What Is Creative Writing



by Marjorie J McDonald


Historically, all writing has been classified into two clean-cut classes, non-creative writing and creative writing. Non-creative writing generally deals with hard, cold facts. Its purpose is to inform readers and enhance their knowledge about a specific happening, situation, product, or idea. For instance, a book on history, a reports write-up on a event, and a technical article on the latest software are all examples of non-creative writing.

In contrast, creative writing is provoked writing or writing that comes from inside. It might or might not be primarily based on facts. Even if primarily based on facts, the goal of creative writing is to reveal these facts in a new light, as perceived by the author. A creative writer reflects on the people and things surrounding them, meditates on concepts like love and fidelity, and then puts their thoughts and feelings on paper. Books, poems, and short stories are all examples of creative writing.

To comprehend the difference between non-creative and creative writing more obviously, let us think about a road accident. An easy report of what occurred in the road accident-who was wounded, who was driving, etc-is a real instance of non-creative writing. Nevertheless if the same accident is woven into a tale about the wounded man, maybe portraying him as a victim of fate rather than the motor driver, the resulting work would be called creative writing.

As you have probably guessed, both these styles of writing require different ability sets. While a non-creative writer must target writing with an analytical and methodical approach, a successful creative writer must be imaginative, philosophical, and to a certain extent, idealist.

The better news is that the conventional dividing line between non-creative and creative writing is fuzzy. It is not rare to get a non-creative work written in a very creative way so the work not only informs but also galvanizes the reader.




About the Author: