Creative Writing

Lesson 1
Imaginative Writing - is a poetic way of expressing one’s thoughts, feelings, judgments, likes, dislikes, and interpretations. Its primary purpose
is to entertain, to provoke, or to captivate readers. This kind of writing is unique and artistic since it stimulates the writer’s imagination. More
so, it gives pleasure considering that the writer expresses his personal explanation which is literary blended with his mood, emotion, and
understanding. The writer makes verbal pictures or images in his own imagination and transfers those pictures, through language, into
imaginations of others - his readers.

Common Types of Imaginative Writing Documents

1. Poems 6. Blogs
2. Short stories 7. Diary Entries
3. Nonfiction Essays 8. Journals
4. Scripts 9. Personal letters
5. Song Lyrics 10. Speeches

Academic Writing - This kind of writing is factual and informative, for it appeals to intellect unlike imaginative writing which is emotionally
charged. It intends to persuade readers, to explain and to describe something, and to tell a story. Since academic writing is any writing
required by a college or a university, it is limited to academe. Usually, it is a completion to be fulfilled by students in order for them to attain a
degree. Specifically, this is a writing assignment given by a subject teacher or a generic reader, perhaps an editor, to either one or more
students.

Common Types of Academic Writing Documents

1. Book report or book review- a way to show how a reader understands a book
2. Essay- an organized piece of writing about a particular subject that centers a thesis statement
3. Research paper or research article- a meticulous study to find new knowledge about something
4. Academic Journal- a peer-reviewed article written by experts; aims to deliver knowledge
5. Thesis and Dissertation - requirements to be completed to obtain an advanced degree at a college or a university
6. Abstract- a brief summary of a long document

Technical Writing - to inform, to instruct, and to persuade readers. Unlike imaginative writing which is highly subjective and emotional,
technical writing is objective and unemotional. Similar to academic writing, technical writing involves documents that are based on facts. It has
to be straightforward, accurate, and concise, for it is a written communication that conveys technical information relating to a specific field or
job. The writer needs to follow a formal structure and a standard format because technical writing has its own rules.
Technical writers come from different backgrounds, and most of them are businessmen, educators, and journalists. According to
Barrot (2015), technical writing is not only exclusive to scientists, engineers, and technicians, but also involves private businesses, government
offices, and academic institutions which produce documents either on paper or electronic form that aims to communicate information to a
specific type of audience.

Common Types of Technical Writing Documents

1. Business letters
2. Memos
3. Resumes
4. Cover letters
5. e-mails
6. Proposals
7. Reports

Sensory Details
Sensory details appeal to the sense of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. These five senses are employed by writers to engage readers’
interests. Stories are lifeless without the writer’s use of sensory details. By means of using these extra details, the readers can personally
experience what the author has narrated or described making each scene come to life.

The Involvement of Five Senses in Improving Imagery

1. Sense of Sight
Visual details, once incorporated into writing, encourage the readers to create mental images of the characters, setting, and action.
Also, details that appeal to sense of sight help the readers visualize what the character feels, does or experiences in the text.
2. Sense of Smell
Although sense of smell is usually ignored in writing, the olfactory details can be very helpful in setting the mood of what is written
to trigger the readers’ other senses. This occurs since our sense of smell has remarkable power over our feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Using
the sense of smell can add to the atmosphere of the story. When the writer describes how something smells, it may allow the reader to bring
his own understanding to the text, as well as to create mental image in his mind.
3. Sense of Hearing
The use of details in relation to sense of hearing can make a story dramatic. When a writer puts sounds into words, the readers hear
what the characters are experiencing. Such information will linger in the readers’ minds long after they are done reading. Next to visual details,
auditory details are most commonly included in writing. This is because sounds can remind us of personal memories and give us a primary
experience of the world.

4. Sense of Taste
Just like sense of smell, sense of taste is one of the least used senses in story writing. Sense of taste is a very personal sense so it is a
little less important in most fiction writing. However, if the writer appeals to any of these four familiar tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour; he
surely has the unique opportunity to affect the readers’ senses.

