Writing at Wofford

Just when you think you’ve got this college writing thing down, your professor throws you a curveball in the form of a creative writing assignment. Everything you’ve written in the past had a thesis and a conclusion. A poem seems so different from an analytical essay. What do you do? How do you bridge the gap from academic writing to creative writing? 

One of the best things about writing is that knowledge of one form can almost always help you in another. The toolbox you’ve developed for academic writing will help you navigate creative writing. 

Argument 

A foundational feature of academic writing is a central argument. Though this argument can take various forms throughout different genres, it is most often expressed in a thesis statement. The rest of the paper then serves to validate this thesis with claims and evidence. 

Though it probably won’t look like a thesis, a work of creative writing will often also have a central argument. It might be easier to think of it in terms of a central idea. What are you trying to express with this work? What thought or feeling are to trying to evoke in your reader? 

Just like in an academic paper, your creative piece will then work towards expressing this central idea. 

Structure 

Just like most academic forms, creative pieces have a beginning, middle, and end, but there is no set expectation for what this looks like. This is often what intimidates people about creative writing: How do you start a short story when every short story beginning is different? 

But the structure of every academic paper also varies. For example, if you’re writing about a historical period, you’d spend more time providing historical context in your introduction than you would if you were writing a lab report (which probably wouldn’t include any historical context at all!). The content and purpose of your creative piece will also dictate its structure. Here are some questions you can ask to get started: 

• What information does the reader need to know at the beginning of the piece? How can this information be most efficiently and naturally conveyed? 

• What do you see as being the climax or point of highest energy in your piece? Why is this the case? How does it contribute to your central idea? 

• What change takes place throughout your piece (it could be an emotional, philosophical, or literal change)? Are there any formal decisions you could make to highlight this? 

• What information needs to be revealed or highlighted at the end of the piece to complete your exploration of your central idea? What would satisfy your reader? What impression do you want to leave them with? 
  

Process 

Writing is always a process of discovery, no matter what genre you’re working in. Some writers become overwhelmed by a creative project because they aren’t sure yet what they want the work to “say.” Just like when you’re drafting a paper, it’s completely okay to start writing before all of your questions are answered. The act of writing itself is often what prompts discovery. After drafting an essay, have you ever realized that you needed to go back and change your thesis? Creative writing is no different. The ideas and feelings of your piece will evolve throughout the process. 

You’ve also learned throughout your journey with academic writing that different processes work for different people. This is also true for creative writing. Do you freewrite or make an outline? Do you write by hand or type? You might want to take some time to experiment. Just like every essay calls for a slightly different approach, every piece of creative writing will demand that you explore different avenues.  

In conclusion, though creative and academic writing might seem like two totally different worlds, experience in one can be used to navigate the other. You might be surprised when elements of argument, structure, and process begin to pop up in a creative work. Creative writing doesn’t have to be intimidating. Remember—you’re already a writer! 

-Emma Estridge