hsc creative writing samples

• How to Write a Band 6 Creative?

HSC Module B: Band 6 Notes on T.S. Eliot’s Poetry

Full mark band 6 creative writing sample.

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• creative writing sample

Following on from our blog post on how to write creatives , this is a sample of a creative piece written in response to:

“Write a creative piece capturing a moment of tension. Select a theme from Module A, B or C as the basis of your story.”

The theme chosen was female autonomy from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (Module C prescribed text).

This creative piece also took inspiration from Cate Kennedy’s Whirlpool .

Summer of 2001

For a moment, the momentum she gained galloping in the blossoming garden jolted, and she deflated like a balloon blown by someone suddenly out of breath. A half-smile, captured by the blinking shutter.

Out spluttered the monochrome snapshot. A bit crumpled. A little too bright.

Two dark brown braids, held by clips and bands and flowers, unruliness constrained. The duplicate of her figure came out in the Polaroid sheltered between a stoic masculine figure, and two younger ones just as unsmiling as their father. The mother stood like a storefront mannequin, the white pallor of her skin unblemished by her lurid maroon blush.

Father told the children that their mother was sick. That’s all. Having nightmares about their grandmother who left mother as a child. “Ran off,” he had said, and his nose twitched violently. “Left a family motherless, wifeless.”

I run, too, the girl had thought excitedly. When she ran, she could see the misty grey of the unyielding lamp-posts, and hear the same grunts and coos of pigeons unable to sing, melodies half-sang, half-dissonant. Why don’t they ever sing? Like the parrots and the cockatoos and lorikeets?

Out spluttered another photograph.

Void of the many distresses as analogous to adulthood, her face brimmed with childlike innocence, untroubled by the silhouettes of her father and brothers. 

Spring of 2012

“Can you take a picture for us?”

She was on the other side of the camera, and for a moment she was lost in a transitory evocation of her childhood. The soft blush of the children and the hardened faces of the adults. The forced tightness of their figures. They too looked happy, she supposed, amidst the golden sand and waves that wash the shore.

Away from the flippancy of clinking wine glasses and high-pitched gossip, she felt could almost hear the ticking seconds of each minute, each hour.

She returned the phone to the family.

How still they stood! The unmoving figures on the compact screen. A snapshot of the present that has instantaneously become the past. If only her childhood could extend infinitely to her present, and future, then she would again experience that luscious happiness that seemed to ebb with age. The warm embrace by her mother. The over-protectiveness of her father. How strange it was, to think that she had once avoided both.

But no matter.

She can’t return to the past. All she could do is reminisce about it. It was futile, she knew. The physician had told her so.

“Think about the present!” he had said. “You live too much in the past! Talk to your family! Your husband!”. After a glance at the confounded face, he added, “You grew up with caring brothers, I believe?”.

She nodded.

“Surely,” he elongated the word so that it extended into the unforeseeable future, “they must understand.”

No, they didn’t, she thought. Not after their Marmee left.

She remembered how perfect  her family had been, captured undyingly on that monochrome photograph. Her brothers and her, mother and father. Yes, what a perfect family. Oh, how the opened eye of the camera would watch apathetically as they fastened together, to perfection.

It all fell apart five weeks afterwards, as they listened her father’s monotonous voice reading the last remnant of their mother – a note declaring how their perfection had compromised her, been too stifling, just as that Summer’s humidity had been. Wasn’t that what it meant to be a family, she had thought, to let give you to others willingly for the happiness of the entire family?

Absentmindedly, the grown woman picked up a bayberry branch and drew circles upon circles on the siliceous shore. Where it touched, the sand darkened and lightened again as the water rose.

The ultimatum of my life, she proposed to herself, a rebellious dive at sea! Amused by her dramatism, she continued to muse. How simple it would be, washed away and never coming back. Her family now was perfect enough. Big house. Big car. Big parties. Big dreams. But happiness? She thought of the riot of colour and flashing cameras that her husband loved. Oh, how they caused her migraines! And his insistence for her to abandon those childhood passions of hers, strolling amidst sunny afternoons amidst the greenery, only embody their “Marmee” and his “Honey”. How ridiculous!

Her hand halted to a stop.

For a fleeting moment, the continuum of her oblivion terminated, the angular momentum her hand gained by drawing those perfect circles on the shore jolted. She inflated with the sudden realisation of what she had written on the sand.

Short, and incomplete without the usual Jennings that followed it. But her name nonetheless.

Yes, those ephemeral imprints of her name will be washed away by the infinite rise and fall of the tide. But she still watched. So that when the present became the past, she would still have a snapshot in her memory to hold on to.

She knew she could not go, just like her name. Into the ocean and never come back. She could not possibly go like her mother, who when she was eleven, left a family without a mother and husband without a wife. She could not possibly go like her mother, who left a daughter crushed by the milliseconds of perfection that succumbs so soon after the click of a camera.

With a long sigh, she turned back and the sea becoming a reverberating picture of her past. Intangible, yet outrageously glorious…

11th March, 2015

The mother, on her phone, manicured fingernails swiping the screen absentmindedly. Across the room, the father looked concerned at both the inattentiveness of his wife and the sounds of clanking metal emanating from the cameramen.

“We’re ready, Mrs Jennings,” said one of them, “Please get into position for the family photo!”

The opened eye of the camera watched as the family fastened itself together, the rosy-cheeked daughter and son, the unison of the family creating the epitome of perfection. They smiled vibrant smiles, posed jovially at the flashing lights.

But immediately after the click of the shutters, they all fell apart, insubstantial as a wish.

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4 Simple Creative Writing Tips You Should Follow to Succeed in HSC English

It is widely understood by students that coming up with ideas for Creative Writing pieces is one of the most difficult parts of the HSC English courses. That’s why we’ve put together some easy tips you can follow to do well in HSC Creative Writing!

For many students, their study load is jam-packed with subjects which focus on critical thinking and essay-style responses, making the creative requirement of Module C unfamiliar territory.

Well, we’re about to fix that. 

Keep reading for our tips on on how to find creative writing ideas for Module C, no matter what level of HSC English you’re doing!

Tip #1: Read Tip #2: Keep a Magic Grab Journal Tip #3: Look Around You Tip #4: Be Flexible Things You Should Avoid with Creative Writing

Tip #1: Read 

Can’t seem to think of any ideas for your creative writing pieces? Desperately searching for a way out of this creative rut? 

Our recommended solution: try opening a book. 

Reading is one of the greatest ways to find inspiration. Observing how authors express ideas, build characters and unpack human experiences can encourage you to experiment with similar approaches. 

It is important that you not only read a lot, but also do so widely. Exploring different genres and forms will expose you to new types of literature .

You can make decisions about what you like or dislike, so come exam time, you have a super diverse range of texts in your memory bank to draw inspiration from!

Tip #2: Keep a Magic Grab Journal 

One of the best decisions I ever made in my senior years of high school was deciding to keep a journal where I could jot down any words, phrases or quotes that I thought would be useful in the creative writing process . These magical English grabs came from just about anywhere — books I was reading, conversations I was having or emotions I was feeling. 

I cannot stress enough how useful this little book was during the HSC. 

Keeping your own version of one of these journals can help elevate your vocabulary and description, encourage more active engagement with the books you’re reading and really just help organise your creative thoughts .

It also means that when it comes to brainstorming ideas, you’re not starting from scratch. Instead, you’ve got a whole book filled with different stimuli to help get those creative juices flowing!