5. Sense of Touch
When a writer includes tactile images in a story, he motivates his readers to discover the world around them by feeling and learning
the texture, shape, and size of things. These images can be significant sensory triggers that allow readers to visualize and to experience a scene.
Furthermore, these pictures may encourage them to put themselves in the place of the characters. Through sense of touch, the readers are
prevented from being detached or distanced from the writing.

Language
A. Imagery
Imagery provides the readers with a mental picture of a person, a place, or an object. It is a language that causes a reader to imagine
pictures in his mind. Authors use a word or group of words to create mental pictures in order for them to “tickle” and awaken the readers’
sensory perceptions. In short, imagery can be best defined as descriptive language since the writer adds degree of intensity of his work in order
to deepen the reader’s understanding. Although imagery is used primarily by the writer in attempting to describe something that appeals to
the senses of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing, he may also include figurative language such as simile or metaphor.
Types of Imagery

The following are the most common types of imagery used in creative writing:

1. Visual- describes what we see such as colors, shapes, size, or patterns.

Examples:
Take me down to the river underneath the blood-orange sun.
It was dark and dim in the forest.
(Wine-stained lips, blood-orange sun, and dark and dim are visual images.)
2. Auditory- describes what we hear such as beautiful music, birdsong, noise of a broom moving
across the floor, or a peaceful or eerie silence.
Examples:
(To hear me roar, hear my voice like a thunder, scream and shout, deafening silence, and soft whisper
and cries appeal to our auditory sense.)
3. Tactile- describes what we touch or feel such as texture of a garment, movement of a burning
muscle from exertion, or a humid or cold temperature.
Examples:
Under a silver moon, tropical temperature.
(Soft skin, touchable, hot, cold, and tropical temperature appeal to our tactile sense.)
4. Olfactory- describes what we smell such as fragrance of a perfume or blooming flowers; bad odor
of a rotting trash.
Examples:
(Fresh mountain breeze, smell like a mini coffee shop, and whiffed the aroma appeal to our olfactory
sense.)
5. Gustatory- describes what we taste such as sweetness of chocolates, sourness and bitterness of
lemons, or saltiness of fries.
Examples:
(Fresh, juicy, cold, sweet orange, ultra-creamy and mouth-watering ice cream, delightful crispiness,
consistent and savory taste appeal to our gustatory sense.)

B. Figures of Speech

A figure of speech is a figurative language in the form of a single word or a phrase which is used to express more than its dictionary or literal meaning.
Figures of speech stand for the idea, thought, experience, and feeling that the writer wants to impart to the reader. These words convey meaning or deepen effect
by comparing or distinguishing one thing with another. The following are the four main classes of figures of speech which can aid the reader to appreciate the art of
poetry:

1. Figures of Relationship

1.1 Simile is a comparison between two unrelated things by means of some common point of resemblance. The word like or as is used to join the objects being
compared.
Examples:
Her love is like a drug.
She turns cold as a freezer.
 She slowly waved goodbye like a pageant parade.
My heart could still fall as 23.
1.2 Metaphor gives an implied, not expressed, comparison to two unlike objects.
Examples:
Good books are food and drink to an avid reader.
My life is an enchanted boat.
He spent the whole day reading Shakespeare.

1.3 Metonymy is when the name of one thing is used for something else which it is associated.
Examples:
The pen is mightier than the sword.
Gray hairs should be respected.
The restaurant has been acting quite rude lately.
1.4 Synecdoche shows a part of something which is used to represent the whole.
Examples:
Business was very good at the fast food store so they had to hire extra hands.
She counted heads.
The factory needs fifty hands.
1.5 Personification is when things are spoken of as though they were persons.
Examples:
The fields swam in a golden haze.
Without the wind’s kiss, there could be no birth of leaves.
The earth seemed to tremble underfoot.

2. Figures of Emphasis

2.1 Hyperbole is when an intentional exaggeration is made to achieve emphasis or comic effect.
Examples:
The sun was in our eyes.
I would walk the wire for you.
He ate a mountain of food.
2.2 Oxymoron is a self-contradicting word or a group of words.
Examples:
He is a little giant.
The bittersweet memories pierce my soul.
You’re an idiotic genius.
2.3 Irony shows contrast between what is anticipated and what actually exists.
Examples:
It was very kind of you to remind me of my humiliation.
At 60, you’re so young to start a business.
I told my lazy student,” Your composition is not bad at all, but a little more attention to
punctuation won’t hurt you.

