Creative writing involves a wide range of literary forms. This includes fiction and non-fiction works. These writing forms illustrate a style that centers on expressing one’s feelings and thoughts rather than merely giving facts or details. Thus, any kind of writing that deals with human emotions, interactions of men with incorporations of the human soul is categorized as creative writing. Adapted from an article written by Linda St. Cyr, the following are some forms of creative writing:
Poetry, Song, Limerick
Poetry is one of the common kinds of creative writing. It can be in lyrical or narrative form, rhythmical or non-rhythmical, metrical or free form. Songs appear like poems through the verses, but it has a chorus and repeated stanzas that are presented with an upbeat or melodic tune. A limerick is also similar to a poem, but it is more complex as it follows certain conventions in writing. It is a poem consisting of five lines, which contains a whimsical and suggestive thought.
Free form writing and journals.
Free-form writing is a type of creative writing often done in class. It usually has a time limit of fifteen minutes or more, and the writer must finish within the given time. Since it is free form, one avoids self-critique or cen-soring to allow the free flow of thoughts and feelings. Many beginner writers and even professional ones do this as practice to get rid of writing apprehension and to elicit fresh ideas. Journal writing is also a common form of creative writing similar to free form, but this one deals with the personal thoughts, views, and memories of the writer. It is written to record personal experiences without looking into the writing structure consisting of a beginning, middle, and end.
Short stories, novels, novellas, and flash fiction.
Short stories utilize the basic elements of fiction. This literary form is commonly read and written. A short story is different from a novel through the word count. Novels are similar to short stories in that they also make use of the elements of fiction and follow the structure of stories that have a beginning, middle, and end. However, a novel has chapters and more characters and a plot that is more complicated than the plot of a short story. Novellas are similar to novels, but are shorter, while still being longer than short stories.
Another form of creative writing used by renowned authors in classic and contemporary literature is flash fiction, also referred to as micro-fiction. This type differs from a short story in terms of length because it is shorter. It may be a condensed story with minimal words, but it provides the reader a whole image of the story. Charles Baudelaire, Ernest Heming-way, Yasunari Kawabata, and Lydia Davis are some of the famous writers who introduced flash fiction.
Scripts and plays.
Theater, radio, and television all involve creative writing. Scripts for plays, movies or television shows require the use of creativity and artistry. A play is highly dependent on its script since all the details in it reflect how it should be performed on stage. An advertisement is also a form of creative writing since it lures the target consumers to avail of a product. Television scripts, movie screenplays, theatrical plays, and even advertisements rely on the creative imagination of a skilled writer.
