CREATIVE WRITING -FICTION

FICTION woman falling in love with each other PPand struggling to

Types of Fiction maintain that love.
1. Short story is a brief artistic form of prose fiction which 4. Science fiction- Although related to fantasy, this genre
centers on a single main incident and intends to produce a contains stories which are at least grounded on science-based
single dominant impression. This literary work does not exceed fact or theory at the moment the story was written. It deals with
20,000 words. It is small yet complete and self-contained. imaginative concepts like futuristic science and technology,
Types of Short Stories space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel
a. Fable . It is a short literary genre which is portrayed by universes and extraterrestrial life.
animals, mythical creatures, plants, objects or forces that tells 5. Inspirational- This literary genre is mainly written for the
a moral lesson. Example : Aesop's Fable is a collection of all- purpose of inspiring its readers through the use of anecdotes.
time favorite fables. More often than not, it features a significant change in the life
b. Drabble . It is a short work fiction not more than 100 words of a major character in the story which may inspire the readers
which has the complete elements of fiction. It is a concise story to think that what happened to this character can possibly
testing an author/writer's ability to convey fascinating and happen in their own lives, too.
significant ideas in a limited manner. Example: A Case of 6. Horror- As the name implies, horror fiction aims to produce
Mondays by Effy Roan fear, fascination and revulsion on the part of the readers. When
c. Feghoot It is an interesting short story known as story pun or writing in this genre, one usually begins with something that is
poetic story joke. This piece ends with a pun, humorous usage normal and common.
of words that suggests more. Example: The Buck of the Draw B. Literary Fiction
ends with a pun, " To be successful, you need to put your hart In contrast to genre fiction, this category of fiction is
and sole into it." written to discover any aspect of the human condition. Often, it
d. Vignette. It is a descriptive single scene that depicts the involves written works such as commentary, political criticism
defining features of a character, idea, or other element of the or even a reflection about the human condition. The following
story. Example: Maera lay still, his head on his arms, his face are the most common characteristics of literary fiction:
in the sand. He felt warm and sticky from the bleeding. Each  Concerned with social commentary, political criticism
time he felt the horn coming. Sometimes the bull only bumped or reflection on the human condition
him with his head. Once the horn went all the way through him  Focuses on in-depth character studies of the
and he felt it go into the sand … Maera felt everything getting characters whose “inner stories” are supposed to
larger and larger and then smaller and smaller. - Ernest involve its readers, emotionally
Hemingway  Concerned with the writing’s style and complexity; is
e. Parable . This short story teaches a moral or spiritual lesson. elegantly written, lyrical and layered according to
Main characters of this type are humans. ` Example: Prodigal Saricks
Son - (Luke 15: 11-32) and Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-29)  The plot is not its central concern.
were told by Jesus Christ.  Its tone is darker than genre fiction.
f. Fairy Tales This type of story delves readers to the fantastic C. Realistic Fiction
and magical setting of varied characters from princes, Ironic as it may sound, realistic fiction is a category of
princesses, elves, witches and more. Examples: Snow White, imaginative writings which contains stories that could have
Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin happened to people or animals in a place and time which is
2. A novelette length is less than 75,000 words. Though it lacks realistic or believable. In this genre, both the stories and the
the page count of a full-length novel, novelettes basically tell a characters resemble that of something which is real. Moreover,
complete story. Novelettes tend to have a greater focus on the main focus of its plot is on social or personal occurrences
character development, worldbuilding, and plotting than short or issues which show common life events, including falling in
stories. love, marriage, finding a job, divorce, alcoholism, among
3. A novel being an extensive prose narrative which reaches others. The following are the main characteristics of a realistic
100,000 words and counts hundreds of pages. Due to its fiction:
length, it can develop more characters, more complicated  Its stories happen either in the present or recent past.
plots, more elaborate settings, and more themes. Naming a
 Characters are involved in probable events
few novels, Les Miserables (Vitor Hugo), J.K. Rowling's Harry
 Characters’ dwelling place is realistic
Potter series and Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
The learners will be divided into three groups to discuss the  The characters play as real people with real solutions
following topic: to realistic issues.
VARIOUS MODES OF FICTION  Events could leave questions that the reader is
A. Genre Fiction possible to encounter in his life.
Also referred to as the popular fiction, genre fiction is Elements of Fiction
written to appeal to the readers and fans, who are already 1. Character
familiar with a certain genre, by producing a written work which It refers to a figure in a literary work which can either
is fitted to that particular genre. . be a person or other form of being. It can entirely be an image
1. Crime fiction- This genre is also known as detective story, created out of an author’s imagination or a real-life person
murder mystery, mystery novel and police novel. where a clear distinction of a “fictional” versus “real” character