3. Figures of Sound

3.1 Alliteration is when consonant sounds are repeated at the beginning of words giving the passage a musical quality.
Examples
The sun nor the star shall weaken.
Nor any change of light
Nor sound of water shaken
Nor any sound of light

3.2 Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds between different consonants.

Examples:
“I look up high and see only the dim light of the sky.
The Groves of Barney, they look charming.
And snowy summits old in story.

3.3 Onomatopoeia is the use of words whose sound suggests their meaning.
Examples:
buzz bang gargle hiss squeak

4. Figures of Address or Reference

4.1 Apostrophe is the device of calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, place, or thing.
Examples:
Milton! Though should be living at this hour.
Mountains and hills come and fall on me.
Ambition, you’re a cruel master.
4.2 Allusion is a reference to another work or famous figure.
Examples:
She has the patience of Job.
Math is my Waterloo.
 Be no doubting Thomas.

C. Diction

Diction is the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. It is also defined as the style of speaking or writing that a
speaker, writer, or character uses. Diction tells whether a work is formal or informal. In formal writing such as essays, business letters, or
speeches, diction should be formal. More so, diction separates good writing from bad writing. When a writer chooses more relevant words, he
establishes formality to that piece of writing. When he uses slang, he makes it informal. An expression becomes slang once a word is used
without its literal meaning (e.g. cool means nice or easy to be with; hot means sexy or attractive). A word is also slang when it is extravagant,
facetious, replaced, or coined (e.g. shrink means a psychiatrist, airhead means stupid, woozy means dizzy, flick means a movie). Furthermore,
shortened or contracted words are most likely slang (e.g. hi-hello, gonna-going to, wanna-want to, can’t-cannot, won’t-will not, I’ve- I have not,
etc.). Depending on the situation we are in, we alter our diction. Thus, the selection of words depends on the person we talk to. We would not
address a stranger in the same way as a good friend and we would not address a dean in that same way as a classmate.

Elements of the Genre

A. Theme
In prose, theme is the controlling or main idea that the text tells directly or indirectly; whereas in poetry, it is the lesson or
message about life or a statement in relation to human nature that the poem expresses. A theme can be either categorized as a
thematic concept or a thematic statement. A thematic concept is what the readers think about the work while a thematic
statement is what the work says about the subject.
The theme of any piece of writing can be major or minor. A major theme is what the author reiterates in his work to make
it the most important. On the other hand, a minor theme is less significant and may appear briefly in a literary work in order to
give way to another minor theme. Any story which is in relation to war, for example, may have a major theme such as its effect
to people while its minor themes include political aspects or people’s reactions on war.

B. Tone
Tone, in literature, is the author’s attitude toward a subject. Unlike mood, which shapes the readers’ emotional
responses, tone reflects the feelings of the writer. The tone of a literary work can be serious, suspenseful, solemn, humorous,
sarcastic, playful, ironic, bitter, etc. Tone is typically communicated through the writer’s choice of words or his viewpoint on a
certain issue. More so, the selection of words can be either formal (objective) or informal (subjective). Long, technical or
unusual words are considered formal, and will be used by authors who wish the reader to perceive them or the character as
highly educated. Informal words, on the other hand, are those almost all readers will be familiar with. These include the use of
contractions and slang which are more closely the same as to how people speak.

A Haiku poem is a conventional type of Japanese poetry composed of 3 lines, with seventeen syllables written in a 5-7-5 syllable
count. The essence of haiku is “cutting” “kiru”.

A Sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem of iambic pentameter. It maybe Petrarchan, Shakespearean or Spencerean in rhyme scheme
and structural arrangement of content/theme.

