Lecture 10 | How to prepare an outline-03

5. Highlight Your Main Points. Now that you have determined main points of your essay and put them in order, this is time to add some relevant content to support each of your idea. The objective of this step is to extend your original idea (Your Thesis Statement). This will be greatly helpful for your readers in better understanding of your argument. Here you have got a better chance to add some more details such as examples, quotes, facts, theories and personal anecdotes etc. Theses all things will support the main idea. This step may seem boring and tiring but, bear in mind, your drafting depends on it. Therefore, it is essential to do. 

Your goal in this step is to expand upon your original ideas so that your reader has a better understanding of each point. You can add more detail to each concept by including examples, quotes, facts, theories or personal anecdotes. While this step may seem tedious, it will make your drafting process much easier. You’ll save time in the long run because your paper will be more logical and focused and your ideas will be fully developed.

In the previously done exercise, we put our ideas into order, add some more information after doing some brain storming and finally my outline looked like as follows:  

Outline: Fall of Pakistani TV Serials

I.   Intro

A.      Common Trends in Pakistani Serials

a.      Far from Reality

b.      Repetitive Themes

c.       Unnecessarily Lengthy

d.      Focus on Glamourisation instead of Art

e.      Adopting Indian trends

f.        Director should focus on presentation of reality in an artistic way.

II.    Body

A.      Themes

a.      Common themes

                                                 i. Romance, Divorce, Halala, Betrayal, domestic conspiracies etc.

                                             ii. Sister-in-law likes her brother-in-law, Rich boy and poor girl or vice verca

                                                 iii. Lack of portrayal of social issues

                                                 iv. Frustrating titles of TV serials

B.      Story/Script

a.      Script does not seem to be pre-determined

b.      Unnecessary length

c.      Watage of time in Title song (OST), Music, facial expressions etc.

d.      Give an example of drama ‘Khaani’

e.      Urdu saying “Kawwa chala Hans ki chaal”

C.      Glamourisation

a.      Make up, unbraided hair, wig, expensive clothes, jewelry

b.      Drama looks like a drama instead of representation of reality

c.      Impact of such things on poor people

                                                 i. Frustration, hopelessness etc.

d.      They are far from reality

D.     Indian impact on Pakistani Dramas

a.      Trends are taken from Indian media.

b.      Consequently, we have lost our individuality.

E.      Personal Nostalgia/Why do I feel those issues?

a.      Author still remembers of TV serials aired in 90s.

b.      PTV dramas were reality-based

c.       Presented an issue and finally ended it with proper conclusion.

F.       Today dramas have become market-driven.

G.     Comments of an expert

                                    a. Comments of Mr. Agha Rafique (A renowned playwright of Pakistan)

III.                Conclusion

H.     Importance of marketing-advertising for TV channels

a.      It’s true that it is utmost important

b.      Reality-based can get equal advertising

c.     Advertising can be got through presenting a reality-based drama as well.

                                               i. Examples Cheekh, Kaneez, Udaari etc. 

6. Review and Adjust. 

Still, it may not be the final outline. Many budding writers think at step five their outline is done. But this is not always so. Writing is not an act but a process instead. All writers continue reviewing their work even their outlines in order to find the best way to express themselves. There is always room for improvement. You can still make some shuffling in the above outline, make some amendments as well. An outline is just like a roadmap which guides and directs you throughout writing process. Once you revise and review your outline, the prewriting stage of your writing is over and now it's time to start second stage: drafting or writing. 

You just have to make sure that you have included all the points in your outline and you are in better position to make a connection of all selected points with main point (Thesis Statement). Outline may seem, and indeed it is, a lengthy and tiring process but it makes your writing easier and wonderful enough to accomplish in a day. With completion of outline, all the hard work is done and you are ready to put your words into sentences and develop a well-developed, well-thought and informed essay.

