a writing program next year.

Wrap Up On Statement of Purpose Examples, Samples and Tips:

At this point, you’re no longer asking questions like: what is a statement of purpose? How can I write a good MFA or PhD statement of purpose that will earn me a spot in that fully-funded Creative Writing program.

The aforementioned grad school statement of purpose examples will guide you in your journey. As one of the professors advised, take a deep breath. 

The next step is to start writing that personal statement or letter of intent, because quite frankly, it won’t write itself. You can always edit your SOP. 

Please edit it. Remember, the admission committee members are also accomplished writers and writing teachers. They’re primed for spotting and frowning at grammatical errors.

While writing and editing your personal statement, take note of the admission committee’s advice above. What are they often looking for in a good statement of purpose for graduate school? If in doubt, you can always return to the great statement of purpose examples we’ve published above.

More Ressources For MFA in Creative Writing Applicants.

Wondering if you need an MFA in Creative Writing to be a writer? Then you should definitely read our take on the topic. Also, you can simply click to find the ultimate guide to understnding creative writing scholarships .

Still feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry. Here’s a compiled a list of essential resources tailored to MFA in creative writing applicants like you. You’ll definitely find all you need to craft an outstanding application for the upcoming admission cycle.

If you’ve written a successful statement of purpose for a creatIve writing program in the past, please leave a comment below. MFA applicats are always open to adding more tips to their toolkits.

Authors’ Bios: 

Tega Oghenechovwen has published work in  Longreads, The Rumpus,  Black Sun Lit, Litro UK, and other venues. He tweets @tega­_chovwen.

Chioma Iwunze-Ibiam is a lecturer in Cornell University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Mukana Press Anthology of African Writing, MTLS, Fiction 365, Asterix Journal and elsewhere. She tweets at @chiomaiwunze_

Interested in writing for Creative Writing News? See our Write for Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

The post 10 Statement Of Purpose Examples: How To Wow The Admission Committees Of Fully-Funded MFA Programs With Your Personal Statement (Guide + Samples +Tips) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Speculative fiction is becoming more and more popular. Many budding and professional writers are constantly trying to break into this fantastic genre. If you’re new to SpecFic, you’re probably wondering, what is speculative fiction? Or what are the best examples of speculative fiction? 

Horror, science fiction, alternate history, and black speculative fiction all fall under the genre of speculative fiction. But do they sometimes converge and diverge in some stories? Where can one find such examples of speculative fiction?

If you’re seeking answers to these questions, you’ve come to the right place. Here, prolific speculative fiction writer, Simbiat Harouni addresses frequently asked questions like:

• What is speculative fiction?

• What’s the difference between science fiction and speculative fiction?

• And more.

Simbiat’s comprehensive definitions of speculative fiction, will be followed excellent examples, a deep analysis of the genre and tips on how to write. Ready? Let’s read on. 

Everything You Need To Know About Speculative Fiction: Definitions, Tips And Examples.

Books (and stories) can do so much more than provide an experience for the reader. They can immerse you into a whole new life and a completely new experience. They can transport you to a new world, showing you perspectives that you never considered. 

One typical genre of such beautiful stories is the speculative fiction genre. It consists of so many sub-genres that it is hard to properly assess and categorize them all. When people ask about examples, they’re often referring to the subgenres. Rarely story samples.

The sub-genres or examples are so many. They include but are not limited to:

Science fiction.

Science fiction is a sub-genre that often takes place in a dystopian setting with marked technological advancements interwoven into the story. In many cases, science fiction cases take place many years in the future.

“Adjustment Team” is an example of a science fiction short story. It was written by American writer Philip K. Dick. The award-winning movie, The Adjustment Bureau, was based on this science fiction short story.

More examples of science fiction novels:. 

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 

2. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, 

3. The Martian by Andy Weir; 

4. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov; and 

5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

Fantasy:

One common example of a fantasy novel is St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. Written by Karen Russell, this fantasy short story about children who were born to werewolf ancestors. Her novel Swamplandia!was a 2012 Pulitzer prize finalist .  

Horror. 

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is another example of a horror novel and film. ;English author, Mary Shelley, wrote Frankenstein in the 19th century. It was published in 1818.

Superhero fiction. 

Superman, wonder woman, batman and black panther are examples of superhero fiction comics, books and films.

Alternate history. 

This is another interesting sub-genre. Common examples of alternate history novels include:

• Mallory Blackman’s 2001 novel, Noughts and Crosses.
• Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel Man In The High Castle.

Utopian 

This genre explores ideal worlds in which the rules of engagement are different from those of the real world’s.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel Always Coming Home, Is a good example of a Utopian novel.

Dystopian fiction,

This sub-genre features stories that portray human misery. George Orwell’s 1984 is arguably the most popular dystopian science fiction novel.

Lesley Nneka Arimah’s dystopian fiction short story Skinned won the Caine Prize in 2019.

Supernatural fiction, 

In this genre of, supernatural themes are explored in creative ways. Most of these stories explore themes that go against naturalist laws.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot are good examples of supernatural fiction.

 Science fantasy.

This is a combination of two speculative fiction genres. Stories under this subgenre mix elements of science fiction and fantasy. Star Wars is a good example of a science fantasy story.

Of all these examples, fantasy is the oldest sub-genre, going back thousands of years. A look back at the earliest civilizations such as the Greek civilizations finds that they told stories in the form of fantasy even then. 

After fantasy became popular, other sub-genres slowly came into the limelight. This happened with science fiction leading the way. Science fiction has gained popularity in recent centuries. 

As the speculative fiction genre is growing, writers such as myself have found ourselves wondering, what the right definition is.

Also, what exactly does it take to write good speculative fiction stories and excel in this exciting climate. 

So What is Speculative Fiction?

Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction. It’s used for work that doesn’t qualify as literary fiction and also doesn’t completely fit into the science fiction or fantasy genre. 

Because of the sheer broadness of the speculative fiction genre, some people have even taken to calling it the “super genre”.

Speculative fiction can accommodate literary fiction with elements of fantastical events. It can include the aforementioned sub-genres.

However, there are some writers that don’t consider horror to be a good example of speculative fiction. To properly understand this, let’s explore the history of this genre.

A Brief History Of Speculative Fiction.

Speculative fiction started a long time ago when poets and writers started to reimagine reality for their art. According to the Oxford Research Encyclopedias article on speculative fiction, the term Speculative Fiction was coined by the writer, Robert Heinlein in 1941.

