Creative Writing 101 Ep.1 - Imagery, Diction, and Figures of Speech

Summary

In this video, Sir Angie Javier introduces 'Creative Writing 101' by comparing technical and creative writing. Technical writing is straightforward, while creative writing is imaginative and expressive, often using literary devices such as imagery, diction, and figures of speech. Imagery helps readers visualize through sensory details, diction reflects the writer’s style, and figures of speech add depth to language. Examples of simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and other literary techniques are discussed to enhance understanding. This session provides an insightful foundation for appreciating and practicing creative writing.

Takeaways

• ✍️ Creative writing goes beyond technical conventions and emphasizes imagination and literary devices.
• 🔧 Technical writing is straightforward and non-fictional, focused on instruction, explanation, and direction.
• 🎨 Creative writing uses literary devices such as imagery, diction, and figures of speech to express feelings and ideas.
• 👁️ Imagery appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste) and helps create a vivid experience for readers.
• 📚 Diction reflects the writer's style and can define whether a text is formal or informal.
• 🖋️ Figures of speech deviate from literal meaning to add color and aesthetic appeal to language.
• 🔄 Simile and metaphor are comparisons used to enhance creative writing, with simile using 'like' or 'as' and metaphor making direct comparisons.
• 📈 Hyperbole is an exaggeration for emphasis, while personification gives human qualities to non-human objects.
• 🌀 Oxymoron places two contradictory words together to create a new meaning, while paradox is a self-contradicting but logical statement.
• 💡 Devices such as synecdoche (using a part to represent a whole) and metonymy (replacing one thing with something closely related) are commonly used in creative writing.

Q & A

What is the key difference between technical writing and creative writing?

The key difference is that technical writing is straightforward, focusing on instruction and factual content without requiring imaginative expression. Creative writing, on the other hand, goes beyond conventions and is guided by the writer's need to express feelings and ideas using literary devices.

What are some common examples of creative writing?

Common examples of creative writing include poetry, drama, short stories, epics, and myths. These forms are characterized by their creative and imaginative nature, free from the restrictive demands of technical writing.

How does imagery function in creative writing?

Imagery in creative writing is descriptive language that appeals to the five senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste). It helps readers create a more vivid and sensory experience of the world the author is trying to convey.

Can you provide an example of how imagery appeals to different senses in a poem?

In the sample poem, 'The scent of her wonderful being tickles my peace ever seeing her face is divine,' the word 'scent' appeals to the sense of smell, while 'tickles' appeals to touch, and 'her face is divine white flowers' appeals to sight.

What is diction, and how does it impact creative writing?

Diction is the writer's choice of words, reflecting their style of expression. It significantly affects the tone of the writing and how readers imagine characters and scenes. Diction also establishes whether a text is formal or informal.

What is a simile, and how does it differ from a metaphor?

A simile is an indirect comparison between two things using 'as' or 'like,' such as 'Carlotta is as wonderful as fresh-bloomed roses.' A metaphor, on the other hand, is a direct comparison without 'as' or 'like,' such as 'Carlotta is a fresh-bloomed rose.'

What is hyperbole, and can you give an example?

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that goes beyond reality. An example is, 'Linda was so mad that she brought hell on earth,' which exaggerates her anger to an impossible level.

How does personification add depth to creative writing?

Personification gives human attributes to non-human things. For example, in 'the sky cries,' the sky is given the human ability to cry, adding emotional depth to the description.

What is the difference between synecdoche and metonymy?

Synecdoche uses a part of something to represent the whole, such as using 'wheels' to represent a car. Metonymy replaces the name of something with something closely related, such as 'the crown' representing a king or queen.

What is alliteration, and how does it differ from assonance?

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a sentence, like 'Betty Butter bought some butter.' Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds, such as 'An ant ate an apple.' Both create rhythmic effects in writing.

Outlines

00:00

📘 Introduction to Creative Writing 101

This paragraph introduces Sir Angie Javier as the speaker and welcomes viewers to Creative Writing 101. It sets the stage by briefly contrasting technical writing with creative writing, emphasizing that creative writing allows for more expressive and imaginative approaches, using literary devices like imagery and figurative language, while technical writing is more factual and straightforward.

