Throughout
all my years of schooling I was never asked to write anything creative. It
always seemed to be a response to a book in an English class or a research
paper on something scientific or controversial. This has always been fine with
me because I can definitely say that I tend to not be as much of a creative of
a thinker as one need to be to be able to write a decent creative story. I have
always stuck to the facts and given my two cents on them. For
example the most creative I had to go in high school was deciding which
controversial topic I wanted to write a research paper on, which obviously is
not creative at all. I have always have had a tendency to prefer writing
research papers due to the way I think about things and the general characteristics
of each of these types of papers.
When
writing a research paper it seems easier because all that is required is to get
the facts on each side of a topic and decide which one you support more. Once
this is decided it is easy to give the supporting evidence you find and even
give your own input on this evidence. Through doing this you can even challenge
you with the opposing evidence and refute what is said. This has always been
the one type of writing I have been able to be decent at. This is definitely a
more logical type of paper and is something that is much easier for someone
with my mindset to do.
In
a creative writing project it is necessary to basically go from scratch and
tell a story with no set end or beginning. I prefer to be able to rely on facts
that are either already given or that can be made and not have to create a
brand new story out of scratch. I have never been to just come up with stories
off the top of my head and that is definitely something that is useful to be
able to do if you are going to write a creative story. The mindset needed to
write a creative paper is one where you must be able to think “outside of the
box,” and be able to just come up with twists and turns in a plot in a story
unlike just having cold hard facts and deciding if you agree or disagree on
them.
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ReplyDeleteYou have compared the two form of writing very well in your post. I agree with you completely when you say research papers are based on facts while creative writing asks us to "think out of the box".
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from when you say it is easier to write research papers rather than creative writing pieces.I too prefer projects that are based on the use of our practical and logical skills. However, I still do believe that creative writing provides us with an unrestricted outlet for our imagination to run wild. It is more challenging, but at the same time it can be a thrilling experience as well.
I totally agree with this blog post. I can relate to this to the fullest. In my previous writing courses, I was not asked to really go in and use my creativity. I, too, am not that creative of a writer. So the writing assignments in the past have been very easy for me to complete. Factual information and my own personal opinions were what my papers were based on. However, although I do not like it as much, creative writing really expands your abilities of being a better writer. Creative writing has slightly expanded my horizon as far as writing goes. However, this doesn't change my ideology that factual writing is a lot better for me compared to creative writing.
ReplyDeleteI think the way you compared your writings in this post was very good. I definitely agree with what both you and Aarohi said regarding the differences between research papers and creative writing. I think it is definitely easier to write research papers but I do not think that creative writing limits us in our writing. I think that having the freedom to write without restriction can allow you to freely say what you want without worrying about all the restrictions that come with writing a research paper.
ReplyDeleteYeah I definitely agree with you, Matt. Writing assignments throughout High School don't allow for much creative expression. Even the classic "What did you do over summer vacation?" prompt has some sort of structure. Creatively writing can certainly be a challenge, especially for one who is new to it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that writing assignments in high school were always answers to book questions and barely ever free writing. If it was a free write assignment, it was only a journal entry, not a main project or paper. I also think that creative writing can be challenging because of the fact that it is still new and not always easy to think outside of the box.
ReplyDeleteIt seems you talk about creative writing a lot. I totally agree with your idea about creative writing and I prefer creative writing by myself. When I was in high school we was only once asked to be free to write whatever we want, I think I wrote the best fiction I've ever write. I really appreciate your essay.
ReplyDeleteI also agree to what he said about high school, freedom was also frowned upon in my school so this project is new to me. And the summer vacation free write is a classic time filler on the first day of school.
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