3 - Uncommon Forms of Creative Writing
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
3
Uncommon Forms of Creative Writing
In this blog, we are going to review the following reasons why uncommon genres and mediums are not as well known. One, some genres are relatively new to the creative writing umbrella. Two, some genres are hidden within a medium, making it difficult to discern the the written format. Third, some creative writing forms are viewed as the whole rather than the sum of its parts, thus placing them in a specific genre or medium is difficult.
Additionally, we will review a few uncommon literary genres and mediums, focusing on how artistic or literary devices, human emotions, and senses can both build and obscure creative writing origins. The literary analysis encourages a thoughtful review of the examples provided. This post intends to aid in our understanding of how uncommon forms of creative writing can inform and inspire our artistic view.
FICTION
Fan Fiction
- A genre of unique stories written by fans that incorporate popular works of fiction. Fan fiction is based on the original published literature by combining the same characters, situations, and environments but also adding different characters, events, and a plot that impacts the story differently from the original work.
- Fan fiction uses a variety of writing styles, narrations, and character and environment dynamics that separate it from the original work of art.
- Fan fiction writing is a great practice for beginner writers and connects them with a like-minded community.
Lazuli - A Harry Potter Fan Fiction by BarneysCrew
- This story is centered in the world of Harry Potter and the factitious character Juliet Weasley, who is othered by her family when she is housed in Slytherin. Despite her alienation from her family, Juliet proves her self-worth by showing her family how capable she is. Except, falling for Draco Malfoy was not part of the plan.
- From this prologue, we can infer that the story is not original to the Harry Potter series by the narration's point of view, grammar, and character dynamics. Lazuli, or Li, is not cannon to the Harry Potter series.
- Literary Analysis: How is this story meant to be read? What genre does it fit under the creative writing umbrella? Is the premise and characters of the story believable and well integrated with Harry Potter?
Source: Wattpad. Lazuli - A Harry Potter Fan Fiction by BarneysCrew.
The Both Of Us by Serenity and Rita
- Set in the Assassin’s Creed III universe, Conner Kenway and Annaleese (unoriginal to the game) work together when an opportunity suddenly presents itself. Their bond is shared through similar pasts and a blooming relationship.
- The narrator's point of view, word choices, and characters are one of several plot and narrative differences between the video game and the book Assassins Creed Forsaken by Oliver Bowden. Among those differences are the grammar, structure, and title.
- We can also infer that this story is fan fiction because it falls under the romance genre, which is not typical for the original story of Assassins Creed III. This story is a form of entertainment for an audience with a romantic interest in Conner Kenway.
- Literature Analysis: Reviewing this section of the story, what genre and writing style is this story using? And can we easily infer who the fictional character is original to the fan fiction? How can we?
Creative Nonfiction
The Newspaper
- Located in opinion pieces or lifestyle pages, where written work is more personal and descriptive. Small segments showcase creative entries depicting comics, art, and literary art.
ThePittNews
- This Community-based article provides evidence that creative writing improves understanding and appreciation of a subject. Sage Rosenfeld’s article explores a creative nonfiction narrative by introducing her topic around Pitt’s Center for Creativity’s Inaugural Creator Fair by expressing emotion and a visual description.
- Literary Analysis: Review this section of the article and read how it describes the scenery of the Fair. Would the article read similarly without the visuals? What makes the article believable?
Source: ThePittNews. The Center for Creativity’s Creator Fair embraces art of all kinds by Sage Rosenfeld.
The Daily Iowan
- In Cole Walker’s article, he writes an opinion piece using opinion and creative writing to reach beyond his targeted audience to inform and spark an emotional understanding of why unpaid internships are “incredibly difficult…without any promise of financial compensation” (2025).
- Referring to the audience as ‘you’ is intended for a more profound emotional attachment and assurance of a topic, making the narrative more personal. Many individuals understand academic issues such as this one, so Cole approached this article using this literary style.
A Personal Essay
- A form of writing that combines an individual's imagination, personal experience, and emotion to explore a topic and convey a point. The creative writing techniques provide a unique, personal perspective on a realistic topic.
I Know What You Think of Me by Tim Kreider
- Tim recalls an email he received from a co-worker that was not meant for him but was about him. Though the email was not particularly mean, nor were the comments, it was intended to express how poorly Tim handled his money. The author delves deep into his thoughts, mimicking our mind and reminding us that we do not like to be spoken about behind our backs, though it happens often.