 It wasn’t until 1947 though, that he popularized the term in his essay, ‘On the Writing of Speculative Fiction’. In this essay, he defined Speculative Fiction as,

[N]arratives concerned not so much with science or technology as with human actions in response to a new situation created by science or technology, speculative fiction highlights a human rather than technological problem.

Now, the term has been expanded to capture the true meaning more accurately. 

Wikipedia gives another apt definition of speculative fiction as,

a genre of fiction that encompasses works in which the setting is other than the real world, involving supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements.

Here’s my definition of speculative fiction.

Speculative fiction is a genre of literature where a writer explores real-world situations through a fantastical or speculative lens. It is basically asking, “What if?”

Because writers are constantly willing to ask these important questions, several aspects of speculative fiction have been born. These include:

• Fantasy,
• Science fiction,
• Horror and so many more genres. Some of which are not as well known as others. 

Speculative fiction has spread to so many areas of life and literature. So wide is its appeal that it cannot be classified as a mere medium. It has now graduated into a group.

A testament to its popularity is the fact that it’s being used across a wide range of media including:

• movies, 
• Short stories
• comic books, 
• games, 
• art, 
• and other forms of storytelling and entertainment.

In the article, will share my time-tested tips for writing great speculative fiction. But first, I’d like to discuss the most common reasons why people, like me, write speculative fiction.

3 Good Reasons To Write Speculative Fiction?

People write speculative fiction for so many reasons. Just like any other career path, more than one road can lead to your destination. 

Here are good reasons to write speculative fiction. 

You Are Inspired By Folklores You Once Heard. 

My journey to speculative fiction was sparked by popular folktales. I particularly recall those about the Tortoise’s adventures in the animal kingdom. 

Myself and my siblings – sometimes cousins too – would sit in a semicircle in front of my grandma. And she would regale us with tales of these beings. Of course, we knew that these animals could never climb up to heaven. 

And of course, we know they couldn’t make special sweets with which they tricked each other. But the stories did a good job of opening up our minds to the possibility of more.

Perhaps, you heard these mind-boggling stories. It’s one reason to consider writing speculative fiction.

You Are Inspired By The Examples Of Speculative Fiction You Read.

After grandma stopped telling these stories, I started reading about the old Yoruba kingdoms and about juju. I learned about the almost unbelievable things that happened in the past. 

These stories were fascinating and they led me to start writing my own short stories in the form of plays. This is how I started writing speculative fiction. 

Perhaps, you’ve read some fascinating fiction or non-fictional stories. And perhaps, these stories have inspired you to write yours. 

To Explore The Unknown, And The Strange Thoughts That Run Through Your Mind.

Occasionally, strange ideas cross my mind. And I do my best to put them to paper.

I succeed only a handful of times because speculative fiction is a special kind of fiction writing. Yes, it is. 

Didn’t I make this clear when I addressed the question, ’What is speculative fiction’?

A story in this genre needs to have all the elements of fiction while satisfying the demands of speculative fiction. 

The elements of fiction include: (characterization, language, theme, and all the rest). But the demands of specific include:

• Worldbuilding, 
• Factual storytelling, 
• Emotional triggers required to connect readers to the story. 

Seamlessly, combining both the elements of fiction and the demands of SpecFic requires some sort of expertise.

What Is The Difference Between Fantasy And Science Fiction?

What is the difference between fantasy and science fiction? I would say that this is a fairly simple question. And that it is as simple as what is speculative fiction. Except that it is really not a simple question. 

These two sub-genres of speculative fiction are nuanced and interwoven so that a more intimate look is required to properly assess their differences. On the surface, it is easy to classify and define them.

Science fiction is a sub-genre that often takes place in a dystopian setting with marked technological advancements interwoven into the story. In many cases, science fiction cases take place many years in the future. 

On the other hand, fantasy stories particularly feature mythical beings like ghosts and gods. And the characters in these stories display some sort of supernatural power. 

The writer, Orson Scott Card explained it best in his science fiction definition:

Science fiction is about what could be but isn’t while fantasy describes what couldn’t be.

However, these two share many differences in three areas:

• Their believability,
• Their settings, and
• Their characters. 

Believability: 

One major difference between science fiction and fantasy novels is their differing levels of plausibility.

In fantasy novels, it is generally understood by the writers and readers alike that no matter how much they may want it to be so, the characters and even the places described in the books can never be real.

I remember how I felt while reading Brandon Sanderson’s ‘The Emperor’s Soul’, and wished that I could somehow transport myself into the book.

I longed to see the wonderful description, live in that land by myself. But no matter how I wished for it to be so, it couldn’t happen.

 In fact, it will never happen. That’s because nobody can actually do the things that were described in that book. 

On the other hand, science fiction takes its roots from the real world. In a number of years, it could be possible for someone to develop and wield the lightsabers used in Star Wars. Maybe. 

Settings

Settings of science fiction and fantasy stories often differ a lot too. In science fiction, the stories are usually set in a dystopian, high technological setting. 

In fantasy stories, however, the story features a wide range of mythical beings, places, and settings.

In some situations, the settings can look like the real world. But they always have a twist or two, especially in high-grade fantasy stories. 

Characters 

Finally, the characters in fantasy and science fiction can be somewhat different too. From what I have read of science fiction, there is usually a wide array of characters.

They include aliens and more advanced species, in addition to some human characters which may be present in the story. After all, Aliens, robots, and the likes are what science fiction is made of. 

On the other hand, the characters in fantasy stories are mostly humans or close to being so. They can have a few distortions to their looks like dwarves or fairies.

They can be beings who look like Gollum from ‘Lord of the Rings’. These characters are rarely found in science fiction stories though. 

But, even with all of these differences, there are certain things that tie these two sub-genres together. These things can be divided into the following:

• The problems that their characters have to face
• The lessons that they learn. 

Certain things are common to all stories, whether they are speculative or not. Things like war, famine, racism, government, and family struggles are common to these stories. 

Examples Of Science Fiction Stories and Books.

Usually, people who ask what is speculative fiction often want examples. For more context, below are some examples of science fiction novels:. 

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 
2. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, 
3. The Martian by Andy Weir; 
4. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov; and 
5. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

These are all examples of science fiction novels. And they’ve themes, settings, and characters that fit into the science fiction description. 

When considering fantasy novels, on the other hand, you can think of such books as:

1.  The Lord of the Rings by J. R.R. Tolkein, 
2. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, 
3. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, 
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, 
5. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, and 
6. so many other books by other brilliant authors including Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Helen Oyeyemi, Ben Okri and others. 
7. You can read recommended fantasy short stories by Simbiat Haroun and Pemi Aguda for free online. 