Tip #3: Look Around You 

A really great way to source ideas for creative writing pieces is to draw inspiration from your everyday life. Markers can tell when a student has genuine knowledge of, or real interest in, the topic they’re writing about. Make it easier for yourself and just stick to what you know!

More often than not, it’s also a more practical way to approach a response. In an exam, you should only really spend 45 minutes on Module C. This isn’t a lot of time.

If you write about things you know, you’re less likely to waste it on unnecessary context or excessive description. 

Additionally, I’ve always found that the best creative pieces focus on a small element of the human experience: a single moment in time, a heavy conversation between friends or a neglected piece of furniture.

They use this focus to ground their story and dive into a more intricate exploration of a wider theme or issue . Constantly bringing the story back to this small element can help ensure that your writing remains focussed and purposeful. 

The same approach is applicable to discursive responses . Ground your response in something familiar to help you avoid going off on too many tangents. This will also convey consistency and consideration to the markers, which will get you big ticks in their books. 

Still a bit unsure how to do this? Let’s run through an example.

This is a question from NESA’s HSC English 2019 sample paper. It is asking you to use the quote as a stimulus for a creative writing piece which explores your understanding of a theme presented in one of your prescribed texts throughout the year. 

First off the bat, have a look at what the stimulus is telling you. This quote warns people about the transparency of their thoughts and feelings, particularly how difficult these can be to conceal in speech.  

This message coincides nicely with the theme of alienation in Albert Camus’ ‘The Outsider’ from Module A: Textual Conversations . You can link the notion of guarding one’s most inner thoughts with feelings of alienation. 

Now that we’ve got an understanding of the quote and decided on an issue to explore, we can look at what localised human experience is the most effective way of conveying this theme. 

If we were to produce a piece of imaginative writing, you could ground the story using a tense conversation between a son and his father. Use flashbacks to explain their distant and strained relationship, all while returning back to real time and following the son’s attempts to break down his father’s walls and uncover the thoughts he guards so closely. 

Tip #4: Be Flexible

Half the battle of Module C in HSC English is coming up with strong creative ideas that are flexible enough to be adapted to a variety of unseen stimuli. Spending time doing this now will be a bit of a lifesaver come exam time. 

HSC markers’ are pretty cluey — they can tell when you’ve made a measly effort to jam their stimulus into a pre-written response. 

Don’t waste your time planning a tonne of different ideas if you’ve put no thought into how you would change them to suit the question.

Here is our Band 6 Guide on how to ACE the HSC Creative Writing Module C – click here to read more!

Things You Should Avoid With Creative Writing 

#1: Cliches 

Cliches must be avoided at all costs! They are big red flags to markers 

A common mistake students make is using cliche similes. While this comparative technique is a great way to imbue your writing with extra flair, using unoriginal and overused similes can actually do the opposite.

They can turn a sophisticated response into something that seems rushed and poorly thought through. 

Avoid anything that seems too obvious. For example,  “laughed like a hyena”, or “straight as an arrow”.

You want to surprise your marker with a description that is surprising, yet relevant and emotive. 

Take T.S. Eliot’s “Prufrock”: “Let us go then, you and I,/When the evening is spread out against the sky/Like a patient etherised upon a table”

It is an unexpected way of describing the evening sky and yet it works so well. Be brave and experimental with your writing — try your hand at doing something similar! 

#2: Rushing the ending

Look, we’ve all done it at some point — written a great story, not thought properly about how to end it and so frantically scribbled down the one sentence that every English teacher dreads.

“I woke up and realised it was all a dream”. 

This is what happens when you don’t pace yourself correctly in exams. 

Often, students will spend too much time on the beginning of their creative writing pieces and forget to give themselves enough time to write a relevant and purposeful conclusion. 

Don’t do yourself this disservice and make a plan of attack for the exam. Work out exactly how much time you should spend on each portion of your response. 

Remember, leave yourself a bit of time at the end to do a final read through to pick up any silly mistakes you might have let slip!

#3: Overusing dialogue

Dialogue is one of those tricky things that can either make or break your creative writing response. Too much dialogue can leave your response feeling cluttered, while too little dialogue can make your characters feel underdeveloped.

It is a fine line and one that students only learn to navigate through trial and error. Practise your writing using various amounts of dialogue to see what works best for you. 

The golden rule of writing, show don’t tell, is a useful one to remember here. 

Using too much dialogue? Try conveying your character’s emotions using actions instead of speech. Don’t have them tell us they’re nervous, try describing the sound of their foot as it anxiously taps against hardwood flooring. 

There are so many ways that emotion can be expressed.  Need some help coming up with examples? Just take a look at the people around you!

There you have it — 4 simple tips you can follow to elevate your creative writing during the HSC! Good luck.

For even more advice, check out our guide to writing a Band 6 Creative Writing Story here!

Looking for some more HSC Creative Writing tips?

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Jessica Arentz is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney where she studies a Bachelor of Arts/Advanced Studies (Media and Communications) (Marketing). She currently volunteers at 2SER community radio station as a producer and newsroom reader. When not writing, you can find Jess searching the web for cheap flights or spending her days with her head buried deep in a book.

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How to Prepare for the HSC Creative Writing Exam

Some people have a natural flair for writing and creative ideas – however, if you’re like most students, completing the HSC creative writing exam in the space of 40 minutes can be a difficult and downright daunting task. Even if you believe don’t have a creative bone in your body, with some careful planning and study you too can ace the HSC creative writing exam – here’s how.

Refer to the syllabus

Just like the rest of your subject exams, a huge factor that determines success in the HSC creative writing section is ensuring you know the syllabus. Refer to the marking criteria to establish what is required of you – especially the study focus you must address (such as belonging or discovery) – and focus on this theme throughout your piece. The stimulus provided should also be a central focus and mentioned throughout your essay – not just haphazardly thrown in at the beginning or end. This way, the markers can clearly see that you have a solid understanding of the concept, as opposed to just memorizing a story word for word.

Know your language techniques

One thing you can learn and practice prior to your HSC creative writing exam that will boost your score greatly is language techniques. It’s best to build up an arsenal of 5-10 techniques that you understand well, and that makes your story more interesting to read. Similes, metaphors, and alliteration – you would have learned all of these and more when analyzing your set texts through the year, so put them to good use! A great one to use is sensory imagery, which makes the reader really feel as though they are in the story and puts to use a rule of any good writing – show, don’t tell.

Develop your characters

The way you develop your character, especially the protagonist in your story, can be a make or break factor for your HSC creative writing piece. It’s not enough to describe their physical appearance or overuse clichés like “troubled teenager” – you need to give them unique qualities that make them both memorable, and relatable in some way.

Write about what you know

The easiest way to succeed in HSC creative writing when you lack confidence in your imaginative ideas is to write about what you already know. Stories are the most organic and authentic when described in accurate detail. The best way to achieve this kind of integrity in your text is to write about an event that you have personally experienced – remembering the vivid aspects of what happened, as well as your emotional response to the situation – and convey this to your marker through your words. Alternatively, you can also write about a topic of interest that you have researched and have a good understanding of.  

HSC creative writing focuses on your ability to compose an engaging, grammatically correct and well-structured story that fits in with the area of study and stimulus. Need some help with preparing for the HSC creative writing exam and getting a Band 6?  Contact C3 Education  and speak to one of our professional  HSC tutors  today to see how we can help.