05:01

✍️ Understanding Imagery in Creative Writing

Imagery is highlighted as a descriptive tool that helps readers visualize and experience literary works through their five senses: touch, hearing, taste, smell, and sight. The paragraph uses a poem as an example to illustrate how various lines appeal to different senses, showing how creative writing stimulates sensory experiences and creates vivid mental images for the reader.

10:03

📝 The Power of Diction

Diction, or the writer's choice of words, is introduced as a literary device that shapes the tone and style of a text. This section uses the example of a story involving a princess and a wicked queen to show how diction can influence a reader's perception of characters and events, contrasting the 'beautiful' princess with the 'vile and vicious' queen. It highlights how diction can make a text more formal or informal and impactful.

15:07

💡 Exploring Figures of Speech

Figures of speech, which deviate from literal meanings to enhance language, are discussed. Various examples are given, including simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification, and apostrophe. Each figure of speech is explained with examples that showcase how they enrich creative writing by adding depth and meaning. Simile and metaphor are used for comparisons, while hyperbole exaggerates for emphasis. Personification gives human qualities to non-human entities.

20:08

🎭 More Figures of Speech: Oxymoron, Paradox, and More

The paragraph continues exploring figures of speech, focusing on oxymoron, paradox, synecdoche, and metonymy. Oxymoron juxtaposes contradictory words to create new meanings, like 'pretty ugly,' while paradox involves contradictory statements that make sense, such as 'to live is to die.' Synecdoche uses a part to represent the whole, and metonymy replaces the name of something with something closely related, like 'the crown' for 'king.'

🔄 Chiasmus, Alliteration, Assonance, and Onomatopoeia

Chiasmus, the reversal of sentence structure for artistic effect, is explained, followed by a discussion of alliteration (repetition of consonant sounds), assonance (repetition of vowel sounds), and onomatopoeia (words that imitate sounds). Examples like 'never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you' illustrate chiasmus, while alliteration and assonance use repeated sounds to create rhythm and mood. Onomatopoeia adds auditory realism with words like 'tick tock' or 'screech.'

🔔 Rhyme and Epistrophe in Creative Writing

This paragraph covers rhyme and epistrophe, two additional literary devices. Rhyme involves the repetition of similar sounds at the ends of lines, often in poetry or songs, as seen in 'Baa Baa Black Sheep.' Epistrophe, on the other hand, involves the repetition of the same word at the end of successive sentences for emphasis, as in 'where now, who now, when now.' These tools contribute to the structure and musicality of creative writing.

🧾 Conclusion and Summary of Creative Writing Concepts

The video wraps up by summarizing the differences between technical and creative writing, emphasizing that while technical writing is direct and fact-based, creative writing focuses on imaginative expression and emotional resonance. The key literary devices covered—imagery, diction, and figures of speech—are recapped, highlighting their roles in making creative writing vivid, expressive, and compelling. Sir Angie Javier closes by thanking viewers and inviting them to future sessions.

Keywords

💡Creative Writing

Creative writing refers to a form of writing that goes beyond the constraints of traditional or technical writing. It focuses on the writer's imagination and self-expression, often employing literary devices like imagery and figures of speech. In the script, creative writing is described as free, imaginative, and aimed at expressing the writer's feelings and ideas rather than adhering to factual or logical progression.

💡Technical Writing

Technical writing is a style of writing that conveys information in a clear, direct, and structured way, often used for instructional, explanatory, or informational purposes. In the video, it's contrasted with creative writing, as technical writing avoids imagination and focuses on clarity, structure, and the presentation of facts. It is typically found in academic and professional texts.

💡Imagery

Imagery is the use of descriptive language to create sensory experiences for the reader by appealing to their senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. In the video, imagery is explained through examples from a poem, where sensory details like 'scent of her wonderful being' and 'reverberating powers' help readers vividly imagine the scenes described.