Many things set these stories and books apart from each other, like the very fabric that makes up the stories and the settings and such.

But at its root, they have similarities, like every other story that has ever been written, speculative or not. 

Understanding How To Write Speculative Fiction: A Detailed Guide.

Now that you understand everything there is to know what speculative fiction is. How can you succeed as a speculative fiction writer.

Is there a magic trick?

Reading will teach you the tips and essentials of writing speculative fiction. 

There is no special trick or magic potion to learning how to write speculative fiction.

However, yo improve your chances of excelling as a speculative fiction writer, if you:

• read, read, read a lot of speculative fiction. You can star with the read the recommended examples of speculative fiction on our list
• And you need to write a lot of work in this genre as well.

It’s not enough to have an answer to the question, ‘what is speculative fiction’. You have to put in the time.

Whether you are writing speculative fiction or regular literary fiction, these essentials remain the same, as far as I know. 

These speculative fiction writing essentials include:

Get Your Theme Right. 

Your story should have a central theme whether it is a fantasy or science fiction story. What does the story revolve around and what are its main themes?

In the Harry Potter series, we saw a boy grow up alongside his friend while facing off against an all-powerful enemy.

Themes in this series include coming of age, power, love, family, and many others. Consider this when you are writing your next story. 

Create Rounded Characters 

If your story does not have interesting characters, then it will not be very interesting to your readers.

It is usually the interesting characters that draw readers into the story. And they do this even before the writing or the conflict has a chance to draw them in.

Ensure that your characters are nuanced and interesting. Nobody wants to read about cliche characters or one-dimensional characters that are hard to connect with. 

An important example is the characters in the Harry Potter series. They are multi-dimensional and interesting enough so that years later, people continue to connect with the characters. Sometimes even more than the story.

Be Creative With Your Setting

This is one of the most important parts of your story and will make or break its believability.

Whether you are writing fantasy or science fiction, the settings in your story must be flawless and beautifully described. 

Before you start writing your story, try to plan the special features of your setting in order to spare yourself the headache while editing.

Highlight You Character’s Conflict

 The key to every great story, more than nuanced characters and a wonderful setting is conflict.

Explore inner conflict within your main character, small scale conflict between characters, as well as large scale conflict in the story itself. 

Define The End Goal Of Your SpecFic Story 

What is the end goal of your story? What is the whole thing working towards? And, what are your characters fighting for? Answer these questions and you have yourself a wonderful story. 

Opportunities Available For Speculative Fiction Writers

There are several opportunities available for speculative fiction writers. 

Online magazines that publish and promote speculative fiction stories include 

• Omenana magazine, 
• Fireside Fiction magazine, 
• FIYAH Magazine,
• Nightmare
• The Dark
• The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy, 
• Asimov’s Science Fiction, 
• Clarkesworld Magazine, among others. 

 You can also subscribe to Creative Writing News and submittable. This will grant you access to calls for submissions as soon as they are issued. 

Speculative fiction writers can also take advantage of:

• Funds,
• Grants,
• MFA degrees (some programs are tailored to speculative fiction writers), 
• Fellowships, 
• Prizes, and other opportunities. 

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Speculative Fiction.

If you’re asking the question, what is speculative fiction, you’ll probably want to know common mistakes to avoid. Common mistakes to avoid when writing a specific story.

There are several mistakes that you can make as a beginning speculative writer. But the majority of these mistakes lie in your craft. Some of them are:

Writing cliche stories and characters 

There is a reason why nobody wants to read cliche stories anymore. No one wants stories that have been over flogged and boring.

Don’t kill your story with overdone ideas. Think of fresh and exciting stories and your reader will appreciate that.

Speculative fiction podcasts will spark your imagination just as much as books will. Writing Excuses and Unexplained Mysteries are good examples of such podcasts.

Not properly planning your story setting. 

Your story setting is one of the most important things in your spec-fic story. 

If there are places and things that are not properly explained, your reader will definitely notice. Ensure that your story setting is as flawless as it can possibly be. Ensure that the reader is not thrown out of your story. 

Going overboard with story description

Many definitions of speculative fiction emphasize the description. This often gives writers the false impression that spec-fic is all about descriptions.

Avoid this mistake. No matter how clearly the story comes to you, you must be able to identify which part of the description makes it to the page and which part stays in your head.

You don’t want your reader to get bored. 

Letting your style take over your story 

This is something that I learned during a writing workshop. Let your writing skills shine through without letting it take over your story.

Chances are high that the readers are there more for the story than for your writing. Even so, you can wow the reader with your writing without necessarily detracting from the story.

Choosing overly complicated names for your characters

Resist the temptation to give your characters names that are too complicated. It is hard to keep track of characters when you can’t even remember their names. Remember that. 

Wrap Up On What Is Speculative Fiction? Examples and Tips For Writing SpecFic.

Stories are the foundation on which a lot of things in life are built on. There’s hardly anything you can get away with doing in today’s world without being told to ‘tell a story’

. One of the most interesting branches of storytelling is speculative fiction. I hope you understand what speculative fiction is. I also hope you learned everything you need to know to excel in the speculative fiction genre. 

Don’t forget to use your imagination, don’t burden your reader with pages of description. Also, read the stories and books recommended in this resource. Feel free to suggest more examples of speculative fiction stories and books.

Have you ever asked the question, What Is Speculative Fiction? What kind of answers did you get?

And have you tried to write speculative fiction? What has your experience been? How have you overcome the challenges you faced while trying to break into the SpecFic genre.

Also feel to share other examples of speculative fiction you absolutely loved. We’re looking forward to hearing examples we forgot to mention.

Author’s Bio:

Simbiat Haroun lives in her head and when she is not writing, she is silently watching, thinking about what next she will turn into a story. She is a graduate of Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Trust Workshop.

We’ll be publishing more feature stories from other writers. Keep visiting CWN. Or better still, subscribe for our newsletter and you’ll get updates right in your inbox.

Want to write for us? Great! Read the submissions guidelines on our Write for Us Page

The post Speculative Fiction: Everything You Need To Know About This Genre {Definitions + Tips + Examples + Opportunities.} appeared first on Creative Writing News.

It is not unusual to meet writers who desperately want to find creative writing jobs. It only makes sense to earn a living doing what you love, right? Especially since the internet has made it easy for writers to keep their heads above water.

Also, many youngsters what to know what kinds of creative writing jobs they can get with a creative writing degree or certification. And these concerns are perfectly understandable

You can’t blame parents for not wanting to waste hard-earned money on a useless degree or course. Plus students want to know that their creative writing certificate can earn them a fat paycheck.

