Creativity in Writing - Assignment Example

?Creative Writing College: Creativity in Writing In applied linguistics, the concept of creative writing has generated a lot of heat with the evolution of multi-conceptual framework of writing in the contemporary societies. The evolution of creative writing has been perceived to originate from changes in literary skills, topics, dimensions and language in the modern times. As much as the traditional writing still remains relevant today, it is indisputable that writing has acquired a new face in the current times and the old school of writing has been modified to fit a the demands of the contemporary time. Various definitions have been provided on the nature of creativity in writing and its implication on literary works. No matter the kind of definition provided to explain writing, it is appreciable that the essence of creative writing is to convey the human imagination to the people in the most convenient, effective and understandable manner. Effective writing can be evaluated by the creativity features that can be identified in any piece of literary work and the clarity of the message alluded in the work. In general, a creative writing will provide information in the most conspicuous manner possible and the recipients of a message should be gratified. The essence of this essay is to identify features of creative writing and to identify the factors that have culminated in the emergence of creativity in linguistic writing. Various scholars have presented different definitions and dimensions of creative writing as applied in linguistics today. Harper (2010) expresses the complexity of defining creative writing in the field of linguistics and is of the opinion that scholarly definitions of these terms as mere attempt. However, he pays a keen attention to the reference of creative writing as a by-product of a mind that is acquiring a new image of operation. The concept of this definition is rather unique and sees creative writing as an expression of the human mind in a planned and orderly manner. From the words of this author, creative writing is not only an art of the mind but also an art of the hands that must be coordinated to achieve creativity and the originality implied in this definition. However, Harper (2010) disregards this definition and he feels that this kind of definition lacks the concept of planning that must be accounted in any definition of creative writing. Schlepphege (2010), another scholar, has provided a different dimension of creativity in the modern creativity research as the process of producing a whole new concept in the society. The author makes a direct connection to the concept of creation in its literal meaning as the process making something new, and presenting it to the community. From this point of view, creative writing is an art of bringing up new acts, thoughts and idea in the society. The implication of this definition is that to evaluate whether writing is creative or not, one would require evaluating if a piece of work presents a new concept. Schlepphege (2010) states that all forms of literary works such as poetry, drama, fiction, speeches or even song lyrics must express a new form of expression, communication or even self-awareness in human beings. In addition, creative writing is not a product of writing expertise but a natural urge of human beings to communicate or express themselves. Maybin and Swann, (2007) have analysed the language in two different dimensions in the attempt of explaining the practical application of creativity in contemporary writing. The two authors evaluate feel that language use takes either a textual or a contextual sense and creativity will revolve around these two dimensions of language use. The textual sense of language use refers to the linguistic forms and structures that are used to express an intended brain perception by a writer. Example of this kind of use of language use is expression of irony in voice intonation, use of word play in comic writing and the use of images to express an emotional feeling is online chats. The contextual perspective of language is inclined into the use of language in different situation of social interaction, which requires the use of different forms of creativity. For instance, the language used in social meeting will differ with language use in formal meeting, and at the same time the subject of discussion will determine the kind of language that one uses. Going by the argument of Maybin and Swann (2007), creativity of language is depended on the context of usage and this can be achieved through different expressions forms of language texts. Other authors have had their own idea of creative linguistic writing and convergence of these definitions exists in the forms of expressions that are common in creative writing. Most authors agree that creative writing is signified by artistic language that can be identified by examining the craftsmanship in a piece of literary work, character modelling and use of literary expertise (Tarone, 2000: Carter, 2004: Howarth, 2007). Just like the uniqueness of artwork, creativity in language can only be expressed through the production of unique expression and language usage in literature work. Another dimension of creative writing that authors have identified is the necessity of critical analysis in writing this kind meeting strict demands of this kind of writing (Harris, 2001). From a critical point of view, it is possible to regard creative writing as the mechanisms that are used to transform imaginations of the mind to written work. The use of language in the modern society has been affected by the development of technology; existence of technology among the people has brought about new