All the best 

Lecture 09 | How to prepare an Outline-02

3. List Main Ideas. In this step, you decide how will you support the thesis statement. Putting it simply, you support your main argument by dividing it into various sub arguments which eventually support your main argument. 

In this part of writing process a little brain storming is needed. The primary objective of this part is to raise some important ideas/questions which you plan to address in your essay. We may write those ideas in points or in the form of questions.  For instance, you may make the list in the form of arguments, points or questions whichever suits you the best. 

Regardless of your topic, this exercise provides you an opportunity to get all of ideas out of your mind and on the paper. The best and easiest way to do this exercise is developing few (12 to 15) questions about your topic and jot them down on a piece of paper. Look at those questions carefully and think about them seriously. If a question is repeated, remove it. 

here, I am presenting a list of main ideas which I developed while I intended to write a blog on "The Fall of Pakistani TV Serials".

            a. The standard of Pakistani TV serials has fallen drastically.

            b. They have highly been influenced by Indian TV serials.

            c. Glamourisation is strongly focused.

            d.  Most of the serials are not reality-based. 

            e. Most of TV serials really look like drama and fail to represent our society.

            f. Increased concentration of directors is found on glamourisation instead of raising                    any social issue. 

            g. Their main focus seems to be domestic conspiracies.

            h. Script is often poor and lengthy

            i. Few themes are repeated in almost every drama serial.

            j. Titles of serials are very frustrating.

            k. Why do I feel like this? Why other people don't think about them this way?

            l. Marketing has become main focus of Tv serials instead of art. 

            m. They have lost their identity of which they were known/popular for.

            n. Those far-from-reality scripts are having a greater negative impact on poor                              segments of society. 

            o. Which themes are commonly portrayed in Pakistani TV serials?

            p. Actresses are always wearing high-class costumes, jewelery with full make-up.

OR

You may also write those point in the form of questions as well For most of the students feel comfortable with questions. 

4. Organise Main Ideas. In third step, you keep your points in illogical order or in a sequence. In this way all the points are connected to your main point/thesis statement. As once I received an outline from one of my students. She had placed effects before causes in the outline. This is what  we plan to avoid in our writing piece. That's why we always prefer preparing an outline before we start writing. 

In this step, you arrange all your points or questions in sequence which may make sense of story line. Now that you listed all your main ideas in form of points or questions, it is time to arrange them in a proper and logical order. This exercise will make it easier for you to follow your storyline while writing your essay and guiding your readers while they read it. 

The main purpose of this exercise is to rearrange ideas which you wrote down in step 3. Putting it simply, your questions or points which you wrote at third step will be categorised and placed under category concerned. Once, this step is done, you are all set to develop the structure of your essay. 

For instance, I would like to extend the same example I have already given above. When we organise our idea, they will look like as follows: 

a. The standard of Pakistani TV serials has fallen drastically.

            c. Glamourisation is strongly focused.

            d.  Most of the serials are not reality-based. 

            e. Most of TV serials really look like drama and fail to represent our society.

f. Increased concentration of directors is found on glamourisation instead of raising any social issue. 

            g. Their main focus seems to be domestic conspiracies.

            h. Script is often poor and lengthy

            i. Few themes are repeated in almost every drama serial.

            j. Titles of serials are very frustrating.

            p. Actresses: high-class costumes, jewelery with full make-up.

o. Which themes are commonly portrayed in Pakistani TV serials?

b. They have highly been influenced by Indian TV serials.

            m. They have lost their identity of which they were known/popular for.

k. Why do I feel like this? Why other people don't think about them this way?

            l. Marketing has become main focus of Tv serials instead of art. 

n. Those scripts are having a greater negative impact on poor segments of society. 

 Now, it looks a little bit organised, it still needs to be worked upon.

Wait for my next blogpost. 

Lecture 08 | How to Prepare an Outline-01

So now we have chosen and narrowed down our topic. Another question arises what to do now? It's time to create an outline. Many young writer avoid outline because they think everything is clear in their minds. Believe me, this is not so. There is a great deal of difference between having a thought in your mind and having it jotted down on a piece of paper. Creating outline is as essential as memorising a speech in a debate competition. 