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1. READ READ READ!!!

If you keep receiving feedback that says your work is cliché, generic, lacks substance and misuses literary devices the only remedy is reading . There is a reason the syllabus shoves texts down our throats. It's because by understanding the different ways other writers communicate ideas we ourselves become better communicators. By reading outside of your prescribed text you will be exposed to a new set of writing tools your peers wouldn't know about. You can see the recurring writing features well-renowned authors use and most importantly, you can gain worldly inspiration for your own text. Ideally, you want to be reading short stories, discursive and persuasive because that is what the syllabus demands of you.

Some recommendations are;

• Samsa in Love by Murakami
• The Second Bakery Attack by Murakami
• There will come soft rains by Ray Bradbury
• Hills like white elephants by Ernest Hemingway
• The Lottery by Shirely Jackson

Find an author whose writing style you really like and try mimicking their language and syntax in your own work.

2. FIND YOUR PURPOSE

The marking criteria for HSC Module C creative writing to score a Band 6 requires you to:

…consider purpose and audience to carefully shape meaning.

No matter how good your motifs or metaphors are, unless you have a strong and clear message or purpose permeating your writing you will not be able to access band 6 marks.  When about to write a short story, discursive or whatever, the first thing I want you to think about is:

What is the message you want to communicate in your writing

When coming up with your purpose/idea don’t overcomplicate it. Pick something simple and personal to you. You want to keep your ideas easily adaptable to different stimuli and something relatable to both yourself and the reader. Some examples are;

• The importance of reading
• The need for belonging and human connections
• The irrational and obsessive nature of love

Think of the texts that you have studied in other modules, What are the ideas and messages being put forward there? You will notice that most of them examine fundamental aspects of human nature and enlighten audiences with a new perspective. That is what you should be doing too!

Let’s say you want to write a story about a child in an immigrant family. If that was the limit of your ‘idea’ you won’t be able to reach a band 6. What is the purpose behind it? Why do you want to explore this experience? A more in-depth idea plan would be "I want to write about a child experiencing alienation within an immigrant family to highlight the importance of culture to a sense of identity and belonging."

3. PLAN YOUR STRUCTURE

Once you have your Band 6 purpose picked out, you now have to figure out how you want to communicate your purpose.

This means picking a writing style (imaginative, persuasive, discursive), developing a main character and conflict, and then selecting the point of view that would explore this character and conflict.

Write in a way that shows an understanding of how the text creates meaning.

There is no right or wrong option here. It is all about how well you understand and can justify your writing decisions (this is important for the reflection). When creating your response you want to be aware of all the features present and how it influences the piece and its meaning.

There are two things that I would recommend to ensure you are on the right track though. For plot structure use the plot pyramid. You will notice all great movies and novels follow this sequence. Why? Because it works every time to engage and compel audiences through the story.

The second thing is to develop dynamic characters. Characters that evolve throughout your story. This doesn't have to be physical, or even a big change. It could be as simple as a haircut or even just a small change in mindset. Essentially you want to show your character to have a change in perspective because that will in turn compel your reader to have that same change. This is easily done if you have carefully thought out your character.

• What is their personal story or background?
• What are their values and beliefs?
• What is the internal conflict they struggle with?

4. WRITE WRITE WRITE

• Use a simple setting (and try to stick to only one scene/setting in your short story you won't have time to delve into more).
• Concentrate on developing one dynamic and 3-dimensional protagonist before you try and introduce other characters. (And only introduce them if they are integral to the storyline. NPC's (or surface-level side characters) do not add value and will only disengage your audience.)
• Show don't tell. For example instead of "I heard footsteps creeping behind me which made me more scared" leave room for the reader's imagination and say "I heard a crunch behind me and my heart turned to sand, rising up into my throat." Instead of "we were really close" say "his smell reminded me of my childhood treehouse."
• Play with word order and vary syntax (punctuation is super important). Many people make the mistake of just using complex sentences, which causes their pieces to feel cluttered and clunky to read. Use short sentences as well to structure tension and emotions.
• The secret of good writing is to simplify and strip every sentence to its cleanest component. Only add the adjectives and descriptions that are integral to your plot line. DON'T GET TOO CAUGHT UP IN FLOWERY LANGUAGE.

5. EDIT AND FEEDBACK

It is highly likely your first draft will not be band 6 material, but that's normal. J.K Rowling took hundreds of drafts to get to the Harry Potter we know and love. And it took me a few drafts before getting a satisfied nod from my English teacher. A Band 6 response will take a series of feedback, edits and rewrites. Show it to your teachers, your friends, and your parents and importantly ask them if they understand the message you are trying to put forward because if they don't the markers reading in a time crunch definitely won't. You don't need expert opinion to make your piece better. You are looking to improve your clarity and communication to everyone .

In addition to this I always find annotating your own writing helps balance and improve the sophistication of literary devices. You should also be reading your piece out loud to help identify syntax and grammatical errors that desperately need to be reworded.

Remember your goal is to use the power of words to communicate a profound idea to the world as engagingly and with as much clarity as possible!!

Want more personalised tips to drastically improve your English mark? A private tutor can make the biggest difference!

Written by KIS Academics Tutor for HSC English, Thao Peli Nghiem Xuan. Thao received an ATAR of 99.55 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University Of New South Wales. You can view Thao's profile here and request her as a tutor.

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Discovery: The Ultimate Guide to Creative Writing

Elyse Popplewell

Friday 4th, March 2016

If you’re a first time reader, then you might not be aware of my free online HSC tutoring for English (including HSC creative writing), and other subjects. Check it out! Also – I have a deal for you. If this post is crazy helpful, then you should share it with your friends on Facebook . Deal? Awesome.

HSC Creative Writing: The Guide.

HSC creative writing can be a pain for some and the time to shine for others. Getting started is the most difficult part. When you have something to work with, it is simply a matter of moulding it to perfection. When you have nothing, you have a seemingly difficult road ahead. After several ATAR Notes members expressed that they need help with HSC creative writing, I wrote this to give you some starting points. Then I edited this, and re-wrote it so that it helps you from the beginning stages until the very last days of editing. Fear no more, HSC creative writing doesn’t have to be the foe that it is in your head! Let’s get started.

Surprise: You’re the composer!

Write about what you know

In the years 2010-2015, not once has Paper 1 specified a form that you have to use. Every year in that time frame they have asked for “imaginative writing” except in 2011 when they asked for a “creative piece” of writing. Most commonly, students write in the short story form. However, students can also write speeches, opinion articles, memoirs, monologues, letters, diary entries, or hybrid medium forms. Think about how you can play to your strengths. Are you the more analytical type and less creative? Consider using that strength in the “imaginative writing” by opting to write a feature article or a speech. If you want to ask questions about your form, then please check out my free online HSC tutoring for English and other subjects.

Tense is a very powerful tool that you can use in your writing to increase intensity or create a tone of detachment, amongst other things. Writing entirely in the present tense is not as easy as it seems, it is very easy to fall into past tense. The present tense creates a sense of immediacy, a sense of urgency. If you’re writing with suspense or about action, consider the present tense.

“We stand here together, linking arms. The car screeches to a stop in front of our unified bodies. The frail man alights from the vehicle and stares into my eyes.”

The past tense is the most common in short stories. The past tense can be reflective, recounting, or perhaps just the most natural tense to write in.