And that’s what we’ll be discussing in this article. Creative writing jobs and how you can get them. But before we launch into the details, let’s look at the definition of creative writing jobs.

What Are Creative Writing Jobs?

There are a lot of definitions for creative writing. Some are narrow, while others are more inclusive. Many people think of fiction writing when they hear “creative writing.” More specifically, novels, short stories and poems.

Many people erroneously conjure up images of traditional writers whenever writing jobs are mentioned. 

However, fiction writing and creative writing are not the same things. Creative writing is an umbrella term that includes fiction writing. It also includes many other types of writing.

Creative writing can be found outside the literary realm, and so can creative writing jobs. It’s valuable in business, journalism, education, entertainment, and more.

There’s a creative writing job for everyone who enjoys writing. In 2018, 181,000 writers and authors were employed in the USA. Between 2016 and 2026, that job market is expected to grow by 7.6 percent.

A University of Chicago study also found that authors were one of the top 10 occupations in job satisfaction. Writing is incredibly rewarding.

But deciding to pursue a creative writing job is easier than actually landing one. First, you have to determine what writing job you want. What career would be a good fit for you? Once you decide that, you have to secure a job offer.

Free writing courses and certifications can help you to succeed in your endeavor  Writing degrees and courses will enhance and hone your skills. Also, they will give you credibility as a serious writer.

We’ll first take a look at creative writing jobs. Then we’ll explore five writing courses and certifications to sharpen your resume. You’re on your way to your dream creative writing job!

The Ultimate Guide To Getting Well-Paying Creative Writing Jobs.

Important Tips To Consider When Searching For Advanced Level an Entry-level Creative Writing Jobs.

Below are a few things to consider when selecting creative writing jobs.

Creative Writing Is Broad.

Yes, creative writing has a broad definition. But it does capture the spirit of creative writing.

Study.com defines creative writing as “any writing that is original and self-expressive.”

It’s an art form that comes in endless forms. Creative writing doesn’t necessarily mean writing a plot with characters. Some jobs may or may not include plotting or rounded characters. 

Creative Writing Jobs Can Be Found In Every Industry.

Creative writing can be a rich product description that boosts sales (also called content marketing). Or it can be a moving speech. Creative writing could be a cheerful text on a greeting card. Creative writing could be a blog post about creative writing.

Even creative writing in the “narrative story” form can be used outside the traditional writing industry. A well-placed anecdote can enhance endless written pieces. Stories live in textbooks and academic papers.

Know Your Areas of Strengths and Weaknesses.

Different writers have different areas of strength. Writing jobs are easier to execute if they fall within your area of strength. So before you say yes to that writing job, ask yourself the following questions:

• What skill sets or knowledge do you have?
• Have you attended any creative writing workshops?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What niche/topics are you interested in?

Some Jobs Are Best Suited For Writers Who Enjoy Conducting Research.

Consider your ability or inability to conduct fast and effective research. Sometimes you may have to research unfamiliar or difficult topics. Take into account your preferred assignment or the preferred length of the writing project.

Lengths of Writing Projects Vary.

Would you be happier with short-term freelance writer jobs? Or would you prefer lengthy projects often reserved for full-time creative writers?

Creative Writing Jobs Are Abundant In The Entertainment Sector.

News articles and blog posts. Video games and board games. Advertisements and commercials. Stories are a part of daily life.

An inclusive definition of creative writing opens up the possibilities for careers. Which possibility is the right one for you?

What Jobs Can You Get With Your Creative Writing Skills and Certificate?

Believe it or not, there are plenty of opportunities for creative writers to earn a living doing what they love/ Ready to see a list of lucrative creative writing jobs?

Below are some well-paying jobs that require a lot of creative writing.

Novel Writing:

This means writing a long work of fiction. You have read Harry Potter? Yes? Or Half of A Yellow Sun. You could write novels and self-publish them online, where readers can buy the soft copy and read.

Copywriting:

Copywriters write texts for the purpose of marketing or advertising. They write about particular products (or copy) in a way that attracts the attention of a particular audience to the product.

Content writing:

Content writers write articles for particular blogs on particular topics. Most times they are not credited as the writers, but they get paid for the job. However content writing requires a lot of expertise and training. You might want to learn more about content writing before you venture into this field of creative writing.

Editorial work:

One way to make money as a creative writer is to edit. There are a lot of people who have manuscripts that they need someone with professional eyes to take a look at, to help them give it shape and colour. Currently, there are editorial job vacancies at MayDay Magazine, Fractured Lit & Voyage and One Story.

Screenwriting / Playwriting:

Yes. The movies we watch are written by creative writers. You could start writing for the screen or stage. This pays well, if you get a good gig.

Advert Writing:

Advert writers write catchy and clear sentences that help a company or an organization attract a particular audience. You could write one-liners for different companies to help them get more customers.

Songwriting:

While we all can’t be singers, some creative writers write songs for singers. This is not new. Poems by writers like Lord Alfred Tennyson have been set to music.

Biography/memoir writing:

We have all read books that detail the lives of influential people, or that detail a particular, crucial moment of their lives that coincided with a crucial moment in history.

You also could help write the stories of some influential people, or help give an account of their lives during a particular moment. Learn more about how to write an autobiography, a biography or a memoir.

Translating:

The work of the translator is needed now, more than ever, as the world has become more of a global community. Are you bi- or multilingual? Do you possess translating skills?

You could start working as a translator. You could work as a book translator or even help translate subtitles for the screen.

Journalism:

Do you like reporting news and events? Do you have the right training and skills? You could work as a journalist, writing for a particular magazine or blog, or even set up your own blog. Like Kola Tunbosun does with his blog.

Technical writing:

This is the kind of writing that involves breaking down technical information so that it is easily accessible to a particular audience. If you are able to write clearly and you possess technical knowledge, you could write instruction manuals and how-to guides for tech companies.

Literary magazine entrepreneurship:

If you love writing or editing, you could start a literary magazine. This could be a print or an online magazine. Or you could work as an editor, or even a social media manager, for already established literary magazines. Check out this opportunity.

Podcast Creating:

Do you possess knowledge on a particular topic? Are you willing to share? You can create a podcast where you share your ideas. With podcasts, you can record these ideas and upload them for others to download and share.

Ghostwriting:

This basically means being paid to help a person write the book they intend to write, without taking the credit for the work. You could help write an autobiography for an influential person. You get your pay and the book is theirs.