I know that the writing process is stressful especially when you have to submit it in the shape of an assignment to your teacher or instructor. You are required to write up to the expectations of university teacher. There are many dilemmas which are often faced by students in this regard. First dilemma is finding answer to the question: where to start? Don't worry, we will discuss it in the section of writing. 

I have repeatedly noticed many students of mine avoid preparing outline because it seems very difficult for them. And believe me it is not that difficult but requires some practice. As I always state, writing is less about writing and more about thinking. At the stage of prewriting you need to think more about your topic and do different exercises and experiences with writing.  

An outline is simply a framework where an author organises his main and supporting ideas in a presentable way. It greatly helps in putting ideas in their proper place avoiding any type of confusion and repetition. It is also greatly helpful for writers to guide their readers and helps in clearly translating your thoughts into words. Without outline, there is a greater probability that you will confuse your ideas with each other which will finally result in utter desperation and frustration.   

So here I am presenting few tips for developing an outline:

1. Choose Your Topic wisely. During your undergraduate studies, a greater number of people will keep telling and advising you about what  you should choose. Likewise, while writing on anything, many of your friends and class fellow will advise you the topics to be written upon. Don't listen to any one's advice in this regard. For you are the master of your own destiny. Always choose the topic where your own greater interest lies instead of acting upon someone's advice. 
For instance, I intend to write on "Pakistani Media". This is a good subject indeed. After doing some brain storming on my topic, I narrowed down it as "The Fall of Pakistani TV Dramas".

2. Establish Your Purpose. This refers to "Thesis Statement" or the purpose of your writing. Why do you want to write? WEhat point do you want to prove?. This is one of the most important aspect where you are supposed to ask yourself a few question such as :Why are you going to write on this specific topic? What are you going to include in your writing piece which has not been focused so far? What will be the focus of your writing piece? What do you intend to present for your readers? What do you want to convey about your topic?. These are tricky questions and definitely demand some time. 

A considerable number of new writers often struggle hard in defining focus of their writing. It is very difficult task to come up with a focused topic from a list of possibilities. However, equally important and even larger is to understand the purpose or focus of your writing. 

So, in order to find answer to this question, one should ask himself "What is your topic or thesis statement?" In other words what do you want to focus in your writing. For example, after watching few Pakistani TV serials I developed a thesis statement that "Contemporary Pakistani dramas have lost their charm due to marketing" or "Market-driven production has caused a fall in standard of Pakistani TV serials". So, I have to prepare an outline whose sub-points or sub-arguments directly support my thesis statement (main argument).

If you do not have a goal or objective in the mind at the stage of prewriting, you will keep wandering in a strange city without a map. Having a goal or objective in mind will be greatly helpful in determining your course of writing, selecting appropriate content of your essay and setting guidelines and limitations. 

It is not over yet. Stay connected to finish outline on abovementioned topic. 

Lecture 07 | What is an Outline?

1. What is an outline

Many people think of outline as a rough idea of your draft. However, I strongly disagree with them. It is not a rough idea. Outline is a planned, organised and focused structure of your writing.  Almost all the authors find it easier to prepare and follow the outline before they start on a blank page. Outline organises your thoughts, ideas and divides them into sub-ideas. It is one of the most important tools to organise your ideas in logical order which, combined all together, support your thesis statement. Summarily, outline makes your story line clearer and elaborate.   

2. Why to make an outline

Many students often ask when our ideas are clear in our mind why to make an outline. Well, this is an assumption. When you sit to write, you will come to realise that ideas are not as clear as you had thought them to be. many things become confused with each other and, finally, you end up with wastage of time and energy. In order to avoid this sort of frustration at the end, better one should spare some time in preparing a planned outlined. 

