Creative writing

Creative writing is any writing that differs from the standards of professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature. It is typically distinguished by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes, as well as by a connection to various traditions of poetry and poetics, among other characteristics. Feature stories, for example, which are classified as journalism but have a strong narrative and character development focus, may be considered creative writing because of the vagueness of the definition; however, feature stories are classified as journalism because their content is specifically focused on narrative and character development. This category includes both fictional and nonfictional works, and includes genres such as novels, biographies, short stories, and poetry. In the academic context, creative writing programmes are often divided into fiction and poetry sections, with an emphasis on writing in a unique manner rather than replicating pre-existing genres such as crime or horror. Film and stage writing (screenwriting and play writing) are frequently taught separately, however they both fall under the umbrella term "creative nonfiction."

Technically speaking, creative writing may be defined as any writing that is a unique work. In this way, writing style is a more modern and process-oriented label for what has historically been referred to as literature, which includes the range of genres that make up the field of literature. Mary Lee Marksberry's book, Foundations of Creativity, draws on Paul Witty and Lou LaBrant's Teaching the People's Language to define creative writing, which she cites in her introduction. Marksberry makes the following observation:

"Creative writing," according to Witty and LaBrant, "is a collection of all types of writing produced at any time with the purpose of meeting such demands as-

• The need of preserving detailed records of major experiences
• The necessity of sharing experiences with a diverse set of people
• The necessity of free individual expression that is beneficial to both mental and physical health.