Teaching:

A good deal of writers are teachers of creative writing. You could work as a lecturer at a university, teaching creative writing. Or you could start writing workshops (either online or physically), or master classes, where you teach others how to write.

Public Speaking:

A lot of creative writers are also speakers; and others, while not speakers, write speeches for influential people. This could be for politicians or motivational speakers.

And this is not an exhaustive list. Many of the creative writing jobs above also span multiple industries. One important career option that comes to mind is content marketing.

Content Marketing.

In many cases, a content marketer combines five or more of the aforementioned creative writing skills to succeed in their jobs. This makes it a great fit for a creative writer.

Bottom line: You have the flexibility to pursue different specialties. You have the power to pursue writing niches that most interest you.

How And Where To Find An Entry-level or Expert-Level Creative Writing Job?

Once you’ve determined the creative writing jobs you want to pursue, you have to find a vacancy or an opening.

Below are avenues where you can find well-paid creative writing jobs.

Try Traditional (Not Freelance) Job Sites.

Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Monster and Glassdoor are popular options. These job sites are good for if you want an hourly or salaried job.

Use Your Google Search Engine Effectively.

A Google search can also help with finding expert-level and entry-level creative writing jobs. It will show you a wide range of opportunities, especially those that aren’t being advertised on traditional hiring websites.

Subscribe To Creative Writing Websites.

Another easy way to get creative writing jobs is through creative writing websites. Subscribing to literary blogs can give you n advantage. This way you’ll know where there are vacancies/opportunities for writers.

Creative Writing News, Writer’s Digest, James Marua’s blog and Brittle Paper are examples of literary blogs that advertise jobs for writers.

Join Facebook Groups For Digital Nomads.

Did you know that you could find writing jobs on Facebook? Well, now you know. All you have to do is join the right groups for digital nomads.

You can get writing jobs via the following Facebook groups:

• B2B Bloggers Boost Group (and no, you don’t have to be a blogger to be eligible for membership).
• Digital Nomads Jobs: Remote Job Opportunities.
• Remote Work & Jobs for Digital Nomads–

Seek Membership In The Right Slack Channels.

You’ll be amazed to know that there are hundreds of thousands of creative writing jobs being advertised on Slack, All you have to do is be at the right place at the right time.

Find freelance and full-time writing jobs in the following slack channels:

• Online Genuises.

• #freelance

• #CreativeTribes

Explore Online Hiring Platforms for Freelancers.

If you want more flexible work, consider freelancing. In that case, you’ll be searching for freelance writer jobs or something along those lines.

One advantage of freelancing is its flexibility. You have complete control of your hours, and also you can also be selective about the type of work you want to take. You can even work remotely from home.

All you have to do is sign up on freelance marketplaces and start sending out job proposals. You can start with the following freelance writing sites:

Upwork:

Upwork has three million jobs posted annually. This makes it the largest freelancer marketplace in the world. In its writing jobs section, creative writers are “Some of [the] most in-demand pros.”

Its top skills in the US include copywriters, editors, creative writers, blog writers, content writers, proofreaders, and writers. If you can write, there is a high demand for your expertise.

• Fiverr
• Toptal
• Simply Hired
• PeoplePerHour
• Freelancer.com
• Guru.com

These are just a hand full of platforms where you can get entry-level creative writing jobs online. Although these are the popular options, they aren’t the only options.

Writing Courses That Boost Your Resume And Help You Get Freelance Writer Jobs.

If you’re looking for a creative writing job, you might want to take some courses and certifications. Some of these courses can help make your resume stand out.

It can be daunting to try for a creative writing job. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that there will be strong competition for writers and authors.

This is because so many people are attracted to writing jobs. And it may feel like there’s always a better or more experienced writer than you. But don’t be discouraged.

This is where writing courses and certifications come in. They can help you stand out from other applicants. Writing courses and workshops are a great way to learn new writing techniques. They can also refine the skills you already have.

Writing courses don’t have to be incredibly expensive. Many are very accessible; some are even free. You can find countless courses online. This is especially convenient given the COVID-19 pandemic.

Popular sites for online creative writing courses:

• Coursera
• Udemy
• LinkedIn Learning
• Skillshare
• edX

Plus, there’s a writing course for any topic you desire. There are courses with a narrow, specialized focus. Mary Karr’s course on Memoir Writing is specifically designed for memoirists.

Many other creative writing courses are more general and versatile.

You can start by exploring the sites above. Then you can broaden your search or dive deeper. The courses and certifications in this post are just a tiny fraction of the resources available. 

Some courses also come with a certification that adds value to your resume. Certifications showcase your skills and add credibility. They demonstrate your proven abilities.

Here are five writing courses and certifications that can boost your resume.

High-Impact Business Writing

This High-Impact Business Writing course is from Coursera. Coursera offers courses from top universities and leading companies. This one is taught by an instructor from the University of California Irvine.

This course can help you apply your creative writing skills in a business setting. You’ll learn to select specific formats appropriate for your audience.

You’ll also be able to determine the most effective medium for your message. And you’ll master how to avoid common writing mistakes. 

Ultimately, you’ll communicate objectives and ideas clearly. These skills will apply to a wide variety of business-related writing projects.

Learn to write more effective business documents, memos, yearly reports and more.

You can improve your career outcome with this course. 22 percent of students started a new career after completing this specialization. 12 percent got a pay increase or promotion after they’d completed the course.

This Course Helps You Learn To:

• Communicate effectively to any target audience
• Choose the right format and medium using different techniques
• Edit, proofread and analyze business documents efficiently and effectively
• Spot, correct and avoid the most common writing pitfalls
• Create business reports, press releases, presentations, emails and memos.

Cost of course = Audit for free

Cost of certificate = $50

Copywriting Secrets – How to Write Copy That Sells

This is a comprehensive copywriting course. It covers how to write sales copy, calls to action, White Papers, press releases, and more.

It also helps you target a variety of audiences, from B2B to consumers. Anything you need to know to become a copywriter, this course explores.

Many different learners can benefit from this course. You should definitely take this course if you’re:

• An entrepreneur or start-up founder.
• A small (or large) business owner.
• Involved in marketing.
• Someone who wants to become a successful freelance copywriter.

You can ask questions or seek further explanations directly from the course creators. They usually respond within 24 hours.

This is an extremely valuable resource. The lifetime access you get makes it even more valuable. It is an “insightful and actionable course”, with constantly updated content.

This creative writing-related course teaches you to:

• Generate more sales leads using the power of words
• Understand how to leverage features, benefits, and advantages
• Craft professional press releases that get published
• Create persuasive case studies by interviewing customers with confidence
• Structure and write compelling sales copy.