“We stood together, linking arms. The car screeched to a stop in front of us. The frail man alighted from his vehicle and stared into my eyes.”

The future tense is difficult to use for short stories. However, you can really manipulate the future tense to work in your favour if you are writing a creative speech. A combination of tenses will most probably create a seamless link between cause and effect in a speech.

“We will stand together with our arms linked. The man may intimidate us all he likes, but together, when we are unified, we are stronger he will ever be.”

It is also important to point out that using a variety of tenses may work best for your creative. If you are flashing back, the easiest way to do that is to establish the tense firmly.

Giving your setting some texture

You ultimately want your creative writing to take your marker to a new place, a new world, and you want them to feel as though they understand it like they would their own kitchen. The most skilled writers can make places like Hogwarts seem like your literary home. At the Year 12 level, we aren’t all at that level. The best option is to take a setting you know and describe it in every sense – taste, smell, feel, sound and sight.

Choose a place special and known to you. Does your grandmother’s kitchen have those old school two-tone brown tiles? Did you grow up in another country, where the air felt different and the smell of tomatoes reminded you of Sundays? Does your bedroom have patterned fabric hanging from the walls and a bleached patch on the floor from when you spilled nail polish remover? Perhaps your scene is a sporting field – describe the grazed knees, the sliced oranges and the mums on the sideline nursing babies. The more unique yet well described the details are, the more tangible your setting is.

Again, it comes back to: write about what you know.

How much time has elapsed?

You want to consider whether your creative piece is focused on a small slot of ordinary time, or is it covering years in span? Are you flashing back between the past and the present? Some of the most wonderful short stories focus on the minutiae that is unique to ordinary life but is perpetually overlooked or underappreciated. By this I mean, discovering that new isn’t always better may be the product of a character cooking their grandmother’s recipe for brownies (imagine the imagery you could use!). Discovering that humans are all one and the same could come from a story based on one single shift at a grocery store, observing customers. Every day occurrences offer very special and overlooked discoveries.

You could create a creative piece that actually spans the entire life span of someone (is this the life span of someone who lived to 13 years old or someone who lived until 90 years old?). Else, you could create a story that compares the same stage of life of three different individuals in three different eras. Consider how much time you want to cover before embarking on your creative journey.

Show, don’t tell:

The best writers don’t give every little detail wrapped up and packaged, ready to go. As a writer, you need to have respect for your reader in that you believe in their ability to read between the lines at points, or their ability to read a description and visualise it appropriately.

“I was 14 at the time. I was young, vulnerable and naïve. At 14 you have such little life experience, so I didn’t know how to react.”

This is boring because the reader is being fed every detail that they could have synthesised from being told the age alone. To add to the point of the age, you could add an adjective that gives connotations to everything that was written in the sentence, such as “tender age of 14.” That’s a discretionary thing, because it’s not necessary. When you don’t have to use extra words: probably don’t. When you give less information, you intrigue the reader. There is a fine line between withholding too much and giving the reader the appropriate rope for them to pull. The best way to work out if you’re sitting comfortably on the line is to send your creative writing to someone, and have them tell you if there was a gap in the information. How many facts can you convey without telling the reader directly? Your markers are smart people, they can do the work on their end, you just have to feed them the essentials.

Here are some examples of the difference between showing and telling.

Telling: The beach was windy and the weather was hot. Showing: Hot sand bit my ankles as I stood on the shore.

Telling: His uniform was bleakly coloured with a grey lapel. He stood at attention, without any trace of a smile. Showing: The discipline of his emotions was reflected in his prim uniform.

Giving your character/persona depth

If your creative writing involves a character – whether that be a protagonist or the persona delivering your imaginative speech – you need to give them qualities beyond the page. It isn’t enough to describe their hair colour and gender. There needs to be something unique about this character that makes them feel real, alive and possibly relatable. Is it the way that they fiddle with loose threads on their cardigan? Is it the way they comb their hair through their fingers when they are stressed? Do they wear an eye patch? Do they have painted nails, but the pinky nail is always painted a different colour? Do they have an upward infliction when they are excited? Do the other characters change their tone when they are in the presence of this one character? Does this character only speak in high/low modality? Are they a pessimist? Do they wear hand-made ugly brooches?

Of course, it is a combination of many qualities that make a character live beyond the ink on the page. Hopefully my suggestions give you an idea of a quirk your character could have. Alternatively, you could have a character that is so intensely normal that they are a complete contrast to their vibrant setting?

Word Count?

Mine was 1300. I am a very fast writer in exam situations. Length does not necessarily mean quality, of course. A peer of mine wrote 900 words and got the same mark as me. For your first draft, I would aim for a minimum of 700 words. Then, when you create a gauge for how much you can write in an exam in legible handwriting, you can expand. For your half yearly, I definitely recommend against writing a 1300 word creative writing unless you are supremely confident that you can do that, at high quality, in 40 minutes (perhaps your half yearly exam isn’t a full Paper 1 – in which case you need to write to the conditions).

There is no correct word count range. You need to decide how many words you need to effectively and creatively express your ideas about discovery.

Relating to a stimulus

Since 2010, Paper 1 has delivered quotes to be used as the first sentence, general quotes to be featured anywhere in the text and visual images to be incorporated. Every year, there has been a twist on the area of study concept (belonging or discovery) in the question. In the belonging stage, BOSTES did not say “Write a creative piece about belonging. Include the stimulus ******.” Instead, they have said to write an imaginative piece about “belonging and not belonging” or to “Compose a piece of imaginative writing which explores the unexpected impact of discovery.” These little twists always come from the rubric, so there isn’t really any excuse to not be prepared for that!

If the stimulus is a quote such as “She was always so beautiful” there is lenience for tense. Using the quote directly, if required to do that, is the best option. However, if this screws up the tense you are writing in, it is okay to say “she is always so beautiful.” (Side note: This would be a really weird stimulus if it ever occurred.) Futhermore, gender can be substituted, although also undesirable. If the quote is specified to be the very first sentence of your work: there is no lenience. It must be the very first sentence.

As for a visual image, the level of incorporation changes. Depending on the image, you could reference the colours, the facial expressions, the swirly pattern or the salient image. Unfortunately, several stimuli from past papers are “awaiting copyright” online and aren’t available. However, there are a few, and when you have an imaginative piece you should try relate them to these stimuli as preparation.

The techniques:

Don’t forget to include some techniques in there. You study texts all year and you know what makes a text stand out. You know how a metaphor works, so use it. Be creative. Use a motif that flows through your story. If you’re writing a speech, use imperatives to call your reader to action. Use beautiful imagery that intrigues a reader. Use amazing alliteration (see what I did there). Avoid clichés like the plague (again…see what I did) unless you are effectively appropriating it. In HSC creative writing, you need to show that you have studied magnificent wordsmiths, and in turn, you can emulate their manipulation of form and language.

Some quirky prompts:

Click here if you want 50 quirky writing prompts – look for the spoiler in the post!

How do I incorporate Discovery?

If you click here you will be taken to an AOS rubric break down I have done with some particular prompts for HSC creative writing.

Part two: Editing and Beyond!

This next part is useful for your HSC creative writing when you have some words on the page waiting for improvement.

Once you’ve got a creative piece – or at least a plot – you can start working on how you will present this work in the most effective manner. You need to be equipped with knowledge and skill to refine your work on a technical level, in order to enhance the discovery that you will be heavily marked on. By synthesising the works of various genius writers and the experiences of HSC writers, I’ve compiled a list of checks and balances, tips and tricks, spells and potions, that will help you create the best piece of HSC creative writing that you can.