Two basic sonnet types:

The ITALIAN or PETRARCHAN SONNET calls for two rhymes in the octave and two or three in the sestet
(abba, abba, cde, cde):

ENGLISH or SHAKESPEARE’S SONNET allows a wider choice of rhymes (abab, abab, cdcd, efef). The concluding “couplet” is
commonly the summary. Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence contains some of the world’s finest and best known sonnets; note the
poet’s conceit in his Sonnet No. XVIII:

Rhyme falls under repetition of single sounds. Two words are said to rhyme when they are identical in sound from the vowel of
the accented syllable to the end, provided the sounds that precede accented vowel are not identical. Cry, buy; face, place;
tomorrow, sorrow rhyme; but Wright, write and right do not because the letters before the accented vowel are the same.

Rhyme is said to be masculine if the rhyming portion of the words is a single syllable as in cry, buy; face, race. It if is said to be
feminine if the rhyming portion is more than one syllable as in sorrow, tomorrow, cunning and running.

Rhyme usually comes at the end of a line and follows a set of pattern or scheme. It is indicated by the letters of the alphabet, a
being the first rhyming word, b the second, c the third and so on.
Meter is a literary device that uses stressed and unstressed syllables in a verse as measured in the number of feet. Traditional
poetry has measured rhythm – a regular verse or line pattern whose unit of measure is the foot which contains one accented
syllable and one or two unaccented syllables. Some metrical combinations are illustrated:
Iambic monometer - Herrick, “Upon His Departure Hence” (1648)

Free verse is a literary device which is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms.
These poems do not observe rhythms and rhyme schemes. However, it still allows poets to use alliteration, rhyme, cadences or
rhythm to achieve effects suitable for the piece.

Forms of Free Verse:

 They have no regular meter and rhythm
 They do not follow a proper rhyme scheme as such; these poems do not have any set of rules.
 This type of poem is based on normal pauses and natural rhythmical phases as compared to the artificial constraints
of normal poetry.
 It is also called vers libre which is French word.

Functions of Free Verse

Free verse is a contemporary poetry where poets use this technique as a freedom from rhythm and rhyme as it
changes the mind of people whimsically.
Free verse can help poets to imagine the forms of any sound through the intonations instead of meters. Free verse
gives a greater freedom for choosing words and conveying their meanings to the audience. Since it depends upon patterned
elements like sounds, phrases, sentences and words, it is free of artificiality of a typical poetic expression.

A Line Breakis a poetic device used at the end of a line and at the beginning of the next line in a poem. It could be used without
traditional punctuation. It can be described as a point where in a line is divided into two halves at the end of a line.

Functions of Line Break

Line breaks could be the source of dynamism in poetry since they provide a manner whereby poetic forms inculcate
contents with strength and consequential meanings – which might not be possible in other types of text in the same level.
They often bring ambiguity and also affect the meaning. However, they lead the readers into surprising ideas and
different understanding, as well as controlling the manner when they come upon ideas.

Enjambment is a literary device that includes a thought or sense, phrase or clause in a line of poetry that does not come to an
end but moves over to the next line. In simple words, it is the running on of a sense from one couplet or line to the next without
a major pause or syntactical break.

Enjambment has a long history in poetry and Homer used the technique-the norm for alliteration verse where rhyme is
unknown. In the 32nd Psalm of the Hebrew Bible, enjambment is unusually conspicuous. It was used extensively in England by
Elizabethan poets for dramatic and narrative verses, before giving way to closed couplets.
Closely related to enjambment is the technique of “Broken Rhyme” or “Split Rhyme” which involves the splitting of an individual
word, typically to allow a rhyme with one or more syllables of the split word.

Everyday we are surrounded by advertisements encouraging us to buy the latest product, see the latest movies, or upgrade to
the latest phones. Whether in print, on television, or online, these all have one thing in common carefully arranged text.
Product names, for example, are almost shoved in our face via big colorful text, while the legally binding agreements are given
in “the fine print.”

The art and technique of arranging a written language to be legible, readable and appealing when displayed is called
TYPOGRAPHY.

A cross-genre in fiction combines the themes and elements from two or more different genres. As opposed to the literary and
political conservatism of most genre fiction, cross – genre writing offers opportunities for debates and stimulating discussion.