💡Diction

Diction refers to the writer's choice of words and is essential in establishing the tone and mood of a piece of writing. It can be formal or informal and influences how readers perceive characters or situations. In the script, diction is demonstrated through contrasting descriptions of a 'beautiful princess' and a 'wicked queen,' shaping how we imagine these characters.

💡Figures of Speech

Figures of speech are expressions that deviate from literal meanings to add creativity and depth to writing. They are used to enhance the artistic effect of language. The video covers several figures of speech, including similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification, each providing a unique way to express ideas beyond literal interpretations.

💡Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that makes an indirect comparison between two things using the words 'like' or 'as.' In the script, the example 'Carlotta is as wonderful as the fresh bloomed roses in the garden' shows how similes are used to create vivid comparisons, enhancing the reader’s understanding of a character or situation.

💡Metaphor

A metaphor is a direct comparison between two things without using 'like' or 'as,' suggesting that one thing is another. The video example 'Carlotta is a fresh bloomed rose in the garden' illustrates how metaphors directly connect concepts, enriching the imagery and depth of the writing.

💡Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally, used to create a dramatic effect. The script provides the example 'Linda was very mad that she brought hell on earth,' which emphasizes Linda’s anger by exaggerating the impact of her emotions beyond reality.

💡Personification

Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human qualities or actions to non-human objects or concepts. In the script, the example 'the sky cries as Karen weeps in the meadows' shows how personification can evoke emotional responses by giving human traits, such as crying, to non-human entities like the sky.

💡Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech where two contradictory terms are placed together to create a new meaning. In the video, the example 'pretty ugly' demonstrates how oxymorons juxtapose opposing ideas, prompting readers to think about the underlying message or tone the writer intends to convey.

Highlights

Introduction to Creative Writing 101 by Sir Angie Javier.

Differentiation between technical writing and creative writing.

Technical writing involves straightforward, instructional, and factual content.

Creative writing goes beyond the conventions of technical literature, often using imaginative expression.

Creative writing focuses on expressing feelings and ideas, not bound by factual or logical progression.

Imagery, a key literary device, uses descriptive language to appeal to the five senses.

Example of imagery: 'The scent of her wonderful being' appeals to the sense of smell, and possibly sight and touch.

Explanation of diction as the writer's choice of words, affecting tone and character perception.

Diction can make a text formal or informal, affecting the reader's imagination.

Figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, deviate from literal meanings to create aesthetic impact.

Simile involves indirect comparison using 'like' or 'as,' while a metaphor is a direct comparison.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement, making things beyond reality.

Personification gives human attributes to non-human objects, like 'the sky cries.'

Explanation of oxymoron, where two contradictory terms, like 'pretty ugly,' are placed together to form new meaning.

Paradox involves self-contradictory statements that still make sense, like 'to live is to die.'

Transcripts

hi guys this is sir angie javier and

welcome to creative writing

101

by the very name of our subject creative

writing i know many of you are already

having ideas about what

this subject could be all about but

before we further discuss what creative

writing is

let us first differentiate technical

writing and

create writing you are a grade 11

student and you already finished your

first semester

you are surely introduced to a variety

of academic texts

through your subject english for

academic and professional purposes

these texts are non-fictional writings

thus they contain

information and arguments which are

presented directly

generally these non-fiction texts fall

under

technical writing technical writing is a

style of writing which tackles subjects

that require

instruction explanation and direction

therefore it is delivered

straightforward and does not require

worthiness or imaginative expression on

the other hand creative writing is a

style of writing that goes beyond

the conventions of technical literature

also called as imaginative writing this

style can be

any writing be it fiction poetry or even

non-fiction

these writings just simply use literary

devices like imagery

figures of speech diction and

more what we have to remember most about

creative writing

is that it is guided more by the need of

the writer to express

feelings and ideas rather than be guided

with the restrictive demands of factual

and logical progression expository

writing

that's why if you would look closely to

the most common examples of creative

writing like poetry

drama short story epics myths

and more you would see that these

writings are actually

free creative imaginative

and therefore it is not bound by the

restrictive demands

of technical writing

[Music]