Why should you critique your writing and when?

What seems to be a brilliant piece of HSC creative writing when you’re cramming for exams may not continue to be so brilliant when you’re looking at it again after a solid sleep and in the day light. No doubt what you wrote will have merit, perhaps it will be perfect, but the chances lean towards it having room for improvement. You can have teachers look at your writing, peers, family, and even me here at ATAR Notes. Everyone can give their input and often, an outsider’s opinion is preciously valuable. However, at the end of the day this is your writing and essentially an artistic body that you created from nothing. That’s special. It is something to be proud of, and when you find and edit the faults in your own work, you enhance your writing but also gain skills in editing.

Your work should be critiqued periodically from the first draft until the HSC exams. After each hand-in of your work to your teacher you should receive feedback to take on board. You have your entire year 12 course to work on a killer creative writing piece. What is important is that you are willing to shave away the crusty edges of the cake so that you can present it in the most effective and smooth icing you have to offer. If you are sitting on a creative at about 8/15 marks right now (as of the 29/02/2016), you only have to gain one more mark per month in order to sit on a 15/15 creative. This means that you shouldn’t put your creative to bed for weeks without a second thought. This is the kind of work that benefits from small spontaneous bursts of editing, reading and adjusting. Fresh eyes do wonders to writer’s block, I promise. You will also find that adapting your creative writing to different stimuli is also very effective in highlighting strengths and flaws in the work. This is another call for editing! Sometimes you will need to make big changes, entirely re-arranging the plot, removing characters, changing the tense, etc. Sometimes you will need to make smaller changes like finely grooming the grammar and spelling. It is worth it when you have an HSC creative writing piece that works for you, and is effective in various situations that an exam could give you.

The way punctuation affects things:

I’ll just leave this right here…

Consistency of tense:

Are your sentences a little intense?

It is very exhausting for a responder to read complex and compound sentences one after the other, each full of verbose and unnecessary adjectives. It is such a blessed relief when you reach a simple sentence that you just want to sit and mellow in the beauty of its simplicity. Of course, this is a technique that you can use to your advantage. You won’t need the enormous unnecessary sentences though, I promise. “Jesus wept.” This is the shortest verse in the Bible (found John 11:35) and is probably one of the most potent examples of the power of simplicity. The sentence only involves a proper noun and a past-tense verb. It stands alone to be very powerful. It also stands as a formidable force in among other sentences. Sentence variation is extremely important in engaging a reader through flow.

Of course, writing completely in simple sentences is tedious for you and the reader. Variation is the key in HSC creative writing. This is most crucial in your introduction because there is opportunity to lose your marker before you have even shown what you’re made of! Reading your work out loud is one of the most effective ways to realise which sentences aren’t flowing. If you are running out of breath before you finish a sentence – you need to cut back. Have a look here and read this out loud:

The grand opening:

Writer’s Digest suggested in their online article “5 Wrong Ways to Start a Story” that there are in fact, ways to lose your reader and textual credibility before you even warm up. It is fairly disappointing to a reader to be thrown into drastic action, only to be pulled into consciousness and be told that the text’s persona was in a dream. My HSC English teacher cringed at the thought of us starting or resolving our stories with a dream that defeats everything that happened thus far. It is the ending you throw on when you don’t know how to end it, and it is the beginning you use to fake that you are a thrilling action writer. Exactly what you don’t want to do in HSC creative writing.

Hopefully neither of these apply to you – so when Johnny wakes up to realise “it was all just a dream” you better start hitting the backspace.Students often turn to writing about their own experiences. This is great! However, do not open your story with the alarm clock buzzing, even if that is the most familiar daily occurrence. Writer’s Digest agrees. They say, “the only thing worse than a story opening with a ringing alarm clock is when the character reaches over to turn it off and then exclaims, “I’m late.””So, what constitutes a good opening? If you are transporting a reader to a different landscape or time period than what they are probably used to, you want to give them the passport in the very introduction otherwise the plane to the discovery will leave without them. This is your chance to grab the marker and keep them keen for every coming word. Of course, to invite a reader to an unfamiliar place you need to give them some descriptions. This is the trap of death! Describing the location in every way is tedious and boring. You want to respect the reader and their imagination. Give them a rope, they’ll pull.However, if your story is set in a familiar world, you may need to take a different approach. These are some of my favourite first lines from books (some I have read, some I haven’t). I’m sure you can appreciate why each one is so intriguing.

“Call me Ishmael.” -Herman Melville, Moby Dick.

This works because it is simple, stark, demanding. Most of all, it is intriguing.

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” – George Orwell, 1984.

Usually, bright and sunny go together. Here, bright and cold are paired. What is even more unique? The clocks tick beyond 12. What? Why? How? You will find out if you read on! See how that works?

“It was a pleasure to burn.” Ray Bradbury, Farenheit 451.

This is grimacing, simple, intriguing.

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.” -Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle.

Already I’m wondering why the bloody hell is this person in a kitchen sink? How did they get there? Are they squashed? This kind of unique sentence stands out.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, you have a mental dialogue going on inside your head that never stops. It just keeps going and going. Have you ever wondered why it talks in there? How does it decide what to say and when to say it?” – Michael A Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journal Beyond Yourself.

This works because it appeals to the reader and makes them question a truth about themselves that they may have never considered before.

“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four Pivet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Who was questioning that they weren’t perfectly normal? Why are they so defensive and dismissive? I already feel a reaction to the pompous nature of the pair!

Resolving the story well!

There are so many ways to end stories. SO many. What stories have ended in a very efficient way for you? Which stories left you wanting more? Which stories let you down?

Because you are asked to write about discovery in HSC creative writing, you want the ending to be wholesome. This means, you need your marker to know that the ending justifies the discovery. You can’t leave your marker confused about whether or not the discovery had yet occurred because this may jeopardise your marks. If your discovery is an epiphany for the reader, you may want to finish with a stark, stand alone sentence that truly has a resonating effect. If your story is organised in a way that the discovery is transformative of a persona’s opinions, make sure that the ending clearly justifies the transformation that occurred. You could find it most effective to end your story with your main character musing over the happenings of the story.

In the pressure of an exam, it is tempting to cut short on your conclusion to save time. However, you MUST remember that the last taste of your story that your marker has comes from the final words. They simply cannot be compromised!

George Orwell’s wise words:

Looking for a bit of extra help?

We also have a free HSC creative writing marking thread here!

Don’t be shy, post your questions. If you have a question on HSC creative writing or anything else, it is guaranteed that so many other students do too. So when you post it on here, not only does another student benefit from the reply, but they also feel comforted that they weren’t the only one with the question!

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• ATAR Stories

Guide to Writing a Band 6 Creative Writing Piece

• 6 years ago
• Read Time: 2 minutes
• by Amelia Maccallum
• Leave a comment

How to get Band 6 Creative Writing Discovery? Whether you are taking Standard or Advanced HSC English it’s inevitable… you are going to have to write a creative writing piece, and a good one, if you want to get a top band mark.

Band 6 Creative Writing Tip 1

Instead of getting back into bed, curling up in the foetal position, and binge watching your guilty pleasure Netflix series, why not work on your creative writing skills now? With a little bit of effort, you can seriously improve your writing and ace the Paper 1 exam .