- In this short essay, Tim discusses what people think about us and how we perceive ourselves in public. It is a thought-provoking essay. His thoughts run wild, questioning who he is, recalling stories of friends who learned the hard way about spreading rumors. It is meant to make us think about who we are to ourselves and others. We deem ourselves nice and act accordingly to people, especially those in public view. When that facade or belief we have created for ourselves bursts, and rumors spread, we ponder who we are and those who took the time to talk about us.
- Literary Analysis: How do Tim’s deep, personal thoughts affect the flow and analysis of the essay? Is it thought-provoking? Does it make him credible and prove a point? How does the title fit into this essay?
The Wild, Sublime Body by Melissa Febos
- In her essay, Melissa reviews her past experiences and beliefs about her not-too-frail body and its similarities to animals. As a child, society drilled the belief that females should act and look anything but masculine, furthering her disdain for her figure. Despite this, Melissa acted masculine without her trying. It took many years of self-exploration and self-love to realize she was the personification of perfection. She was who she was meant to be.
- As the narrator of her life story, Melissa dissects her past in a personal and reflective voice. She reflects on her mannerisms of femininity and masculinity, coming to terms with who she is.
- Literary Analysis: After reading this section of the essay, what writing style is Melissa using to convey her point of view as the narrator? Does it invoke emotion? Does it make her story believable?
Poetry
Haiku
- Originally from Japan, this seventeen un-rhymed syllable poem captures a single moment using keen perception and understanding.
A Poppy Blooms by Katsushika Hokusai
- Katsushika Hokusai’s haiku, A Poppy Blooms, is the poet's process of writing, mimicking flowers and weeds in Spring.
- The length of the poem makes it sound quick, but the selective word choices provide a deeper, more thought-provoking concept that many of us can relate to.
- Literary Analysis: Do the word choices flow well and read like a poem? How does it support the interpretation of the haiku?
The Old Pond by Matsuo Basho
- Matsuo Basho’s haiku, The Old Pond, depicts a memorable moment between silence and sound in the natural environment.
- Literary Analysis: How do the words and literary devices like the exclamation point mimic sound and silence? Is it thought-provoking or observant?
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Song Lyrics
- A rhythmic method of using written and figurative language, emotions, and vivid imagery to convey a unique and impactful lyrical melody for an audience. The narrative structure uses a specific structural technique that is easily understood and sung like a poem.
Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingtield
- In Natasha’s Bedingfield’s song, Pocketful of Sunshine, her lyrics symbolize how her happiness is tangible and a part of her. It is empowering to the point no one can bring her down. The rhythm of the music amplifies the lyrical notes, indicating their importance and empowerment.
- The repetition is a form of rhythm and rhyming technique, indicating the words' importance and meaning within the lyrics.
- Literary Analysis: Notice which words are rhythmic within the Chorus. This is similar to poetry. How does it help the song's flow, structure, and meaning?
Ordinary by Alex Warren
- Ordinary is a song transcending mundane love, shifting relationship from ordinary to extraordinary. The song is about loving someone so deeply that it makes the ‘angels jealous.’ This line, among other symbolisms of spirituality, implies that love is greater than both and was destined by the divine.
- The words are descriptive in a way that speaks a story, mimicking emotion through creativity. This is common in most song lyrics.
- Literary Analysis: Within the Chorus, some words rhyme, sounding similar to a poem. Do the word choices and structure give the lyrics emotional depth? Does the symbolism improve the rhymes and emotional telling of the song?
Scriptwriting
A Podcast
- A well-structured and creative process that uses imaginative and/or technical writing techniques to make a clear and coherent script that flows like a purposeful conversation.
- Podcasts gear topics to a specific audience interested in many different genres, differentiating them based on the narrative and tone. Some are specific to fiction, while others are nonfiction-based. Others fall between the genres, making them creative nonfiction podcasts.
The Amelia Project
- The Amelia Project is a fiction storytelling podcast with unique characters and a comedic narrative. The podcast reads and sounds like a play with an intriguing story. The voice actors and soundtrack aid in the attentive but unusual podcast for the audience's entertainment.
- The characters' lines, including the notations of sound or music (not visible in the picture), are a form of scriptwriting. This structure is organized and well-understood by the voice actors and the rest of the production. Notice the character's names are in caps - this helps the voice actor and the audience know who is speaking in what scene.
- Literary Analysis: Reviewing the podcast, how can we determine if it is a medium or a genre? What sub genre does The Amelia Project fall under?
British Museum Membercast
- The British Museum Membercast combines a creative narrative structure with technical writing while interviewing individuals about specific works of art at the museum. It blends creative and factual narratives to tell a story.
- The moderator's lines are structured conversationally while maintaining some distance from the audience. Still, the scriptwriting remains creative and pleasant, depicting the writer's narrative style and technique.