imagery is basically descriptive

language it functions

as a way for the readers to better

imagine

the literature attend as it appeals to

the five senses

the sense of touch hearing taste smell

and sight it helps develop a sensory

experience or a more fully realized

understanding

of the imaginary world the author is

trying to create

now let's look at this sample poem and

see what imagery is all about

let us read the following lines of this

stanza

the scent of her wonderful being jiggles

my piece every seeing

her face is divine white flowers

astounding reverberating powers

sweetness flavors her lips all majesty

i'm hers for gibbs

now let's see in which senses does

each line appeal to

the first one has scent of her wonderful

being

the word sent there obviously appeals

to our sense of smell but creatively

the first lines scent of her of her

wonderful being

not just appeals to our sense of smell

but might

also appeal to our sense of sight or

even sense of touch

because we are talking about the

wonderful being of the woman

see on the second line there is

tickle's my piece ever seeing tickle

appeals to the sense of touch

the sensation the feeling of being

tickled

when you see that woman on the third

line

it says her face is divine white flowers

so the face is being compared to

heavenly

white flowers so obviously that is

for the sense of sight for the fourth

one we have

astounding reverberating powers the word

reverberating

or in filipino domadogun so it obviously

appeals to our sense of hearing

and then finally for the fifth line

there is sweetness

flavors her lips

[Music]

um although we can take this as

literally

as appealing to sense of taste

we can also say that this also appeals

to the sense of

sight because maybe the woman

smiles beautifully smells

sweetly thus the writer said so

so you see imagery is the use of

words that appeal to the senses making

the readers

better imagine what the writer is trying

to say

is he right again imagery is basically

descriptive language which helps the

reader to better imagine

the world the writer is trying to create

okay at this point let's go to the

second literary device

which is usually used in creative

writing and that is

textual diction

is the writer's choice of words it

reflects the writer's

style of expression it greatly affects

the tone of the piece of writing

at the same time it affects how the

readers imagine

the characters of a story but one

primary thing

diction does is it establishes whether a

text is

formal or informal let's look at these

sample texts and let's see how the

choice of words with the writer

affected how we imagined the characters

of the story

[Music]

once upon a time there lived a beautiful

princess

she was loved by all men and women alike

her skin was as white as snow her lips

were as red as the rose and her smile

was as bright as the sun

the crowd would turn heads as she passed

among them

her beauty was pleasing to all except

for one

the wicked queen she was the stepmother

of the princess

a vile and vicious queen she always

wanted to be the most beautiful

being to walk the earth that's why

she never liked princess with her

heartless huntsmen

she planned to end the princess let's

look at some words

chosen by the author to describe the two

characters of the story

[Music]