The poet wrote the poem in free verse. It projects the image of shining and glittering jewel which is also the persona of the
poem. The poem used in simple modern words expressed in serious tone. It lingers on the philosophy that one has to endure
pains and suffering before he/she can achieve success.
 In the poem, the gold thinks how people desperately admired and worshipped him. It reflects his true nature and
character. Does anyone really know me before I became what I am now? He is questioning why people think of him as beautiful
and proud and not thinking of what he had been through before he achieved his current state. His sufferings and pains made
him strong, pure and beautiful. “I have to go through the process, endure all pains and from the ashes, I arise anew – shining
and glittering, and later comes in many forms like a ring.”

As a whole the poem is written in a non conventional manner as a result of making three lines in the last stanza which
is a deviation of the four lines in the first four stanzas. Indeed, it emphasized more on the content or message rather than the
structure.

to the emotions than to the intellect is called poetic prose. The effect on the reader is that of beauty, tenderness, longing and
wistfulness.

Characters are the people or animals who take part in the action. Since they are the central focus of the story, they control the
plot, causing its twists and turns and ultimate resolution. The reader digs deep into the characters’ personality traits, their
greatest fear, worst nightmare and proudest achievement.

Characters should be given the illusion of reality and made believable so that they can take the reader to places he or she has
never dreamed possible.

Characters may be major or minor depending on their development and on their role in the story.

Characters are the representations of a human being - the complex combination of both inner and outer self.

Characterization refers to the ways that writers develop their characters. A writer might also show how other characters react
to a character and what they say about him or her.

The ways Characters are revealed:

1. what the characters do along with the circumstances in which they do it

2. how the characters are described - both by their persons and their environment
3. what the characters say and think
4. what other characters say about them
5. what the author says about them

In addition, fictional characters are classified into:

1. Protagonist – the principal character in the story. He is usually an admirable character with whom we usually
sympathize or identify. brainmeta.com
2. Antihero – an inept or otherwise ridiculous character.
3. Antagonist – the villain or a character in conflict with the hero and is usually less admirable than the hero; he
creates the conflict.

Ways on how characters are portrayed:

Dynamic or Round Character – a fully–developed character that recognizes changes with or adjust to the circumstances. He
carries with him the reality of human growth and decline. The protagonists and antagonists are individuals who express a range
of emotion and change throughout the narrative, usually toward greater maturity.

Flat Character – a character who does not grow and remains the same or a stereotype character of conventional traits. Because
he exhibits only one side or aspect of him, he has no depth and no changes. Most supporting characters are portrayed in this
way: a strict teacher, a helpful policeman, and an evil stepmother.

Foil Character – a character who points the qualities or characteristics of another character. For example, a
foolish character sets a wise character’s wisdom in a stronger light.
In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what happens in
a story, poem, essay etc. It is the perspective from which a story is narrated. The author presents the events of his story as seen
through someone’s eyes. The eyes, or point of view, may not be the author’s. Very often, an author will tell a story from
someone else’s point of view either through the narrator (storyteller) or through a character in the story.
Prezi.com

Kinds of Point of View

1. Omniscient – delves into the minds of the characters at any point in the story. The narrator is all-knowing. He is free
to go into the mind of the characters. The narrator is aware of all the thoughts, actions, and feelings of all characters.
Basically, omniscient point of view is told from a god-like omnipotent viewpoint.

2. Limited Omniscient Point of View – the narrator shows the thoughts and feelings of only one character.

3. Objective Third –Person Observer – the author relates what happens in an objective manner without giving his own
comments and without portraying what goes on in the mind of his characters. This point of view makes fiction more
realistic or life-like.
4. Third Person Limited – adheres closely to one character’s perspective. The narrator is not a character in the story, but
looks at things only through the eyes of a single character. This type of narrative permits the narrator to quickly build
a close bond between the protagonist and the reader, without being confined by the protagonist’s educational or
language restrictions.
5. First Person Observer – the narrator tells the story in the first person. This observer shares whatever scene or events
an eyewitness to the story would be able to see. The narrator may be the protagonist, an observer, a minor character,
or the writer himself.