Cost of course and certificate = $16 – $90 (frequently on sale)

Creative Writing Specialization

This course is also available on Coursera. It’s offered by Wesleyan University, one of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges. The Creative Writing Specialization is comprehensive. It has everything you need to craft a compelling story.

The capstone project is a substantial original story in the genre of your choice. Along the way, you develop skills focused on the four key aspects of writing. They are plot, character, setting/description, and style. You’ll also analyze and constructively evaluate peer writing. Being able to critique and revise is essential to improving.

The University of Iowa through it’s International Writing Program (IWP) often organizes free online creative writing specialization courses. 

The career outcomes from this course are especially promising. 58 percent of students started a new career after completing this specialization. 22 percent got a pay increase or promotion. This could be you.

When you take a creative writing specialization, you learn to:

• Write short stories, narrative essays, and memoirs
• Develop bracing stories, memorable characters and interesting settings
• Refine and critique writing to continuously improve
• Develop your own unique and distinctive writing style 
• Draft, rewrite, and complete a substantial original story

Cost of course = Audit for free

Cost of certificate = $50

Learning to Write for the Web

LinkedIn Learning offers courses from industry experts. This course is only 1 hour and 24 minutes. Yet it’s incredibly valuable for such a low time investment.

Almost 4.57 billion people actively use the web. So it’s important to know how to write for the web to stay relevant.

This course has a Q&A feature. 75 percent of questions are answered by instructors and other learners. 34 percent of questions are answered by the course instructor. So you’ll be supported by a community of learners.

A course in learning to write for the web teaches you to:

• Understand that people read differently on the web, and how to write content that goes viral and stays relevant.
• Identify and include documents that could be used to provide supporting evidence in an article
• Determine the expiration date on seasonal articles
• Assess the reading level that body text should be written at
• Move your target audience to care about your text

Cost of course and certificate = $35

Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer

If you don’t have a specific career in mind, this course is a great option. It’ll help you become a better writer overall. With almost 100,000 students, it’s the most popular writing course on Udemy.

This course helps you achieve a variety of goals. Improve business, sales and marketing writing. Make your resume shine. Craft the best essays in your class. Increase traffic to blogs and other sites.

Writing With Flair Shows You How To:

• Write with simplicity by shedding unnecessary words and complex sentences
• Write with clarity by using precise language and focusing your ideas
• Craft elegant writing that flows smoothly and maintains consistency
• Make your writing more evocative and moving with fresh language and varied sentence structures
• Develop or rediscover a love of writing

Cost of course and certificate = $13 – $95 (frequently on sale)

Wrap Up On How To Get Creative Writing Jobs And Find Free Writing Courses That Help You Get Gigs.

Gone are the days when writers were doomed to a life of eternal poverty. Thanks to the internet, you can make a ton of money from writing.

Creative writing jobs come in a variety of forms. They also span many industries, so the opportunities are endless. If you’ve decided to pursue a creative writing job, consider finding a writing course and certification.

If you’re just launching your creative writing career, consider taking writing courses, and certifications.

Or if you’ve already found a job, courses and certifications can still improve your skills. It makes perfect sense to attend a course or two as often as you can.

These courses improve your talents and employability. And the certifications provide tangible proof of your skills.

The courses and certifications in this article are only a starting point. Sometimes you can only rely on experience to teach you how to make your first $100 as a freelance writer. Or how to earn money from writing and publishing poetry.

And you can find other writing courses and certifications that are more suitable for your career goals.

When most people hear creative writing jobs, they first think of storytelling and poetry/play/novel-writing.

A quick Google search for “creative writing jobs” yields millions of pages. You might’ve expected opportunities like novelist, screenwriter, book editor, and ghostwriter. But there are also less “traditional” writing jobs where creative writing is valuable.

Have you been trying to get creative writing jobs? How successful have you been? Have writing courses helped you in any way? Which writing courses do you recommend? Please share your ideas below in the comments section.

The post Creative Writing Jobs And Free Writing Courses that Can Help You Land Gigs appeared first on Creative Writing News.

In order to learn how to analyze a poem, you have to understand what poetry is. Poetry is a literary form used to express feelings and ideas. Poetry analysis involves examining the independent elements of a poem to understand those feelings and ideas.

There is no one right way to analyze a poem. However, some of the possible ways will be explored in this article.

We’ll break down the main aspects of poetry analysis and poetic elements to help you form and focus your own analyses. This guide can also serve as a poetry analysis worksheet as there are questions to guide you.

Below are the poetic elements, tips, and examples you need to guide you in your quest to analyze any poem.

Understand and Dissect The Theme of The Poem

The theme of a poem is its central topic, subject, or message. Examining the theme of a poem is a great method of analysis; the easiest way to break anything down is by understanding what it’s about. 

To understand how to analyze that poem, start by studying the poem for its main idea. It could be about love, loss, patriotism, nature, etc. 

As an example, let’s look at “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost.

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Learn To Find The Theme Of The Poem

To find the theme of the poem, we have to break it down to find what it is about. Let’s break down Frost’s poem to find the theme.

Frost begins this poem by talking about nature and flowers, and how they don’t last very long. He says the same about dawn; at first, the sky is golden but then it rapidly fades as the sun rises higher. This loss is compared to the fall from Eden, and then Frost concludes with “Nothing gold can stay.”

The recurring message here is that nothing golden and beautiful lasts. We can then develop this idea into the main theme of the poem, which is transience; the most beautiful things tend to have the shortest longevity. After finding the theme, an analysis can be made about how Frost delivers the theme. 

You can also explore the literary devices he uses in order to do so, who the intended audience is, etc.

Poems can also have multiple themes. And a poetry analysis can be built on their relationship with one another. Moreover, you can write or generate a poem that delivers a message or moral which can also be a point of examination.

Poetry analysis questions to ask about the theme:

• What is the theme of the poem?
• Are there multiple themes? How do they relate to each other?
• Is the poem trying to deliver a message or moral?
• What audience is the message for?
• What techniques does the poet use to deliver the themes in the most effective way possible?

Pay Attention To The Context Of The Poem

The context of a poem forms the foundation of its comprehension. A poet’s background can be crucial to your ability to understand their poetry. A poet’s life and experiences can affect the interpretation or provide extra information. Examining such context is another solid method of poetry analysis.

Details about a poet’s life can suggest a specific point of view. For example, some of Grace Nichols poetry, such as “Island Man,” is more meaningful if the reader knows that Nichols is a Guyanese poet who moved to London when she was 27. And a lot of Nichols’s poetry is inspired by her homesickness. 

