Creative Writers
Introductory Student Notes

Types of Writing | The Writing Process | 3-part essay | Web Samples

Writing Poetry | Student Newsletter | Camera Behavior

Types of Writing

Narrative
Narrative writing is used to tell a story. Some examples of narrative writing include romance, mystery, biography (and autobiography), and science fiction. Historical works are considered narrative because they tell stories of what has already taken place. Futuristic (science fiction) works are also narrative because they tell stories of what the authors imagine could happen in that time. Another type of narrative writing is called expository. As the name suggests, expository writing exposes or reveals details of events. A common type of expository writing is journalism, or newspaper/magazine writing.

Persuasive
Persuasive writing is used to convince the reader of something. Of course, the reader may not be convinced after reading a passage, but this type of writing is used to bring out the author’s point of view with facts and information to support the opinion expressed in the paper. Editorials and opinion columns are examples of persuasive writing.

Descriptive
Descriptive writing helps writers paint pictures for the reader without the use of illustration or photography. Imagery is an important tool for descriptive writing passages. This type of writing is used to create an image in the mind of the reader and helps tell a particular story or to help the reader identify with characters or settings in the story.

Compare/Contrast
Comparison/contrast writing is used to illustrate what is alike and what is different about two or more people, places, or things. Sometimes writers must use research and other skills to learn more about their topics before they can begin to write a proper comparison/contrast paper. This type of writing helps readers learn more about the topics as they discover how the subjects discussed are alike and different.

How-to
Sometimes referred to as technical writing, how-to writing is used to guide readers through a process with each step clearly listed. This is a test for the writer, since a reader must produce the intended results if they follow the directions given in the paper. This type of writing is particularly useful for teaching a new skill or way of doing something.

Literary analysis
Literary analysis is the process of writing about another piece of work. Commentary on a book or magazine article is an example of literary analysis. Most students are familiar with a common form of this writing – the book report. It is important for writers to use what they know about the work they are discussing and to fuse it into their own thoughts or opinions about the work. This writing is used to help readers understand what someone else thinks about another author’s work.

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The Writing Process Made Easy

Prewriting
(Brain Drain)

Drafting
(Sloppy Copy)

Revising
(Smart Part)

Editing & Proofreading
(Goof Proof)

Presentation & Publication
(Neat Sheet)

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3-part (5 paragraph) essay

The 3-part essay, usually characterized by 5 paragraphs, comprises an introduction, the body, and a conclusion.

The first paragraph of the essay is the introduction, which may be a narrative passage that presents the topic of the essay to the reader. The main idea or topic sentence should be the last sentence of the introduction and includes the points to be discussed in the paper.

The second, third, and fourth paragraphs make up the body of the essay. Each presents a point from the topic sentence as the main idea of the paragraph and follows with at least three sentences in support of that main idea.

The fifth paragraph is the conclusion. It summarizes what was discussed in the paper, and restates the topic sentence.

Example: Title of Paper
By Firstname Lastname

Introduction (1st paragraph, ending with topic sentence)

Main Idea 1 (2nd paragraph)
Supporting detail1
Supporting detail2
Supporting detail3

Main Idea 2 (3rd paragraph)
Supporting detail1
Supporting detail2
Supporting detail3

Main Idea 3 (4th paragraph)
Supporting detail1
Supporting detail2
Supporting detail3

Conclusion (5th paragraph, summarizing paper and restating topic sentence)

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Organizing a web (samples)

Organizing a Web for Pre-writing (blank)

Organizing a Web for Pre-writing (labels)

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Tips for Writing Poetry
by Britney Langford

Write what you feel
When you write a poem, write what you are feeling. If you are feeling sad, you would probably want to write a poem about how you are sad.

Words
The words of a poem do not have to rhyme all the time. A poem should be from your heart. It may rhyme, but not all the time.

Feelings
When you write a poem you should really be able to feel your poem. Somebody else should be able to analyze your poetry.

Understand
If you write a poem, it should not be choppy. All your thoughts should run easily. When someone reads your poetry, they would understand.

Now, you write a poem!

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Student Newsletter Students
Amanda Lopez and Yajaira Olmeda

Take a camera to every event. Write about the event or details of the event. Make announcements to club members and other students. Find out who's in charge of the events and interview that person. Interview students that participated in the event and that watched the event.

List as many ideas as you can for the newsletter. Determine which events or items have visual aids (photos, charts, graphs, etc.) and newsworthy qualities. Alert your "eyes and ears" in the school to be on the lookout for upcoming events and activities. Use the back page of the newsletter for announcements and miscellaneous information.

Use abbreviations, short phrases and concise terms when taking notes at events or during interviews. Write small so you can write more on a page. Follow the ABC's of good writing - Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity. Accuracy = make sure all the facts and names are correct. Brevity = keep it short and sweet. Clarity = use clear and easy-to-understand words.

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Do's and Don'ts of Being on Camera

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