6. First Person Participant – the narrator tells his own story. He may be the central character, the first person
protagonist, or a minor character. It is used primarily for autobiographical writing. The narrator uses “I” to refer to
himself/herself; the narrator is a character in the story, often, but not necessarily, the protagonist.
7. Second Person Point of View – the narrator tells the story to another character using the word “you”. The author
could be talking to the audience which we could tell by the use of “you”, “your”, “you’re”. It is used to address the
audience in technical writing, advertising, songs and speeches.
8. Camera View (objective) – the narrator records the action from his or her own point of view, without any of the
characters’ thoughts.

Plot is the framework or outline of the story, the plan of action and the arrangement of interconnected events in which every
occurrence has a specific purpose. This is what happens in the story.

Plot is based on a conflict, or a struggle between opposing forces. It is the summary in telling what the story is all about.

A fictional story does not begin with a plot. It begins with a situation or with a character. For instance, a character faces an
obstacle or conflict, and then resolves it through his or her own purposeful action. This makes up the events of the story, or the
plot. The following are the examples of plotted stories:

1. Linear: actions or events arranged chronologically. This is the most common plot because it follows the natural
order of events. It starts at certain part, moves through a series of events to a climax and ends up at another
point. The primary advantage of using a linear plot is that the reader knows, or at least has an idea, of where the
plot goes next, and the reader is guaranteed to get a beginning and ending.
2. Circular: this type of development combines linear with flashback. The opening scene will be repeated in the
series toward or at the end.
3. En medias res: the story starts at the middle part of the story.

The principal parts of the plot are:

a. Exposition introduces the main character(s), the setting, and the conflict. It gives background information the
reader needs to understand the story.
b. The Rising Action is a series of events, called complications that build suspense. Each event develops the story
line. During the rising action, the stakes increase as the character faces complications that block his or her way.
 c. The Conflict – the struggle between opposing forces. It marks an opposition, a struggle, a clash, or collision
between two opposing forces that may be persons or may not be. The character resolves two kinds of conflict:
external and internal.

The external conflict is not within the character’s control; it’s a situation he is thrust into, for better or
for worse, and it’s what the plot goes from page to page. It could be a mystery that needs solving,
moving to a new place or a death in the family.
The external conflict creates the period of time from the first and last page of the book different from any other time
in the character’s life. Without external conflict, there is no plot – only anxiety or dread illustrative of emotional disposition.

 The internal conflict is contained within the main character – cheating on a test at school, anger at parents who
are recently divorced, lack of self-confidence-and must be resolved in some ways for the characters to grow. .
The internal conflict is something the character brings to the story on page one. The conflict may be unknown to
the character – it could be lurking just under the surface – or it could be a problem, the character is aware of but
has been ignoring. But when the character is confronted with the external conflict, the internal conflict is
brought to light. Without internal conflict, the characters have no depth.

A story should have an effective external conflict that creates the plot to keep the story moving, and an internal conflict that
forces the character to change, and to reflect the theme.

d. The Suspense – it is a situation where a challenge or a problem is created and leads the reader to expect
something very good or very bad to happen. It is a state or psychological expectation of the ensuing event
leading to the result. It also refers to a pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome of a challenge or
problem. In other words, the Suspense or Crisis is a moment of realization for the main character, when he or
she comes to some decision or does something that will determine the outcome of the story. The crisis is not the
climax but will lead to it.

e. The Climax – this is the moment of truth, or the greatest moment of tension in a story, when the main character
either triumphs or fails. The climax should also somehow cause a change, either obvious or subtle, in the main
character. It is followed by the rising action and itself precedes the falling action of the story. Here are some
examples of climax:

 When Romeo and Juliet die in “Romeo and Juliet”.

 When Wilbur in “Charlotte’s Web” is declared the winner at a country fair and his life is saved.
 In the “Hunger Games,” Peeta and Katniss resolve to eat poisonous berries instead of killing one
another.

f. The Falling Action shows how the main character adjusts to the change. It is the simplest way to view it as the
turning point in the plot of the story, play or drama.

g. The Resolution or Denouement – is winding up a story. Literally, it is the unraveling, as knot, point at which the
conflict or complication in a story are finally resolved. It refers to the moment where we, as readers, understand
the position of the protagonist. It is also when the characters understand their own final positions.

