Subject: Creative Writing Subject Teacher: Carlyn Argentina P.

Carduza

Section: Grade 12 GAS

POETRY WRITING continuation…

RHYTHMS OF STRESS

Rhythm is a systematic variation in the flow of sound.

 Meter – a system of stressed and unstressed syllables

Meter Example
iamb (iambic) unstressed, stressed accept
troche (trochaic) stressed, unstressed widow
anapest (anapestic) 2 unstressed, stressed disappoint
dactyl (dactylic) stressed, 2 unstressed happily
spondee (spondaic) 2 stressed heartbreak
phyrric (phyrric) 2 unstressed in the

 Feet – the conventionalized units of stressed and unstressed syllables

Two feet to each line (rare and usually comic) dimeter

Three feet to each line (fairly common) trimeter
Four feet (sometimes combined with trimester) tetrameter
Five feet (most common in English) pentameter
Six feet (less used in this century) hexameter
Seven feet (rare) heptameter
Eight feet (a heavy, very rare line) octometer

Here are some more serious examples of the various meters:

Iambic pentameter ( 5 iambs, 10 syllables )

 That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold

Trochaic tetrameter ( 4 trochees, 8 syllables )

 Tell me | not in | mournful | numbers

Anapestic trimester ( 3 anapests, 9 syllables )

 And the sound | of a voice | that is still

Dactylic hexameter ( 6 dactyls, 17 syllables; a trochee replaces the last dactyl )

 This is the | forest pri | meval, the | murmuring | pine and the | hemlocks

PLAYWRITING

A play is a structured and unified story, comic or dramatic, complete in itself with a beginning, middle and end, that expresses the
playwright’s passion and vision, shows unfolding conflict that builds a climax, and deals with dimensional lifelike humans who have
strong emotions, needs and objectives that motivate them to take action.

It is constructed with a plausible and probable series of events, written to be performed and therefore told with speeches and actions
plus silences and inactions, projected by actors from a stage to an audience that is made to believe the events are happening as they
watch.

TYPES OF PLAYS

1. Monodrama
- a one character play, also known as a theatrical monologue, a one-person show, or a solo turn
- can be a powerful theatrical work, often using elevated language and powerful images to create poetic enlargement of the
character or subject
- playing time can vary from ten minutes to several hours
 - although only one character is onstage, others can be implied offstage
- may or may not have a conflict but often conclude with a snap, a piercing insight
2. One-Act Play
- a theatrical version of the short story
- a compressed dramatization of a single incident or sequence of action
- playing time is from 30 minutes to over an hour; most are around 40 minutes long
- the number of characters may be two to four
- maintains unity of action, focused on one particular conflict ; unity of place, within a single physical location; and unity
of time, without changes of time
3. Full-length Play
- requires a number of actions or incidents to show the play’s theme and conflicts, the development of an avoided story,
complex character evolution and change, and possibly movement in time and space
- usually two to two and a half hours of playing time
- has two or three acts; the five-act form, once standard, is out of style. An act is the largest division of the play consisting
of a unified group of activities and containing smaller divisions such as beasts, segments and scenes
- has one major through-line conflict, typically involving a protagonist fighting to achieve a goal against determined
opposition
- the conflict starts early at the point attack, is continually refreshed and refocused at the climax with complications, and
finally reaches its peak
- uses secondary conflict or subplot directly related to the single basic struggle

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES OF DRAMA

1. Drama is by definition a dramatic art

2. Drama is a visual art
3. Drama is an auditory art
4. Drama is physically produced art
5. Drama is a continuous art
6. Drama is a spectator art

WRITING CREATIVE NONFICTION

Creative Nonfiction is a nonfiction prose which utilizes the techniques and strategies of fiction. Creative nonfiction requires the skill
of a story teller and the research ability of a reporter.

Creative Nonfiction combines the authority of literature and the authority of fact. It demands spontaneity and an imaginative
approach while remaining true to the validity and integrity of the information it contains.

TYPES OF CREATIVE NONFICTION

It covers a large field that ranges from the literary journalism or new journalism – writing in a personal way about facts in a news
event – to the literary memoir.

 The magazine feature article

 The newspaper column as cultural commentary
 The review
 The interview story
 The character sketch
 The biographical sketch or profile
 The personal or familiar essay
 The autobiographical sketch

SIX BASIC FORMS OF LITERARY NONFICTION

1. Personal experience
2. Biographical sketch
3. Personal opinions
4. Reflections
5. A slice of history
6. Ceremonies

STRATEGIES IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

1. Approach and point-of-view

2. Tone and Voice
3. Structure
 4. A strong Dynamic Beginning
5. Rhetorical techniques
6. Character
7. Concrete and Evocative Details
8. Scene
9. And Convincing Ending
10. Revision

ELEMENTS OF CREATIVE NONFICTION

1. Personal Presence
2. Self-discovery and self-exploration
3. Flexibility of form
4. Veracity
5. Literary Approaches to Language