Band 6 Creative Writing Tip 2

The ‘imaginative writing’ section of Paper 1 is stimulus based. Students are given a written or visual stimulus and are asked to write a piece that ties in with the Area of Study – Discovery. A broad, yet equally risky category that lends itself to some cringe inducing clichés.

If you take only one thing away from this article let it be this: when you first see the stimulus think… what is everyone else going to write about?

Then, DO NOT write about that!

I repeat… even if it feels safe, DO NOT write about that!

Band 6 Creative Writing Tip 3

Every stimulus, whether it is written or visual, can be spun in some way. The whole point of ‘Discovery’ is to uncover unknown things. So there is no reason for an HSC marker to read the same story over and over in different hand writing.

Back at school I competed in a public speaking competition. The impromptu speech topic was simply “fire”. About ten students (myself included) rattled on about the danger and destruction of fire. However, it was the kid that told a hilarious anecdote that initially seemed to have nothing to do with fire, until the punch line “I was on fire”, that won. Most of us had interpreted ‘fire’ as the element, but he interpreted it as the idiom and captivated the audience.

This should be every HSC English students’ objective when writing creatively.

Band 6 Creative Writing Tip 4

The spin on the stimulus could be symbolic. Google search practice creative writing stimuli. Rather than writing a full blown story for just a few, expose yourself to many different types of stimuli and spend just one-minute brainstorming what your plan would be if it were the exam stimulus and how it could be interpreted differently.

Say you were given an image of an apple rolling off a table.

Instead of wasting valuable time writing and hand muscle strength using every word in the thesaurus to describe what the apple looks and tastes like, consider what it could symbolise.

The rejection of healthy foods leading to childhood obesity?

Sin and temptation?

Band 6 Creative Writing Tip 5

Whilst Discovery should still be at the forefront of every creative writing piece, these interpretations would inspire a much more engaging and unique story.

With these tips even the most unenthusiastic student can develop their creative writing skills and set themselves apart from the thousands of other students sitting Paper 1. Do your HSC marker, and in turn, yourself, a favour by allowing them to discover something novel!

Author: Amelia Maccallum

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Tips and Tricks for HSC Creative Writing

Everyone wants to do well in creative writing, but oftentimes we do not know where to begin.

The typical advice we’re given to improve our imaginative pieces include: “just read more!” or “just write more”. Although these are ways by which we can really enhance our creative skills, I have decided to compile a series of tips and tricks that have allowed me to construct full-scoring imaginative pieces in the hopes of providing students a deeper insight into the key characteristics of successful stories.

I too was afraid and intimidated by creative writing assessments as I wouldn’t consider myself a particularly strong imaginative writer, but through practice, I have been able to develop a relatively robust narratological framework and approach to this mode of writing that has worked consistently well for students.

Once you realise that creative writing, like any other form of non-fictional writing like discursive, persuasive, or formal essays, is defined by a very clear set of features, this makes our job much easier to accomplish.

1.     Subtlety in your storytelling is important

You should always treat your reader as if they know exactly what is going on in the story. Don’t underestimate your reader’s abilities to abstract meaning from your story or their capacity to extract the underlying purpose of the work and the reasons why it is constructed the way it is. Oftentimes, students are afraid that their stories are too abstract and that as a result, their reader will not be able to understand what is going on the work.

However, for the most part, I see that students tend to be too explicit or ‘overt’ in their storytelling to the extent that their work ends up suffering from a lack of nuance. For instance, don’t use similes if you are going to state in plain terms the deeper meaning behind it e.g., “With each step forward he made, he felt as though time was passing by quicker and quicker.” In this instance, there isn’t anything terribly wrong with how it has been written, but it does lack skilful construction in the sense that it doesn’t have any sense of ambiguity in terms of what the idea behind the sentence is.

We always want to give readers enough space to interpret the work and extrapolate meaning from it based on what they personally think the story is about. This means that rather than having each sentence in your work be an explicit link back to your idea, you should be considering how all elements of your work are working together in a cohesive way to represent your overarching idea, thus allowing room for more subtlety and ambiguity in the particular sentences and phrases you use to construct your piece.

A much better example, if you were trying to represent the idea of passing time, would be something along the lines of: “He imagined what it feel like to no longer worry about the past or future, what it feel like to live in a world where there was nothing but ‘forever’ and ‘now’, to stop chasing things that had either already passed or had not yet existed.”

In this second example, despite it being slightly more ambiguous than the first in terms of its meaning, it feels much more effective primarily because it has subtlety (something a lot of skilled writers can do because the meaning of the sentence will be derived from how it interacts with other important elements of the work itself like the plot, characters, setting etc.).

2.     Always consider the elements of narrative and how you will utilise each of them to represent your idea

Although this seems like a rather straightforward tip, students tend to forget the basic building blocks of creative writing. We need to appreciate that success in creative writing fundamentally springs off one’s understanding of narratology i.e., how we use each element of storytelling to represent the overarching ideas of our work.

Considering this, we need to think about what characters we are going to create and how each of them will embody some part of our larger idea or concern, our plot, and the progression of the story itself (i.e., what happens within the story and how this represents the idea at the core of our creative piece), as well as the setting (i.e., how will we create a setting or landscape that helps in the representation of our purpose).

In addition to this, we need to think about the specific language devices and literary techniques that will assist the portrayal of our concepts (e.g., metaphor, simile, extended metaphor, symbolism, motif, allusions, paradox, contrast, self-reflexivity, syntax, diction, lexical chains etc.).

3.     Keep things simple

My final tip would have to be the most neglected pieces of advice in English – which is to ‘keep it simple’. Whilst writing their imaginative pieces, students often get carried away by the complexity of their language, driven by the belief that the more ‘impressive’ their language is, the more marks they will gather from their teacher.

Take it from me – this is not the case. Based on experience, and the many stories I have read from students over the past five years, a consistent trend I have noticed is that full mark creative pieces aren’t necessarily those which have the most complex language. Rather, ‘good’ stories are typically fashioned with relatively ‘simple’ words, with the differentiating factor contributing to their success being the uniqueness in how they actually combine these words together.

Put simply, the words in isolation aren’t that impressive, but the coordination of these words and the way they are joined together to represent ideas is what is distinct (whether that be in how certain words are incorporated into metaphors or in figurative expressions, used as motifs, or even objects being used as symbols). An example of this is given below:

Verbose language but ineffective articulation: “We are miniscule entities, both confounded and spellbound by the nature of existence, yet continuously seeking to decrypt the answer to life.”

Notice how this sentence feels as though the student has simply looked up a synonym for each word. The sentence feels very unnatural and quite clunky since each word is so long. Whilst the vocabulary, in isolation, is great (and there is nothing wrong with having a very diverse and far-reaching vernacular), we want to avoid this in our creative pieces.

This is because imaginative writing is not a competition in who can implement the most difficult words into their stories but is rather a game of how we can represent an idea in the most effective and unique ways.

A more effective sentence might look something like this: “We’re just humans, I thought. Tiny creatures roaming around on a spinning ball, confused and perplexed, but always hopeful that there is something better out there to reach out our arms for.” Notice how the language here is much more simplistic yet captures the underlying idea of the previous sentence in a much more unique and interesting way.

Overall, creative writing can be a tricky form to navigate. Since we cannot escape this form of writing in both junior and senior high school, as well as the HSC, it is vital we have a firm understanding of the dos and don’ts. That way, we will be able to better articulate our stories and craft narratives that are effective and powerful.  