Outline helps in determining what arguments and sub-arguments to cover and in which order. It makes your writing piece easier for readers to read and follow. It enables you to guide your readers throughout your piece. It avoids confusions in your thoughts and ideas.  For instance, many of the writing pieces I receive from my students in the course of "Creative Writing" fail to guide the reader. Repetition of argument, illogical order of ideas are the common issues with such writing pieces. That's why I usually and mainly focus on students' outlines. 

3. When to prepare an outline

Outline is normally prepared during prewriting. It means you have to make it before you start writing. For, as it is already stated, that an outline puts all the ideas and sub-ideas in their proper place with a logical order. Therefore, a well planned outlined helps a great deal in determining the story line the author is going to follow while writing.

It's not over yet. We still need to discuss about outline. Stay connected. 

Lecture 06 | Narrowing the Topic-03

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I could have finished this topic in one post but thought it better to give you people as more techniques as I can. For one technique does not work for all. Here I am again giving you some tips to manage and narrow down your topic.

Aspect -- Choose a perspective or frame of reference through which you want to look at your topic. Instead of writing on "Importance of colours in Eastern Rituals", you may write on "Importance of colours in Hindu rituals" by mainly focusing on Holi. Thus you will get an informed choice to express yourself. 

Components -- Think and determine if your topic can further be divided in smaller parts in terms of it's components for this type of division will make your mind clearer, your topic focused and your will have informed choice to analyse. "Exposure to Screen time" is a very broad topic. Make it "Exposure to screen time and education". Again a question arises which education? So make it "Children exposure to screen time and nursery education". Again, the term "exposure" is vague and  raises many serious questions. So make it "Exposure to Screen time and it's effects on education of nursery children".

Place -- It is of utmost importance to choose a smaller area. Smaller area of analysis will make you more focused and attentive on the topic. So, rather than studying "Declining condition of education in SIndh" you should study "Declining condition of education in Hyderabad, SIndh". Even Hyderabad is a very vast area. It is a division consisting nine districts. So work more on the topic and narrow it down in term of place again and focus on Hyderabad city. Now, it will be more manageable. 

Relationship -- Well, this is one of the most interesting thing. It focuses on the way two points, perspectives or variable relate to each other. In this way you may take into consideration cause and effect, compare/contrast, individual/group, male/female, contemporary/historic, just to cite a few examples. It is not confusing and very easy to do instead.  

Time -- Focusing on a specific time period in your writing piece will enable your to be more focused. "Health Facilities in Rural Sindh" will be broader in terms of place as well as time. Therefore, "Health Facilities in District Shikarpur during PPP government 2013-2018" will be convenient to write on.

Type -- Be focused in your topic by concentrating on a specific type of any thing. We wrote the term "health facilities" above. Divide it further into "Child care health facilities" or "mother care health facilities" in terms of type. Then another question arises what type of subjects/people you are going to study. Let us think over it again. We can make it "Child Care Health Facilities for daily wagers in Shikarpur district". Here we have narrowed our topic in terms of place (Shikarpur), type of problem (Child Care instead of health) and type of subjects/people (Daily wagers). 

Combination -- If you think your topic is still too broader, use a combination of above tools. 

 

Lecture 05 | Narrowing the topic-02

In the previous post, I discussed two approaches to narrow down the topic. Here we go with more.  

3. By using  five Ws and one H

If you feel your topic is too broad, look at the same with microscopic view. I mean divide the broader topic into several smaller questions. This exercise allows you to find bits and tips of which the topic is made of. Then you can choose bit of your choice to write on. If we put it simply, we mean to analyse a topic in terms of certain simple and straight forward questions such as who, what, when, where, whom, why, and how?. 

For instance, if we want to continue working on our topic of "Climate Change", we can come up with many interesting questions such as When was the term "Climate Change" coined? Was there a scientific or political  motivation behind coinage of this term? At what time the term was coined? Who takes the decision regarding climate change? Scientists or politicians? Who/Which nations are the most affected by climate change? Which nations are greatly contributing in emission of green house gases? What is the condition of biodiversity in Indus Delta Region? 