2. Fantasy- Real world myth and folklore is often the source of should be made.
inspiration of this genre. In the world of fantasy, magic and Below are the different types of characters:
magical creatures or scientifically impossible elements are  Round characters – refer to complex figures whose
common. characteristics are varied and usually undergo
3. Romance- The primary focus of this genre is the relationship development in the story which usually produces
and romantic love between two people. Its main goal is to feed surprise to the readers
its readers with emotional satisfaction, as well as optimistic and  Flat characters – refer to the uncomplicated figures
happy ending by creating a plot which focuses on a man and a in a fiction which are often two-dimensional
  Dynamic characters – these are characters in the reason, it is but necessary that a fiction writer is able to deliver
story which are deemed to change as the story goes a kind of story which appeals to the senses of its readers in
on order to attain its end goal – to entertain. In this regard, the
 Static characters – are the opposite of dynamic writer’s good taste and choice of techniques and literary
characters in that they remain the same from the devices in fiction is very important not only for an entertaining
start to the end of the story story, but for a more interesting, meaningful and authentic
 Regular characters – used to refer to those figures in work.
the story that appear in almost all of the episodes The following are among the most common
 Recurring characters – also referred to as supporting techniques and literary devices that most fiction writers include
characters, have frequent appearance in the series in their write-ups:
of a story 1. Allegory- This literary device makes use of a character,
 Guest characters – also known as minor characters; place or event which is meant to deliver a broader message,
act only in a few episodes or scenes in a certain usually a moral or political one, concerning issues and events
story which are happening in the real world. For instance, “Pilgrim’s
2. Plot Progress is an allegory of one’s spiritual journey”.
This element of fiction, also known as the storyline, 2. Symbol- To make fiction more interesting, the author can
refers to the major events that move the action in a narrative. play around with words, objects, actions or characters in the
Elements of the Plot story to infer something aside from its dictionary or literal
Exposition- It introduces the characters of the story and meaning. Among the common examples of symbols are “dove”
shows to the audience how they are related with one another, which means “peace”, “heart” for love, a weighing scale for
as well as their goals, motivations and moral character. justice, to name a few.
Rising action- This stage begins with a conflict which moves 3. Irony- There are three types of irony that a writer can make
the main character or the protagonist to take action. use of:
Climax - This is now the turning point of the story where the  Verbal irony. It is used when what one says is totally
protagonist makes a certain decision which will either cause different from what he actually meant. This type is similar
him to win or lose in the battle he is in. to sarcasm.
Falling action- This element comprises events which lead to  Situational irony. This happens when the actual outcome
the ending of the story in which the character’s actions got the of an action is different from your expected outcome.
problem fixed.  Dramatic irony. Basically, it happens when the audience,
Denouement- This phase is where the conflict has officially not the character himself, knows more regarding the
ended. The problem has been solved by both the protagonist character’s situation.
and the antagonist. 4. Imagery- In this literary device, the writer connects with the
3. Point of View readers by appealing to their senses, including sense of sight,
It refers to the point from which a narrative is told. A smell, taste, touch, and hearing, with the intention to create
story can be told in either first-person point of view, in which “word pictures”. For example, “The boy walked along the
the author is also the character in the story which refers to muddy, wet, gravel road, as the red maples and crimson birch
himself or herself as “I”, or third-person point of view which has blew in the cold autumn wind”.
two types: the omniscient, where the author becomes an all- 5. Figurative Language
knowing narrator who is able to recall actions thoroughly and Still another way to make a story more meaningful and
enter into any character’s mind in the work or whatever period interesting is to make use of figurative language. In literature, it
to uncover to the readers his or her thoughts, feelings and is a language used to compare two different things in various
beliefs, and the limited in which the author relies on a single ways. The most commonly used figures of speech are the
character’s views in order to recount the story. following:
4. Setting  Simile. The writer makes a direct comparison
This element in fiction refers to the time and between two totally different things by using the words
geographic location involved in a particular story. Generally, it “like” or “as”
sets the mood for a story. The setting itself has its own Example:
elements that a writer must consider, too, including culture, Your lips are as red as roses.
historical period, geography and hour. His voice is as loud as thunder.
5. Style  Metaphor. Similar to simile, this figure of speech
While all the other elements mentioned above are of makes a comparison between two unlike things, but
great importance in writing fiction, an author should also be without the use of “like” or “as”.
fully aware about style in order to create a literary work which Example:
catches the attention and interest of the readers or the Life is hell without you.
audience. Style refers to the choice of words (diction), You are music to my soul.
arrangement of words (syntax) and other linguistic features of  Personification. This figure of speech allows the writer
a work that the author uses. With appropriate style, an author to assign animals, objects, or ideas with human
can make a literary work of fiction appear seemingly true and qualities, attributes or abilities.
real to the readers. Example:
6. Theme(s) “The angry wind knocked over the chair and
This element of fiction is considered as the central slammed the shutters.”
and dominating idea in a literary work. Basically, it refers to the The leaves dance as the wind blows.
general message of the story to its readers or the moral that is  Hyperbole. In this figure of speech, the writer
attached in a certain literary work. practices exaggeration or overstatement for the
Techniques and Literary Devices in Fiction purpose of emphasis.
Literary works, including fiction, serve a lot of purposes for Example:
many people; one of which is for entertainment. For this It took forever for the bus to arrive.
She cried a river when he left her.