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Year 12 HSC Module C : The Craft of Writing Practice Questions

Looking for some HSC Module C questions to help you prepare? We have got you covered with 8 brand new questions!

TutorTime would like to help you prepare for the HSC English Advanced Module C The Craft of Writing (paper 2). 

A great place to start is to understand the rubric – you can find it here straight from NESA:

“In this module, students strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and confidence as accomplished writers. Students write for a range of audiences and purposes using language to convey ideas and emotions with power and precision. 

Students appreciate, examine and analyse at least two short prescribed texts as well as texts from their own wide reading, as models and stimulus for the development of their own complex ideas and written expression. They evaluate how writers use language creatively and imaginatively for a range of purposes: to express insights, evoke emotion, describe the wonder of the natural world, shape a perspective or to share an aesthetic vision. 

Through the study of enduring, quality texts of the past as well as recognised contemporary works, students appreciate, analyse and evaluate the versatility, power and aesthetics of language. Through considered appraisal and imaginative engagement with texts, students reflect on the complex and recursive processes of writing to further develop their self-expression and apply their knowledge of textual forms and features in their own sustained and cohesive compositions. During the pre-writing stage, students generate and explore various concepts through discussion and speculation. 

Throughout the stages of drafting and revising, students experiment with various figurative, rhetorical and linguistic devices, for example allusion, imagery, narrative voice, characterisation and tone. Students consider purpose, audience and context to deliberately shape meaning. During the editing stages students apply the conventions of syntax, spelling, punctuation and grammar appropriately and effectively for publication. 

Students have opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to reflect, refine and strengthen their own skills in producing highly crafted imaginative, discursive, persuasive and informative texts. Note: Students may revisit prescribed texts from other modules to enhance their experiences of quality writing.”

Read more about the NESA English syllabus here:

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/f2ef71a2-ea7c-4b96-92f6-398fe141925c/english-stage-6-prescriptions-2019-2023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

Here are some general essay tips:

• Time your essays. You should allow 40 minutes to write the essay and don’t forget to add in the rubric words.
• Hand write your essay, get writing fit, you won’t be able to type your essay in the HSC!
• Don’t forget to answer the question in your introduction.
• Write in clear paragraphs with obvious spacing. 
• Edit your work. 

English Advanced Module C Practice Questions

(1) ‘We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than reality”, Seneca.

(a) Use this meditation as a stimulus for a piece of discursive writing that expresses your perspective about a significant concern or idea that you have engaged with in ONE of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (15 marks)

(b) Write a reflective statement that explains how your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C has influenced your writing style. (5 marks) 

(2) “THE PLAY—for which Briony had designed the posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crêpe paper—was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a breakfast and a lunch”, Ian McEwan, Atonement . 

(a) Use this extract to inspire a piece of imaginative writing that includes ONE of your characters of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (15 marks) 

(b) Reflect upon the importance of dialogue in your imaginative piece. Has the style of your prescribed texts character’s dialogue impacted your piece? Why or why not? (5 marks) 

(3) ‘Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well’.

(a) Use the above stimulus to inspire a piece of persuasive writing that argues either for or against the power of words. In your response, integrate the themes and styles from at least ONE of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (15 marks)

(b) Write a reflective statement that describes the manner in which your prescribed text influenced your persuasive piece. (5 marks) 

(4) ‘Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank. Having nothing to do, she had once or twice peeped into the book her sister was reading; but it had no pictures or conversations in it – ‘and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversation?’. 

(a) Use this extract to create a piece of imaginative, persuasive or discursive piece of writing that draws from a key theme from one of your prescribed Module C texts. (10 marks)

(b) How have you have used language to capture the reader’s attention? Does this compare or contrast to the techniques used in the Module C text? NB: the same text referred to in part (a). (10 marks)

(5) “Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.” Robert Frost, Fire and Ice. 

(a) Use the above poem to inspire a piece of imaginative writing that incorporates the powerful literary techniques of foreshadowing and pathetic fallacy. (10 marks)

(b) Compare how you have used language in part (a) to evoke emotion with the way writing has been crafted in at least ONE prescribed text from Module C. (10 marks)

(6) ‘ Falling leaves; falling pages’.

(a) Use the above image as stimulus to create a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing that explores the power of literature. (10 marks)

(b) Compare how your use of style compares to the writing techniques used in one of your prescribed texts from Module C. (10 marks) 

(7) ‘ To Gaze in Awe’.

(a) Use the above image to inspire a piece of imaginative writing that includes a personal transformation of a character. Incorporate a key theme from ONE of your prescribed texts from Module C. (15 marks). 

(b) How has the writing style of the Module C text, referred to in part (a), influenced your own? Explore character, dialogue, style and literary techniques in your answer. (5 marks).

(8) “Half a century ago, something strange and horrible had happened there, something that the older inhabitants of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were scarce. The story had been picked over so many times, and had been embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the truth was anymore.”

(a) Use the above stimulus to create an imaginative, discursive or persuasive piece of writing that explores the subjectivity of truth. Mimic the writing style of ONE prescribed text from Module C. (10 marks) 

(b) How have you used language to emulate the evoking of emotion achieved in the Module C text you use in part (a)? (10 marks)

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Call us today on 1300 788 867 to find out more.

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Creative Writing

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Creative writing is a form of artistic expression that goes beyond the bounds of traditional literature. It encompasses various genres and styles, including scriptwriting , narrative writing , and article writing , allowing writers to explore and convey their imaginations vividly. This form of writing also includes creating a creative bio , where writers introduce themselves in unique and engaging ways. Creative writing not only hones one’s ability to tell compelling stories but also enhances critical thinking and emotional expression.

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is the art of crafting original content through imaginative expression, including genres like scriptwriting, narrative writing, and article writing. It involves the creation of engaging and innovative texts that showcase a writer’s creativity and unique voice.

Examples of Creative Writing

• Short Stories : Brief fictional narratives often focused on a single theme or event.
• Novels : Extended fictional works exploring complex characters and plots.
• Poetry : Artistic expression through verse and rhythmic language.
• Scriptwriting : Writing scripts for films, television shows, or plays.
• Memoirs : Personal accounts of significant life experiences.
• Autobiographies : Comprehensive self-written life stories.
• Essays : Explorative pieces on a particular subject, showcasing personal viewpoints.
• Flash Fiction : Very short stories, often under 1,000 words.
• Narrative Writing : Storytelling that includes a plot, characters, and a setting.
• Creative Nonfiction : True stories told using literary techniques.
• Letters : Personalized and imaginative written correspondence.
• Diary Entries : Personal reflections and daily experiences.
• Blog Posts : Online articles written in an engaging and personal style.
• Fables : Short stories with moral lessons, often featuring animals as characters.
• Fairy Tales : Stories involving magical events and fantastical characters.
• Fantasy : Fiction set in imaginary universes, often involving magic.
• Science Fiction : Speculative fiction often dealing with futuristic concepts.
• Song Lyrics : Written words designed to be sung, expressing emotions and stories.
• Speeches : Written for public speaking, aiming to inspire or inform.
• Creative Bio : Engaging and unique personal introductions for authors or professionals.

Creative Writing Examples for Students

1. a day in the life of a superhero.