In applying this tool, you will have to keep in mind that the scope of questions with 'what, when, where, who' will be narrow. Therefore, be advised to focus more on 'how' and 'why' questions. 

Without a shred of doubt, this exercise will take some time of yours, but believe me, it will be immensely helpful for you in determining the angle or aspect of topic to be treated. This exercise is a little time-consuming and you may always not be in position to spend that much time one single assignment. Even then it's one of the essential exercise for a variety of reasons: (1) this exercise will make you do some thinking over the topic; (2) the thinking process will mentally push you into the circle of your topic making it a part of your mind and; (3) by doing this exercise you are more likely to come up with another idea for the future.   

4. By searching on internet

Ideas always strike our minds very easily. Those ideas are equally potential to confuse us as well. Therefore, spare your time in doing some research on your topic and find one aspect of the topic on which you can get inspiration from. Internet is our best companion in such cases. You are supposed to receive very interesting results when you search the given topic on google. We get a great deal of results while searching for "Climate Change" on google. Few examples are given below:

(1) Climate Change and poetry on month of December

(2) Climate Change effects on human psychological behaviour. 

(3) Climate Change and Indus Blue Whale Survival

In the topic # 01, you may start from a thesis statement that "In the wake of climate change, Urdu poetry done on the month of December has become irrelevant". While in topic # 02, you may start from an individuals' always angry mood in the season of summer.  And the third topic is also about climate change in which you intend to write about loss of biodiversity in Indus delta due to climate change by making Indus Blue Whale a case. 

You see we receive such an interesting range of results. After that, we may find an aspect of our choice and writing will be fun for us then. When you take writing as passion your writing also becomes enjoyable for readers as well. Just a final tip. While searching on google, do not stop at the first page. Browse few more pages or keep changing your key search words for getting better and more interesting results.  

Lecture 04 | Narrowing the topic-01

Many students often come up with broader topics such as "Political scenario in Pakistan", "The Mode of Electronic Media in Pakistan", "Climate Change and Pakistan" etc. We should bear in mind that these are way too broad and too vast and it is not possible to write on them in a couple of thousand words.  Someone can write a book on those subjects instead. For example, "Climate Change in Pakistan" has many aspects to be covered. This subject can be approached from the lens of political science, economics, gender studies, sociology, psychology, geography and much more. 

So in this situation of dilemma, the topic demands a careful attention. If you don't give it a proper thought, you will surely end up in a narrow street with wastage of a great deal of time and energy. Being an author you must ask yourself how you intend to tackle the issue? What are main elements of the topic? What are primary aspects of the topic? In order to avoid this dilemma, one needs to narrow down the topic according to the length assigned to you by professor. If you find anything confusing or doubtful, do not hesitate to contact your instructor/professor. It is better to be clear at the first stage instead of losing time and energy. Following given steps in this regard will be helpful for you.

1. By dividing the topic into components

Just be relaxed and cool down. Think about your topic and divide it into different components. Look at all of those components and choose one for yourself to write on. Just take an example when your journalism teacher assigns you to write an essay. You have got the topic "Journalism" which is too broad. There are infinite ways to write on it. So first of all, divide it into various components: Online Journalism, Broadcast Journalism, Print Journalism, Citizen Journalism and so on. 

Now you have picked Broadcast journalism. It is a good choice indeed. Broadcast journalism mainly falls in two categories entertainment and information. You choose entertainment. Again a wise choice. Entertainment also contains many thing such as Telefilms, drama serials, music, game shows, reality shows etc. just to count few of them.  Now you are interested in drama serials. Now ask yourself few questions. What do you want to write about TV serials? What motivated you to think about this topic? Do you want write on topic because you are sick of unnecessarily lengthy, slow-moving Pakistani serials? Do current Pakistani serials remind you of old 13-episode meaningful serials? If yes, your topic is narrowed as "The Fall of Pakistani Drama Serials". You nailed it. 