The culture of the place and time a poem was written in also has an effect on the interpretation. For instance, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel L. Coleridge has strong themes of nature and religion. The reason for this is because it was written during the Industrial Revolution when people were entranced by science and technology. Coleridge wanted to draw their attention back to what they were overlooking. 

The effect of the culture of place is observable in Dareen Tatour’s poem “قوم يا شاب قومهم” (“Resist, My People, Resist Them”) which she wrote as a Palestenian in protest against the Israeli government. Her poem made a defiant statement, and she was arrested for it. 

In some cases, poetry is influenced by the era or movement it was written in, like how Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” was written during the Beat Generation movement.

Researching About The Poet Can Help You To Analyze A Poem

A little extra research about a poet and their life can go a long way in improving your understanding of their poetry.  Take some time to read up on the context.  You’ll be better equipped on how to write a case study analysis of the poem.

Poetry analysis questions to ask about context:

• Do details about the poet’s life suggest a specific point of view?
• Does the culture of that era (I,e. time, and/or place) have any effect on the interpretation of the poem?
• Does the poem belong to a movement? How might this affect its interpretation?

Focusing On Mood and Tone Is A Solid Way To Analyze A Poem

Mood and tone are similar, but the distinction between the two is important. Mood refers to the feeling the audience gets from the writing. 

For instance, a mood shift can be observed in Billy Collin’s poem “Introduction to Poetry.”

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

In the first four stanzas, the mood of this poem is of wonder and exploration. It’s light and invokes the marvel of learning new things.

However, in the later stanzas, the mood becomes darker and sinister. The mood shift and how and why Collins creates it is a strong point of analysis.

Remember, Tone Differs From Mood

Tone, as mentioned earlier, is a little different than mood. Tone refers to the attitude the writer has towards the subject they are writing about. 

For example, the tone of a poem could be satirical, serious, humorous, critical, or appreciative. The tone in “Another Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries” by Hugh MacDiarmid is quite easy to detect.

It is a God-damned lie to say that these

Saved, or knew, anything worth any man’s pride.

They were professional murderers and they took

Their blood money and their impious risks and died.

In spite of all their kind some elements of worth

With difficulty persist here and there on earth.

As previously mentioned, the tone is how the writer feels about the subject of their poem. The subject here is mercenary soldiers. It’s pretty clear that MacDiarmid doesn’t care very much for them.

The tone of the poem is undeniably contemptuous and angry. Taking note of this tone creates an opportunity for analysis on how MacDiarmid conveys the tone and why he feels so strongly about mercenary soldiers.

Poetry analysis questions to ask about mood and tone:

• What is the mood of the poem?
• Does the mood change over the course of the poem? Why did the poet create said change?
• What strategies does the poet use to convey the mood?
• What is the tone of the poem? Does the poet agree, disagree, admire, ridicule, or condemn the subject of the poem? What is the reason?
• How does word choice affect the tone of the poem?
• What strategies does the poet use to convey the tone?

Explore The Literary Devices Used In The Poem

Literary devices are techniques writers use to produce special effects in their writing.  It is especially helpful when you’re still grappling with learning ways to analyze a poem.

As can be sensed from the definition, it’s a pretty broad category. As such, an analysis of a poem based on literary devices can go in many directions. A few of them have been highlighted below.

Repetition is a literary device frequently found in poetry, as can be demonstrated by Merrill Glass’s “But You Didn’t.”

Remember the time you lent me your car and I dented it?

I thought you’d kill me…

But you didn’t.

Remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was

formal, and you came in jeans?

I thought you’d hate me…

But you didn’t.

Remember the times I’d flirt with

other boys just to make you jealous, and

you were?

I thought you’d drop me…

But you didn’t.

There were plenty of things you did to put up with me,

to keep me happy, to love me, and there are

so many things I wanted to tell

you when you returned from

Vietnam…

But you didn’t.

To learn how to analyze repetition in a poem, first, find the repeating phrases. Secondly, assess their function and contribution to the poem. 

The repeating phrases in this poem are “Remember the time” and “But you didn’t.” Their functions are reinforcing the mood of the poem and the building structure.

 The repetition of “Remember the time” produces a nostalgic mood. The repetition of both phrases creates a framework for the poem. 

Therefore, when the mood drastically changes in the last stanza, the continued repetition of “But you didn’t” still keeps the poem within its structure; it doesn’t feel like it came out of nowhere. It is important to consider this when figuring out how to analyze a poem.

Next in literary devices, let’s discuss the imagery and sensory language. Imagery is an author’s use of descriptive language to build visuals. Meanwhile, sensory language is words and phrases that create vividity in writing. This vividness is created by appealing to the senses. 

Both are employed by writers to add depth to their work. The use and effect of these two devices can be observed in this excerpt from “The Young Sun’s Greeting” by Léopold Sédar Senghor.

The young sun’s greeting

On my bed, your letter’s glow

All the sounds that burst from morning

Blackbirds’ brassy calls, jingle of gonoleks

Your smile on the grass, on the radiant dew.

This stanza is rich with sensory language. The description of sunlight on the bed, the sounds of birds in the morning and dew on the grass creates a strong image of a serene morning. 

The resulting effect is a vivid and entrancing poem. This effect can be analyzed in terms of how it’s achieved, the impact it creates, and how it supports the theme of the poem.

There are many other literary devices that are frequently found in poetry including metaphors, personification, flashbacks, symbolism, diction, and more. These can all be analyzed in a similar manner as highlighted above. 

Poetry analysis questions to ask about literary devices:

• What are the most prominent literary devices used in the poem? How can it help you to analyze the poem?
• What function do the devices have in the poem? Do they build the structure? 
• Do literary devices contribute to the mood? Do they support the theme?
• How does the poet’s use of literary devices make for a better and more meaningful poem?

Analyze The Language and Structure

Poetry allows for eccentric language and structure use in a way that no other literary form does. This makes for engaging reads and great points of analysis. 

As an example, here is an excerpt of “Half-caste” by John Agard

Explain yuself

Wha u mean

When yu say half-caste

Yu mean when light an shadow

Mix in de sky

Is a half-caste weather??

Well in dat case

England weather

Nearly always half-caste

In fact some o dem cloud

Half-caste till dem overcast

So spiteful dem dont want de sun pass

Ah rass

Explain yuself

Wha yu mean

When yu say half-caste?

Yu mean tchaikovsky

Sit down at dah piano

An mix a black key

Wid a white key

Is a half-caste symphony?