Resolution or denouement is the sense of downward movement felt in reading the story. It involves the clarification
of the fate of the characters. If the plot unfolds in a logical, cause and effect pattern, it will end with an unavoidable resolution.
Who the character is, how he or she changed during the story, and how that character chose to deal with the conflict leads to
only one conclusion. The reader should be able to look back from the end of the story and see one path that leads directly from
the page to the last. The resolution is satisfying and believable if the cause is believable.
 An episodic plot is a narration composed of loosely connected incidents, each one more or less self contained, often
connected by a central character or characters.

To get a feeling for an episodic novel, think of a television drama series where the characters and storylines could be
carefully crafted or merely sketched, the subject matter could be dark or humorous; the “message” could be non-existent or
quite deep. But no matter what occurred in any given episode, the character, his or her motivations, and the relationships
among characters would change little or not at all. Even when the characters encountered new people and places each week,
no episode would have any significant impact on the protagonist.

The setting includes the time, the geographical locations, and the general environment and the circumstances that prevail in a
narrative. The setting creates a vivid and more interesting story. the story more vivid and interesting.
The setting may explain why characters behave as they do. People who live in the country generally behave, think, and speak
differently from those who live in the city. If a story is supposed to have taken place a long time ago, the characters will have to
speak and dress differently from people today.
The setting is also the physical background of a story. It includes not only geographical location but also scenery, weather,
furniture, clothing, the time of year, and the period of history in which the characters are placed.

The kinds of setting are:

a) specific, such as 4:15 p.m. on the baseball field.
b) general, such as sometimes in the future in outer space
c) direct, as in “The Most Dangerous Game”
d) indirect, by showing the characters’ reaction to their surroundings.

The function of the setting is to help create the mood or atmosphere of a story. It can also trigger action or cause conflict. At
times, setting expresses the writer’s view of the world. Thus, it reinforces the theme, or main idea of the story. For example, a
grim setting may reflect the writer’s grim view of life. An author creates the atmosphere, or mood, of a story through the use of
details of the setting, as well as through the use of action and dialogue that give a specific feeling.
The cultural setting helps us. . .

 to understand the Greek life during this time period.

 to understand the motives of the characters.
 to let our imaginations create a more detailed stage.

Sociological milieu – is a collection of social factors affecting a business and includes social traditions, values and beliefs, level
of literacy and education, the ethical standards and state of society, the extent of social stratification, conflict and cohesiveness,
and so forth.
Cultural Milieu – is the setting and environment where a person lives, and includes the social and cultural aspect of life. The
term comes from the French word milieu, meaning, “middle”. Countries that have been influenced by the French language use
this word to describe a location and cultural environment. A way to remember what the word means is to think of being in the
middle of a particular cultural milieu.
Sensibility is the ability to sense, feel or perceive, especially to be sensitive to the feelings of another; ability to feel especially in
being offended or in having one’s feelings hurt; an acute awareness of feeling.

RHYME – repetition of single sounds

MASCULINE RYHME - if the rhyming portion of the words is a single syllable as in cry, buy; face, race
FEMININE RYHME -if the rhyming portion is more than one syllable as in sorrow, tomorrow, cunning and running
METER - is a literary device that uses stressed and unstressed syllables in a verse as measured in the number of feet
FREE VERSE - is a literary device which is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms
LINE BREAK- is a poetic device used at the end of a line and at the beginning of the next line in a poem. It could be used without
traditional punctuation.
ENJAMBMENT- is a literary device that includes a thought or sense, phrase or clause in a line of poetry that does not come to
an end but moves over to the next line. In simple words, it is the running on of a sense from one couplet or line to the next
without a major pause or syntactical break.
TYPOGRAPHY- The art and technique of arranging a written language to be legible, readable and appealing when displayed
CROSS- GENRE- in fiction combines the themes and elements from two or more different genres. As opposed to the literary and
political conservatism of most genre fiction, cross – genre writing offers opportunities for debates and stimulating discussion
POETIC PROSE- kind of writing which appeals more to the emotions than to the intellect