2. By considering your word limit

Always keep in mind the length of essay or writing piece assigned to you by the instructor. In this way you will be able to determine yourself the amount of information to be included in the piece. The length will also make you mindful of what information to fit in body of writing piece in order to support your thesis statement. For example, while in CSS, a candidate is asked to write an essay of at least 3,000 words.  They get enough space to cover almost all aspects of a topic in a given time and space. In such a lengthy space, a candidate can explore given topic in details with all it's implications and complexities. However, academic writing is a bit different in nature. In academic essay or writing piece, you are often assigned a word limit in which you have to limit your topic.

For instance, a student of mine showed desire to write on "Single National Curriculum". This is a very broad topic with it's pros, cons, causes, effects, implications. It is not possible to limit the topic into an essay of 2,000 words. Again one aspects of this topic such as "Time needed to apply Single National Curriculum in Pakistan" can be considered for writing. 

It does not end here. I intend to tell you few more tricks of narrowing down the topic. So stay connected and wait for my next blogpost. 

Lecture 03 | Choosing a topic

Well here we go. What I find most annoying in my teaching career is a student coming to me and when I asked him what do you want to write on. The student replies with "Sain, jaiko tawhan hukum kayo" (Sir, as you wish). It has nothing to do what I wish. It always depends upon your wish and choice instead. This is the beauty of creative writing that you are the master of your own fate. Unlike other academic courses, you are not imposed upon an assignment by the teacher. In creative writing, you have to choose what you want to do yourself. 
Now, since the instructor has given you a choice, again it becomes head ache to choose a topic. First of all, ask yourself "what are you interested in?". Every body has some likes and dislikes. There must be few things in which you take a great deal of interest such as sports, films, books, movies, TV serials, politics, online business to mention a few. Even you may choose to write on your home town which known to you more than anyone else. Here you have got millions of possibilities indeed. 
Moreover, you may choose any topic from your observation, experience and imagination as well. I suppose you all must be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other SNSs. There are many issues and things trending in social networking sites everyday. Even if it's not trending you may notice some things and problematise it for your own writing. Here I would like to describe those two things separately. 
Firstly, you may get an idea for writing in your everyday experience.  For instance, once a friend of mine made fun of me when he heard I regularly pay bill of water and sewerage. That brief talk with him made me think about the matter deeply and I wrote a blog on it (Click here to read the mentioned blog). Travelling in local transport buses in Karachi is not a fun at all, hence you get the opportunity to interact with local populace and look at their issues by having a conversation with them. 
Secondly, there are few issues which become famous and get a high rate in trending on social issues such as #ColonelKiBiwi and many others. Just at the time of writing this blogpost I found an abusive trend on twitter for a female politician of Pakistan. Such issues occur on every day basis in our society. Even you may find other issues from social media which do not get any hashtag such as audience commenting on pictures of Iqra Aziz and Yasir Hussain. And Pakistani people teaching ethics to Turkish actress Esra Belgic and so on.  Such occurrences give you a chance to reflect over mentality of Pakistani people. 
Thirdly, you may get a topic from traditional media as well. Watching dramas is a fun indeed. You may write on Pakistani dramas, their contents, presentation, production and so on. Even you may compare them with foreign serials. You may watch TV news and see how news is presented on Pakistani TV channels as compared to foreign news channels. One can also watch repeated reports of child abuse in country and wonder why shouldn't I write on it.  
Fourthly, you may write on anything you are interested in. You are interested in watching serials, seasons, movies, sports. It is okay. You are fond of reading novels, travelogues, biographies, autobiographies, short stories. It is okay. You are interested in playing cricket, hockey, football, badminton etc. It is alright. You are interested in politics. No problem. Go ahead. From now on, think about all those issues from an eye of a writer. You will express yourself far better on those issues which are of your interest.   
All I want to say is that you have got limitless possibilities.  So what are you guys waiting for? Just start looking around for interesting topics to write on. 