communication methods that have brought about a new definition of writing. In the traditional school of linguistics common writing included poetry, letters and diaries, of which were covered in the traditional definition of writing. In the contemporary linguistic culture, technology driven writing such as text messages and computer mediated communication such as emails have brought about a new definition of creativity. Nevertheless, there is great similarity in the traditional creativity and the modern language creativity (Dawson, 2005). For instance, the use of customized images in computer aided communication is similar to the use of traditional paintings and drawings. The difference that now exists is that changes in the contemporary language use have brought about a new efficiency in creative writing and hence improvement in creativity has been fostered. In short, new changes in communication tools have come along with new creativity strategies and have provided a room for more creative forms of writing. At this point, it is important to evaluate various forms of writing and the kind of creativity that has been employed in their practical usage. One of the literary works where creativity has been emphasized is in poem writing, as a way of adding touch and feel to communication. The essence of any literary work is to pass some form of message to the audience in the most clear and amicable manner. The end effect is not mere translation of information from the mind to a piece of paper, but to convey intended message within the standards of a literary piece (Rampton, 2001). By standards, it means that each literary form has its own rules and regulations that must be adhered to while expressing messages to the target audience. In poetry, the element of symbolism and direct address of issues is used to pass intended language in the most imperative manner. In contemporary poetry, features such as symbolism can be achieved differently using more dynamic forms of communication. In traditional poetry, creativity in poetry relied primarily on constructive word use and the writers had to pay keen attention to word articulation. Today creativity can be achieved through the use of colour impression and graphic expressions with written work (Chad and Fraser, 2006). For instance, numerous colours can be used to signify various themes that the writer intends to create within a poem and this can amplify the element of symbolism in the work. Often, red colour can be used to build the theme of cruelty or scariness, blue colour for a sadism and green colour to signify nature. According to Jake (2010), the use of colour in a poem enhances creativity by adding a visual impression to this genre of literary work. In addition, adding images that have significance within a poem will foster creativity and building the building the element of communication in an art work. Another kind of writing that is common in day to day communication is online chats, which has come along with the development of internet technology. Maybin and Swann (2007) have expressed the innovativeness that has come along with online chatting and the way it has gained a lot of attention from the young generation. A unique feature of this kind of communication is the use images with specific relevance in communication, depending on the kind of message that is supposed to be relayed. Often, this service includes an image feature that allows users to express their message more vividly or even to build intended mental illusions of message recipients. This feature allows the user to accompany their message with a facial expression, a flower, an object or any other art works that are relevant in various communication situations. For instance, the user can insert an open hand within their greeting message to create a friendly environment within the conversation. In a sad occasion, the message writer may add a sullen facial expression to express their mood or reaction to a situation. With these images, the users are able to create more customized messages and to add an element of reality in their speeches. Customization of online chats has a great effect in adding creativity in day to day writing techniques. With these customized images, the writer is able to add the element of double-voice or even conceptualization within their conversation whose end effect is the provision of a clear and concise message, which is an element of effective communication (Maybin and Swann, 2007). From this perspective, there seems that the essence of creativity is to allow the users to pass their information effectively through expression of their mental ideas. This is in agreement with the idea of many authors who perceive creativity as a way of fostering transfer of mental images to the person who is intended to receive it. A question that may arise is why the designers of online chat services decided to include customized images along with the writing features in the computer technology. A possible answer to this question is the pressure of the modern socialization that requires more perfection of communication strategies to enhance message delivery. The conclusion that can be drawn from this characteristic communication feature is that creativity is the vehicle for effective communication. At this point it is important to consider the numerous factors that have led emergence in creativity within various forms of writing. So far, it is possible to appreciate that creativity in everyday writing is essential in every human being and cannot be defined within the boundaries of expertise in the society. This means that the urge to be creative is a feature of every human being who intends not only to communicate, but also to be understood by his