- Literary Analysis: Reviewing the podcast, how can we determine if it is a medium or a genre? What sub genre does The Amelia Project fall under?
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A Vlog
- A structured and creative process that utilizes innovative and technical writing techniques to make a clear and cohesive point for an audience to understand and enjoy while watching a video.
- Vlogging is rooted in an idea or topic before scripting or mind-mapping those thoughts onto paper before incorporating them into speech for visual and audible content. To script or write these ideas beforehand allows for a free-flowing and approachable conversation with an audience.
- Vlogs are visual and auditory based, and written content is not shared visually but heard through the narrators.
- Vlogs are often on popular applications like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Others can be found on individual blogging websites that cater more to video streaming than written text. However, using text and videos to introduce and express a topic is also a popular choice.
- There are dozens of different vlog topics streaming across the media. Some are tagged as travel, food tasting or cooking, tutorials, and “a day in my life.”
Nimah Mackinnon - Traveling The Scottish Islands
- Nimah Mackinnon is known for exploring and filming her life on the Scottish Islands. Visit her vlog on YouTube to learn more about the Scottish Islands.
- Though we cannot see how Nimah organizes her vlogs through a textualized lens, we can see by watching her video and listening to her narration that her vlogs are pre-written, well-crafted, and to the point. They are structured in a way that helps the audience understand what her vlogging goals.
Haley Pham - Book Influencer
- Haley Pham vlogs her growing book collection, current books she is reading, and her writing career. Visit Haley Pham’s YouTube channel to learn more about her book collection.
- In every one of her videos, Haley introduces herself before describing what she is doing in her video. This is a structural vlog with a specific topic in mind. Her focus on books, particularly her collection, is one of many topics she must script or mind map before sharing on her social media platforms.
BrookiBakeHouse - “A Day In My Life As A Bakery Owner”
- BrookiBakeHouse is a YouTube channel about a popular bakery owner in Sydney, Australia. She films her life as a bakery owner, author, and mother. Follow BrookiBakeHouse to learn more about her baking lifestyle.
- The vlog was well thought out and scripted before posting on social media. The time stamps and the edits from one location to the next are part of the scripting process.
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Video Games
- A well-crafted and interactive medium that utilizes a scripted format designed for entertainment and interaction through video games.
- The scriptwriting format, tone, character development, and scene are specifically written to be understood by different production teams (i.e., video game designers, voice actors, and motion capture).
- Scriptwriters and the production team work together, making collaborative changes as they go.
- The storyline, character development, dialogue, world-building, cut scenes, and active gameplay are rooted in the script. The gameplay interaction is written and designed to enrich the narrative and the audience's enjoyment.
Silent Hill 2 by Konami
- This transcript of Silent Hill 2 is not the original, but we can infer from the structure, characters, dialogue, and off-scene narrator what is happening in the first cut scene of the game. This encourages people to keep listening to the content as we can presume the characters who know each other are from the first Silent Hill game.
- The characters' dialogue is structured in paragraphs to indicate who is speaking. However, because this script is not original, we do not have a visual or an idea of what Silent Hill looks like. This is where the artist's depiction of the scene is essential to the video game's cohesiveness, understanding, and entertainment.
The Last of Us by Naughty Dog
- This script is presumably original to the game The Last of Us. The script is similar to a screenplay, but the differences are apparent.
- One difference is the narrator (off-screen consciousness) is more descriptive as it describes Sarah’s movements, actions, and Joel’s behaviors. This solidifies the scene, ensuring the production team and the audience know what's happening in the cut scene and overall gameplay.
- The second difference is that there is text for gameplay. The gameplay is highlighted in green, notifying the production team that this part cannot be written, as this is the time the audience can interact with the game and its characters.
- However, one similarity is the character's names and scene changes — they are capitalized to inform who is speaking and where we are in the game. This helps the voice actors determine how the characters are feeling, but it is up to the voice actors to express the character's emotions, unlike fictional prose. The emotional description on paper helps determine the characters' feelings at that moment. This is a great example of how the production team must work together to perform the text into visual and audible art.
Concluding this blog, we reviewed several uncommon genres, sub genres, and mediums within the creative writing umbrella. We now know that the origins of these creative writing forms are not necessarily hidden but adapted to unique mediums and literary devices to convey a unique and deeper meaning. Some mediums are songs, video games, and vlogs. Such developments enhance the writing and the stories within them.
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“I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” – Yohji Yamamoto
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Ponder the uncommon literary genres and mediums, note them, and indicate why you think they are unusual forms of creative writing. Are the literary origins hidden behind a medium?
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