This is a great piece about the absurdity of racism, but let’s focus on the language. Agard writes in his Caribbean dialect. By doing so, he is legitimizing his way of speech and asserting himself and his mixed race identity. It’s a strong statement and connects well with the message of the poem.

Pay Attention To Creative Use Of Grammar

In terms of grammar and punctuation, what better example is there than Emily Dickinson’s poetry? She’s well known for her odd capitalization and punctuation.

Here’s poem #466 “I dwell in Possibility.”  In this poem, Dickinson writes about the limitless power of poetry and its superiority over prose.

I dwell in Possibility –

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

Impregnable of eye –

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –

For Occupation – This –

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise –

Dickinson’s grammar can seem daunting, but it’s just a matter of breaking it down. Beginning with the capitalization, these are all the words (excluding the words at the beginning of each line) that she capitalizes: 

Possibility, House, Prose, Windows, Doors, Chambers, Cedars, Roof, Gambrels, Sky, Visitors, Occupation, This, Hands, Paradise

The most recurring image produced by these words is of a house, which is the main metaphor of the poem. Dickinson compares poetry to a fair house that has many windows, an endless roof, and other appealing characteristics. 

So, it can already be reasoned that Dickinson’s capitalization is in order to emphasize the main focus of her poetry. This analysis can be furthered by examining the capitalized words that don’t fit in with the rest, such as “Paradise.”

A possible reason that “Paradise” is stressed could be the religious context; Dickinson could’ve been trying to portray just how divine poetry is by giving it a more powerful connotation. 

The other notable grammatical element in Dickinson’s poem is the abundance of em dashes. Almost every line ends in an em dash, and several have em dashes in the middle of them. 

Dickinson’s use of em dashes in the middle of her lines is usually to highlight words of significance. For instance, “for Doors” is enclosed in em dashes in the first stanza. To find out why, let’s consider the rest of the stanza. 

I dwell in Possibility –

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Dickinson is talking about the superiority of the “Possibility” a.k.a poetry house over the prose house. Poetry has more windows and it has doors. 

It’s important to notice that she says “More numerous of Windows,” because this means that the prose house also has windows, poetry just has more. In terms of doors, however, the prose house doesn’t seem to have any. So it’s just a house of windows.

Windows are nice, but you need doors to enter and exit. Therefore, “for Doors” could be stressed because Dickinson wanted to establish that prose isn’t as open as poetry.

Just as important as the use of em dashes,is the absence of them. Dickinson uses so many of her trademark dashes in this poem, so the two places where she doesn’t stand out: “And for an everlasting Roof” and “The spreading wide my narrow Hands.” 

Both of these lines describe something that’s expanding: the eternal roof and hands that are reaching out to paradise. Without the usual em-dashes, these lines visibly expand on the page which enhances their meaning.

Poetry often accommodates unusual structure and language that many poets utilize for emphasis, to make a statement or other similar reasons. All these can act as effective focal points of poetry analysis. 

Poetry analysis questions to ask about language and structure:

• Does the poet make use of language or grammar in an unconventional manner? What effect does this have on the poem?
• Do the language and diction complement the theme and mood of the poem?
• How is the poem structured? How are the lines and stanzas arranged? Why might the poet have made that decision?
• Do the language and structure correspond with the poem’s form? Why or why not?

Identify and Explore The Poetic Form

Identifying and exploring the poetic form is a great way to analyze a poem.

The poetic form determined by the poem’s rhythm and structure. The easiest way to detect the rhythm and structure of a poem is by listening to it.

Poetry is meant to be heard, so read it aloud or listen to a recording of the poem. This will allow for the detection of patterns in rhythm and rhyme schemes. Use that information to identify the poetic form. 

A fourteen-line rhyming poem may be a sonnet. A poem with an AABBA scheme is a limerick. A long narrative poem could be an epic, and a poem that seems to be a tribute may be an ode. Maybe the poem doesn’t seem to follow any form, which would make it free verse. 

While it’s not necessary to know the exact poetic form—you don’t have to memorize all the forms and their distinctions—it can be helpful because certain forms have specific associations. 

For example, sonnets are usually about love. Limericks tend to be humorous, and epics are often adventurous and historical. An understanding of the form of the poem can then open up opportunities for analyses about whether the poem adheres to or challenges its conventions.

Poetry analysis questions to ask about the form of the poem:

• Is the poem traditional or contemporary?
• Does the poem follow a rhyme scheme or rhythm?
• Does the poem follow a specific structure?
• Can the poem be classified under a certain form?
• Does it adhere to or challenge its respective form’s conventions? 
• Does the poem break away from its form or structure at any point? Why might the poet have made the change?

Last Words On How To Analyze A Poem

Analyzing poetry can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Simply break the poem down to its basic elements. Most of the major poetic elements have been outlined in this guide. Then, choose one or two to examine.

Also, make sure you’re asking the right questions. Create your own analysis worksheet or use the ones in this guide. 

The main idea of poetry analysis is to investigate and evaluate the way the poet makes an impression. Find what jumps out and talk about it in your essay, literary magazine, or audio podcast. Good luck!

Have you tried to analyze a poem? What challenges did you face? And how did you overcome these challenges? What poetic elements do you explore the most in your poetry analysis?

Please share your ideas and experiences in the comments below.

Interested in poetry contests? Check out the The 6th Singapore Poetry Contest 2020/How to Submit ($170)

and

The Origami Poems Project 2020/ How To Submit ($175)

References

Collins, Billy. “Introduction to Poetry.” The Apple that Astonished Paris. University of Arkansas Press, 1996.

Dickinson, Emily. “I dwell in Possibility.” The Poems of Emily Dickinson. Harvard University Press, 1999.

Frost, Robert. “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Collected Poems, Prose, & Plays. Ed. Richard Poirier and Mark Richardson. New York: Library of America, 1995. 

Glass, Merrill. “But You Didn’t.” Family Friend Poems, www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/but-you-didnt-by-merrill-glass.

Macdiarmid, Hugh. “Another Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries.” The Complete Poems of Hugh MacDiarmid. Penguin Books, 1985.

Senghor, Léopold Sédar. “The Young Sun’s Greeting.” Leopold Sédar Senghor: the Collected Poetry. University Press of Virginia, 1998.

The post How To Analyze A Poem (Examples, Worksheet Questions and Tips) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

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Get a Virtual Assistant Job

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Write and sell e-books

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You can also check out our article on Ways to Find Beginner Freelance Writing Jobs from Home.

The post How to Make Money from Legal Writing. appeared first on Creative Writing News.