presumed audience (Earnshaw, 2006). In other words, knowledge of language is not adequate in creative writing, but the knowledge of its use and its proper articulation within any form of writing will determine how efficient a writer will express their mind. Therefore, the emergence of creativity in linguistics is more inclined to the urge human beings to be clear and to pass their message across to their listeners. In short, creative language is more vivid and is effective in channeling messages from one person to the next within a social environment. One factor that has led to the establishment of emergence of creativity within the area of socio linguistics is the urge to perfect communication between humanity. Language development is an endless process that is destined to take more effective shape with time and its development will go deep into the future. The concept of critical analysis has influenced the development of human mind as they find more effective methods of communication within themselves. In fact, Schlepphege (2010) in his work in his work aimed at imparting creativity in poetry has recognized that the innovation of human beings in their urge to communicate more effectively has bred creativity in writing. In poetry, it has become acceptable to use colours and images within the writing as a way of creating mental pictures within the readers of a poem. This kind of creativity has emerged after human beings have figured out new ways of expressing symbolism. Therefore, creativity in everyday writing is a phenomenon that has risen up as a result of the human urge to perfect their communication abilities. In online communication, creativity has been signified by the inclusion of impressive graphics that can be used to relay specific voiceless messages. Even by themselves, the images are adequate to pass a message within a communication session. For instance, when chat user sends an image with a heart symbol, it will be adequate enough to create a mental picture on the recipient’s side to decode this message as an illustration of love. In this case, the introduction of technology has come along with a new form of creativity in the society (Carter, 2004). It is possible to say that technology has played a key role in the development of creativity in the modern forms of writing. With it, the society can be able to communicate more effectively through simple writing mechanics that are more expressive and vivid in the transfer of messages from a writer to an audience. In conclusion, creativity is a term that is complex to define and can hardly be expressed precisely with the word of mouth. However, authors have converged on the idea that the essence of creativity is to enhance communication of an intended message, and to ensure that the words and the language arts that are presented to the audience represent the writer mental picture. In other words, creativity is not simply the knowledge of vocabularies but the knowledge of effective word use and application of literary arts such as images to convey intended messages. As a natural instinct of human beings to be understood, human beings have continuously built their communication strategies, which have resulted into the resurgence of creative writing skills in everyday writing. Another factor that has influenced the language use is the evolution of technology that has come up with new mechanisms of communications that were in-evident in the traditional error of literary writing. Consequently, the elements of technological advancement such as the internet have led to the emergence of creativity in everyday writing. Additionary, creativity is situation-based and its usage will depend on the kind of social-cultural environment it is being applied, and the audience that will be expected to decode the written message. For instance, when writing for a business organization, it will be uniquely different to writing for a friend on an online dialogue. Therefore, the textual forms selected for a given scenario will be different with those applied in a different scenario, and unique features of creativity will dominate in different situations. References Carter, R., (2004). Language and Creativity: The Art of Common Talk. London: Taylor and Francis. Chad, D. and Fraser, G., (2006). Poetry: Teaching Creative Writing. Harper. London: Continuum. Dawson, P., (2005). Creative Writing and the New Humanities. Oxford: Rutledge Earnshaw, S., (2006). The Handbook of Creative Writing. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Harper, G., (2010). On Creative Writing. New York: Multilingual Matters Harris, J., (2001): Re-writing the Subject: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Creative Writing and Composition Pedagogy. College English 64.2 175-204. Howarth, P., (2007). Creative Writing and Schiller’s Aesthetic Education.” Journal of Aesthetic Education 41(3) 41-58. Jake, R., (2010). Bringing Creativity into Poetry. Retrieved from < http://www.poetry soup .com/poetry_articles/read/71/bringing_creativity_to_poetry> Maybin, J. and Swann, J., (2007). Everyday Creativity in Language: Textuality, Conceptuality and Critique. Retrieved from :< http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia. edu.documents/6127277/Maybin_and_Swann_2007.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIR6FSIMDFXPEERSA&Expires=1382017516&Signature=ucDiIILbIWTOr4WI5VKO5NA6B1c%3D> Rampton, B., (2001). Critique in interaction: Critique of Anthropology 21(1), 83–107. Schlepphege, J., (2010). Creative Poetry Writing in the EFL Classrsoom. Norderstedt: Grin Verlag. Tarone, E., (2000). Getting serious about language play: Language play, Inter-language Variation and Second Language Acquisition. Somerville: Cascadilla Press. Read More