to describe the princess the author

chose the words beautiful

loved by all her skin as white as snow

her lips were as straight as the rose

and her smile was as bright as the sun

even adding that the crown would turn

heads

as she passed among them with these

descriptions with these words

selected by the author we can clearly

imagine that the princess

is a pleasing princess it's a beautiful

princess

a beautiful pleasing princess on the

other hand

to describe the queen the stepmother of

the princess

the author chose the words wicked

violent vicious always wanted to be the

most beautiful being to walk the earth

and never like the princess

plus with heartless huntsmen

all these words

chosen by the author to describe the

queen or the stepmother

princess make us think

that this stepmother is actually a bad

one

see how important diction is it helps us

make our writings more effective because

we are able to make our readers better

imagine

the characters the story and everything

that we want to deliver through our

pieces

finally let's talk about figures of

speech figures of speech are expressions

which

deviate from the literal meaning these

are used to add color to language

by making expressions more aesthetically

effective basically from the word

figurative

these are expressions which you have to

figure out

their meaning first for you to fully

understand what they

mean there are numerous figures of

speech

in fact if you would search the internet

you would see that there are actually

hundreds of figures of speech

being used in the world but for this

video we'll be discussing

16 of the most commonly used figures of

speech

and let's have them one by one speech

one by one

beginning with the most commonly used

that is

simile simile is indirect comparison

it uses the words as

and like to compare two things

let's look at the example sentences here

carlotta is as wonderful as the fresh

bloomed roses in the garden

here we compared carlotta with the fresh

plumed roses

using the adjective wonderful

constructed

with the 2s

now if you would use like

we don't need to put any adjective

anymore and we can just take our lota

is like the fresh plumed roses in the

garden

again the difference of using lag and s

is that you need to put

an adjective in between the two ass the

metaphor is like a brother to the simile

only this time it is a direct comparison

here we don't use

like or ass anymore and we just go

straightly

compare the two things in the sentence

like

carlotta is a fresh plumed rose in the

garden

directly comparing carlotta with the

fresh bloom rose

third we have hyperbole hyperbole is

known to be the exaggeration making

things beyond reality

we have here the sentence linda was very

mad that she

brought hell on earth

the exaggeration here is that she

brought hell on earth

no one is capable of bringing hell on

earth that's why

when we said linda was very mad that she

brought hell on earth

it's an example of a hyperbole

fourth we have personification from the

word personify

personification is animation making

non-human

human things do human activities

or have human attributes let's look at

the example here

the sky cries as karen whips in the

meadows

so here the non-human thing is the sky

and we give it the human attribute of

crying

we give it the ability to cry so sky

cries here

is an example of personification

then there is apostrophe

apostrophe is a direct address

it's calling someone or something in

your

line or sentence usually when you use

apostrophe

you use it to address non-human things

or something that is not present or

not living let's do an example here

oh dear faith why did you bring me to

this much pain

here

the one being addressed by the sentence

is

faith saying oh dear fate

now let's go to the next figure of

speech that is

oxymoron this is one of my most favorite

figures of speech because

it is placing side by side two

contradicting

words again there are two words

opposite to one another and they are

placed together

to create new meaning let's look at the

example here the dress the first lady is

wearing

is pretty ugly so if you look closely at

this

the words used in the sentence you would

see two words

which are placed side by side but are

opposite

to one another and those are pretty

and ugly pretty ugly are opposite words

but when you combine them and you place

them side by side

they create a new meaning

[Music]

so pretty ugly may mean not

pretty not that beautiful

so it's an example of an oxymoron and

then

for the second sentence we have mr

villarreal son was found

missing after the party so the two words

which are not

the two words here which are opposite to

one another are

found and missing because when you say

found

it is something that you see but missing

means

something that you don't see found

missing together

means realized missing

[Music]

