Creative

Nonfiction
 Poetic devices-
figurative language
 Fugurative
language
Figurative language is used in
literature like poetry, drama, prose
and even speeches. Figures of
speech are literary devices that are
also used throughout our society and
help relay important ideas in a
meaningful way. 
 simile
A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words
"like," "as" or "than." Often used to highlight a characteristic of one
of the items, similes rely on the comparison and the audience's
ability to create connections and make inferences about the two
objects being discussed and understand the one similarity they
share.

Examples:
My mother is as busy as a bee.
They fought like cats and dogs.
My dog has a bark as loud as thunder.
 metaphor
A metaphor is a direct comparison without using the comparative words
"like" or "as." Metaphors equate the two things being compared to elicit
a stronger connection and deepen the meaning of the comparison. Some
metaphors, which continue for several lines or an entire piece, are called
extended metaphors.

Examples:
Her smile is the sunrise.
Your son was a shining star in my classroom.
The tall trees were curtains that surrounded us during our picnic.
The ants soldiered on to steal our dessert.
 symbolism
Symbolism the use of a physical object to
represent an abstract idea is a practice of
using symbols, or anything that
represents something larger than itself.

Common examples of symbols are a

country's flag and a heart symbol, which
represent the country, and love
 personification
Personification is attributing human characteristics to
nonhuman things. This personifies objects and makes
them more relatable.

Examples:
The chair squealed in pain when the hammer smashed
it.
The tree's limb cracked and groaned when lightning
hit it.
My heart jumped when my daughter entered the room
 imagery
Imagery is a literary device that refers to the use of figurative language to
evoke a sensory experience or create a picture with words for a reader. By
utilizing effective descriptive language and figures of speech, writers appeal
to a reader’s senses of sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound, as well as
internal emotion and feelings.

Examples:
Her lips tasted as sweet as sugar.
His words felt like a dagger in my heart.
My head is pounding like a drum.
The siren turned into a whisper as it ended.
 Assonance and alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the start of
one or more words near one another. It is often used to emphasize an
emotion or reveal a stronger description.

Examples:
The pitter-patter of paws echoed down the hallway and woke me from
my slumber.
The babble of babies brings joy to my ears.
 Assonance and alliteration
Assonance is a figure of speech in which the same vowel sound repeats within a group
of words. 

Assonance vs. Alliteration

Alliteration is another figure of speech that involves the repetition of sounds and is
related to assonance. Assonance and alliteration differ in two key respects.

Position of repeating sounds: The repeating sounds of assonance can occur

anywhere in a word. The repeating sounds of alliteration, in contrast, must occur
either in the first syllables of words or on the stressed syllables of words.
 allusion
An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, thing or event
of historical, cultural or literary merit. It requires the audience to use
their background knowledge to understand the meaning.

Examples:
You stole the forbidden fruit when you took his candy.
She was Helen of Troy of the class and made all the boys fight.
My little girl ran faster than a speeding bullet when she grabbed my
lipstick.
 Personal Reflection
In most types of creative nonfiction, you’ll share personal reflection with the reader.
These can include:
• Personal thoughts and feelings
• Opinions
• Ruminations- a deep or considered thought about something
• Personal perspective
• Stream of consciousness - a person's thoughts and conscious reactions to events,
perceived as a continuous flow
• Mediations- a written or spoken discourse expressing considered thoughts on a
subject
Personal reflection is required to write a memoir. It is used to write a personal
narrative, opinion, meditative, and lyrical essay. Personal reflection an also be
incorporated into literary journalism.
 Word Choice/Diction
Check to see that you use language in a fresh and original wway,
making note of connotation, the implied meaning of the wrod. As
well, selecting words with the best meaning. Meaning refers to
diction. Avoid using cliches and jargon.

Cliches- a trite phrase or expression

Jargon- a hybrid language or dialect simplified in vocabolary and
grammar and used for communacation betwen peoples of different
speech.
 Sentence Variety
(length and structure)
Use short and long, and variety of syntax to create a personal essay,
memior, or literary journalism.

Sentence variety:
• Intentional fragment
Ex: Apen. Pad of paper. Time, lots of time. Experimentation. A
creattive mnd. These are the requirements of creative writing.
• Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex sentences
 Sentence Variety
(length and structure)
• Parellel structure in sentences
Ex: I require a pen, pad of paper, spare time, experimentation, and a
creative mind, to write creatvely, to write poetry, to write fiction, to
write a personal essay, to write anything.
• Declarative(statement of fact), Interrogative(ask a question,
exclamatory(emphatic) sentences.
• Inverted sentence
Ex. The book of poetry he wrote...The film, the script, the special
effects, the story, I enjoyed
 Sentence Variety
(length and structure)

• Lose sentence and periodic sentences. When writing a periodic

sentence, the main idea and clause are at the end of the sentence.
For a lose sentence, the main idea and independent clause are at the
beginning of the sentence
Example: Jimmy cried when the clowns ran past their seats.
 Sentence Variety
(length and structure)
A simple sentence is a sentence with just one independent clause
(also called a main clause): Judy laughed.
A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses: Judy
laughed and Jimmy cried.
A complex sentence contains an independent clause and at least one
dependent clause: Jimmy cried when Judy laughed.
A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent
clauses and at least one dependent clause: Judy laughed and Jimmy
cried when the clowns ran past their seats.
 Thank
you for
listening!