Title: The Amazing Adventures of Lightning Girl

Lightning Girl woke up to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing. She stretched her arms and smiled, ready to save the world. She put on her blue and yellow suit, laced up her boots, and flew out the window. Her first mission was to stop a runaway train. With a flash of lightning, she zoomed to the scene, using her super speed to bring the train to a safe stop. The passengers cheered, and Lightning Girl felt proud.

2. A Magical Journey

Title: The Enchanted Forest

One sunny morning, Mia discovered a hidden path in her backyard. Curious, she followed it and found herself in an enchanted forest. The trees sparkled with magic, and the animals could talk. A friendly fox named Felix greeted her. He guided Mia to the Fairy Queen, who needed help finding a lost treasure. Together, they ventured through the forest, solving riddles and overcoming obstacles. Mia used her bravery and kindness to succeed. When she found the treasure, the Fairy Queen granted her a wish.

Creative Writing Examples for High School

1. a dystopian world.

Title: The Last City

In the year 2150, the world had changed. Natural disasters and wars had destroyed most of the Earth, leaving only one city standing – Arka. The city was enclosed by a massive dome to protect its inhabitants from the harsh conditions outside. Within Arka, life was strictly controlled by the government. Citizens were assigned jobs, and freedom was limited. Sarah, a young woman, dreamed of seeing the world beyond the dome.

2. A Time Travel Adventure

Title: The Time Traveler’s Dilemma

James was an ordinary high school student until he found a mysterious pocket watch in his grandfather’s attic. The watch had the power to transport him through time. One evening, James accidentally activated the watch and found himself in the year 1920. He witnessed life during the Roaring Twenties, experiencing the excitement and challenges of the era. However, he also discovered that his actions in the past could have serious consequences for the future. James had to navigate the complexities of time travel, learning valuable lessons about history, responsibility, and the impact of his choices.

Creative Writing Examples Short Stories

1. the mysterious key.

Title: The Mysterious Key

Lucy loved exploring old antique shops. One day, she found an ornate key with intricate designs. The shopkeeper said it was part of a set, but he didn’t know what it opened. Intrigued, Lucy bought the key and began searching for its lock. She asked around town and discovered an old mansion on the outskirts that had been abandoned for years.

2. The Lost Puppy

Title: The Lost Puppy

Sam was walking home from school when he heard a whimpering sound. He followed it and found a small, frightened puppy hiding under a bush. The puppy had no collar, and no one in the neighborhood recognized it. Sam decided to take the puppy home and named it Max. He put up posters and asked around, but no one claimed the puppy. Over the weeks, Sam and Max became inseparable. Just when Sam thought he’d have to give Max up, a neighbor recognized the puppy from the posters.

Creative Writing Examples for Kids

1. a talking cat.

Title: The Talking Cat

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Lily who loved animals. One day, while walking in the park, she found a stray cat with bright green eyes. She took the cat home and named it Whiskers. To her surprise, Whiskers started talking! He told Lily that he was a magical cat who could talk to only kind-hearted children.

2. The Magical Treehouse

Title: The Magical Treehouse

Max and Mia were siblings who loved to play in their backyard. One day, they discovered an old treehouse they had never seen before. They climbed up and found a dusty book inside. When they opened the book, the treehouse began to shake and glow. Suddenly, they were transported to a magical land filled with talking animals, friendly giants, and enchanted forests.

Creative Writing Examples for College

1. the existential café.

Title: The Existential Café

In a bustling city, there was a small café known only to a few. The café, called “The Existential,” attracted people searching for deeper meaning in life. One evening, Emma, a philosophy major, entered the café seeking solace from her overwhelming coursework. She met an older man named Henry, a former professor who frequented the café. They struck up a conversation about life, purpose, and the nature of existence. Their discussions became a weekly ritual, challenging Emma’s views and helping her grow intellectually and emotionally.

2. The Forgotten Manuscript

Title: The Forgotten Manuscript

Alex, an aspiring writer, stumbled upon an old, dusty manuscript in the basement of his university library. The manuscript was written by a little-known author from the 1920s and contained a gripping mystery novel that was never published. Fascinated, Alex decided to finish the story and publish it as a tribute to the original author. As he worked on the manuscript, he uncovered secrets about the author’s life, including a love affair and a mysterious disappearance.

Types of Creative Writing

Fiction : Fiction writing involves creating stories that are not real. This genre includes novels, short stories, and novellas. Fiction often explores themes, characters, and plots that captivate readers’ imaginations.

Poetry : Poetry is a form of writing that uses rhythmic and aesthetic qualities of language to evoke meanings. It often employs meter, rhyme, and other linguistic devices to convey emotions and ideas.

Creative Nonfiction : Creative nonfiction tells true stories using the techniques of fiction. This genre includes memoirs, autobiographies, personal essays, and narrative journalism. It blends factual accuracy with narrative flair.

Playwriting : Playwriting involves writing scripts for theatrical performances. It includes dialogue, stage directions, and character descriptions. Playwrights create works for the stage that are performed by actors.

Screenwriting : Screenwriting is the craft of writing scripts for movies and television. It includes the dialogue, actions, and expressions of characters, as well as directions for camera movements and settings.

Flash Fiction : Flash fiction is a very short form of storytelling, usually under 1,000 words. It focuses on brevity and clarity, often delivering a powerful impact in a concise format.

Expository Writing : Expository writing explains or informs. While not traditionally seen as creative, expository writing can be highly creative when presenting information in engaging ways.

Journaling : Journaling involves writing personal reflections, thoughts, and experiences. It can be a way to explore creativity and self-expression in an informal manner.

Letters : Letter writing, though less common today, is a form of creative expression that can be both personal and profound. It includes personal letters, open letters, and epistolary novels (novels written as a series of letters).

Songwriting : Songwriting combines lyrical writing with music. Lyrics can be poetic, narrative, or abstract, and they work in harmony with musical composition to create songs.

Tips for Creative writing

• Read Widely and Often
• Write Regularly
• Keep a Journa
• Show, Don’t Tell
• Create Strong Characters
• Use Dialogue Effectively
• Embrace the Editing Process

How can I improve my creative writing skills?

Read widely, write regularly, and seek feedback. Practice different genres, including Memo Writing and Report Writing, to enhance your versatility.

Can creative writing help in Memo Writing?

Yes, creative writing enhances narrative skills, making Memo Writing more engaging and effective through improved storytelling techniques.

How does creative writing differ from Report Writing?

Creative writing focuses on imaginative storytelling, while Report Writing presents factual information. Both require clear, compelling language.

Why is ‘show, don’t tell’ important in creative writing?

‘Show, don’t tell’ creates vivid imagery and emotions, drawing readers into the story and enhancing engagement.

Can creative writing improve Report Writing?

Yes, creative writing hones clarity and expression, making Report Writing more compelling and readable.

What role does dialogue play in creative writing?

Dialogue reveals character traits, advances the plot, and creates realistic interactions, adding depth to your writing.

What inspires creative writing?

Inspiration can come from personal experiences, observations, other literary works, and even Memo Writing or Report Writing.

How important is editing in creative writing?

Editing is crucial. It refines your work, improves clarity, and ensures your story resonates with readers.

What is the best way to start a creative writing piece?

Start with a compelling opening that grabs attention, such as an intriguing question, vivid description, or dramatic event.

Why join a writing community?

Writing communities offer support, feedback, and inspiration, helping you grow as a writer in both creative and professional contexts like Memo Writing and Report Writing.

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