next one we have paradox

paradoxes like oxymoron but the

difference here it's that

paradox is a self-contradicting

statement that makes sense

meaning we're not just combining two

opposite words here rather we combine

two opposing statements

look at the example here we must fall in

order to

rise so we have here must fall in order

to rise so two contradicting statements

or phrases

and then we also have here to live is to

die

okay so it's like oxymoron but the

difference here is that

it's a self-contradicting statement it's

a statement that contradicts

itself unlike in the oxymoron there are

just two words

placed together which are opposite in

meaning

okay let's go to the next one that is

synecdoche synecdoche is using a part of

something to represent

the whole it might sound confusing but

let's talk

the example here it says here lloyd road

on the boss

since his wheels is on the repair okay

so our synecdoche here refers to

wheels the wheels here

represent the whole car so it means

lloyd wrote on a bus since his car is

under

repair so the wheels there represent the

whole

car okay another example monica was in

the forest when she met

a grey beard our synecdoche here is

grey beard and who

usually has a gray beard an old man

so the grey beard there represents an

old man

because usually an old man has a grey

beard okay again synecdoche is using a

part of something to represent the whole

for example you could use sale to

represent the whole book boat

or maybe you could use a hand

to represent a person so you can say

i need a hand

so you need a person another person to

help you

okay next we have

metonymy metonymy sometimes being

confused with synecdoche but the

difference here is this

metonymy is replacing the name of a

thing with the name of something else

which is closely associated with it if

in synecdoche we use a part of something

to represent it

here in metonymy we replace that thing

with another thing that is closely

related to it

look at this the crown order the

investigation of the princess's death

so here we have the crown as our

metonymy the crown here represents who

probably the king or the queen so

since the king or the queen is closely

associated with wearing a crown

we did not say

queen or king anymore rather we replaced

it with

crown so that's metonymy in synecdoche

it's a part

the part of the queen or the part of the

king that will be used but in metonymy

we are using something that is closely

related to that

okay look at this other example here

last year thousands of boots marched to

mindanao to resolve conflicts

so our metonymy here is boots

and boots here represent

soldiers so last year thousands of

soldiers

marched to mindanao to resolve conflicts

because

soldiers or army are usually

the army is usually related to

wearing boots whenever they are in

battle

okay so again metonymy is replacing

something

with something else that is closely

associated with it

okay next one

let's go to chiasmus chiasmus is putting

together

two or more clauses that are balanced

against

each other by the reversal of their

structures in order to produce an

artistic effect

this one is quite confusing if you're

going to read the definition but it's

actually very easy to understand

chaos most simply means you put two

sentences together

but you balance them against each other

by reversing the order of the other

sentence

never let a fool kiss you or a kiss

fool you so you see here we have two

sentences here

combined okay

we have here never let a full kiss you

or a kiss fool you so you see

we just reverse the order of the first

sentence in the other one

in filipino we have this example of

chiasmus a famous example of yasmos here

i believe this is delivered in one

famous movie in the philippines

and that line goes mahal mubaraki

so it's an example of chiasmus because

uh it's composed of two sentences

balance against balance against each

other by

reversing the order reversing the

structure

okay easy to understand right let's go

to the next one

and that is alliteration alliteration is

the repetition

repeating of a consonant sound as an

initial

or dominant sound in several words in a

line meaning

you repeat a consonant sound

i usually has a first letter of every

word in a line

look at this betty butter bought some

butter

so obviously we are repeating the

consonant

sound in here so we have

d b b d as the initial letter of most of

the words in this line

easy to understand of course if we have

the consonant we also have one for the

vowel sound and that is

assonance assonance is the repetition of

a vowel sound in several words in a line

similar to alliteration

look at this example sentence here an

ant ate an apple

so we repeat here the vowel

a onomatopoeia onomatopoeia

are words that imitate sounds look at

the example sentences here

my heart seemed to beat with the tick

tock of

the clock obviously our animated figure

here is

tick tock because it imitates the sound

of the clock

tick tock and then we have the second

sentence here the silence was broken by

the screeching of the door

so our onomatopoeia here is screeching

imitating the sound of a door that is

closely

that is slowly being closed or slowly

being opened

the screeching

then we have the rime

i believe the rhyme is very common to

you

the rhyme simply means repeating similar

sounding words usually occurring at the

end of the lines in poems or songs

example baba black ship have you any

wool

yes sir yes sir three bags full so we

have here wool and full

as the rhyming words with the similar

sounding words

and then continuing one for the master

one for the dame

and one for the little boy who lives

down the lane

and we have dame and lane there as to

another

set of rhyming words

next we have epistophe epistrophe is

putting the same word at the end of each

sentence so you have a couple of

sentences together

but at the end of each sentence is the

same

word it's the same word look at this

where now

who now when now so we have here now

as the ending word of each statement

so that's our lesson for our first

session but before we end let us first

have a generalization of what we have

talked about

in this entire video first we have

defined and differentiated

the two steps of writing technical

writing and creative writing

saying that technical writing is

straightforward

and does not require wordiness or

imaginative expression on the other hand

in creative writing

creative writing is a style of writing

that goes beyond the conventions or

traditions of

technical literature also we have talked

about three

literary devices which make creative

writing

creative and those are imagery diction

and figures of speech again imagery is

basically descriptive language which

helps the reader better imagine the

world

the writer is trying to create by

appealing to the five senses

which are the sense of taste sight smell

hearing

and touch on the other hand diction is

the writer's

style of writing it is the writer's

choice of words

which reflects his or her style of

expression and finally we have figures

of speech

which add color to our text by

definiting from the literal meaning of

the words

being used and that's it for our first

session thank you very much for staying

with me

until the end of this video i also hope

to see you again

on our next sessions once again i am sir

angie javier

and this is creative writing 101

you