Lecture 02 | Importance of Creative Writing

Well, a student may raise the question or think about we are living in twenty first century and the society is gradually becoming paperless. So why should we think about writing, let alone being creative? What is the importance of creative writing? These questions are essentially valid and merit answers. 
Firstly, writing is something like flying in the air. Personally and psychologically you feel a strong sense of gratification, satisfaction and achievement when your writing is published, shared on social networking sites and discussed among your circle of friends. It is like opening your heart and mind apart before your audience and telling them what you have been thinking. When you get a thumbs up or bravo message from family and friends, you feel far better.
Secondly, If you are not even published (which happens to every one countless times), there are many other advantages of creative writing as well. The practice enables you to develop and improve your skills of expressing artistically. As I often state there is no short cut to writing and it only depends upon practice, practice and practice. More practice will enable not only your expression but also develop your skill of creative thinking. It will boost your imagination and clarify your thoughts and put them in sequence.  
Thirdly, creative writing enhances your ability of critical writing, reading and comprehension as well. When you start writing, slowly and gradually you will feel that your comprehension is improving and you are critically evaluating other's writing. This exercise will greatly help in developing your communication skills and will enable you to argue and counter-argue not only in the writing form but also in speech. It also enhance your capability of analysis. 
Finally, in the last but not the least, there is a documented research that creative writers enjoy a great deal of freedom with their work and they enjoy far better improved physical, mental and emotional health. Of course, some times they also come under stress when they are stuck but this is part of life and take it easy. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started. 

Lecture 01 | Creative Writing: What it is and what it isn’t?

It is very difficult to define creative writing. It is even more difficult to categorise what is creative writing and what is not? Many people believe that any formal, precise and fact-based writing does not fall under creative writing. If we agree with them, we will have to keep journalistic writing, academic writing and technical writing off the limits. Another group of people also believe that creative writing is a part of English literature, therefore you may see that many centres of creative writing around the world are considered to be part of English departments.
There is no established and agreed upon definition of creative writing. This is something which ‘always depends upon’ what is being written. I assume discussion on what is not creative writing would be more beneficial to start with. What I believe is that, firstly, any writing which is based on presentation and description of facts (like reports by NGOs, a news on TV or newspaper etc.), summary, precis is not creative writing for the reasons that in such writing you describe some charts or tables, summarise someone else’s thoughts in your own words without disturbing the pristine beauty of original writing. In other words, we can say that such writings are reproductions not creative. Secondly, traditional or conventional writings such as writing applications, writing resume or CVs and any technical report upon something’s functionality, writing instruction manual of any gadget do not fall under creative writing. For such writings, like above, are aimed at describing functions of some gadget etc.
Few people’s claim of keeping off journalistic writings (say article, column, feature, editorial, reviews etc.), academic writings (books, book chapters, research papers) and professional forms of writing from creative writing is not justifiable. Those authors want to state that only literary genres fall under creative writing. However, reviews (on cars, gadgets, films, books, theatres etc.), journalistic writing (except news), and many sorts of professional writings are also part of creative writing. In those writings, writer thinks critically, organizes his/her arguments, concludes them logically with some evidence or examples which needs homework, time to prepare, critical thinking to cite appropriate examples, evidences and connecting two or more strands together.
To conclude we may carefully say that to mention a few genres part of creative writing is not justifiable. And giving verdict on other writing genres and keeping them off limits is also not justifiable. Technical reports, data based reports (without analysis or personal opinion) and summaries are not creative writing. One blogger has aptly defined creative writing as “…..anything that falls within the bounds of conventional or traditional academic, journalistic, professional, and technical literary forms” is creative writing. Therefore, we may carefully claim and say that journalistic genres (Columns, features, articles, profiles, editorials, investigative stories etc), literary genres (fiction as well as non-fiction) and academic writings (essays, thesis etc) do fall under the category of creative writing.